The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892) is the first collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Its twelve tales, first published in The Strand Magazine, include A Scandal in Bohemia, The Red-Headed League and The Speckled Band.
The stories
A Scandal in Bohemia, the first story, sets Holmes against Irene Adler, the only person who ever outwits him. The Red-Headed League begins with a strange job offered only to red-haired men.
The Speckled Band, a locked-room mystery in a sinister country house, was Conan Doyle's own favourite.
The Strand Magazine
The stories appeared monthly in The Strand from July 1891 to June 1892, illustrated by Sidney Paget, whose drawings fixed Holmes's image.
Their success made Holmes a national hero and Conan Doyle the best-paid author of short stories of his time.
Holmes and Watson
Each story is told by Dr Watson, whose admiration and occasional bewilderment set off Holmes's brilliance.
Holmes's method of observation and deduction, inspired by Conan Doyle's teacher Dr Joseph Bell of Edinburgh, became the model for the fictional detective.
Anecdotes
A model from Edinburgh
Joseph Bell, a surgeon who taught Conan Doyle in Edinburgh, could guess a patient's job and origins at a glance; Conan Doyle acknowledged him as the model for Holmes.
The deerstalker
Holmes never wears a deerstalker in the text; the famous hat comes from Sidney Paget's illustrations.
Frequently asked questions
How many stories are in the Adventures?
Twelve.
Who is Irene Adler?
The woman who outwits Holmes in A Scandal in Bohemia.
Who illustrated the stories?
Sidney Paget, in The Strand Magazine.