The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes facts for kids
Front cover of the first edition
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| Author | Arthur Conan Doyle |
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| Illustrator | Sidney Paget |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Sherlock Holmes |
| Genre | Detective fiction |
| Publisher | George Newnes |
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Publication date
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14 October 1892 |
| Pages | 307 |
| Preceded by | The Sign of the Four |
| Followed by | The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes |
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a book of twelve short stories. It was written by the British author Arthur Conan Doyle. The book was first published on October 14, 1892.
These stories were the first short adventures about the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. They were first printed in a magazine called The Strand Magazine. Each story came out once a month from July 1891 to June 1892. The book collects them in the same order.
In every story, only Holmes and his good friend Dr. Watson appear. Dr. Watson tells all the stories from his own point of view. The stories often show problems in society and how Holmes tries to fix them. People really liked these stories. They helped The Strand Magazine get many more readers. This meant Doyle could ask for more money for his next stories!
The first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia", introduces a character named Irene Adler. Even though she only appears in this one story by Doyle, she is very important in many modern Sherlock Holmes movies and TV shows. She is often shown as someone Holmes cares about. Arthur Conan Doyle himself picked four stories from this book as his favorites. He said "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" was his absolute favorite.
Contents
How the Stories Began
Arthur Conan Doyle started writing when he was studying to be a doctor in the late 1870s. His first short story was published in 1879. Eight years later, his first Sherlock Holmes story, a novel called A Study in Scarlet, came out. People liked it, but Doyle didn't get much money for it.
After another novel, The Sign of the Four, was published, Doyle decided to focus on short stories. Soon after The Strand Magazine started in January 1891, its editor, Herbert Greenhough Smith, received two stories from Doyle. He later said he knew right away that Doyle was "the greatest short story writer" since Edgar Allan Poe.
The first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia", was published in the July 1891 issue. It had ten pictures drawn by Sidney Paget. The stories quickly became very popular. They helped the magazine sell many more copies. Doyle was paid 30 guineas for each of the first twelve stories. These stories were published every month until June 1892. Then, they were all put together into the book The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was published on October 14, 1892, by George Newnes, the same company that published The Strand Magazine.
The first time the book was printed, 10,000 copies were made in the United Kingdom. Another 4,500 copies were printed in the United States the next day. Sidney Paget drew all the pictures for these twelve stories in both the magazine and the book.
The Exciting Stories
What the Stories Are About
All the stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are told by Dr. Watson. He is the one who sees everything and writes it down. This is true for almost all Sherlock Holmes stories.
These short stories often point out unfair things happening in society. For example, they might show a king who betrays someone, or a stepfather who tricks his stepdaughter. They also show how rich people might take advantage of others. In these stories, Holmes is shown as someone who brings a new, fair way of solving problems. He helps in a world where official rules might not always be fair.
Many of Doyle's favorite Sherlock Holmes stories are in this book. In 1927, he made a list of his twelve best Sherlock Holmes stories. Among them were "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" (his top favorite), "The Red-Headed League" (second favorite), "A Scandal in Bohemia" (fifth), and "The Five Orange Pips" (seventh).
The book was not allowed in the Soviet Union in 1929 for a while. But it became very popular and was read even when it was not allowed. The rule against it was lifted in 1940.
Order of Publication
Here are the stories in the order they were first published:
| Title | Publication | Plot |
|---|---|---|
| "A Scandal in Bohemia" | July 1891 | The King of Bohemia asks Holmes to get back a secret photo. The photo shows him with a famous singer named Irene Adler. If the photo becomes public, it could stop his marriage to a princess. Holmes disguises himself and finds out where the photo is hidden. But Irene Adler leaves the country with the photo, leaving a letter for Holmes and a picture for the King. The King lets Holmes keep the picture as a souvenir. |
| "The Red-Headed League" | August 1891 | Jabez Wilson, a pawnbroker, asks Holmes about a strange job. He got the job only because of his red hair. His job was to copy the Encyclopædia Britannica for many hours each day. After eight weeks, the job suddenly ended. Holmes investigates and finds out that the job was a trick. It was meant to keep Wilson away from his shop while thieves dug a tunnel to a bank vault. Holmes and Watson catch the thieves. |
| "A Case of Identity" | September 1891 | Mary Sutherland is engaged to Hosmer Angel, but her stepfather doesn't like it. On their wedding day, Hosmer disappears mysteriously. Holmes figures out that Hosmer was actually Mary's stepfather in disguise. He did this to stop Mary from marrying so he could keep her inheritance. Holmes doesn't tell Mary the truth to protect her feelings. |
| "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" | October 1891 | Inspector Lestrade asks Holmes for help after Charles McCarthy is murdered. McCarthy's son, James, is thought to be the killer. Holmes investigates and finds clues that a third person was there. The real killer, John Turner, confesses. He says McCarthy was blackmailing him because of his past. Holmes helps James get free. |
| "The Five Orange Pips" | November 1891 | John Openshaw tells Holmes that his uncle and father both died after getting letters with five orange seeds and the letters "K.K.K." Now, Openshaw has received a similar letter. Holmes tells him to follow the letter's instructions. But Openshaw is killed before he can. Holmes finds out the killers are on a ship and sends them a letter with five orange seeds. The ship is lost at sea. |
| "The Man with the Twisted Lip" | December 1891 | A respected businessman, Neville St. Clair, disappears. His wife says she saw him in an opium den. Inside, she only found a beggar. Holmes discovers that the beggar is actually St. Clair in disguise. He confesses that he has been living a secret life as a beggar because he made more money that way. |
| "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" | January 1892 | A valuable "Blue Carbuncle" jewel is stolen from a hotel. A man is arrested, but Holmes finds the jewel inside a Christmas goose. Holmes traces the goose back to its owner. He then finds the real thief, who is a hotel worker. The worker confesses, and Holmes lets him go, believing prison might make him worse. |
| "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" | February 1892 | Helen Stoner fears her stepfather is trying to kill her. He moved her to the same room where her sister died two years ago, just before her wedding. Helen is now engaged, and Holmes learns that her stepfather loses money if either sister marries. Holmes and Watson find a snake that attacks and kills the stepfather. |
| "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb" | March 1892 | An engineer named Victor Hatherley comes to Dr. Watson's office with his thumb chopped off. He tells Holmes and Watson a strange story. He was hired to fix a machine that he was told pressed a type of clay. He was paid a lot and taken to the job in a carriage with frosted windows so he couldn't see where he was going. He realized the machine was being used to make fake coins. When he confronted his employer, he was attacked, and his thumb was cut off while he escaped. Holmes figures out where the criminals are, but when they arrive, the house is on fire, and the criminals have escaped. |
| "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" | April 1892 | Lord Robert St. Simon's new American wife, Hatty Doran, disappears right after their wedding. Holmes quickly solves the mystery. He finds Hatty at a hotel with a man she thought was dead. This man was her first husband, Frank. He had found her just before she was about to marry Lord St. Simon. |
| "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet" | May 1892 | A banker asks Holmes for help after a valuable "Beryl Coronet" is damaged at his home. He found his son, Arthur, holding the damaged coronet. Arthur won't say anything. Holmes finds clues that the banker's niece and another man tried to steal the coronet. Arthur had tried to stop them, and the coronet was damaged then. He didn't tell his father because he loved his cousin. |
| "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" | June 1892 | Violet Hunter asks Holmes for advice. She was offered a governess job with very strange rules, like having to cut her hair short. The pay was very high, so she took the job. After some odd things happened, she called Holmes. Holmes finds out that someone was being held prisoner in the house. Hunter had been hired to pretend to be the employer's daughter so her fiancé would think she wasn't interested in him anymore. The daughter escaped and later married her fiancé. |
Sherlock Holmes on Screen and Radio
Sherlock Holmes stories have been made into many films and plays. More than 70 different actors have played Sherlock Holmes in over 200 movies! Many films and TV shows have been called "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." However, some of these are new stories, or they combine different stories by Doyle.
Irene Adler, who appears in "A Scandal in Bohemia," is very important in many modern adaptations. Even though she only appears in one of Doyle's stories, she is often shown as a love interest for Holmes. This happens in shows like Elementary and the BBC's Sherlock. But in Doyle's original story, it says Holmes didn't feel love for her.
Many radio and TV series have adapted almost all the stories from this collection. These include:
- The 1921–1923 Stoll film series (all but one story).
- The radio series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1930–1936).
- The 1939–1950 radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (all but one story).
- The BBC Sherlock Holmes 1952–1969 radio series.
- Many stories from the collection were made into episodes for the Granada Television series Sherlock Holmes (1984–1994).
- The stories were also turned into radio plays for BBC Radio 4 in 1990–1991.
- They were also adapted for the radio series The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (2005–2016).
These stories have been adapted for many other productions too!
See also
In Spanish: Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes para niños
