In 1886, a struggling young doctor and part-time author named Arthur Conan Doyle picked up his pen and created what is arguably the most famous character in the history of mystery and detective fiction: the consulting detective known as Sherlock Holmes. Forty years later, Doyle would conclude this astonishing series of adventures having penned four full novels and fifty-six short stories featuring Holmes and - in most of these stories - his friend and crime-fighting partner, Dr. John Watson (who often served as the fictional chronicler of these tales). Sherlock Holmes has since become a worldwide sensation, having been portrayed on stage, screen and television more than any other character in history and the character of Holmes lives on in various adaptations and derivative portrayals of the keenly intelligent and famously observant detective. Presented here is the entire Holmes canon: all four novels and every collection of short stories Doyle published during his lifetime. From "A Study in Scarlet," the first Holmes novel, all the way through "The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes," the final collection of stories published by Doyle in 1927. This collection includes "The Hound the Baskervilles" (perhaps Holmes most popular and thrilling adventure), "The Final Problem" (which features the "death" of Holmes and his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty), "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" (in which Doyle resurrects his most famous creation) and "His Last Bow" (where Holmes comes out of retirement during World War I to assist Britain in the war effort by thwarting some fiendish German spies). A must-read collection for all fans of Holmes and Watson, this collection is presented here in their original and unabridged format.
