"The Return of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle (1905)

A collection of 13 Sherlock stories published by Arthur Conan Doyle between September 1903 and December 1904.

Beginning most effectively at the start of The Adventure of the Empty House with Sherlock’s own account of how he had managed to escape death at the hands of the infamous Professor Moriarty [1] – an event that had provoked enormous disappointment in the reading public and a widespread demand for Sherlock’s return [2] – and concluding with one of his most memorable accounts of all, The Adventure of the Second Stain, enticingly introduced by the narrator Doctor Watson with the following remarks:

– I had intended “The Adventure of the Abbey Grange” to be the last of those exploits of my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, which I should ever communicate to the public. This resolution of mine was not due to any lack of material, since I have notes of many hundreds of cases to which I have never alluded, nor was it caused by any waning interest on the part of my readers in the singular personality and unique methods of this remarkable man. The real reason lay in the reluctance which Mr. Holmes has shown to the continued publication of his experiences.

– It was only upon my representing to him that I had given a promise that “The Adventure of the Second Stain” should be published when the times were ripe, and pointing out to him that it is only appropriate that this long series of episodes should culminate in the most important international case which he has ever been called upon to handle, that I at last succeeded in obtaining his consent that a carefully guarded account of the incident should at last be laid before the public.

An e-book is available for downloading below.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes (e-book)