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Summary
Summary
A Study in Scarlet is a detective mystery novel introducing Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, who became one of the most famous literary detective characters. Sherlock Holmes describes the story's murder investigation as his 'study in scarlet'.
Author Notes
The most famous fictional detective in the world is Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. However, Doyle was, at best, ambivalent about his immensely successful literary creation and, at worst, resentful that his more "serious" fiction was relatively ignored. Born in Edinburgh, Doyle studied medicine from 1876 to 1881 and received his M.D. in 1885. He worked as a military physician in South Africa during the Boer War and was knighted in 1902 for his exceptional service. Doyle was drawn to writing at an early age. Although he attempted to enter private practice in Southsea, Portsmouth, in 1882, he soon turned to writing in his spare time; it eventually became his profession. As a Liberal Unionist, Doyle ran, unsuccessfully, for Parliament in 1903. During his later years, Doyle became an avowed spiritualist.
Doyle sold his first story, "The Mystery of the Sasassa Valley," to Chambers' Journal in 1879. When Doyle published the novel, A Study in Scarlet in 1887, Sherlock Holmes was introduced to an avid public. Doyle is reputed to have used one of his medical professors, Dr. Joseph Bell, as a model for Holmes's character. Eventually, Doyle wrote three additional Holmes novels and five collections of Holmes short stories. A brilliant, though somewhat eccentric, detective, Holmes employs scientific methods of observation and deduction to solve the mysteries that he investigates. Although an "amateur" private detective, he is frequently called upon by Scotland Yard for assistance. Holmes's assistant, the faithful Dr. Watson, provides a striking contrast to Holmes's brilliant intellect and, in Doyle's day at least, serves as a character with whom the reader can readily identify. Having tired of Holmes's popularity, Doyle even tried to kill the great detective in "The Final Problem" but was forced by an outraged public to resurrect him in 1903. Although Holmes remained Doyle's most popular literary creation, Doyle wrote prolifically in other genres, including historical adventure, science fiction, and supernatural fiction. Despite Doyle's sometimes careless writing, he was a superb storyteller. His great skill as a popular author lay in his technique of involving readers in his highly entertaining adventures.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
With their previous collaboration, The Hound of the Baskervilles (2009), Edginton and Culbard opened the Sherlock Holmes wing of the Illustrated Classics series, and they now return with this adaptation of the book that introduced the famed detective duo. There are many elements to this tale: the meeting of Watson and Holmes; a murdered body in a bloodstained room with no obvious weapon; a lengthy exploration of the crime's whys and wherefores that takes readers to the American West and focuses on the Mormons. Yet all this is neatly woven together and given a cinematic feel through both text and art. The story moves along at good clip, while the action-filled panels have a dusky palette that evokes Victorian England. The flashbacks to events in the U.S. are done primarily in sepia tones that work well to evoke a sense of memory. The one disconcerting note is Holmes himself, who looks more like Dudley Do-Right than the lanky, laconic sleuth. Still, like previous incarnations, this should bring him plenty of new fans.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
This is the first story Conan Doyle wrote about his famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. In this short novel, Dr. Watson is presented to Holmes as a potential Baker Street roommate. Holmes utters the immortal line, "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive," and the adventures begin. A Study in Scarlet introduces and fleshes out the characters of Holmes and Watson, while initiating readers to the world's first consulting detective. Valuable to Sherlockians as the beginning of an ageless saga, this novel is also an interesting mystery. It allows Holmes a chance to outwit Scotland Yard, and readers get to see how he resolves the mysterious murder at Lauriston Gardens. Frederick Davidson gives a correctly British narration to this Baker Street adventure. Sure to be a hit with mystery readers; recommended for all public libraries.--Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
