A Study in Scarlet

A little about the story

Returning from service as an army doctor, John Watson needs somewhere affordable to live in London. A possible roommate turns out to be Sherlock Holmes, a man with peculiar habits, remarkable powers of observation, and an occupation Watson finds difficult to define. Their new arrangement soon becomes an education in noticing the details that other people dismiss, especially when an unusual death brings Holmes into contact with an impatient police investigation.

The case introduces a mystery whose immediate evidence suggests a history extending far beyond the room in which the body is found. Conan Doyle moves between the detective’s deductions and the earlier events needed to understand the crime, giving this first Holmes adventure a shape different from many of the later short stories. Watson’s mixture of admiration and uncertainty is central to the pleasure of discovery. Readers meet Holmes at the same time as his future chronicler, before his routines and methods have become familiar features of a long-running partnership.

Things You May Not Know About A Study in Scarlet

• The partnership begins here. First published in 1887, the novel introduces both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and brings them together as Baker Street lodgers.
• A medical narrator. Watson’s recent army service and medical background help establish his circumstances before the detective investigation takes over the narrative.
• A two-part construction. The novel divides into two parts, with a substantial change of setting and time rather than one uninterrupted London inquiry.
• A seasonal first appearance. The story originally appeared in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, before Holmes became the recurring magazine figure familiar from the later collections.
• The detective describes his profession. Holmes identifies himself as a consulting detective, setting his unusual role apart from the official policemen who seek his assistance.