The Return of Sherlock Holmes


The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a 1905 collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1903-1904, by Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories were published in the Strand Magazine in Great Britain, and Collier's in the United States.

History

The book was first published in February 1905 by McClure, Phillips & Co. then on 7 March 1905 by Georges Newnes, Ltd. and was the first Holmes collection since 1893, when Holmes had "died" in "The Final Problem". Having published The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1901–1902, which was set before Holmes' "death", Doyle came under intense pressure to revive his famous character.
The first story is set in 1894 and has Holmes returning in London and explaining the period from 1891–1894, a period called "The Great Hiatus" by Sherlockian enthusiasts. Also of note is Watson's statement in the last story of the cycle that Holmes has retired, and forbids him to publish any more stories.

Contents

  1. "The Adventure of the Empty House"
  2. "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder"
  3. "The Adventure of the Dancing Men"
  4. "The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist"
  5. "The Adventure of the Priory School"
  6. "The Adventure of Black Peter"
  7. "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton"
  8. "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons"
  9. "The Adventure of the Three Students"
  10. "The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez"
  11. "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter"
  12. "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange"
  13. "The Adventure of the Second Stain"

    Adaptations

The Return of Sherlock Holmes was adapted for BBC Radio 4 in 1992–3 as part of Bert Coules' complete radio adaptation of the canon, starring Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson. Notable guest stars included Denis Quilley as Bob Carruthers in "The Solitary Cyclist", Alex Norton as Cairns in "Black Peter", Peter Vaughan as Charles Augustus Milverton, Peter Sallis as Jonas Oldacre in "The Norwood Builder", and Penny Downie as Lady Brackenstall in "The Abbey Grange". The episodes were written by Bert Coules, Michael Bakewell, Roger Danes, David Ashton, Peter Ling, and Robert Forrest, and directed by Enyd Williams and Patrick Rayner.