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    A Study in Scarlet
    A Study in Scarlet
    A Study in Scarlet
    Ebook158 pages2 hours

    A Study in Scarlet

    By Arthur Conan Doyle

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    About this ebook

    This is Book 1 of the series "The Chronological Sherlock Holmes".


    "A Study in Scarlet" is a detective mystery novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, introducing his new characters, "consulting detective" Sherlock Holmes and his friend and chronicler, Dr. John Watson, who later became two of the most famous characters in literature. Conan Doyle wrote the story in 1886, and it was published the following year. The book's title derives from a speech given by Holmes to Doctor Watson on the nature of his work, in which he describes the story's murder investigation as his "study in scarlet": "There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it." (A "study" is a preliminary drawing, sketch or painting done in preparation for a finished piece.) The story, and its main characters, attracted little public interest when it first appeared. Only 11 complete copies of Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887 are known to exist now and they have considerable value. Although Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories featuring Holmes, "A Study in Scarlet" is one of only four full-length novels in the original canon. The novel was followed by "The Sign of the Four", published in 1890. "A Study in Scarlet" was the first work of detective fiction to incorporate the magnifying glass as an investigative tool.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPaperless
    Release dateJan 4, 2015
    ISBN9786050346848
    Author

    Arthur Conan Doyle

    Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859. He trained to be a doctor at Edinburgh University and eventually set up a medical practice in Southsea. During the quiet periods between patients, he turned his hand to writing, producing historical novels such as Micah Clarke and adventure yarns including The Lost World, as well as four novels and fifty-six stories involving his most celebrated creations, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Doyle was knighted in 1902. In later life he devoted much of his time to his belief in Spiritualism, using his writing and celebrity as a means of providing funds to support activities in this field. He died in 1930.

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    Reviews for A Study in Scarlet

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      My first ever Holmes. Wonderfully there is much of the modern understanding of Sherlock Holmes clearly laid out on the page. He is perhaps even more self aware than TV and movie adaptations allow describing his mood swings and eccentricities to Dr. Watson even before they move in together.

      There is a remarkable section in the middle where the narrative goes all Fenimore Cooper and we are transported from London to the snowy peaks of Utah. Quite unexpected. This was more fun even than I had expected. Fortunately I have already purchased further volumes.
    • 1/5
      I would have liked it better if most of part 2 didn't feel so completely separate from the rest (and maybe were more accurate and less bigoted), but the detectiving part was alright. Holmes is a bit insufferable, but interesting too.
    • 5/5
      A Study in Scarlet was the first Sherlock Holmes story published. Given its age (1886) it reads surprisingly well with crisp non-florid prose, almost like a novel written in 2017 by someone pretending to be from the 1800s. This is the first Sherlock Holmes I've read. It gives a sense that, while you may be confused, someone else understands the world and answers can be had. That is comforting, like a parent reassuring an anxious child. This is echoed in the name "Sure" as in assurance or confidence; "Lock" as in holding the key to the mystery; and "Holmes" which sounds like "Home", a reassuring feeling. The clues to the mystery are somewhat beside the point, contrived and making sense only after the explanation. Regardless, I really enjoyed it and look forward to dipping into more in a sequential fashion as they were published. Giving 5 stars as the origin story of Sherlock Holmes.For modern readers the Mormon sub-plot is weird and maybe a little offensive. However in the 1880s, they were indeed a novel, strange and exotic people who engaged in massacres and "harems". In the story they come to London, to the homes of the readers. It's a classic "invasion novel" popular at the time, similar to Dracula which saw Eastern Europeans as the invaders. The invasion of London by secretive sub-cultures is a common theme Holmes stories.
    • 5/5
      This is an enjoyable introduction to both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and it will be interesting to see how their characters develop across the series. I particularly enjoyed the large section that took place on the American Plains (not something you expect in a Sherlock Holmes book!) and how the story unravelled that led up to events being investigated in London. This was particularly well done. I look forward to continuing with the series.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book I have read by the famed creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A Study in Scarlet is Doyle's first book featuring the infamous Sherlock Holmes. Holmes' character has been portrayed in the movies so much that I feel like I already knew the character. Reading the original text by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is, not surprisingly, better than any other theatrical take I have seen. A Study in Scarlet is an easy read that could easily be completed in one day. The edition that I own contains illustrations by the famous caricaturist, Gris Grimly. I am not a fan of graphic novels or even illustrations in books because it distract my own imagination of how things should appear. On the other hand, the illustrations are very impressive so if you are into that kind of thing, I would recommend this edition. Holmes' first adventure in detection in A Study in Scarlet reveals to the world the detectives impeccable deductive powers. Holmes meets his sidekick Dr. Watson in Doyle's freshman detective novel, where the two rent an apartment on Baker Street. It is a widely known fact that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle single handedly revolutionized the science of Forensics and crime scene investigation. There is an in-depth documentary about how Sherlock Holmes' methods were used in Doyle's fiction novels before they were ever used in real life. Knowing this fact makes reading these books much more interesting and entertaining to read. I plan on chronologically reading all the books written by Doyle that feature Sherlock Holmes.
    • 3/5
      I've long felt bad about never having read any of the nine books that make up the Sherlock Holmes canon, so finally I've rectified that... and what an odd little work it is.

      The first half of the book is what's important, historically, but it's the least interesting. Conan Doyle doesn't write natural dialogue, and a result the discussions between Watson and Holmes come across more like a treatise on how detective work - in the real world and in novels - is evolving and progressing. While this is all very very interesting, particularly to someone like myself who has read a lot of Christie and Poe etc, it feels like an essay that has been structured in story form, rather than the other way around.

      On top of this, I concede that I have a bias against this "one really smart quirky man always outdoes everyone" formula. Holmes started it, but it's returned in the last ten years or so to television, and personally I think it just weakens the narrative when every other character functions only as a sounding board for our god of a leading man. Sherlock is cunningly described by Watson as a seemingly paradoxical man who in fact has rational reasons for all of his education and activities, although even the great detective can't seem to fix his (bipolar?) moods. As their friendship is still embryonic at this stage, Watson can give us no insight into Holmes' life, and Holmes offers none, so he remains a cipher. But I'm treating this as a pilot episode, so that's okay. More immediately fascinating are the elements of contemporary life: street beggars working for Holmes, the necessary advantages and disadvantages that came from being a police officer in the era - thrilling stuff.

      The second half is a mixed bag also. Conan Doyle is an admirable prose writer, and his description of the events twenty years prior to the murders is captivating and gripping. On the other hand, it is filled with amazingly anti-Mormon sentiment. I'm no religious sympathiser myself, but I couldn't take it seriously when the narrator assured us that all Mormons kill or destroy anyone who attempts to leave their faith.

      An odd little novel, and I've already started the second one, since I'm very eager to see if Conan Doyle can somehow retain his marvelous leading character, whilst furthering his skills in the other required areas.

      (Two and a half stars)
    • 3/5
      On one hand, it's lovely to meet young Sherlock and Watson before they've formed their scabrous, mean adult exoskeletons, but goddamn is the second half of this book DUMB. On one hand, it's pretty hilarious to see Conan Doyle's version of a BODICE RIPPIN WESTERN. On the other hand HOW THE HELL IS THIS EVER A PUBLISHABLE SENTENCE: "an old-standing and romantic feud, in which love and Mormonism bore a part." Sweet Jesus.
    • 4/5
      A Study in Scarlet is both Doctor Watson's and the world's first introduction to the frustrating, arrogant, and brilliant Sherlock Holmes. Watson in seeking a new flat to in which to live ends up paired with the consulting detective at 22B Baker Street. While at first Sherlock's profession and strange behavior is a mystery to the Doctor, he soon finds himself following Sherlock along in seeking out the truth behind the mysterious death of an American traveler. While I didn't like it as much as I enjoyed the tales in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the novel is short and a quick read with a compelling mystery.
    • 3/5
      READ IN ENGLISH

      I'm a fan of the BBC-series called 'Sherlock' and that made me want to read the original books. I really loved to see that the series were based so much on the book. It became a search to find all the resemblances between the two. When the second part started (about the Mormons) I at first thought there was some sort of mess up whit my version of A Study in Scarlet (and that it was a completely different story). I read it anyway and it happened to be just a part of this book. That was a thing I thought was a bit strange, but I liked the over all story. The next books are on my To-Be-Read-List...
    • 5/5
      Sherlock was one of the books I thought I'd never read... until I caught the BBC series. After reading, I think both the series and the books are fantastic in their own ways. This is my favorite of the first three Sherlock books. I'm planning on reading the others at another time. I had to write a review after a previous reviewer said they didn't like the books after seeing the series. It IS possible to enjoy both!
    • 2/5
      I read The Hound of the Baskervilles when I was in high school, but not anything else till I read this--the first Holmes novel, published in 1887. The first hald of the book where we are introduced to Dr. Watson and to Holmes' methods, is of some interest. But the second hald,which tells of events before the muders in the first hald, is creaky and anot much. The Mormons in Utah are the villians, as they are in Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage. I don't think I need read any more Holmes books
    • 4/5
      This is the first Sherlock Holmes I read on my own. I remember reading the hound of baskerville in school, but forced to do so, didn't remember that I enjoyed it.With the movie that came out recently, I found myself wanting to know more about sherlock and watson. There relationship and the type of intrigue that they would solve.I really enjoyed this one, it is short and sweet, but a good read nonetheless.
    • 4/5
      Study in Scarlet is in two parts. Part one: "Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., Late of the Army Medical Department." It's here that Dr. Watson and Mr. Sherlock Holmes meet for the first time. Watson, arriving in London and needing a place to stay, learns of Holmes looking to share his apartment. From the very beginning they are thrown together in a murder mystery. Watson is astounded by Holmes's ability to deduce facts from the smallest pieces of evidence.Part two: "Country of the Saints" steps back in time and tells the story of the Brigham Young and the Mormons settling in the plains of Utah. John Ferrier meets up with the four elders, Stangerson, Kemball, Jonston & Drebber and they take him and his young companion in. This story sets the backdrop for the murder mystery Holmes is trying to solve.
    • 2/5
      I was not expecting the Church of Latter-Day Saints but maybe Sherlock was.
    • 4/5
      This story is the first work about Homes.For the widespread oh this story, his name has been famous.And this story shows the first contact of Homes and watson.You can know the root oh their relationship, if you read this.
    • 4/5
      Sherlock Holmes, Mormons, murder. Great read!
    • 4/5
      This is the first book about Sherlock Holmes, and begins with his initial meeting and growing friendship with Dr Watson, who narrates the story. It's set in the latter part of the 19th century, and is in two parts. The first shows Holmes' analytical mind and attention to detail as he explains to Watson how he solves a rather unpleasant crime. Part One ends with the perpetrator being arrested.Part Two goes back in time, introducing a man and a young girl travelling rough in the United States after the rest of their group perished. They've given up on finding water, when they're discovered by a band heading to Utah. I don't know how accurate the portrayal of Mormon life and culture in the 19th century is, but it makes an excellent story, albeit quite spine-chilling at times. Ethics and morals are not pointed out, but it gradually becomes clear that there are often two sides to any story, and that the initial clear-cut crime could have quite clear motivations. Recommended to teens or adults who like historical crime fiction. I read it on my Kindle but it's widely available in other forms, mostly inexpensively or (from Project Gutenberg) free.
    • 4/5
      I only have one of the Sherlock Holmes books on my Crime Fiction list, and that is The Hound of the Baskervilles, but I prefer to get everything and since there are books set before that one, I decided to read them. Besides, they're available for free on Project Gutenberg. Besides, I saw the new movie, with Robert Downey Jr., a couple of weeks ago. I read this one on the train, more or less without stopping once. I was surprised by how easy it was to read and be absorbed in, given how old it is, but it really is a pleasure to read. Actually reading the books dispels a lot of mental assumptions about Sherlock Holmes which I gained through, I think, some kind of cultural osmosis. E.g. Watson is young, went to war, not a bad doctor, etc.

      I have two main complaints, really. One is that it's not the kind of book that really allows you to find things out for yourself. Holmes is so opaque -- at least to me! -- that I'm really just as confused as Watson, most of the time. And the other complaint is about the big flashback in the middle. I almost wondered if my ebook version had somehow got muddled with another book! It's not uninteresting, but it's hard to see at first how it connects up, because the transition is so sudden.

      Still, enjoyable -- and nice to meet the great detective himself, after so much hearsay.
    • 3/5
      I was very much enjoying this book when all of a sudden I realized I was entirely lost.The writing style, characters, narration and the facts leading up to the mystery were all remarkably good, but in the end I was left completely confused and I found myself questioning if I somehow missed something. After that ridiculous backstory of the murderer, I still have to ask... Who the hell is it? What just happened?I will certainly read more of Holmes as there is much to come back for. I may have to re-read this one to see where I fell off from the story.
    • 4/5
      Der erste Band der Krimis um Sherlock Homes kann zweifellos als Klassiker des Genres gelten. Mit Sicherheit ist es einer der ersten Krimis, der das deduktive Schließen zur Lösung des Falls benutzt. Außerdem wurde in diesem Krimi das Detektivpaar etabliert, in dem es zum genialen Detektiv den vernünftigen SideKick gibt. In diesem Buch lernen sich Sherlock Homes und Doktor Watson kennen. Sie ziehen gemeinsam in die Wohnung in der Baker Street. Durch Zufall wird Watson von Holmes mit in die Lösung eines Falles hineingezogen, in der ein Mann tot in einer leeren Wohnung aufgefunden wurde. Der mittlere Teil des Buches beschreibt die Vorgeschichte dieses Mordes und ist enorm spannend und fesselnd. Der Fall selber wird von Sherlock Homes auf seine übliche geniale Weise gelöst.
    • 4/5
      Not even gonna try to calculate how long it's been since I've read these original Holmes stories. They're still just as good as I remember from way back when. I admit I skip the little detour in the middle about how the original crimes happened. It's not necessary to enjoy the real story, which is how Holmes and Watson got together and started solving crimes. Very good story.
    • 2/5
      The first Sherlock Holmes book -- did Conan Doyle invent the filtering of a story through a secondary participant (Dr. Watson)? I haven't ever read any Sherlock Holmes books, and I wasn't overly impressed. It was okay and a quick read, but Holmes seems like a pretty arrogant SOB to me. Knows too much and is glad to tell everyone so. The Utah digression was distracting.
    • 5/5
      Amazing book! Most (all?) of the other Sherlock Holmes books take place totally in Great Britain. This one makes a *very* interesting side trip to the United States.
    • 4/5
      My version of the book contained A STUDY IN SCARLET (the first Sherlock Holmes adventure) and A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA (the episode in which Irene Adler appears). The book opened on a very interesting introduction, and so I would encourage reading the VINTAGE 2009 edition of the Conan Doyle books.(I must say I read the book after watching the Guy Ritchie movie that just came out and so had Robert Downey Jr in mind reading this : somehow, he really fits the character as portrayed in the book!)I'm not a big fan of detective fiction in general, and my knowledge in that field is, well.... next to non-existent (although I was an avid watcher of cartoon series such as 'Sherlock Hounds' and 'Dog City', as a kid... Does that count? Heh, heh?) It's just not the kind of story I'm usually drawn to/into, but I must say Arthur Conan Doyle knows how to put the FUN in detective fiction!The Sherlock Holmes books are not books you read trying to figure out who is the killer before the detective does, since mister super-sleuth always knows the answer way before anyone. The main interest of the book is the character himself and his crazy deduction methods.This first episode (A study in Scarlet) has ups and downs: the whole Mormon segment that takes place in the U.S. seems way too long and slow paced in comparison to the London scenes... In the introduction to my edition, it was discussed that the two stories were probably written independently from one another and put together by Conan Doyle when he decided to publish. In A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA, Holmes is outsmarted by a fancy woman, and the conclusion to the story is delightfully cute and funny.A good read, very entertaining!
    • 4/5
      ** spoiler alert ** I was a little worried going into this, just unsure of how a longer Holmes story would read. I really enjoyed The Hound of Baskerville when I read it but I loved the short stories I read between these two. I shouldn't have been too worried however, this was excellent. I really enjoyed the second portion of the story, deviating from Sherlock and Watson to give us the back story of our murderer. It was different from the previous books in it's delivery and made the victims seem more the villains and our murderer more the almost hero. A great way to turn it around. Overall, a great one. I really enjoyed it and will definitely recommend it for any new fans of the series.Side note - this was the story that the first Sherlock episode is based on. That tickles me.
    • 3/5
      This is were it all started. It was okay. A bit on the boring side. There are better Sherlock Holmes story than this one.
    • 3/5
      I vaguely knew , but had kind of forgotten just how much of this book takes place in America (among Mormons, no less!). It's so weird.It's like, you carry around this sense in your soul of who Arthur Conan Doyle is, and what Sherlock Holmes mysteries are like, and there's lots of violin playing and pipe smoking and breakfasts at 221b and it's all quite civilized, and you forget all about these pioneer people herdin' cattle and goin' a courtin' in Salt Lake City. It was surprisingly okay, though.I was more puzzled by the ending, elements of which seem like a weird departure from the rest of the mystery.
    • 5/5
      The first book I read in 2012 was The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. I remarked back then that I was a bit disappointed in my first-ever reading of a story featuring the detective we all know so well. I also wondered if going back and starting at the beginning might make a difference, and indeed it did.A Study in Scarlet is the first Holmes novel, and it beautifully sets the stage for everything that (we know now) is to come. Here we witness the first meeting between Holmes and his faithful assistant, Doctor Watson. We witness Holmes' scientific experiments, his amazing breadth of knowledge in some areas and equally amazing ignorance in others that he does not perceive useful. In this first novel, Sherlock is called upon to help the police solve a seemingly impossible crime: a man's body has been found in an abandoned house, with no apparent cause of death and no clues. Wait, did I say no clues? Ha! Not with Sherlock on the case. He quickly figures out virtually the whole scenario that first night, but establishing standard protocol Conan Doyle withholds the key information from Dr. Watson who withholds it from us.I was startled by an interlude in the mystery, which switches to third person (most of the Sherlock stories are told in the first person as a memoir by Watson) to provide some key background information about the murdered man and his killer. It was completely unexpected to me, which I guess proves that there are still surprises to be found even in an overly familiar canon.There was one other factor that made A Study in Scarlet more enjoyable to me. The novel-length story really gave room for Sherlock's wizardry and subsequent reveal to seem more natural. In the short stories of The Memoirs, I felt the solution to the puzzle was almost tacked on as an afterthought. There was too much telling and not enough showing, I think. Thankfully, Scarlet does not suffer that fate, and it's an excellent beginning to my planned chronological read of all the Holmes stories.
    • 4/5
      This is the first Sherlock Holmes book I've read. I'm not particularly well read in the mystery/detection genre - its not my usual cup of tea - but I really enjoyed this work, burning through the short, light read in no time. I enjoyed the characterisation of Holmes and the dynamics of his interactions with Watson, from whose point of view most of the story is told. I did find the sudden transition to the wilds of Utah in the middle of the book somewhat odd - I even checked to make sure my copy of the novel hadnt been misbound, mixing in the pages of some pulp western with the Holmes story! But it all made sense in the end - just Arthur Conan Doyle developing the background to the mystery while also dipping into the moral panic occasioned by Mormon religious practices such as polygamy. Setting that and other niggling fin-de-seicle British bourgeoisisms (the murderer had learnt vindictiveness from the Indians, the dirty street children are nicknamed arabs, etc.) this is a greatly enjoyable read and certainly good enough to instill a desire to read more of the adventures of Holmes and Watson.
    • 4/5
      This is the first story concerning that most famous detective Sherlock Holmes and the doctor Watson. It concerns the first meeting of Holmes and Watson, the the case which cements Watson's desire to record Holmes' doings.I really enjoyed this rather pulpy detective story. It is fast-paced with very little deviation from the telling of the crime and the resolution.The main delight comes from the characters. Everyone knows of Sherlock Holmes, such as his deerstalker hat and pipe, and his ability to solve crimes. Now that I have read this story, I can appreciate his dry wit, towering arrogance and slight wistfulness that he never seems to garner the credit for solving mysteries.Watson is often represented as being rather stupid, but I infer from this story that he is merely naive about what human beings are capable of and doesn't have Holmes' expert knowledge of criminology. I loved the way that Holmes was patient and exasperated by turns when explaining his deductions to Watson. You also get a sense of the fact that Holmes is just dying to show off his abilities, and Watson's faithful recording of the case fits this neatly.The story loses half a star for two reasons, both of which are probably attributable to the time and manner of when it was released.The first is the abrupt switch from the location in London to the detailed story of Jefferson Hope, who hails from America. At first I was not at all clear why this had been introduced. I believe it may have been done because of the serialised nature of many Sherlock Holmes stories, enabling both new and existing readers to enjoy the tale, but it did jar somewhat.The second is the way that Mormons and Native Americans are dealt with, although I freely admit that this is due to modern sensibilities and an environment that now decries anything deemed not politically correct. I was a little shocked to see it, but accept that this is the peril of reading anything set in this era.Altogether, a pacy read with lovely dialogue and an instantly unforgettable character in the form of Sherlock Holmes.

    Book preview

    A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle

    acquaintance.

    Chapter II

    The Science of Deduction

    We met next day as he had arranged and inspected the rooms at No. 221B, Baker Street, of which he had spoken at our meeting. They consisted of a couple of comfortable bedrooms and a single large airy sitting-room, cheerfully furnished, and illuminated by two broad windows. So desirable in every way were the apartments, and so moderate did the terms seem when divided between us, that the bargain was concluded upon the spot, and we at once entered into possession. That very evening I moved my things round from the hotel, and on the following morning Sherlock Holmes followed me with several boxes and portmanteaus. For a day or two we were busily employed in unpacking and laying out our property to the best advantage. That done, we gradually began to settle down and to accommodate ourselves to our new surroundings.

    Holmes was certainly not a difficult man to live with. He was quiet in his ways, and his habits were regular. It was rare for him to be up after ten at night, and he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose in the morning. Sometimes he spent his day at the chemical laboratory, sometimes in the dissecting rooms, and occasionally in long walks, which appeared to take him into the lowest portions of the city. Nothing could exceed his energy when the working fit was upon him; but now and again a reaction would seize him, and for days on end he would lie upon the sofa in the sitting-room, hardly uttering a word or moving a muscle from morning to night. On these occasions I have noticed such a dreamy, vacant expression in his eyes, that I might have suspected him of being addicted to the use of some narcotic, had not the temperance and cleanliness of his whole life forbidden such a notion.

    As the weeks went by, my interest in him and my curiosity as to his aims in life gradually deepened and increased. His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination. His hands were invariably blotted with ink and stained with chemicals, yet he was possessed of extraordinary delicacy of touch, as I frequently had occasion to observe when I watched him manipulating his fragile philosophical instruments.

    The reader may set me down as a hopeless busybody, when I confess how much this man stimulated my curiosity, and how often I endeavoured to break through the reticence which he showed on all that concerned himself. Before pronouncing judgment, however, be it remembered, how objectless was my life, and how little there was to engage my attention. My health forbade me from venturing out unless the weather was exceptionally genial, and I had no friends who would call upon me and break the monotony of my daily existence. Under these circumstances, I eagerly hailed the little mystery which hung around my companion, and spent much of my time in endeavouring to unravel it.

    He was not studying medicine. He had himself, in reply to a question, confirmed Stamford’s opinion upon that point. Neither did he appear to have pursued any course of reading which might fit him for a degree in science or any other recognized portal which would give him an entrance into the learned world. Yet his zeal for certain studies was remarkable, and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample and minute that his observations have fairly astounded me. Surely no man would work so hard or attain such precise information unless he had some definite end in view. Desultory readers are seldom remarkable for the exactness of their learning. No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.

    His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he enquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.

    You appear to be astonished, he said, smiling at my expression of surprise. Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it.

    To forget it!

    You see, he explained, I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.

    But the Solar System! I protested.

    What the deuce is it to me? he interrupted impatiently; you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.

    I was on the point of asking him what that work might be, but something in his manner showed me that the question would be an unwelcome one. I pondered over our short conversation, however, and endeavoured to draw my deductions from it. He said that he would acquire no knowledge which did not bear upon his object. Therefore all the knowledge which he possessed was such as would be useful to him; I enumerated in my own mind all the various points upon which he had shown me that he was exceptionally well-informed. I even took a pencil and jotted them down. I could not help smiling at the document when I had completed it. It ran in this way:—

    Sherlock Holmes—his limits.

    Knowledge of literature.—Nil.

    Knowledge of Philosophy.—Nil.

    Knowledge of Astronomy.—Nil.

    Knowledge of Politics.—Feeble.

    Knowledge of Botany.—Variable. Well up in belladonna, opium, and poisons generally. Knows nothing of practical gardening.

    Knowledge of Geology.—Practical, but limited. Tells at a glance different soils from each other. After walks has shown me splashes upon his trousers, and told me by their colour and consistence in what part of London he had received them.

    Knowledge of Chemistry.—Profound.

    Knowledge of Anatomy.—Accurate, but unsystematic.

    Knowledge of Sensational Literature.—Immense. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century.

    Plays the violin well.

    Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman.

    Has a good practical knowledge of British law.

    When I got so far in my list I threw it into the fire in despair. If I could only find what the fellow is driving at by reconciling all these accomplishments, and discovering a calling which needs them all, I said to myself, I may as well give up the attempt at once.

    I see that I have alluded above to his powers upon the violin. These were very remarkable, but as eccentric as all his other accomplishments. That he could play pieces, and difficult pieces, I knew well, because at my request he has played me some of Mendelssohn’s Lieder, and other favourites. When left to himself, however, he would seldom produce any music or attempt any recognised air. Leaning back in his arm-chair of an evening, he would close his eyes and scrape carelessly at the fiddle which was thrown across his knee. Sometimes the chords were sonorous and melancholy. Occasionally they were fantastic and cheerful. Clearly they reflected the thoughts which possessed him, but whether the music aided those thoughts, or whether the playing was simply the result of a whim or fancy, was more than I could determine. I might have rebelled against these exasperating solos had it not been that he usually terminated them by playing in quick succession a whole series of my favourite airs as a slight compensation for the trial upon my

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