A Study in Scarlet

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Mint Editions

Now, as in this lifetime, cab drivers, statesmen, academics, and raggedy-assed children sit spellbound at his feet. No wonder, then, if the pairing of Holmes and Watson has triggered more imitators than any other duo in literature.”-John Le Carré

“The immense talent, passion and literary brilliance that Conan Doyle brought to his work gives him a unique place in English letters.”-Stephen Fry

”Holmes has a timeless talent, passion and literary brilliance that puts him heads, shoulders and deerstalker above all other detectives.”- Alexander McCall Smith

Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet (1888) is the first of four of the original Sherlock Holmes novels and introduced the world to the most famous detective duo in literature. From the initial discovery of a corpse in a deserted house in London, to the wild west of the pioneer days of Utah, this is transatlantic crime adventure steeped in mystery, romance and delectable revenge. A Study in Scarlet was initially published in the magazine Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887 to little fanfare, yet was the foundation of the 56 stories, four novels, and the portrayal of the character of Sherlock Holmes in hundreds of literary, film, television and stage adaptations.

In the first of the Sherlock Holmes novels, the reader is initially introduced to Dr. John Watson, who has returned to London after sustaining injuries in the Anglo-Afghan war. Looking for cheap lodging, he settles on sharing a flat at 221B Baker Street with a laid-back yet eccentric roommate named Sherlock Holmes. Watson is perplexed at the theories of deduction that his new acquaintance s developed, until his occupation of Consulting Detective is revealed. Subsequently, a telegram arrives from Scotland Yard requesting the aid of Holmes’s talents in a mystifying murder case. In an empty house in Brixton, the body of Enoch Drebber has been found. When both Holmes and Watson arrive at the crime scene they find the body of the poisoned victim, with the word “Rache” written in blood on the wall. Through other clues, including a wedding ring found in the trousers of the victim, the context of the crime seems nearly impenetrable. When a second body is discovered, with the word “Rache” once again scrawled in blood. With his astounding skill, Holmes is able to lead the killer directly into his trap. Once the killer is revealed, it is his heartbreaking story, set in the lawless wilds of the pioneering days of the American West that is told.

With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of A Study in Scarlet is both modern and readable.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mint Editions
• Release date: Nov 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781513273044

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician. He is the creator of the Sherlock Holmes character, writing his debut appearance in A Study in Scarlet. Doyle wrote notable books in the fantasy and science fiction genres, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels.

Book preview

PART 1

Chapter 1

MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES

In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army. Having completed my studies there, I was duly attached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers as Assistant Surgeon. The regiment was stationed in India at the time, and before I could join it, the second Afghan war had broken out. On landing at Bombay, I learned that my corps had advanced through the passes, and was already deep in the enemy’s country. I followed, however, with many other officers who were in the same situation as myself, and succeeded in reaching Candahar in safety, where I found my regiment, and at once entered upon my new duties.

The campaign brought honours and promotion to many, but for me it had nothing but misfortune and disaster. I was removed from my brigade and attached to the Berkshires, with whom I served at the fatal battle of Maiwand. There I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I should have fallen into the hands of the murderous Ghazis had it not been for the devotion and courage shown by Murray, my orderly, who threw me across a pack-horse, and succeeded in bringing me safely to the British lines.

Worn with pain, and weak from the prolonged hardships which I had undergone, I was removed, with a great train of wounded sufferers, to the base hospital at Peshawar. Here I rallied, and had already improved so far as to be able to walk about the wards, and even to bask a little upon the verandah, when I was struck down by enteric fever, that curse of our Indian possessions. For months my life was despaired of, and when at last I came to myself and became convalescent, I was so weak and emaciated that a medical board determined that not a day should be lost in sending me back to England. I was dispatched, accordingly, in the troopship Orontes, and landed a month later on Portsmouth jetty, with my health irretrievably ruined, but with permission from a paternal government to spend the next nine months in attempting to improve it.

I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air—or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained. There I stayed for some time at a private hotel in the Strand, leading a comfortless, meaningless existence, and spending such money as I had, considerably more freely than I ought. So alarming did the state of my finances become, that I soon realized that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate somewhere in the country, or that I must make a complete alteration in my style of living. Choosing the latter alternative, I began by making up my mind to leave the hotel, and to take up my quarters in some less pretentious and less expensive domicile.

On the very day that I had come to this conclusion, I was standing at the Criterion Bar, when some one tapped me on the shoulder, and turning round I recognized young Stamford, who had been a dresser under me at Barts. The sight of a friendly face in the great wilderness of London is a pleasant thing indeed to a lonely man. In old days Stamford had never been a particular crony of mine, but now I hailed him with enthusiasm, and he, in his turn, appeared to be delighted to see me. In the exuberance of my joy, I asked him to lunch with me at the Holborn, and we started off together in a hansom.

Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Watson? he asked in undisguised wonder, as we rattled through the crowded London streets. You are as thin as a lath and as brown as a nut.

I gave him a short sketch of my adventures, and had hardly concluded it by the time that we reached our destination.

Poor devil! he said, commiseratingly, after he had listened to my misfortunes. What are you up to now?

Looking for lodgings. I answered. Trying to solve the problem as to whether it is possible to get comfortable rooms at a reasonable price.

That’s a strange thing, remarked my companion; you are the second man to-day that has used that expression to me.

And who was the first? I asked.

A fellow who is working at the chemical laboratory up at the hospital. He was bemoaning himself this morning because he could not get someone to go halves with him in some nice rooms which he had found, and which were too much for his purse.

By Jove! I cried, if he really wants someone to share the rooms and the expense, I am the very man for him. I should prefer having a partner to being alone.

Young Stamford looked rather strangely at me over his wine-glass. You don’t know Sherlock Holmes yet, he said; perhaps you would not care for him as a constant companion.

Why, what is there against him?

Oh, I didn’t say there was anything against him. He is a little queer in his ideas—an enthusiast in some branches of science. As far as I know he is a decent fellow enough.

A medical student, I suppose? said I.

No—I have no idea what he intends to go in for. I believe he is well up in anatomy, and he is a first-class chemist; but, as far as I know, he has never taken out any systematic medical classes. His studies are very desultory and eccentric, but he has amassed a lot of out-of-the way knowledge which would astonish his professors.

Did you never ask him what he was going in for? I asked.

No; he is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be communicative enough when the fancy seizes him.

I should like to meet him, I said. If I am to lodge with anyone, I should prefer a man of studious and quiet habits. I am not strong enough yet to stand much noise or excitement. I had enough of both in Afghanistan to last me for the remainder of my natural existence. How could I meet this friend of yours?

He is sure to be at the laboratory, returned my companion. He either avoids the place for weeks, or else he works there from morning to night. If you like, we shall drive round together after luncheon.

Certainly, I answered, and the conversation drifted away into other channels.

As we made our way to the hospital after leaving the Holborn, Stamford gave me a few more particulars about the gentleman whom I proposed to take as a fellow-lodger.

You mustn’t blame me if you don’t get on with him, he said; I know nothing more of him than I have learned from meeting him occasionally in the laboratory. You proposed this arrangement, so you must not hold me responsible.

If we don’t get on it will be easy to part company, I answered. It seems to me, Stamford, I added, looking hard at my companion, that you have some reason for washing your hands of the matter. Is this fellow’s temper so formidable, or what is it? Don’t be mealy-mouthed about it.

It is not easy to express the inexpressible, he answered with a laugh. Holmes is a little too scientific for my tastes—it approaches to cold-bloodedness. I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of the latest vegetable alkaloid, not out of malevolence, you understand, but simply out of a spirit of inquiry in order to have an accurate idea of the effects. To do him justice, I think that he would take it himself with the same readiness. He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge.

Very right too.

Yes, but it may be pushed to excess. When it comes to beating the subjects in the dissecting-rooms with a stick, it is certainly taking rather a bizarre shape.

Beating the subjects!

Yes, to verify how far bruises may be produced after death. I saw him at it with my own eyes.

And yet you say he is not a medical student?

No. Heaven knows what the objects of his studies are. But here we are, and you must form your own impressions about him. As he spoke, we turned down a narrow lane and passed through a small side-door, which opened into a wing of the great hospital. It was familiar ground to me, and I needed no guiding as we ascended the bleak stone staircase and made our way down the long corridor with its vista of whitewashed wall and dun-coloured doors. Near the further end a low arched passage branched away from it and led to the chemical laboratory.

This was a lofty chamber, lined and littered with countless bottles. Broad, low tables were scattered about, which bristled with retorts, test-tubes, and little Bunsen lamps, with their blue flickering flames. There was only one student in the room, who was bending over a distant table absorbed in his work. At the sound of our steps he glanced round and sprang to his feet with a cry of pleasure. I’ve found it! I’ve found it, he shouted to my companion, running towards us with a test-tube in his hand. I have found a re-agent which is precipitated by hoemoglobin, and by nothing else. Had he discovered a gold mine, greater delight could not have shone upon his features.

Dr. Watson, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, said Stamford, introducing us.

How are you? he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit. You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.

How on earth did you know that? I asked in astonishment.

Never mind, said he, chuckling to himself. The question now is about hoemoglobin. No doubt you see the significance of this discovery of mine?

It is interesting, chemically, no doubt, I answered, but practically____

Why, man, it is the most practical medico-legal discovery for years. Don’t you see that it gives us an infallible test for blood stains. Come over here now! He seized me by the coat-sleeve in his eagerness, and drew me over to the table at which he had been working. Let us have some fresh blood, he said, digging a long bodkin into his finger, and drawing off the resulting drop of blood in a chemical pipette. Now, I add this small quantity of blood to a litre of water. You perceive that the resulting mixture has the appearance of pure water. The proportion of blood cannot be more than one in a million. I have no doubt, however, that we shall be able to obtain the characteristic reaction. As he spoke, he threw into the vessel a few white crystals, and then added some drops of a transparent fluid. In an instant the contents assumed a dull mahogany colour, and a brownish dust was precipitated to the bottom of the glass jar.

Ha! ha! he cried, clapping his hands, and looking as delighted as a child with a new toy. What do you think of that?

It seems to be a very delicate test, I remarked.

Beautiful! beautiful! The old Guiacum test was very clumsy and uncertain. So is the microscopic examination for blood corpuscles. The latter is valueless if the stains are a few hours old. Now, this appears to act as well whether the blood is old or new. Had this test been invented, there are hundreds of men now walking the earth who would long ago have paid the penalty of their crimes.

Indeed! I murmured.

Criminal cases are continually hinging upon that one point. A man is suspected of a crime months perhaps after it has been committed. His linen or clothes are examined, and brownish stains discovered upon them. Are they blood stains, or mud stains, or rust stains, or fruit stains, or what are they? That is a question which has puzzled many an expert, and why? Because there was no reliable test. Now we have the Sherlock Holmes’ test, and there will no longer be any difficulty.

His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his heart and bowed as if to some applauding crowd conjured up by his imagination.

You are to be congratulated, I remarked, considerably surprised at his enthusiasm.

"There was the case of Von Bischoff at Frankfort last year. He would certainly have been hung had this test been in existence. Then there was Mason of Bradford, and the notorious Muller, and Lefevre of Montpellier, and Samson of New Orleans. I could name a score of cases in which

Reviews for A Study in Scarlet

[bobbybslax · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

(Audiobook) Wasn't overly impressed with this, but perhaps that's due to it being among the first of its genre. It had two key features I enjoyed, whoever: 1) Watson's first meeting with Holmes and 2) the surprisingly long whodunnit explanation in Part 2. I often struggle with mystery books given their penchant to focus on a large cast of names, objects, places, and other nouns which I find hard to keep track of and continually visualize in my head. I encounter this issue with some more detail-obsessed fantasy stories, too. So, I became lost throughout a lot of the first half even though it was still mildly enjoyable (in great part due to Stephen Fry's narration). The most consistently amusing part of that half is Watson's developing relationship with Holmes, in which we get to discover the detective's eccentricities along with his new sidekick. I often enjoy buddy (cop) comedies, so that stuff provided a more easy connection than the actual investigation. The book then switches out of Watson's POV for most of the second half, providing an extended backstory for the killer and his motivation. While long and not always riveting, it was a novel approach to the often tedious form of exposition dumps you find in mysteries. By the end of it I had even sympathized with the killer enough to hope to see them victorious. It became the emotional throughline of the book how the Holmes-Watson dynamic used to be, but I wouldn't say either of those elements were particularly deep or resolved. A short, mildly entertaining read.

[andreablythe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I quite enjoyed this book (my first foray into the Sherlock Holmes universe as created by Mr. Doyle.) My only real objection was the completely inaccurate portrayal of the mormons in pioneer Utah. They made excellent villains in this novel but it's a bit much. I enjoyed seeing Holmes and Watson meet.

[floratina · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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...

[danielstj · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This Arthur Conan Doyle novel didn't do it for me. It had a lot going for it but, around the halfway mark, veered off course considerably and (I felt) never regained the same momentum that it started with. The story itself is interesting until this point, but then it falls into platitudes and asides that, I found, were not as interesting in the details rather than in the entire picture. Nonetheless, we are introduced to Watson and Holmes and their investigation of the case and Holmes comes off strong in the first part. 2 stars.

[jasonlf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant from beginning to end, even the notorious extended flashback to the adventure story set in the American West. The first Sherlock Holmes book introduces Watson, depicts his first meeting with Holmes, and sets them off on a classic puzzle mystery.

[breakerfallen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great character development that I felt was missing from the later short stories. I'm glad I read this one - it makes me want to read the rest in order.

[leandrod-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Intereſtiŋ. Makes me wonder how much of the picture it paints of Mormoniſm is true.

[nina4jon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Elementary, Dear WatsonIf someone could only to read one novel in their lives – this is the novel I would recommend. It introduces Sherlock Holmes (and Watson) to the world and it introduces them very well.There’s lashings of elementary deduction and a surprising amount of poignancy and Providence. (Although I do agree with one reviewer on Goodreads that half way through it becomes something else, before getting back to being a Sherlock Holmes again)If you watched the excellent BBC series with Benedict Cumberbatch and haven't yet read A Study in Scarlet – please do so, you’ll see the first ever episode in a new light.Nina Jon is the author of the Jane Hetherington’s Adventures in Detection crime and mystery series.

[saitchy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The brilliant debut appearance of the Master of Induction!

[davido1103 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic (1st) Sherlock Holmes, very well read. The Mormons don't come out so well in this story...

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Holmes is just too full of himself.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mostly good or above and on task Bradley, Stabenow, Child, Tod and Winspear a cut above.

[jhullie-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed my first foray into the world of Sherlock Holmes. The sudden change of pace, characters and location threw me for a moment but I soon got back into the swing of it. I will definitely read more of these tales.

[toxicmasquerade · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first got this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not. But, I was pleasantly surprised as I was reading it. I was actually laughing at some of the things Sherlock said. It was entertaining. I would recommend it to anyone who really likes detective stories.

[doihachiro · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[nataliec7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just loved everything about this book!

[391_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Doyle's plotting in the deductive portions of the book are fast-paced and intriguing, but the history section in part two always fell flat for me. I don't like the sudden change of style and voice, though the first time I read the book I really enjoyed trying to put the clues together by the end to see if I had followed Holmes' deductions. It's really just on the second (or fifteenth) readings that I realized how -boring- it really is.

[tronella_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm sure I must have tried to read this many times before. But until recently, I have had some mental block preventing me from liking detective novels of any kind. I still mostly don't enjoy them, but this one was pretty fun to listen to.

[michellech_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Holmes book and yes, I am hooked. For me this was a great introduction to how Watson and Holmes met and the backgrounds that created these fascinating men.

I really like both. Watson is so different from Holmes and is the more practical and immediately likeable.

I don't read a lot of mysteries and this was a very interesting start for me. Holmes and his observations seem so obvious after the fact and I liked being a passenger in his mind. In this tale, the part that the Mormons played was fascinating and meshed well with some of what I have read to date. But again, I don't like being a generalist and I can see how this would prompt concern amongst Mormons. I suppose it is the same with all writers who take liberties with religion, history and famous personalities.

This story also reminds me of Dickens and a Tale of Two Cities. Revenge is at the heart and is bittersweet.

Looking forward to my next mystery!

[ssimon2000-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, A Study in Scarlet starts with the arrival of Dr. Watson in London after being discharged from military service in the second Afghanistan war. Looking for a place to stay, he boards a flat with Holmes, an intriguing gentleman to say the least. Before he knows it, he’s assisting Holmes with a murder investigation.

Overall, this is the place to start if you want to read Holmes. The story is well-told, the plot hangs together pretty well, and there are plenty of twists for the inquisitive reader to navigate through.

[booksfordinner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Funny... I guess I read this 30 years ago when I was a kid, and compared to the short stories, I didn't remember it too well... halfway through the book and all of a sudden there are four or five chapters in Utah with Bringham Young and the Mormons? Huh? What happened to the pocket watches and the gaslights and the coach-and-fours? Still great, of course.

[mossjon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read A Study in Scarlet on the heels of Murders in the Rue Morgue. Poe paled when compared to Doyle's rich characters and superb storytelling. My only complaint was the abrupt return to North America which left me reeling as to what the heck had happened but I eventually tuned back in.

This story is a great introduction (just as it was for the characters) to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

[greeniezona · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I finished this book in pretty much one sitting, both to try to take advantage of my spring break to catch up on the 50 book challenge and to finish reading one of the many books lent to me by my sister in order to fill a box that I will be sending to her shortly. Though I didn't expect to finish it quite so quickly. I was instantly transported back to the days of watching Sherlock Holmes on PBS with my father and said sister. When is that series going to come out on DVD? ::sigh:: Anyway, the book was completely absorbing, though I have to wonder if early Mormon history was as bloodthirsty as dear Sir Arthur makes it out to me. But I won't say anything else so as not to spoil the ending.

[onlyhope1912 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As an avid Sherlock Holmes fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. How Watson met Holmes, and the intriguing case make this a great read for anyone who likes mysteries or English lit.

[smgs5vzhang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sherlock Holmes is an iconic character, and his first book is (I think) his best. A Study in Scarlet introduces Mr Holmes and showcases his analytical genius as he navigates through the first of many cases the detective solves. A classic.

[ajbraithwaite_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think this is the first time I've read a Sherlock Holmes story. They're so familiar from film and TV adaptations that it's good to get back to the original. I was startled by the change of pace in part two, where we're thrown out of 1880s London and into the Mormons' journey to Utah and the story of John and Lucy Ferrier. I'm guessing Conan Doyle doesn't have too many Mormon fans...

[catquilt-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[schmerguls · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

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

[michdubb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Classic mystery story that is thourougly enjoyable. This is also the book in which Watson meets Sherlock and discovers how eccentric he is. In this book, Sherlock explains many of his techniques for solving crimes.