75 pages • 2 hours read
Arthur Conan DoyleThe Hound of the Baskervilles
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1902A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Further Reading & Resources
Further Reading: Literature
The Complete Sherlock Holmes
In most regions, the Sherlock Holmes stories are in the public domain, and several printed editions, with the title The Complete Sherlock Holmes or a similar title, contain all four novels and 56 stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The complete works, known as “the canon” to Sherlock fans and experts, contain all the original adventure mysteries that challenge Holmes and Watson. These stories form the foundation for the modern crime genre and amply repay readers’ curiosity.
Nearly all the Sherlock Holmes stories are available online for free at gutenberg.org.
The Seven Percent Solution
Dozens of books by other authors continue the Sherlock Holmes tradition. Famous among them is a bestselling 1974 novel, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer, that tells of Holmes’s struggle with cocaine addiction, his sessions with Sigmund Freud, and his obsession with a version of Moriarty that might be a figment of his imagination. The book is the first in a series of Sherlock Holmes novels by Meyer; it was made into a film in 1976.
Video Audio, & Podcast Resources
Film The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
One of many film versions, this one respects the main plot while making a few changes to the characters. Holmes is played by Peter Cushing, who later portrayed the detective in BBC TV productions during the 1960s; he also played the Grand Moff Tarkin in the Star Wars film series.
Dozens of other films are available that feature Sherlock Holmes, who is the most-filmed character in movie history.
TV Series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, et al.
Between 1984 and 1994, British broadcaster Grenada Television filmed 41 of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes, the productions, divided into four series, are noted for their faithful rendition of the stories and historically accurate production design. The series are titled The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes; these names reflect the titles of four of the Holmes short-story collections. Jeremy Brett died before finishing the entire Conan Doyle canon, but the 26th episode, the final one in the Return of Sherlock Holmes series, is “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
TV Series Sherlock
Between 2010 and 2017, the BBC produced four three-episode seasons of Sherlock, a present-day update of the Sherlock Holmes universe. The episodes star Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson. The earlier seasons contained plots based loosely on Doyle’s stories; as the series evolved, new elements were introduced. The series is highly praised, especially for the writing and the performances of Cumberbatch and Freeman, who each went on to fame in various highly successful sci-fi and fantasy adventure films. Sherlock has won many accolades, including BAFTA, Emmy, and Peabody awards.
TV Series Miss Sherlock
A modern-day version of Sherlock Holmes in which a woman is the main character, Miss Sherlock, a 2018 Japanese TV series, stars Yuko Takeuchi as “Sherlock” Shelly Futaba. Assisted by her female roommate Dr. Wato, Miss Sherlock consults with today’s Tokyo Metropolitan Police and solves cases that resemble the ones in the Doyle canon, including a dramatic encounter with a Moriarty-like master criminal. The series ran for one season; its lead is praised for her interpretation of the famous detective.
A number of other TV shows have also been produced that feature Sherlock Holmes.
Radio Plays
Over the decades, several radio plays of Sherlock Holmes stories have been produced, including a version of the entire Doyle canon that aired on BBC-4 between 1989 and 1998. It is available as audio files and CDs under the title Sherlock Holmes.
Other Resources
Sherlock Holmes Societies and Organizations
Modern fandom traces its origins to Sherlock Holmes fanatics who held public wakes when the detective was first “killed off” in The Strand magazine. Soon after, fans began writing their own Sherlockian stories, giving rise to the fan fiction genre.
Hundreds of Sherlock Holmes fan groups, societies, and organizations exist worldwide. Most noted in the US are the invitation-only Baker Street Irregulars and their spin-off “scion” organizations, and The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, the first women’s association dedicated to the great detective. Elsewhere in the world, the Sherlock Holmes Society of London traces its beginnings to 1931, and Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and Japan have notable Sherlock organizations.
sherlockian.net is one of several Sherlock Holmes sites online that provide links to organizations, events, and tourist destinations. Several podcasts also focus on the Holmes character.
Related Titles
By Arthur Conan Doyle
