The Best of Sherlock Holmes & Conan Doyle by Randall Stock

Sherlock Holmes as drawn by Frederic Dorr Steele

This website is devoted to covering noteworthy items related to Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It includes lists of "the best" Holmes stories and quotations. It also has information on Conan Doyle manuscripts, Beeton's Christmas Annual, and much more.

NEWS

Best Sherlock Holmes Books and Movies/TV for 2024

There are hundreds of Sherlock Holmes books and many movies. What should you get if you are a new fan of Holmes? I've noted the 10 Best Sherlock Holmes books and DVDs for new fans, and also provided a list of the Top Holmes Books and DVDs / Blu-ray from 2024.

Valley of Fear Manuscript in Exhibition

The Folger Shakespeare Library hosts a free exhibition from the Stuart and Mimi Rose Collection, including rarities from The Lord of the Rings, Winnie-the-Pooh, Apollo 11, Jules Verne, Galileo, and The Valley of Fear manuscript.

Holmes Manuscript & Drawing Set Auction Records

Sotheby's set new auction records with their sale of both the manuscript of The Sign of Four and the drawing of "The Death of Sherlock Holmes" by Sidney Paget at their June auction. A copy of The Unique Hamlet went unsold.

Holmes & Conan Doyle Rarities

See news & checklists of Sherlockian rarities including drawings, books, memorabilia and other rare Conan Doyle items at the Rare Sherlock Holmes & Conan Doyle Material page, plus a separate section dedicated to Conan Doyle manuscripts.

Auction of Conan Doyle Novel Manuscript

Potter & Potter sold rare Lost World items, original artwork including Sidney Paget, Sherlockiana, and Conan Doyle's manuscript for his novel Uncle Bernac at auction in February.

Holmes Manuscript with "Elementary" at Auction

Sotheby's sold Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes manuscript of The Crooked Man with the source of the great detective's famous "Elementary" quotation.

The Best Sherlock Holmes Pastiche Says Ellery Queen

Ellery Queen thought that Vincent Starrett wrote one of the best Sherlock Holmes stories ever. This story first appeared as a booklet in 1920 that's now a rare collectible. See the 2024 updated Census of the First Edition of The Unique Hamlet by Vincent Starrett and read the full story.

Sherlock Holmes Manuscript Census

Find the location of all the original Holmes manuscripts.

Major Holmes Exhibition for 2022–2023

An historic exhibition of Sherlock Holmes rarities first opened at the Grolier Club, then went to the Lilly Library, and finally moved to the University of Minnesota in February 2023. The free exhibition featured Holmes manuscripts, original artwork, first editions, letters and much more. See some highlights from Sherlock Holmes in 221 Objects.

Hound Manuscript Page Sets Record at Auction

A leaf from the manuscript of The Hound of the Baskervilles sold for a record-breaking price at a November 2021 auction.

Photos of Original Holmes Drawings by Sidney Paget

Sidney Paget is justly famous for his Sherlock Holmes illustrations in The Strand Magazine. Only a few of his original Holmes drawings still exist. The revised Paget census has photos of many of his original drawings. See the census of Sidney Paget Original Drawings and Artwork and this additional page with photos of Paget paintings.

Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887 Offered for Sale

Sherlock Holmes first appeared in November 1887 in Beeton's Christmas Annual. Described as the most expensive magazine in the world, it is rarer than a Shakespeare First Folio. A recently-reported copy is now for sale – learn more in the Beeton's 1887 checklist and census. And an affordable Beeton's 1887 facsimile is now available.

Hound Manuscript Page Reported Stolen

The FBI can use your help to recover the stolen Hound of the Baskervilles manuscript page. For details on the rest of the manuscript, see the full census of the Hound of the Baskervilles manuscript.

The First Sherlock Holmes Feature on Television

The Basil Rathbone movies helped change the broadcast industry, and even have a connection to the Holmes TV show starring Ronald Howard. Read about 1950s TV history and Sherlock Holmes.

Laurie King on Writing Stories with Holmes

Laurie R. King is the New York Times best-selling author of a series of books involving Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell. Her latest Holmes/Russell novel is The Murder of Mary Russell. See my feature on Laurie King talks about writing, Russell, and Holmes.

Basil Rathbone versus Robert Downey, Jr.?

With two blockbuster Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey, Jr., it's only natural to wonder how they compare to the Basil Rathbone films. The Rathbone pictures are all on DVD – and Double Feature releases offer excellent quality at great prices. See this list of the Best Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies and recommended DVD versions.

The Familiar Quotations of Sherlock Holmes

It's elementary that there are many excellent quotations in the Holmes stories. In fact, entire books of these popular passages have been published. But which of these are the most famous? Find out in The Ten Most Famous Quotations from the Sherlock Holmes Stories.

Best Holmes Stories

It's official! Sherlockian scholars have selected the best stories in the largest and most comprehensive appraisal ever made of the Sherlock Holmes tales. Poll results were published in the Baker Street Journal. Now you can read about that poll, plus many other polls over the years, at this site's section on The Best Sherlock Holmes Stories.

For Your Attention

Learn about some important books and other sections of this website from my Other Points of Interest.

Collect books? Check out my Sherlockian and Other Books for Sale