A Study in Scarlet

A Study in Scarlet

Company type	Novel
Industry	Literature
Founded	1887
Founder	Arthur Conan Doyle
Products	Detective novel

A Study in Scarlet is a detective novel from 1887 penned by British author Arthur Conan Doyle, introducing the legendary duo Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for the first time, who would become enduring figures in detective literature.

The book's title alludes to Holmes's metaphor describing the murder case as his "study in scarlet": "There runs the scarlet thread of murder through the otherwise dull fabric of life; our responsibility is to trace it, disentangle it, and reveal every part."

At the time of publication, neither the narrative nor its characters attracted significant attention. Only eleven complete copies of the original Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887 edition remain, making them extremely rare and valuable. Despite Conan Doyle authoring 56 short stories featuring Holmes, A Study in Scarlet stands among only four full-length novels in the original collection. It was succeeded by The Sign of the Four in 1890.

Significantly, this work was the first detective story to feature the magnifying glass as a tool for investigation.

Part I: The Reminiscences of Watson

In 1881, Dr. John Watson returns to London after serving in the Second Anglo-Afghan War and looks for accommodation. Through a mutual acquaintance, Stamford, he meets Sherlock Holmes, who is seeking a roommate at 221B Baker Street. After evaluating each other and inspecting the apartment, they decide to share the flat. Holmes operates as a "consulting detective," frequently visited by clients. Initially skeptical, Watson becomes amazed after witnessing Holmes's deductive prowess.

Holmes receives a telegram summoning him to a murder scene on Brixton Road where Inspectors Gregson and Lestrade are already investigating. The victim is identified as Enoch Drebber from Cleveland, Ohio; documents indicate he has a secretary named Joseph Stangerson. On a wall near the body, "RACHE" (German for "revenge") is scrawled in red paint; Holmes considers this a deliberate police ruse. He concludes that Drebber was poisoned and offers a description of a suspect. A gold wedding ring belonging to a woman is discovered on the corpse.

Holmes posts notices about the ring and acquires an identical copy to bait the murderer—who had attempted to recover it—into revealing themselves. An elderly woman responds, claiming ownership on behalf of her daughter. Holmes gives her the duplicate but suspects she is actually a young man disguised to assist the killer.

Subsequently, Gregson arrests a suspect residing at Madame Charpentier's Boarding House where both Drebber and Stangerson had stayed. Drebber’s inappropriate behavior toward Alice Charpentier led to their eviction; her brother assaulted Drebber but lost track during pursuit. The brother is detained based on circumstantial evidence.

Stangerson is later murdered near his hotel window, stabbed through the heart with "RACHE" written above him. He carried with him a novel, a pipe, a telegram stating "J.H. is in Europe," and two pills. Holmes tests these pills on a sickly Scottish Terrier at Baker Street; one pill proves harmless while the other proves fatal to the dog.

Wiggins, leader of the Baker Street Irregulars, arrives with a cab Holmes requested. Holmes deceives the cab driver into coming upstairs and restrains him—unveiling Jefferson Hope as responsible for the murders of Drebber and Stangerson.

Part II: "The Country of the Saints"

In 1847, within Utah's Salt Lake Valley, John Ferrier and Lucy, the lone survivors of a pioneer expedition, are taken in by the Latter-day Saints led by Brigham Young, with the stipulation that they embrace the Mormon religion. By 1860, Lucy develops feelings for Jefferson Hope, but Young prohibits her from marrying outside their faith, insisting she wed either Joseph Stangerson or Enoch Drebber, both sons of prominent church figures. Opposing a union under Mormon law, Ferrier—who had adopted Lucy—contacts Hope to devise a plan for escape.

Lucy is given one month to decide on her prospective husband. On the final day, Hope arrives and they flee under the cover of night. While Hope is away hunting, the Mormons intercept them; Stangerson kills Ferrier, Lucy is forcibly married to Drebber, and she dies within a month from despair. Before Lucy’s funeral, Hope breaks into Drebber’s residence to retrieve her wedding ring and swears vengeance. Afflicted by an aortic aneurysm, he departs to recuperate and accumulate funds. Years later, Hope discovers that Drebber and Stangerson have fled Salt Lake City following a Mormon schism; Drebber has amassed wealth from Lucy’s inheritance with Stangerson acting as his secretary. For over two decades, Hope tracks them across Cleveland and Europe.

In London, Hope becomes a cab driver and eventually locates Drebber and Stangerson. After an incident involving Madame Charpentier’s son, Hope brings Drebber to his Brixton Road residence, compelling him to select between two pills—one harmless and one lethal. Upon ingesting poison, Drebber dies; Hope reveals Lucy’s wedding ring and scrawls "RACHE" in blood on the wall to mislead authorities. Stangerson, upon hearing of Drebber’s demise, confines himself to his hotel room. Hope confronts him with the same deadly choice; when Stangerson attacks, Hope fatally stabs him in self-defense.

Hope succumbs to his aneurysm before standing trial. Holmes explains to Watson how he deduced the identity of the murderer. Although detectives Lestrade and Gregson receive public recognition for solving the case, Watson insists Holmes should publish their account; Holmes refuses, leading Watson to do so independently.

Publication

Arthur Conan Doyle authored this novel at age 27 in less than three weeks. Working as a general practitioner in Southsea, Hampshire, he had previously published short stories in periodicals like London Society. Initially entitled A Tangled Skein, the story appeared in the 1887 issue of Beeton's Christmas Annual published by Ward, Lock & Co after several rejections. Conan Doyle pursued royalties but accepted £25 for full rights (equivalent to approximately £3,371.95 today). The edition featured illustrations by David Henry Friston.

The novel's first standalone book release occurred in July 1888 through Ward, Lock & Co., with artwork by Conan Doyle's father, Charles Doyle. The first American edition was published by J. B. Lippincott & Co. in 1890. A 1891 edition from Ward, Lock & Bowden Limited included illustrations by George Hutchinson. A German edition released in 1902 showcased artwork by Richard Gutschmidt. Since then, numerous editions, translations, and adaptations have broadened its global presence.

Representation of Mormonism

A Salt Lake City newspaper noted that when asked about his depiction of the Latter-day Saints involving abduction, homicide, and enslavement, Conan Doyle explained that his portrayal of the Danite Band and associated killings was based on historical accounts but likely embellished for narrative effect. His daughter admitted that the novel contained inaccuracies regarding Mormons.

Scholars believe Conan Doyle’s perspective was shaped by contemporary accounts such as those by Fannie Stenhouse, William A. Hickman, John Hyde, among others. Following his passing, Mormon leader Levi Edgar Young, a descendant of Brigham Young, asserted that Conan Doyle privately expressed regret for being misinformed and confessed to authoring a defamatory work about Mormons.

In August 2011, the Albemarle County, Virginia school board removed A Study in Scarlet from the mandatory sixth-grade reading curriculum after objections concerning its anti-Mormon themes. The novel was subsequently moved to tenth-grade reading lists and continues to be accessible in school libraries.

Film

A Study in Scarlet, the inaugural Sherlock Holmes tale, was one of the earliest stories adapted for cinema. In 1914, Conan Doyle authorized a British silent film produced by G. B. Samuelson featuring James Bragington as Holmes, chosen for his resemblance to the original illustrations. Although this film is now lost, its popularity prompted Samuelson to create the 1916 movie The Valley of Fear.

That same year, an unauthorized American two-reel short film titled similarly was released with Francis Ford portraying Holmes; this version is also lost.

The 1933 film A Study in Scarlet, starring Reginald Owen and Anna May Wong, diverges significantly from the novel aside from character names and references to Holmes lore. Its storyline notably parallels Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

Radio and Audio Dramas

Edith Meiser adapted A Study in Scarlet into a four-part radio series for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1931, with Richard Gordon playing Holmes.

The narrative was merged with another story in the radio episode "Dr Watson Meets Mr Sherlock Holmes," featuring John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, broadcast on BBC Light Programme in 1954 and NBC Radio in 1955.

Michael Hardwick created an adaptation for the BBC radio series (1952–1969) in 1962 starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley. Another Hardwick version aired on BBC Radio in 1974 with Robert Powell and Dinsdale Landen.

A 1977 installment of CBS Radio Mystery Theater featured Kevin McCarthy as Holmes.

The BBC’s comprehensive Sherlock Holmes radio series (1989–1998) commenced with a two-part adaptation by Bert Coules starring Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.

In 2007, The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes presented an episode starring John Patrick Lowrie and Lawrence Albert.

More recently, in 2023, the podcast Sherlock&Co produced an adaptation focusing on the story’s opening segment with Paul Waggot and Harry Attwell emphasizing character introductions over the central mystery.

Television

The 1954–1955 series, starring Ronald Howard as Holmes and H. Marion Crawford as Watson, adapted only the initial part of the novel for its episode "The Case of the Cunningham Heritage."

The story appeared in a 23 September 1968 episode of the BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, featuring Peter Cushing as Holmes and Nigel Stock as Watson.

It served as the second episode of the 1979 Soviet television film Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, where the first episode combined their introduction with "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," while the second adapted Jefferson Hope’s case.

Burbank Films Australia produced a 1983 animated film with Peter O'Toole voicing Holmes. Both this adaptation and the 1968 BBC version depict Holmes and Watson as already acquainted and residing at 221B Baker Street.

Notably, A Study in Scarlet was not included in the Jeremy Brett television series (1984–1994).

Steven Moffat loosely reimagined it as "A Study in Pink", the premiere episode of the 2010 BBC series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. This adaptation preserves key elements such as "RACHE," two pills, and the killer’s aneurysm but omits the American backstory and modifies motivations by introducing Moriarty. The Victorian-era meeting is revisited later in "The Abominable Bride."

CBS’s Elementary incorporates aspects of Hope’s revenge motive in "The Deductionist" and provides a closer adaptation in season four’s "A Study in Charlotte."

In 2014, NHK’s puppetry series Sherlock Holmes loosely based its first episode, "The First Adventure," on both A Study in Scarlet and "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons." Set at Beeton School, students Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade investigate Jefferson Hope’s vengeance against Enoch Drebber and Joseph Stangerson. The opening theme song "Scarlet Story" references the novel. The school’s name draws inspiration from Beeton's Christmas Annual.

Other media

A Study in Scarlet has been transformed into several graphic novel editions, including a 1953 adaptation with illustrations by Seymour Moskowitz for Classics Illustrated, a 1969 version published by Innovation Publishing featuring artwork from Noly Panaligan, a 2010 Sterling Publishing release illustrated by I. N. J. Culbard, and a 2013 edition issued by Hakon Holm Publishing with drawings by Nis Jessen.

The narrative has also inspired numerous theatrical renditions: in 2014, Tacit Theatre debuted a London production crafted by Greg Freeman, Lila Whelan, and Annabelle Brown; in 2019, Bill Amos presented an adaptation titled Sherlock Holmes and the Scarlet Avenger at DM Performance Works in Nuremberg, Pennsylvania; and in 2022, Pitlochry Festival Theatre produced Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Lipstick, Ketchup and Blood, a two-actor play set within a dystopian future.

Allusions in other works

Samuel Rosenberg’s 1974 work Naked Is the Best Disguise draws connections between Jefferson Hope’s hunt for Enoch Drebber and a scene from James Joyce’s Ulysses. Neil Gaiman reinterpreted the tale through the lens of H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos in his 2004 short story "A Study in Emerald".

The plot served as inspiration for the murder mystery in Garage Sale Mystery: The Novel Murders (2016). Within the video game The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve, the character Enoch Drebber is depicted as a scientist driven by vengeance, diverging from his original portrayal as a Mormon antagonist.

Will Brandon’s 2023 novel A Study in Crimson transposes the initial meeting of Holmes and Watson to Fort Worth, Texas, during 1876, weaving in historical episodes such as the Comanche abduction of Cynthia Ann Parker and Rachel Plummer.