Sherlock Holmes Books in Order: All 9 Arthur Conan Doyle Books

Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories are short, sharp, and much easier to organize than the adaptation universe around them. If you want the Sherlock Holmes books in order, there are four Holmes novels and 56 short stories, usually collected across nine main books.

For most readers, I’d read Sherlock Holmes in publication order. It starts with Holmes and Watson meeting in A Study in Scarlet, then moves through the novels and short-story collections in the order the books were published.

Jump to:

Sherlock Holmes Books in Publication Order
Sherlock Holmes Novels and Short Story Collections
Do You Need to Read Sherlock Holmes in Order?
Who is Sherlock Holmes?
Sherlock Holmes Adaptations
Sherlock Holmes Books FAQ

Sherlock Holmes Books in Publication Order

This is the simplest Sherlock Holmes reading order. There are fan-made chronological lists out there, but those usually work story by story, not book by book. Since this guide is focused on the nine main Holmes books and collections, publication order is the most useful answer.

A Study in Scarlet (1887)
The Sign of the Four (1890)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892) (Short Story Collection)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894) (Short Story Collection)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)
The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905) (Short Story Collection)
The Valley of Fear (1915)
His Last Bow (1917) (Short Story Collection)
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927) (Short Story Collection)

Sherlock Holmes Novels and Short Story Collections

The lists below split the same Sherlock Holmes canon by format. That helps because “books” can mean either full novels or short-story collections here.

For the simplest complete read-through, use the publication-order list above. Use this section when you want to see the four novels separately from the five story collections.

Sherlock Holmes Novels

Sherlock Holmes Short Story Collections

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894)
The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)
His Last Bow (1917)
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927)

Do You Need to Read Sherlock Holmes in Order?

You don’t have to read Sherlock Holmes in strict order, but I think publication order is the best choice for a first read. It introduces Holmes and Watson properly, then gives you the famous short stories before moving deeper into the later cases.

The short stories are the heart of Sherlock Holmes. Skipping them means missing stories like “A Scandal in Bohemia,” “The Red-Headed League,” “The Speckled Band,” and “The Final Problem.” Those stories shaped the character’s legacy as much as the novels did.

I wouldn’t worry too much about a strict chronological order. Sherlockian chronology is debated, and the collections don’t line up neatly as whole books. Publication order gives you a much simpler and more reliable reading order.

Who is Sherlock Holmes?

Sherlock Holmes is Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional consulting detective. He first appeared in A Study in Scarlet in 1887, alongside Dr. John Watson, who narrates most of the stories.

Holmes is known for observation, deduction, disguise, chemistry, violin playing, and a sometimes prickly confidence in his own mind. Watson gives the stories their warmth. Holmes solves the cases, but Watson makes him human enough to care about.

Doyle’s Holmes stories helped define detective fiction. The brilliant investigator, the loyal friend, the impossible clue, the dramatic reveal, the memorable address at 221B Baker Street: so much of modern mystery fiction traces back here.

Sherlock Holmes Adaptations

Sherlock Holmes adaptations could fill their own guide. The character has appeared in stage plays, silent films, radio dramas, TV series, modern movies, animation, comics, and countless new stories by other writers. So the useful answer is not “watch everything.” It’s knowing which versions matter most depending on what kind of Holmes you want.

Classic Sherlock Holmes Adaptations

For a traditional screen version, the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series from Granada Television is still the one many readers point to first. It ran from 1984 to 1994 and adapted a large portion of Conan Doyle’s original stories, with Brett giving one of the most famous performances as Holmes.

The older Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce films are also important, especially if you’re interested in the character’s classic Hollywood image. A good example is Sherlock Holmes in Washington. These films don’t always stick closely to Doyle, but they helped cement the pipe, hat, fog, and sharp-tongued detective image that many people still associate with Holmes.

Modern Sherlock Holmes Adaptations

The BBC series Sherlock moves Holmes and Watson into modern London, with Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson. It borrows heavily from Doyle, but it remixes the stories into faster, flashier modern cases.

Elementary takes the character in a different direction, moving Holmes to New York and pairing him with Dr. Joan Watson. The Robert Downey Jr. films, starting with Sherlock Holmes and followed by Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, lean more into action and spectacle, while still using the Holmes-Watson friendship as the center of the story.

There are also newer Holmes-adjacent adaptations like Enola Holmes and Mr. Holmes. Those are not straight readings of Doyle’s canon, but they show how flexible the character has become. Sherlock Holmes can be Victorian, modern, comic, grim, faithful, or completely reimagined, and the audience still knows who he is.

Should You Watch Sherlock Holmes Before Reading the Books?

You can watch an adaptation first, but I’d still read at least A Study in Scarlet and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes if you want to understand where the character really starts. The adaptations are fun, but the Doyle stories are the foundation.

For the closest traditional screen version, try the Jeremy Brett series. For a modern version, try Sherlock or Elementary. For action, the Robert Downey Jr. movies are the easiest entry point.

Sherlock Holmes Books FAQ

What is the first Sherlock Holmes book?

The first Sherlock Holmes book is A Study in Scarlet, first published in 1887. It introduces Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and their partnership.

How many Sherlock Holmes books are there?

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote four Sherlock Holmes novels and 56 short stories. Those stories are usually collected across five short-story collections, giving readers nine main Holmes books in the traditional canon.

Should I read Sherlock Holmes in publication order or chronological order?

I’d read Sherlock Holmes in publication order. A true chronological order gets messy because the short stories don’t line up neatly by collection, and Sherlock Holmes fans still debate parts of the timeline.

What is the best Sherlock Holmes book to start with?

Start with A Study in Scarlet if you want the proper beginning. Start with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes if you want the most accessible short-story collection first. I still recommend A Study in Scarlet for a complete read-through.

Are the Sherlock Holmes short stories important?

Yes. The short stories are essential Sherlock Holmes reading. Many of the most famous Holmes cases are short stories, and the collections are a huge reason the character became so iconic.

What Sherlock Holmes adaptation should I watch first?

For a traditional Holmes, start with the Jeremy Brett series. For a modern version, try the BBC’s Sherlock or CBS’s Elementary. For a more action-heavy version, start with the Robert Downey Jr. films.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more mystery authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Mystery Books in Order index.