A Study in Scarlet (Penguin Classics)

The first case of the celebrated Sherlock Holmes

In the debut of literature's most famous sleuth, a dead man is discovered in a bloodstained room in Brixton. The only clues are a wedding ring, a gold watch, a pocket edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, and a word scrawled in blood on the wall. With this investigation begins the partnership of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Their search for the murderer uncovers a story of love and revenge—and heralds a franchise of detective mysteries starring the formidable Holmes.

In his introduction, Iain Sinclair discusses the links between the Sherlock Holmes mysteries and the Jack the Ripper murders, Conan Doyle's narrative style and his depiction of London. This edition also includes further reading, a chronology and notes.

Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Published Oct 1, 2001

192 pages

Average rating: 7.45

60 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

SueCat
Oct 01, 2025
7/10 stars
I liked the story of how Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson meet and solve their first case. The transition to the backstory was a little jolting, It would have been better to have a bit of a bridge between the chapters.
Rhirhih
Jul 26, 2025
9/10 stars
Good mystery
Maria Diaz
Dec 07, 2024
7/10 stars
A real gem, in this book Conan Doyle relates how Watson and Sherlock Holmes meet and become flatmates. I did thoroughly enjoy Watson's descriptions of Holmes' habits and his first impressions when they meet. The case they cover in this book is nowhere near the most interesting from all Sherlock Holmes' adventures tho. The narrative presents a wee bit of a break from the main storyline by doing a retrospective on the Salt City events half way through the book, which at first was a bit confusing. Nonetheless Conan Doyle's writing style is always enjoyable and his storytelling skills always sublime. For all Sherlock Holmes' fans is a must read.
littlemissalto
Jun 16, 2023
10/10 stars
This is now one of my favorite books! A quick read that I couldn't beat to put down! It truly is amazing how novels written over a hundred years ago can be so much greater in literacy, wit, and overall interest than any work published today. Sherlock shall forever be one of the most fascinating characters I have ever read! Thank you Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, thank you.
E Clou
May 10, 2023
8/10 stars
Sherlock Holmes #1- I first read this when I was 12, and apparently, I loved it then, and I gave it five stars in my book journal. I reread it as an adult because my dad had The Complete Sherlock Holmes and it's the first in the collection. Maybe more of a 4 star, because seriously why is this story all over Utah, and why doesn't the murderer just use a fake name? But delightful in its vengefulness.

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