The Sign of Four (1892 Illustrated Edition): 100th Anniversary Collection
A nice edition with original first edition cover and 13 original illustrations.
The Sign of Four was first released to magazines in 1890. It was later published in book format and is also known by the title The Sign of the Four. It is the second Sherlock Holmes novel, after A Study in Scarlet. The plot involves service in India, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a stolen treasure, and a secret pact among four convicts ("the Four" of the title) and two corrupt prison guards.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Right up front: There are some definite racist elements here, and that certainly diminished my ability to enjoy the book. But even without those, it was disappointing.
I like reading Holmes & Watson as characters, but the other characters weren’t interesting at all, and the mystery itself wasn’t much to chew on. Mostly it seemed like Doyle imagined this tale of the purloined loot itself, and the whole book was a lead-up to the retelling of that tale. But it would have been better as a standalone story, really, and even then I don’t think I’d have loved it.
I like reading Holmes & Watson as characters, but the other characters weren’t interesting at all, and the mystery itself wasn’t much to chew on. Mostly it seemed like Doyle imagined this tale of the purloined loot itself, and the whole book was a lead-up to the retelling of that tale. But it would have been better as a standalone story, really, and even then I don’t think I’d have loved it.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.