Cover of A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet

4.0 · 126 ratings on Open Library

The self-declared world’s first consulting detective unravels a mysterious case of murder and revenge.

$2.99

  • Instant download, no account needed
  • DRM-free EPUB for Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books and Android
  • Secure checkout with card, Apple Pay or Google Pay
Length
43,000 words
Reading time
About 3 hours
Format
EPUB, DRM-free

About the book

A Study in Scarlet is the novel which first introduced Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. It was published in 1887 in a popular magazine, Beeton’s Christmas Annual. It attracted little public attention at the time, but interest in Holmes continued to build with the subsequent series of short stories Doyle wrote featuring the austere, analytical detective—now one of the most well-known characters in all of English literature.

A Study in Scarlet is told from the point of view of Dr. John Watson, a medical doctor who has recently returned to London after suffering serious injury and illness as part of the Army Medical Department deployed to Afghanistan. In precarious health and even more precarious financial straits, he’s looking for cheap lodgings when a friend introduces him to Sherlock Holmes. The pair agree to share the rent of a flat Holmes has found.

This is the Standard Ebooks edition, carefully proofread and typeset, with a table of contents and linked footnotes.

What readers think

4.0 out of 5

126 ratings of A Study in Scarlet from Open Library readers, as of 10th Nov.

  • 5 stars35%
  • 4 stars37%
  • 3 stars22%
  • 2 stars6%
  • 1 star1%