A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet is a mystery novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle and published in 1887. It is the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
The novel is written in two parts. The first part takes place mainly in Victorian London, while the second moves to the American West.
The story begins in 1878 with Dr. John Watson, who has been invalided home after being wounded in the war in Afghanistan and then contracting enteric fever. Short of money, Watson looks for more affordable lodgings. One day he runs into an old friend named Stamford, who reveals to him that an acquaintance of his named Sherlock Holmes is looking for a roommate at 221B Baker Street. This is how Holmes and Watson meet.
Watson is initially puzzled by Holmes’s unusual knowledge and methods. As he gets to know him, he discovers that Holmes is a consulting detective with an extraordinary talent for observation and deduction.
Their adventures begin one day when they receive a letter from Scotland Yard requesting Holmes’s help with a murder at Lauriston Gardens. Holmes and Watson set out to investigate it.
The book A Study in Scarlet is the first volume in the Sherlock Holmes series.
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Public domain (US)·No sign-up·DRM-free·Real text, not scans
Copyright note. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle is believed to be in the public domain in the United States only. It may still be copyrighted in other countries. If you are not in the United States, please check your local laws to ensure this eBook is in the public domain in your country before downloading A Study in Scarlet in PDF or EPUB.
- Pages
- 122
- Reading time
- 3 hours 39 minutes
- Pace
- Intermediate
- First published
- 1887
- Language
- English
- Downloads
- 9,043
139 years later, still timely
Why Read A Study in Scarlet in 2026?
The first Holmes: a messy room, a violin, and a method. Deduction becomes drama, and friendship becomes fuel.
Today's connection
Great for learning observation without bias. Timetables, traces, and talk build a case you can follow. Start here to see how the partnership and the method take shape.
Inference at work
From clue to pattern to explanation—watch the steps.
Holmes & Watson
Complimentary minds create momentum and heart.
Place and plot
Locations carry meaning; routes matter to truth.
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About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
Evidence driven adventure and humane curiosity behind the world famous consulting detective.
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From A Study in Scarlet
What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence. The question is what can you make people believe you have done.
To a great mind, nothing is little,' remarked Holmes, sententiously.
Oh! A mystery is it?" I cried, rubbing my hands. "This is very piquant. I am much obliged to you for bringing us together. 'The proper study of mankind is man,' you know.
There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it. And now for lunch, and then for Norman Neruda. Her attack and her bowing are splendid.
No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.