The Hound of the Baskervilles Arthur Conan Doyle

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'The Hound of the Baskervilles gripped readers when it was first serialised and remains one of Sherlock Holmes's greatest and most popular adventures. Could the sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville have been caused by the gigantic ghostly hound that is said to have haunted his family for generations? Arch-rationalist Sherlock Holmes characteristically dismisses the theory as nonsense. And immersed in another case he sends Dr Watson to Devon to protect the Baskerville heir and observe the suspects at close hand. With its atmospheric setting on the ancient wild moorland and its savage apparition The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the greatest crime novels ever written. Rationalism is pitted against the supernatural and good against evil as Sherlock Holmes sets out to defeat a foe almost his equal.This edition contains a full chronology of Arthur Conan Doyle's life and works an introduction by renowned horror scholar Professor Christopher Frayling discussing the background to the novel and the legends and events that inspired the story with further reading and explanatory notes.'Arthur Conan Doyle is unique ... Personally I would walk a mile in tight boots to read him to the milkman'Stephen Fry Review “The whole Sherlock Holmes saga is a triumphant illustration of art’s supremacy over life.” -Christopher Morley About the Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was born in Edinburgh where he qualified as a doctor but it was his writing which brought him fame with the creation of Sherlock Holmes the first scientific detective. He was also a convert to spiritualism and a social reformer who used his investigative skills to prove the innocence of individuals. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. CHAPTER I Mr. Sherlock HolmesMr. Sherlock Holmes who was usually very late in the mornings save upon those not infrequent occasions when he stayed up all night was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. It was a fine thick piece of wood bulbous-headed of the sort which is known as a “Penang lawyer.” Just under the head was a broad silver band nearly an inch across. “To James Mortimer M.R.C.S. from his friends of the C.C.H.” was engraved upon it with the date “1884.” It was just such a stick as the old-fashioned family practitioner used to carry-dignified solid and reassuring. “Well Watson what do you make of it?” Holmes was sitting with his back to me and I had given him no sign of my occupation. “How did you know what I was doing? I believe you have eyes in the back of your head.” “I have at least a well-polished silver-plated coffee-pot in front of me” said he. “But tell me Watson what do you make of our visitor’s stick? Since we have been so unfortunate as to miss him and have no notion of his errand this accidental souvenir becomes of importance. Let me hear you reconstruct the man by an examination of it.” “I think” said I following so far as I could the methods of my companion “that Dr. Mortimer is a successful elderly medical man well-esteemed since those who know him give him this mark of their appreciation.” “Good!” said Holmes. “Excellent!” “I think also that the probability is in favour of his being a country practitioner who does a great deal of his visiting on foot.” “Why so?” “Because this stick though originally a very handsome one has been so knocked about that I can hardly imagine a town practitioner carrying it. The thick iron ferrule is worn down so it is evident that he has done a great amount of walking with it.” “Perfectly sound!” said Holmes. “And then again there is the ‘friends of the C.C.H.’ I should guess that to be the Something Hunt the local hunt to whose members he has possibly given some surgical assistance and which has made