The Return of Sherlock Holmes
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the second collection of short stories featuring the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. The stories followed the publication of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1902, which had created intense pressure for Doyle to revive the escapades of his famous sleuth. The thirteen stories first appeared in the Strand Magazine in 1903-1904 and marked Holmes’ extraordinary return from the dead (or the presumption of his death), which is addressed in The Adventure of the Empty House. The stories also address the issue of Holmes’ whereabouts during the years 1891-1894, dubbed “The Great Hiatus” by his ardent followers. The collection closes with a statement by Watson in the The Adventure of the Second Stain that Holmes has retired and has forbidden him to publish any further accounts.
