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Description edit
A Study in Scarlet brings Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson together for the first time, creating one of the most illustrious crime-solving partnerships of all times.
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
When two American men are found murdered in London, the confounded investigators of Scotland Yard call upon the incredible and unmatched consulting detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, to unravel the perplexity which presents itself and apprehend the one responsible. As they progress through the... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters/People edit
- Sherlock Holmes: The world's only consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes shares an apartment with Dr. John Watson. Mr. Holmes, although quite eccentric, possessing unparalleled observational and deductive skills, can see nearly any confounding case as "simplicity itself."
- Dr. John H. Watson: A former army doctor who was injured in the Second Anglo-Afghan War and was subsequently discharged back to England, Dr. Watson shares lodging with Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street and serves as an aid to Holmes in his criminal investigations.
- Enoch Drebber: The first victim who's sudden murder sets off a widescale mystery.
- Jefferson Hope: An American frontierman who meets Lucy Ferrier and her father while trading in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Lucy Ferrier: Adopted daughter of John Ferrier.
- Joseph Stangerson: Secretary of Enoch Drebber.
- Brigham Young: Leader of the Mormon exodus and the settlement in Salt lake city. Historical person.
- Mr. Lestrade: One of Scotland Yard's investigators.
- John Ferrier: Adopted father of Lucy Ferrier. In return for their aid, John Ferrier agrees to join and abide by the customs and observances of the Mormon community.
- Tobias Gregson: A Scotland Yarder who calls upon the aid of Sherlock Holmes in the case of the murder of Enoch Drebber.
- Stamford: An old colleague of Dr. John Watson, Stamford introduces Watson and Holmes with the suggestion that the two share lodging and rent.
Quotes edit
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“My name is John Ferrier," the wanderer explained, "me and that little un are all that'sleft o' twenty-one people. The rest is all dead o' thirst and hunger away down in the south.”
John Ferrier -
“Didn't I tell you so when we started?" cried Sherlock Holmes with a laugh. "That'sthe result of our Study in Scarlet: to get them a testimonial!”
Sherlock Holmes -
“'Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo Ipse domi simul ac nummos contemplar in arco' "- The public hiss at me, but I applaud myself at my house when I think about the money in my strongbox.”
Dr. Watson -
“What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence. The question is, what can you make people believe that you have done?”
Sherlock Holmes -
“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.”
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“To a great mind, nothing is little.”
Sherlock Holmes -
“You see," he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now, the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it, there comes a time when, for every addition of knowledge, you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”
Sherlock Holmes -
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.”
Sherlock Holmes
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A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent.
Highlighted by 13 Kindle customers -
There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.”
Highlighted by 10 Kindle customers -
there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”
Highlighted by 9 Kindle customers -
“Do you remember what Darwin says about music? He claims that the power of producing and appreciating it existed among the human race long before the power of speech was arrived at. Perhaps that is why we are so subtly influenced by it. There are vague memories in our souls of those misty centuries when the world was in its childhood.”
Highlighted by 5 Kindle customers -
Most people, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you what the result would be. They can put those events together in their minds, and argue from them that something will come to pass. There are few people, however, who, if you told them a result, would be able to evolve from their own inner consciousness what the steps were which led up to that result. This power is what I mean when I talk of reasoning backwards, or analytically.”
Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers -
“Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo Ipse domi simul ac nummos contemplor in arca.”
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My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.
Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers -
There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life,
Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers -
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.”
Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers
Setting & Locations edit
- Brixton Road
- London: ..that great cesspool, into which all the idlers and loungers of the Empire are irresistibly drawn.
- The Great Alkali Plain: A stretch of desert near Utah where John and Lucy Ferrier were found by the Mormons.
- Utah: The State of Utah, U.S.A.
- Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.
- Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Organizations edit
- University of London: The University of London was founded by Royal Charter on 28 November 1836 and is the third oldest university in England. Dr Watson took his Degree of Doctor of Medicine in the year 1878 from this University.
- St. Bartholomew's Hospital: Often known as St. Bart's, or simply Bart's. The oldest hospital in London. Known for it's extensive teaching facilities
First Sentence edit
In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army.
Table of Contents edit
I. Part One
1. Mr. Sherlock Holmes
2. The Science of Deduction
3. The Lauriston Gardens Mystery
4. What John Rance Had to Tell
5. Our Advertisement Brings a Visitor
6. Tobias Gregson Shows What He Can Do
7. Light in the Darkness
II. Part Two
1. On the Great Alkali Plain
2. The Flower of Utah
3. John Ferrier Talks with the Prophet
4. A Flight for Life
5. The Avenging Angels
6. A Continuation of the Reminiscences of John Watson
7. The Conclusion
Glossary edit
- Arid: adj. Being without moisture; extremely dry; parched.
- Brougham: n. A light four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage.
- Competence: n. The finacial means necessary to provide for sufficiently comfortable but modest living conditions.
- Growler: n. A four-wheeled, horse-drawn cab.
- Jarvey: n. <British slang> Coachman.
- Chagrin: n. A strong feeling of vexation, marked by humiliation or disappointment.
- Portmanteau: n. <pl. -s, or -x> A case or bag used to carry clothing for the purpose of travel.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 9 in Canon of Sherlock Holmes. (standard series)
Followed by The Sign of Four.
This book is in Penguin's Top 100 Classics. (authoritative list)
This book is in Hopeless Romantic. (community list)
This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Arthur Conan Doyle (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Anne Perry (Introduction)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Beeton's Christmas Annual
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Date: 1887
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 121
Publisher: Beeton's Christmas Annual
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Date: 1887
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 121
Classification edit
- Copyright Status: Public Domain
- Library of Congress: PR4622S76
- Dewey: 822.92
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Movie Connections edit
- A Study in Scarlet (1914) (IMDb): With James Bragington as Sherlock Holmes.
- A Study in Scarlet (II) (1914) (IMDb): A Short. With Francis Ford as Sherlock Holmes.
- A Study in Scarlet (1933) (IMDb): With Reginald Owen as Sherlock Holmes.
- Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet (1968) (IMDb): Season 2, Episode 3 from this series. With Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes.
- Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet (1983) (IMDb): An Animation.
- Sherlock: A Study in Pink (2010) (IMDb): First episode of the modern 2010 miniseries. With Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes.
- Sherlock: Unaired Pilot (2010) (IMDb): Pilot episode of the modern 2010 miniseries. With Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes.
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