Sherlock Holmes – A Scandal in Bohemia
Strand Magazine
July, 1891
Sherlock Holmes is clearly the most famous detective in the world. This fictional character along with his assistant, Dr. Watson were conceived and brought to life by Arthur Conan Doyle, a physician in Plymouth, England who wrote when business was slow.
Their first appearance occurred in 1887 with the publication of ‘A Study in Scarlet’ in Beeton’s Christmas Annual. Three years later, Doyle’s next Sherlock Holmes novel was within the pages of Lippincott’s Magazine, and was titled ‘The Sign of Four’. The following year, 1891 began a run of a remarkable 56 short stories that ran in the Strand Magazine over the course of 36 years.
Doyle’s very first short story was titled ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, where Holmes encountered Irene Adler, who became ‘The Woman’ and remained in his thoughts for the rest of his life. It was published in the July, 1891 issue of the Strand Magazine.
The pressures of writing a short story on a monthly basis took a toll on Doyle, and his exhaustion created animosity towards Sherlock Holmes. His 24th short story, titled ‘ The Final Problem’ spelled doom for Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. This freed up Doyle to write other works, such as The Lost World. However, his massive audience, distraught from this final story clamored for more. It wasn’t until an American publisher tempted Doyle with a financial offer he couldn’t refuse that the short stories began again with the publication of ‘The Empty House’ in 1903. These continued until his final story, Shoscombe Old Place graced the pages of the Strand in April of 1927.
The exhibit held by the museum is a near Fine copy of the first issue, A Scandal in Bohemia, acquired nearly two decades ago from a London bookseller.