The Great Detective Resurrected

Introduction

The Return of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1905, is the third collection of short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson. Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, it marked the detective’s dramatic comeback after his apparent death at the Reichenbach Falls in “The Final Problem.” Spanning thirteen stories first published in The Strand Magazine between 1903 and 1904, the collection reaffirmed Holmes’s status as the most famous fictional detective of the age.

Stories Included

The thirteen stories of the collection are:

1. The Adventure of the Empty House
2. The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
3. The Adventure of the Dancing Men
4. The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
5. The Adventure of the Priory School
6. The Adventure of Black Peter
7. The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
8. The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
9. The Adventure of the Three Students
10. The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
11. The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
12. The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
13. The Adventure of the Second Stain

Publication History

After killing Holmes in “The Final Problem” (1893), Conan Doyle faced enormous public pressure to bring the detective back. Reluctant but persuaded by popular demand (and financial incentive), Doyle resurrected Holmes in “The Empty House,” explaining that Holmes had faked his death using baritsu, a form of martial art. The story was met with celebration from readers and renewed subscriptions to The Strand, which had suffered after Holmes’s “death.”

Significance

The Return of Sherlock Holmes was crucial in restoring the detective to the public stage. Stories like “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton” and “The Adventure of the Dancing Men” remain among the most admired in the canon. The collection also reflects Edwardian London, capturing its shifting social and political atmosphere at the dawn of the 20th century.

Adaptations

• Granada Television (1980s–1990s): Jeremy Brett starred in acclaimed adaptations of nearly all the Return stories, often praised as the definitive Holmes.
• Radio: BBC radio series frequently revisited these tales, keeping them in cultural memory.
• Modern Retellings: Plots from the collection inspired episodes of BBC’s Sherlock, including “The Empty Hearse,” echoing Holmes’s resurrection.

Conclusion

The Return of Sherlock Holmes represents both a concession to public demand and a reaffirmation of Holmes’s place in literary history. The collection not only revived the detective but ensured his immortality, securing his role as the archetypal investigator for generations to come.