The Canon

The Sherlock Holmes Canon consists of the 56 short stories and 4 novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle* about Sherlock Holmes, the world's first consulting detective and the world's most recognized fictional character.* The first Sherlock Holmes story was novel length- 'A Study in Scarlet' published in 1887 in Beeton's Christmas Annual Magazine.

* Among Sherlockians, there are some that hold that Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson were historical persons and that the stories were written by Dr. Watson with Conan Doyle serving as a literary agent. Holding this opinion is often referred to as playing 'THE GRAND GAME.'

'The Sign of Four' (1889), 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (1901), and 'The Valley of Fear' (1914)

The 56 short stories were published individually in the 'Strand Magazine' and other magazines and published as collections in book form. The short story collections are: 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes', 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes', 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes', 'His Last Bow', and 'The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes.'

The White Rose Irregulars is one of hundreds of groups worldwide that meet regularly to discuss Sherlock Holmes stories/books/films/TV, British Victorian culture and other mystery writers/stories. If you have interest in any of these subjects, page through the rest of our website to find out if you might want to join us.