Sherlock Holmes Books in Order
Arthur Conan Doyle has written 79 Sherlock Holmes books, published between 1883 and 2022: 62 in the 6 main-line series and 17 related titles. The first book is A Study in Scarlet (1887) and the newest main-line book is The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place (1927). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 79
- Published
- 1883–2022
- Confirmed
- 79 of 79 titles
- Pages on record
- 3,523 in 23 of 79 books
Sherlock Holmes is the private investigator at the centre of Arthur Conan Doyle's detective fiction. The catalogue lists 79 Holmes titles published between 1883 and 2022, grouped as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs, The Return, His Last Bow and The Case-Book. A Study in Scarlet (1887) and The Sign of Four (1890) are the early long works, and the 1890s produced the most entries. Median length across the catalogue is 90 pages, reflecting how much of it is short fiction.
How many Sherlock Holmes books are there?
Sherlock Holmes has 79 books, released between 1883 and 2022. 62 of them belong to the 6 main-line series (Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Return of Sherlock Holmes, Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes and others), and 17 related titles sit outside it: short stories and novellas.
Who wrote Sherlock Holmes?
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes books: every one of the 79 catalogued titles is credited to Arthur Conan Doyle.
Sherlock Holmes Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 79 Sherlock Holmes books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 118832843/4
- 21887903/4
- 31890863/4
- 41891–3/4
- 518915803/4
- 61891–3/4
- 71891–3/4
- 81891–3/4
- 91891–3/4
- 101892–3/4
- 111892723/4
- 121892–3/4
- 131892–3/4
- 141892483/4
- 151892423/4
- 161892483/4
- 17My Friend The Murderer And Other Mysteries And AdventuresArthur Conan Doyle Short Story #21893 · confirmed 3/41893–3/4
- 181893223/4
- 191893583/4
- 201893–3/4
- 211893–3/4
- 221893–3/4
- 231893–3/4
- 241893–3/4
- 251893–3/4
- 261893–3/4
- 271893–3/4
- 2818931973/4
- 291894–3/4
- 301894–3/4
- 311896263/4
- 32The Green Flag and Other Stories of War and SportArthur Conan Doyle Short Story #51900 · 392 pages · confirmed 3/419003923/4
- 3319012483/4
- 341903–3/4
- 351903–3/4
- 361903–3/4
- 371904623/4
- 381904–3/4
- 391904–3/4
- 401904–3/4
- 411904–3/4
- 421904–3/4
- 431904–3/4
- 441904–3/4
- 451904–3/4
- 461904–3/4
- 471908–3/4
- 481908–3/4
- 491908–3/4
- 501910–3/4
- 511911483/4
- 521911–3/4
- 531911–3/4
- 541913–3/4
- 5519141203/4
- 5619172423/4
- 571918–3/4
- 5819192563/4
- 59Tales Of Adventure And Medical LifeArthur Conan Doyle Short Story #101920 · 192 pages · confirmed 3/419201923/4
- 601921–3/4
- 6119221223/4
- 621922–3/4
- 631923–3/4
- 641924–3/4
- 651924243/4
- 661925–3/4
- 671925–3/4
- 68Dealings of Captain Sharkey and Other Tales of PiratesArthur Conan Doyle Short Story #121925 · 264 pages · confirmed 3/419252643/4
- 69The Last of the Legions and Other Tales of Long AgoArthur Conan Doyle Short Story #131925 · confirmed 3/41925–3/4
- 701926–3/4
- 711926–3/4
- 721926–3/4
- 731927–3/4
- 741927–3/4
- 751927–3/4
- 76The Black Doctor and other Tales of Terror and MysteryArthur Conan Doyle Short Story #141937 · confirmed 3/41937–3/4
- 77The Man from Archangel and Other Tales of AdventureArthur Conan Doyle Short Story #152009 · confirmed 3/42009–3/4
- 782018–3/4
- 792022–3/4
Sherlock Holmes Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the books of the 6 main-line series run from A Study in Scarlet (1887) to The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place (1927), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Sherlock Holmes in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Sherlock Holmes books in order?
You should read the 6 main-line series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 17 related titles (short stories and novellas) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Sherlock Holmes book also stands alone.
What order should you read Sherlock Holmes books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with A Study in Scarlet (1887), the earliest published book in the 6 main-line series. After it come The Sign of Four (1890), A Scandal in Bohemia (1891), The Red-headed League (1891) and A Case of Identity (1891); the numbered table above continues from there.
What is the first Sherlock Holmes book?
A Study in Scarlet (1887) is the first main-line Sherlock Holmes book. The table above starts earlier, with the related title The Captain of the Polestar (1883).
When did the first Sherlock Holmes book come out?
A Study in Scarlet, the first main-line Sherlock Holmes book, was published in 1887. The newest main-line book, The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place (1927), came out 40 years later.
What is the newest Sherlock Holmes book?
The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place (1927) is the newest book in the 6 main-line series. The newest related title is Tales of Terror and Mystery (2022).
Is there a new Sherlock Holmes book coming?
No next Sherlock Holmes book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Sherlock Holmes at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest main-line Sherlock Holmes title on record is The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place (1927), 99 years ago. Related titles have appeared since.
- Release pace
- Sherlock Holmes books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 3,523 pages across the 23 of 79 books with a recorded length, a median of 90 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Sherlock Holmes books, 29 of 79, were published in the 1890s.
What the Sherlock Holmes books are about
14 of the 79 Sherlock Holmes books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective is tagged on 2 of 14. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Mystery & detective 2 of 14 books
- Private investigators 2 of 14 books
More books by Arthur Conan Doyle
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Arthur Conan Doyle books in order 164 books
Series that include Sherlock Holmes books
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.