Sherlock Holmes Chronology

The Sherlock Holmes canon, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle between 1887 and 1927, consists of 4 novels and 56 short stories (60 stories in all), with a chronological timeline (roughly 1881–1914) that differs significantly from the publication order. Key events include Holmes and Watson meeting in 1881 (A Study in Scarlet), the “death” of Holmes in 1891 (“The Final Problem”), his return in 1894 (“The Empty House”), and his retirement in the early 1900s.

Chronological Events Order

John Hamish Watson born 1852
Sherlock Holmes born 1854
Leslie S. Klinger’s Chronology of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

Holmes’ Early Life

1873 “The Gloria Scott” (TMSH)
1879 “The Musgrave Ritual” (TMSH)

Holmes and Watson Partnership

1881 A Study in Scarlet (Watson meets Holmes)
1883 “The Speckled Band” (TASH)

1886
“The Beryl Coronet” (TASH)
“The Yellow Face” (TMSH)

1887
“The Reigate Squires” (TMSH)
“The Resident Patient” (TMSH)

1888
The Valley of Fear (often dated to 1890)
“A Scandal in Bohemia” (TASH)
The Sign of Four
“The Cardboard Box” (TMSH)
“Silver Blaze” (TMSH)
“The Noble Bachelor” (TASH)

Watson marries Mary Morstan

1889
“A Case of Identity” (TASH)
“The Boscombe Valley Mystery” (TASH)
“The Stockbroker’s Clerk” (TMSH)
“The Man with the Twisted Lip” (TASH)
“The Second Stain” (TRSH)
“The Naval Treaty” (TMSH)
“The Engineer’s Thumb” (TASH)
“The Crooked Man” (TMSH)
“The Greek Interpreter” (TMSH)
“The Five Orange Pips” (TASH)
The Hound of the Baskervilles
“The Blue Carbuncle” (December) (TASH)

1890
“The Copper Beeches” (TASH)
“The Red-Headed League” (TASH)
“The Dying Detective” (HLB)

1891 “The Final Problem” (TMSH)

The Great Hiatus (1891–1893 Holmes is presumed dead)

The Return of Holmes (Watson returns to 221B Baker Street)

1894
“The Empty House” (TRSH)
“The Norwood Builder” (TRSH)
“The Golden Pince-Nez” (TRSH)

1895
“Wisteria Lodge” (HLB)
“The Three Students” (TRSH)
“The Solitary Cyclist” (TRSH)
“Black Peter” (TRSH)
“The Bruce-Partington Plans” (HLB)

1896
“The Red Circle” (HLB)
“The Veiled Lodger” (TCBSH)
“The Sussex Vampire” (TCBSH)

1897
“The Abbey Grange” (TRSH)
“The Devil’s Foot” (HLB)
“The Missing Three-Quarter” (TRSH)

1898
“The Dancing Men” (from TRSH)
“The Retired Colourman” (TCBSH)

1899 “Charles Augustus Milverton” (TRSH)

1900 “The Six Napoleons” (TRSH)

1901
“The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax” (HLB)
“The Priory School” (TRSH)
“The Problem of Thor Bridge” (TCBSH)

1902
“Shoscombe Old Place” (TCBSH)
“Three Garridebs” (TCBSH)
“The Illustrious Client” (TCBSH)
“The Three Gables” (TCBSH)

1903
“The Blanched Soldier” (TCBSH)
“Mazarin Stone” (TCBSH)
“The Creeping Man” (TCBSH)

Holmes’ Retirement

1907 “The Lion’s Mane” (TCBSH)
1914 “His Last Bow: The War Service of Sherlock Holmes” (HLB)

Publication Order

1887 A Study in Scarlet (STUD) Novel
1890 The Sign of Four (SIGN) Novel
1891-92 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (TASH) 12 Short Stories
1892-93 The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (TMSH) 12 Short Stories
1901-02 The Hound of the Baskervilles (HOUN) Novel
1903-04 The Return of Sherlock Holmes (TRSH) 13 Short Stories
1914-15 The Valley of Fear (VALL) Novel
1917 His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes (HLB) 1 Preface & 7 Short Stories
1921-27 The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (TCBSH) 12 Short Stories