Arthur Conan Doyle Books in Order (Updated September 8, 2026)

Arthur Conan Doyle was a Scottish physician and writer best known for creating Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. His bibliography also includes the Professor Challenger adventures, the Brigadier Gerard stories, historical novels such as The White Company and Sir Nigel, science fiction, medical stories, war writing, autobiography, and spiritualist nonfiction.

The main reading-order question is Sherlock Holmes. Doyle published the Holmes canon over forty years, and the internal chronology does not match publication order. Some later stories take place earlier in Holmes’s career, while The Hound of the Baskervilles was published after Holmes’s apparent death but is set before that event. Publication order is still the safest first reading because it preserves introductions, surprises, and Doyle’s intended sequence of major developments.

Arthur Conan Doyle Reading Order at a Glance

Best starting point: begin with A Study in Scarlet if you want Sherlock Holmes from the beginning. For Doyle beyond Holmes, start Professor Challenger with The Lost World, Brigadier Gerard with The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard, and the medieval novels with The White Company in publication order or Sir Nigel in internal chronology.

• Sherlock Holmes: four novels and fifty-six short stories, normally collected in nine principal books.
• Professor Challenger: five canonical adventures, beginning with The Lost World.
• Brigadier Gerard: recurring Napoleonic cavalry officer appearing mainly across two story collections.
• The White Company and Sir Nigel: connected medieval novels, with Sir Nigel functioning as a prequel.
• Most other novels: standalone.
• Best overall approach: read each continuity separately instead of forcing all of Doyle’s books into one timeline.

Sherlock Holmes Books in Publication Order

The complete Sherlock Holmes canon contains four novels and fifty-six short stories. Those stories were ultimately collected into five principal volumes. Together, the four novels and five collections produce the standard nine-book Holmes reading sequence.

1. A Study in Scarlet (1887)
2. The Sign of the Four (1890)
3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
4. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1893, with many editions dated 1894)
5. The Hound of the Baskervilles (serialized 1901 to 1902, book edition 1902)
6. The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)
7. The Valley of Fear (serialized 1914 to 1915, book edition 1915)
8. His Last Bow (1917)
9. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927)

Recommended order: use this sequence for a first complete read. It preserves Holmes and Watson’s introduction, Watson’s changing circumstances, the Moriarty storyline, Holmes’s disappearance, his return, and the later retrospective cases in the order readers originally encountered them.

The Four Sherlock Holmes Novels Separately

Readers who want only the full-length Holmes novels can use the following publication order:

1. A Study in Scarlet (1887)
2. The Sign of the Four (1890)
3. The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)
4. The Valley of Fear (1915)

This list is useful for format, but it should not replace the nine-book sequence if you want the full Holmes continuity. Major developments involving Holmes, Watson, Moriarty, and Holmes’s return occur in the short stories.

Sherlock Holmes Short Story Collections in Order

1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
2. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1893 to 1894)
3. The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)
4. His Last Bow (1917)
5. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927)

These five collections contain the fifty-six canonical Holmes short stories. Modern publishers frequently issue selected stories, themed collections, or complete omnibus editions under different titles, but those should not be mistaken for additional Doyle-authored Holmes books.

Why Publication Order Works Better Than Holmes Chronology

Doyle did not write Sherlock Holmes as a perfectly linear biography. Stories published late in his career can describe cases from Holmes’s early days, while others return to periods that had already passed in publication order.

The Adventure of the Gloria Scott, for example, recounts one of Holmes’s earliest cases before he met Watson. The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual also reaches back into Holmes’s earlier career. The Hound of the Baskervilles was published after The Final Problem but is set before Holmes’s disappearance.

Publication order preserves reveals: the most important example is The Final Problem followed later by The Adventure of the Empty House. Rearranging the canon too aggressively can weaken one of the central developments in the Holmes series.

Can You Read Sherlock Holmes Chronologically?

Yes, but there is no universally agreed chronology for every case. Watson’s dates and references are occasionally inconsistent, and scholars have proposed different timelines.

Best use of chronological order: save it for a reread. Once the major surprises are already known, a reconstructed timeline can be an interesting way to follow Holmes from his pre-Watson cases through retirement.

The Moriarty Sequence and the One Order You Should Not Break

Most Sherlock Holmes cases are self-contained, but the storyline surrounding Professor Moriarty creates one especially important sequence.

1. The Final Problem, in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
2. The Adventure of the Empty House, opening The Return of Sherlock Holmes

Spoiler boundary: read these in publication order. The Empty House depends directly on what readers believe after The Final Problem.

The Valley of Fear later returns to Moriarty-related material, but its internal position is earlier than some stories published before it. This is another reason a strict chronology becomes less useful for first-time readers.

Where The Hound of the Baskervilles Fits

The Hound of the Baskervilles was serialized beginning in 1901, years after The Final Problem had appeared. Doyle solved the continuity issue by setting the novel in an earlier period of Holmes’s career.

For first-time readers, keep it where it appears in publication order, after The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes and before The Return of Sherlock Holmes. This preserves the historical experience of readers waiting for Holmes’s return without pretending the novel itself advances the timeline beyond The Final Problem.

Professor Challenger Books and Stories in Order

Professor George Edward Challenger is Doyle’s other major recurring character. The sequence moves from prehistoric adventure into global catastrophe, spiritualism, and later science fiction.

1. The Lost World (1912)
2. The Poison Belt (1913)
3. The Land of Mist (1926)
4. When the World Screamed (1928)
5. The Disintegration Machine (1929)

Order matters most at the beginning: The Lost World introduces Challenger, Edward Malone, Lord John Roxton, and Professor Summerlee. The Poison Belt brings the established group back together.

The later stories can stand more independently, but publication order remains the clearest reading plan because it follows the development of Challenger’s ideas and Doyle’s changing interests.

Is The Land of Mist Different From the Earlier Challenger Books?

Yes. The Land of Mist is deeply connected to Doyle’s later interest in spiritualism and has a different emphasis from the prehistoric adventure of The Lost World.

It is still part of the Challenger continuity, but readers who only want the scientific-adventure side of the character may find it a marked tonal shift.

Brigadier Gerard Stories in Book Order

Brigadier Etienne Gerard is a French cavalry officer serving during the Napoleonic era. The comedy of the stories often comes from Gerard’s enormous confidence in his bravery, skill, and appeal, combined with a narrative perspective that lets readers see more than Gerard himself does.

1. The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard (1896)
2. The Adventures of Gerard (1903)

The stories move around within Gerard’s military career rather than forming one tightly serialized plot. Read the collections in publication order for the cleanest introduction to the character.

Later omnibus editions may combine material from both collections. If you own a complete Gerard volume, check the contents before buying the original collections separately.

The White Company and Sir Nigel: Publication Order Versus Chronology

Doyle wrote two connected medieval novels dealing with the same broader world and lineage.

Publication Order

1. The White Company (1891)
2. Sir Nigel (1906)

Chronological Order

1. Sir Nigel
2. The White Company

Sir Nigel is a prequel written fifteen years after The White Company. It depicts the earlier life of Nigel Loring.

Recommended first read: publication order. The White Company establishes the world as Doyle originally conceived it. Chronological order is a reasonable alternative for readers who prefer following Nigel’s life forward.

Arthur Conan Doyle Standalone Novels in Publication Order

Doyle wrote many novels outside Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger, and his directly connected historical fiction. The following list covers the principal standalone novels and book-length fictional narratives.

1. The Mystery of Cloomber (1888)
2. Micah Clarke (1889)
3. The Firm of Girdlestone (1890)
4. The White Company (1891)
5. The Doings of Raffles Haw (1891 to 1892)
6. Beyond the City (1892)
7. The Great Shadow (1892)
8. The Refugees (1893)
9. The Parasite (1894)
10. The Stark Munro Letters (1895)
11. Rodney Stone (1896)
12. Uncle Bernac (1897)
13. The Tragedy of the Korosko (1898), also published as A Desert Drama
14. A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus (1899)
15. Sir Nigel (1906)
16. The Maracot Deep (1929)

Separate continuity: these books generally do not require one another. Similar historical periods or themes should not be mistaken for evidence of a shared fictional universe.

Where The Narrative of John Smith Belongs

The Narrative of John Smith is an unusual case. Doyle wrote an early version before his major literary success, but the manuscript was lost and then rewritten. The surviving work remained unpublished during his lifetime and was finally issued in 2011.

Publication status: posthumous. Do not place it at the end of Doyle’s career simply because the book edition is modern. In terms of composition, it belongs to his early development as a writer.

For a practical reading project, it is best treated as optional archival fiction after the major Doyle novels.

Captain Sharkey and Doyle’s Pirate Stories

Doyle also created the pirate Captain Sharkey, who appears in several short stories. These tales belong to a recurring-character group rather than a novel series.

The Sharkey stories were later collected with other sea fiction in volumes such as The Dealings of Captain Sharkey and Other Tales of Pirates.

Optional: read the collection as a separate maritime sequence. It has no connection to Sherlock Holmes, Challenger, or Gerard.

Major Arthur Conan Doyle Short Story Collections

Doyle’s short fiction extends far beyond Sherlock Holmes. Important non-Holmes collections include medical stories, supernatural tales, historical pieces, and adventure fiction.

1. Round the Red Lamp (1894)
2. The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard (1896)
3. The Green Flag and Other Stories of War and Sport (1900)
4. The Adventures of Gerard (1903)
5. Round the Fire Stories (1908)
6. Danger! and Other Stories (1918)
7. Tales of Terror and Mystery (1922)

Contents can overlap across later editions and anthologies. A modern Doyle collection may therefore repeat stories already found in an earlier themed volume.

Doyle’s Nonfiction, War Writing, and Memoir

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote extensively on history, military affairs, public controversies, spiritualism, and his own life. These books should remain separate from the fiction reading order.

• The Great Boer War (1900)
• The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct (1902)
• Through the Magic Door (1907)
• The Crime of the Congo (1909)
• The German War (1914)
• A History of the Great War volumes
• The New Revelation (1918)
• The Vital Message (1919)
• The History of Spiritualism (1926)
• Memories and Adventures (1924)

Doyle’s spiritualist writings became especially prominent in the later part of his life. They also influenced some of his later fiction, including The Land of Mist, but they do not form required background reading for Sherlock Holmes.

A Recommended Arthur Conan Doyle Reading Route

Readers who want more than Sherlock Holmes but do not intend to complete Doyle’s entire bibliography can use this route:

1. A Study in Scarlet
2. The Sign of the Four
3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
4. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
5. The Hound of the Baskervilles
6. The Return of Sherlock Holmes
7. The Lost World
8. The Poison Belt
9. The White Company
10. Sir Nigel
11. The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard
12. Round the Red Lamp

This is a sampling route rather than a shared chronology. It introduces Doyle through Holmes, then moves into his major science fiction, historical adventure, military comedy, and medical stories.

What to Do With Modern Sherlock Holmes Collections

Modern publishers have issued hundreds of Sherlock Holmes collections, complete editions, illustrated volumes, themed selections, and two-volume sets. Most of these simply repackage Doyle’s established sixty canonical Holmes works.

Completion rule: count the four novels and fifty-six stories, not every modern collection title. If an omnibus contains all nine principal Holmes books, it can replace buying those volumes individually.

Books featuring Sherlock Holmes that were written by later authors belong to separate continuation or pastiche traditions and should not be inserted into Doyle’s original canon.

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Final Fiction and Series Status

Doyle died in 1930. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes appeared in 1927 and completed the principal Holmes story collections. His late fiction also included Professor Challenger pieces and The Maracot Deep.

There are no forthcoming original Arthur Conan Doyle novels. Newly published Doyle volumes are modern editions, rediscovered archival texts, letters, anthologies, or repackaged works.

The publication of The Narrative of John Smith in 2011 is an example of archival material reaching readers long after Doyle’s death, not a newly written continuation.

Arthur Conan Doyle Books in Order FAQ

What is the first Sherlock Holmes book?

A Study in Scarlet, published in 1887, is the first Sherlock Holmes novel and the proper starting point for the canon. It introduces Holmes and Watson and explains how they meet.

How many Sherlock Holmes books did Arthur Conan Doyle write?

The canonical Holmes material is normally arranged into nine principal books: four novels and five short story collections. Together they contain sixty works, consisting of four novels and fifty-six short stories.

Should Sherlock Holmes be read chronologically?

Not for a first read. Publication order preserves major reveals and avoids the uncertainty created by conflicting internal dates. Chronological order is better suited to rereading.

Can I read The Hound of the Baskervilles first?

Yes. It works well as a standalone mystery. Readers planning to complete the whole canon should still begin with A Study in Scarlet.

What order should I read Professor Challenger?

Read The Lost World, The Poison Belt, The Land of Mist, When the World Screamed, and The Disintegration Machine in publication order.

Is Sir Nigel a sequel to The White Company?

No. Sir Nigel is a prequel written later. Publication order is The White Company followed by Sir Nigel, while chronological order reverses them.

Are the Brigadier Gerard stories connected?

Yes through the recurring narrator and protagonist, but they are episodic military adventures rather than one continuous novel. Read the two main collections in publication order.

What was Doyle’s last Sherlock Holmes collection?

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1927, was the final principal collection of Doyle’s Holmes stories.

The Safest Arthur Conan Doyle Reading Order

For Sherlock Holmes, publication order is the clear recommendation. Start with A Study in Scarlet, continue through the novels and collections as they appeared, and finish with The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes. This preserves the Moriarty storyline, Holmes’s disappearance and return, and Doyle’s deliberate use of retrospective cases.

Professor Challenger and Brigadier Gerard should each be read in their own publication sequences. The White Company and Sir Nigel can be read either by publication or internal chronology, but publication order remains the better first experience.

Most of Doyle’s remaining novels are standalones. Treat modern omnibuses, themed Sherlock Holmes editions, and later-author continuations as separate publishing categories rather than additional original Doyle installments.