Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear

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Of the four novels, or longer stories, which Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Sherlock Holmes,

The Valley of Fear

is the poor relation.

A Study in Scarlet

(1888) saw the creation of Holmes and Dr Watson.

The Sign of the Four

(1890) is the most perfect,

The Hound of the Baskervilles

(1902) the most dramatic of the longer narratives.

The Valley of Fear

has had its champions, but it is the least known and read of the four. The first installment of the tale appeared in the

Strand Magazine

in September 1914, and it came out in book form the following year, in the USA (published by George H. Doran in February) and in Britain (from Smith, Elder, in June).

Like The Hound of the Baskervilles, the story of The Valley of Fear takes place before Holmes's struggle with Professor Moriarty, and presumed

1141 words

Citation: Kerr, Douglas. "The Valley of Fear". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 September 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=26983, accessed 19 March 2024.]

26983 The Valley of Fear 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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