Literary Study Books
Literary Studies brings together books devoted to the critical study of Arthur Conan Doyle's writings. These works examine Conan Doyle as a storyteller, his narrative methods, and the literary, cultural, and historical meanings of his fiction. The page includes general studies of Conan Doyle as a writer, studies of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and books related to other authors, figures, or works connected with Conan Doyle.
The books are grouped by subject and listed in reverse chronological order within each section.
Conan Doyle as a Writer
This Work of Storytelling
By Cathy Miranker and Glen Miranker
Wessex Press
2024
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A modern study of Conan Doyle's art of storytelling, examining his narrative methods, literary range, and continuing appeal. The book reassess Conan Doyle as a craftsman of popular fiction and not only as the creator of Sherlock Holmes.
The Critical Reception of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes and Beyond
By Laurence W. Mazzeno
Camden House
2023
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The Critical Reception of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a study of Conan Doyle's reputation from his own lifetime to the present. Laurence W. Mazzeno examines how critics, scholars, reviewers, and readers have responded to Conan Doyle's writings, including the Sherlock Holmes stories as well as his historical fiction, adventure stories, science fiction, and other works.
Re-examining Arthur Conan Doyle
Edited by Nils Clausson
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2021
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Re-examining Arthur Conan Doyle is a collection of essays reassessing Conan Doyle's works and life from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Edited by Nils Clausson, the volume offers new approaches to Conan Doyle's fiction, genres, literary relationships, and overlooked aspects of his oeuvre. It complements Clausson's earlier single-author study Arthur Conan Doyle's Art of Fiction: A Revaluation.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Art of Fiction: A Revaluation
By Nils Clausson
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2018
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Arthur Conan Doyle's Art of Fiction is a literary study reassessing Conan Doyle's achievement as a writer of fiction. Nils Clausson examines Conan Doyle's narrative art, fictional methods, and literary range, presenting his work as more complex and artistically significant than is often assumed when he is considered only as the creator of Sherlock Holmes.
Twentieth-Century Victorian: Arthur Conan Doyle and the Strand Magazine, 1891-1930
By Jonathan Cranfield
Edinburgh University Press
2016; paperback, 2017
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Twentieth-Century Victorian is a literary history of Arthur Conan Doyle's long relationship with The Strand Magazine. Jonathan Cranfield examines Conan Doyle not only as a late-Victorian popular writer, but as a public figure responding to the crises and transformations of the early twentieth century. The book studies his fiction, journalism, letters, pamphlets, and non-fiction in their periodical context, presenting Conan Doyle as a "popular modernist" whose work with The Strand extended far beyond Sherlock Holmes.
Conan Doyle: Writing, Profession and Practice
By Douglas Kerr
Oxford University Press
2013
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A major scholarly study of Conan Doyle as a professional writer. Douglas Kerr examines Conan Doyle's literary career, genres, public role, and professional practice, placing his fiction and non-fiction within the broader culture of late Victorian and Edwardian authorship.
On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling
By Michael Dirda
Princeton University Press
2011
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A lively literary appreciation of Arthur Conan Doyle's storytelling, written by critic Michael Dirda. The book explores Conan Doyle's appeal as a writer of adventure, mystery, historical fiction, fantasy, and popular narrative, presenting him as far more than the creator of Sherlock Holmes.
Looking Over Sir Arthur's Shoulder: How Conan Doyle Turned the Trick
By Charles Press
Battered Silicon Dispatch Box
2004
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A literary study of Conan Doyle's storytelling technique in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Charles Press examines the qualities that made the tales so successful and enduring, including readability, the balance between realism and romance, plot construction, characterization, humour, and other narrative effects.
Arthur Conan Doyle and the Meaning of Masculinity
By Diana Barsham
Ashgate Publishing
2000
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A cultural and literary study of masculinity in relation to Arthur Conan Doyle's writings and public identity. Diana Barsham examines gender, authority, professional identity, and masculine ideals in Conan Doyle's fiction and cultural world.
Critical Essays on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Edited by Harold Orel
G. K. Hall
1992
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A collection of critical essays devoted to Arthur Conan Doyle's writings and literary reputation. The volume brings together scholarly perspectives on Conan Doyle's fiction, genres, themes, and cultural significance, making it a useful reference for the study of his work as a whole.
The Fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
By Jay Finley Christ
Privately printed
1959
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A critical study of Arthur Conan Doyle's fiction, examining his narrative methods, themes, genres, and literary range beyond the Sherlock Holmes stories. As one of the earlier book-length studies devoted to Conan Doyle's writing, it belongs among the foundational literary studies of his work.
Sherlock Holmes Studies
The Case of Sherlock Holmes: Secrets and Lies in Conan Doyle's Detective Fiction
By Andrew Glazzard
Edinburgh University Press
2018
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A literary study of Conan Doyle's detective fiction, focusing on secrecy, deception, narrative concealment, and the structures of truth and lies in the Sherlock Holmes stories. The book examines Holmes not only as a detective figure but also as a literary construction shaped by ambiguity, performance, and hidden meanings.
The Gestalt Shift in Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes Stories
By Michael J. Crowe
Palgrave Macmillan
2018
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The Gestalt Shift in Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes Stories is a literary study of the structure and narrative method of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Michael J. Crowe examines how Conan Doyle's detective stories create changes in perception, interpretation, and meaning, focusing on the moment when scattered clues are reorganized into a coherent solution.
Canada and Sherlock Holmes
Edited by Peter Calamai & Mark Alberstat
The Baker Street Irregulars
2016
232 pages
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A selection of Sherlockian writing from Canada, including essays by members of The Bootmakers of Toronto, material on Canonical people, places and things connected with Canada, Arthur Conan Doyle's travels there with his family, and the Doylean and Sherlockian collections at the Toronto Metropolitan Library.
Spain and Sherlock Holmes
Edited by Maria C. Veiga-Hayzen & Donald J. Hobbs
The Baker Street Irregulars
2015
208 pages
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An English-language anthology of Sherlockian scholarship from Spain, translated into English. The volume gathers essays by members of the Amateur Mendicant Society of Madrid, with studies on Spain in the Sherlock Holmes stories, Canonical identifications, Sherlockian controversies, and two Spanish pastiches.
Italy and Sherlock Holmes
Edited by Enrico Solito & Gianluca Salvatori
The Baker Street Irregulars
2010
208 pages
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An English-language anthology of Sherlockian scholarship from Italy. The essays examine European political intrigue in the Victorian era, Sherlock Holmes's travels in Italy, Canonical names such as Cardinal Tosca and Carina, Italian Sherlockian scholarship, and the popularity of Sherlock Holmes in Italy.
Australia and Sherlock Holmes
Edited by Doug Elliott & Bill Barnes
The Baker Street Irregulars
2008
208 pages
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An anthology of Australian Sherlockian writing, with material from 1959 to 2007. The volume includes essays on Conan Doyle in Australia, Sherlock Holmes in Australian scholarship and popular culture, Watson's childhood, The Gloria Scott, The Speckled Band, Australian Sherlockian societies, and the local tradition of playing the Sherlockian Game.
Scandinavia and Sherlock Holmes
Edited and translated by Bjarne Nielsen
The Baker Street Irregulars
2006
231 pages
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An English-language anthology of Sherlockian writings from Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The volume includes essays from the 1950s onward, articles on Scandinavian Sherlockian societies and scholarship, studies of 221B Baker Street, music, weather, justice, Holmesian drawings by Henry Lauritzen, and other subjects.
Japan and Sherlock Holmes
Edited and translated by Yuichi Hirayama, Masamichi Higurashi & Hirotaka Ueda
The Baker Street Irregulars
2004
193 pages
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An English-language anthology of Japanese Sherlockian scholarship, covering writings from 1911 onward. The volume includes historical essays, studies of the Canon's influence on Japanese detective fiction, Sherlockian analyses, material on Japanese Sherlockiana, and an early account of a Japanese journalist's 1910 meeting with Arthur Conan Doyle in London.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes: Essays and Art on the Doctor and the Detective
By Donald J. Terras
Northeastern Illinois University Press
2003
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A collection of essays and illustrations about the relationship between the author and his detective, combining Sherlockian commentary, literary discussion, and visual material connected with the Sherlock Holmes stories.
The Great Shadow: Arthur Conan Doyle, Brigadier Gerard, and Napoleon
By Clifford S. Goldfarb
Calabash Press
1997
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A literary study of Conan Doyle's Brigadier Gerard stories and their Napoleonic background. Clifford S. Goldfarb examines Conan Doyle's treatment of Napoleon, military adventure, historical fiction, and the comic-heroic figure of Brigadier Gerard.
Sherlock's Men: Masculinity, Conan Doyle, and Cultural History
By Joseph A. Kestner
Scolar Press
1997
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A cultural history of masculinity in the Sherlock Holmes stories and Conan Doyle's world. Joseph A. Kestner studies Holmes, Watson, and related masculine figures through questions of gender, empire, professionalism, and late Victorian culture.
Sherlock Holmes: Victorian Sleuth to Modern Hero
Edited by Charles R. Putney, Joseph A. Cutshall King and Sally Sugarman
Scarecrow Press
1996
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A collection of essays tracing Sherlock Holmes from his Victorian origins to his later status as a modern cultural hero. The volume examines the detective's literary, historical, and cultural afterlife, making it useful both as Sherlock Holmes criticism and as reception study.
The Secret Marriage of Sherlock Holmes and Other Eccentric Readings
By Michael Atkinson
University of Michigan
1996
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A collection of unconventional and playful critical readings of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The book approaches Conan Doyle's detective fiction through eccentric interpretation, close reading, and Sherlockian speculation.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Detecting Social Order
By Rosemary Jann
Twayne Publishers
1995
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A literary and cultural study of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Rosemary Jann examines the Holmes stories in relation to social order, Victorian culture, detection, authority, and the ideological work performed by Conan Doyle's fiction.
The Game Is Afoot!
By Charles Layng; foreword by Peter Ruber
Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library
1995
190 pages
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A collection of Sherlockian essays on Holmes, Watson, the Canon, and the wider Sherlockian world. The volume includes three chapters titled "When Things Happened," devoted to the dating of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
Sherlock Holmes: The Major Stories with Contemporary Critical Essays
Edited by John A. Hodgson
Bedford Books
1994
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A teaching and critical edition of major Sherlock Holmes stories, accompanied by contemporary critical essays. The volume presents Conan Doyle's detective fiction within modern literary discussion and is useful for studying Holmes in academic contexts.
Myth and Modern Man in Sherlock Holmes: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Uses of Nostalgia
By David S. Payne
Gaslight Publications
1992
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A critical study of Sherlock Holmes as a modern myth and cultural figure. The book examines Conan Doyle's use of nostalgia, order, and mythic pattern in the Holmes stories, placing the detective within wider modern and cultural concerns.
Nova 57 Minor: The Waxing and Waning of the Last Adventure of Sherlock Holmes
By Jon L. Lellenberg
Gaslight Publications
1990
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A specialized Sherlockian study devoted to "The Last Adventure of Sherlock Holmes" and its textual, historical, or interpretative problems. Jon L. Lellenberg's work belongs with focused literary studies of individual Holmes-related texts and their place in the Sherlockian tradition.
A Study in Surmise: The Making of Sherlock Holmes
By Michael Harrison
Gaslight Publications
1984
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A Sherlockian literary study concerned with the making and development of Sherlock Holmes. Michael Harrison examines the origins, formation, and interpretative problems surrounding Conan Doyle's detective and his fictional world.
Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Sources
By Donald A. Redmond
McQuill-Queen's University Press
1982
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A study of the sources and influences behind the Sherlock Holmes stories. Donald A. Redmond examines literary, historical, and cultural materials that may have shaped Conan Doyle's detective fiction and the development of Holmes and Watson.
Sherlock Holmes and His Creator
By Trevor H. Hall
St. Martin's Press
1978
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A Sherlock Holmes study examining the details of the detective stories, including Holmes's relationships with Watson, his clients, and his enemies. Although the title refers to Conan Doyle as Holmes's creator, the book is chiefly concerned with the Sherlock Holmes stories and its internal problems, characters, and interpretative details.
Naked Is the Best Disguise: The Death and Resurrection of Sherlock Holmes
By Samuel Rosenberg
Bobbs Merrill
1974
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A famous eccentric critical study of Sherlock Holmes, offering a highly interpretative reading of Conan Doyle's detective stories. Samuel Rosenberg's book examines hidden patterns, literary echoes, and speculative meanings in the Holmes stories.
A Sherlock Holmes Commentary
By D. Martin Dakin
David & Charles
1972
320 pages
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A critical study of the Sherlock Holmes Canon, with substantial chronological material. Each story opens with an analysis of its date, and the book includes chronological appendices comparing the order and dating of the cases. D. Martin Dakin also examines textual problems, characterization, inconsistencies, and other Sherlockian controversies.
Other Related Books
Bertram Fletcher Robinson: A Footnote to The Hound of the Baskervilles
By Brian W. Pugh & Paul R. Spiring
MX Publishing
2008
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A study of Bertram Fletcher Robinson and his connection with The Hound of the Baskervilles. The book examines Robinson's role in the background and genesis of Conan Doyle's famous Sherlock Holmes novel, making it a focused literary-historical study of one major work.
Jack London, Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
By Dale L. Walker
Privately Printed
1974; reprinted 1981
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A comparative literary study connecting Jack London, Sherlock Holmes, and Arthur Conan Doyle. The book explores literary relationships, influence, and thematic parallels between London's work and Conan Doyle's detective fiction.
