Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes collects the second run of Arthur Conan Doyle's short Holmes mysteries, first printed in The Strand Magazine in 1892 and 1893.

Dr. Watson narrates each case: a prize racehorse vanishes on the eve of a race and its trainer is found dead on Dartmoor (Silver Blaze), a young doctor's benefactor lives in fear of unseen visitors (The Resident Patient), and Holmes's elder brother Mycroft makes his first appearance (The Greek Interpreter).

The stories also include The Musgrave Ritual, in which an old family ceremony hides a secret, and The Naval Treaty, about a stolen diplomatic document. The volume closes with The Final Problem, where Holmes meets his match in Professor Moriarty and the pursuit ends at the Reichenbach Falls.

Many British editions add The Cardboard Box, so the count varies between eleven and twelve stories. A good place to start for readers who like classic detective short fiction in a Victorian setting.