The Sign of the Four

by Arthur Conan Doyle, Caroline Reitz, Darryl Jones

Overview

'I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world.'

Mary Morstan receives a large pearl through the post once a year without any clue as to the sender. When her intriguing correspondent requests a meeting, Holmes and Watson take on the case. Together the trio race through London to uncover the secrets of the Sholto family, who hold the key to uncovering the whereabouts of Mary's father and the existence of a treasure stemming from a crime committed years ago in India.

The Sign of the Four has been a crucial part of the Sherlock Holmes canon since its first publication in 1890. It explores theft, betrayal, and murder in the larger context of the British Empire at a time of national upheaval, and the novel's flashbacks to India during the 'Mutiny' and its aftermath call into question the consequences of that imperial venture. Caroline Reitz's new introduction and notes draws attention to some often-overlooked context of the story, such as its original publication in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, its representation of imperial violence, and changing gender roles.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198862123
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/14/2023
Series:	Oxford World's Classics Series
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	298,471
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 5.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Arthur Conan Doyle

Caroline Reitz is Associate Professor of English literature at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the City University of New York Graduate Center. She specializes in Victorian literature and culture as well as contemporary female detective fiction and is co-editor of Dickens Studies Annual. She is the author of Detecting the Nation: Fictions of Detection and the Imperial Venture (2004) and numerous journal articles and chapters.

Darryl Jones (General Editor) is Professor of English at Trinity College Dublin, where he teaches nineteenth-century literature and popular fiction. He is the author or editor of ten books, including the Oxford World Classics editions of M. R. James's Collected Ghost Stories, Arthur Conan Doyle's Gothic Tales, H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau, as well as Horror: A Very Short Introduction.

Date of Birth:

May 22, 1859

Date of Death:

July 7, 1930

Place of Birth:

Edinburgh, Scotland

Place of Death:

Crowborough, Sussex, England

Education:

Edinburgh University, B.M., 1881; M.D., 1885

Table of Contents

IntroductionNote on the TextSelect BibliographyChronologyThe Sign of the FourExplanatory Notes

Editorial Reviews

Of all the Holmes stories it is The Sign of the Four which remains persistently in my memory.”

Graham Greene

In The Sign of the Four Sir Arthur Conan Doyle weaves a story that stretches from London to India…Holmes finds himself enmeshed in a crime involving two murders, a wooden-legged man, a budding love story, and the theft of an Indian treasure. Add to this a depiction of Colonial India during the time of the 1857 rebellion and you have one of the more intriguing Holmes stories…Three-time Audie nominee, Ralph Cosham, in a voice reminiscent of Nigel Bruce who played Dr. Watson in early Hollywood films of the Holmes canon, brings the right tenor and feeling to the work. This is classic, well executed and well worth visiting again.”

SoundCommentary.com