canon of Sherlock Holmes reading order

A plan for the whole series

62 volumes, 5,767 pages, about 105 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 months.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 46, “His Last Bow” (by 35%). Plan your break after volume 45, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 2, “The Sign of Four”, below its predecessor (7.6 after 8.0). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 22 the form returns.

Stages

6 stages, with 5 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around April 24, 2027, about 5 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 120 habout 4 weeksby November 25, 2026

   • 1. A Study in Scarlet1887 · 171 pages · 3 h
   • 2. The Sign of Four1890 · 142 pages · 3 h
   • 3. The Adventure of the Red-Headed League1891 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
   • 4. The Adventure of the Speckled Band1891 · 61 pages · 1 h
   • 5. A Case of Identity1891 · 25 pages · 0 h
   • 6. The Man with the Twisted Lip1891 · 24 pages · 0 h
   • 7. The Five Orange Pips1891 · 61 pages · 1 h
   • 8. A Scandal in Bohemia1892 · 78 pages · 1 h
   • 9. The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle1892 · 72 pages · 1 h
   • 10. The Adventure of Silver Blaze1892 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
   • 11. The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb1892 · 170 pages · 3 h
   • 12. The Adventure of the Copper Beeches1892 · 55 pages · 1 h
   • 13. The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet1892 · 48 pages · 1 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 4, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 217 habout 3 weeksby December 27, 2026

   • 14. The Final Problem1893 · 28 pages · 1 h
   • 15. The Adventure of the Cardboard Box1893 · 26 pages · 0 h
   • 16. The Adventure of the Naval Treaty1893 · 105 pages · 2 h
   • 17. The Adventure of the Resident Patient1893 · 232 pages · 4 h
   • 18. The Adventure of the Crooked Man1893 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
   • 19. The Adventure of the Gloria Scott1893 · 304 pages · 6 h
   • 20. The Adventure of the Reigate Squire1893 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
   • 21. The Adventure of the Yellow Face1893 · 58 pages · 1 h
4. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 31, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 320 habout 4 weeksby January 27, 2027

   • 22. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes1894 · 259 pages · 5 h
   • 23. The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter1894 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
   • 24. The Boscombe Valley Mystery1899 · 40 pages · 1 h
   • 25. The Hound of the Baskervilles1902 · 204 pages · 4 h
   • 26. The Adventure of the Empty House1903 · 109 pages · 2 h
   • 27. The Adventure of the Norwood Builder1903 · 34 pages · 1 h
   • 28. The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist1903 · 48 pages · 1 h
   • 29. The Adventure of the Three Students1904 · 65 pages · 1 h
   • 30. The Adventure of the Second Stain1904 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
   • 31. The Adventure of Black Peter1904 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
   • 32. The Adventure of the Abbey Grange1904 · 70 pages · 1 h
6. BreakBorn a Crime · Trevor Noah · 304 pp. · score 8.96 h, by February 5, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 419 habout 4 weeksby March 3, 2027

   • 33. The Adventure of the Priory School1904 · 94 pages · 2 h
   • 34. The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton1904 · 46 pages · 1 h
   • 35. The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez1904 · 43 pages · 1 h
   • 36. The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter1904 · 26 pages · 0 h
   • 37. The Adventure of the Six Napoleons1904 · 64 pages · 1 h
   • 38. The Return of Sherlock Holmes1905 · 347 pages · 6 h
   • 39. The Adventure of the Dancing Men1905 · 32 pages · 1 h
   • 40. The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge1908 · 46 pages · 1 h
   • 41. The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans1908 · 39 pages · 1 h
   • 42. The Adventure of the Red Circle1911 · 30 pages · 1 h
   • 43. The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax1911 · 30 pages · 1 h
   • 44. The Adventure of the Dying Detective1913 · 36 pages · 1 h
   • 45. The Valley of Fear1915 · 213 pages · 4 h
8. BreakI'm Glad My Mom Died · Jennette McCurdy · 320 pp. · score 8.96 h, by March 13, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 516 habout 3 weeksby April 4, 2027

   • 46. His Last Bow1917 · 214 pages · 4 h
   • 47. The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone1921 · 46 pages · 1 h
   • 48. The Problem of Thor Bridge1922 · 52 pages · 1 h
   • 49. The Adventure of the Creeping Man1923 · 132 pages · 2 h
   • 50. The Adventure of the Illustrious Client1924 · 67 pages · 1 h
   • 51. The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire1924 · 112 pages · 2 h
   • 52. The Adventure of the Three Garridebs1924 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
   • 53. The Adventure of the Retired Colourman1926 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
   • 54. The Adventure of the Three Gables1926 · 52 pages · 1 h
   • 55. The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier1926 · 36 pages · 1 h
10. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by April 7, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 613 h17 daysby April 24, 2027

    • 56. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes1927 · 290 pages · 5 h
    • 57. The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger1927 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
    • 58. The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place1927 · ≈ 93 pages · 2 h
    • 59. The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor1990 · 54 pages · 1 h
    • 60. The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual · 26 pages · 0 h
    • 61. The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk · 96 pages · 2 h
    • 62. The Adventure of the Devil's Foot · 32 pages · 1 h
12. The end of the series

    April 24, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

≈ next to a page count: a volume with no page count in our data is counted at this series’s average.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: it gets better. Readers scored the opening (7.7) below the ending (7.9). After the first volume you do not yet know how good this series is.

Best volume: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (8.2, 366 ratings). Weakest: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (7.5). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 45 and 46: 35%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (7.9) scores close to the series average or above it.