The Sign of the Four

Mary Morstan has received a pearl every year since her father vanished, and now a note calls her to a meeting. She asks Holmes for help, and Watson goes along. The meeting leads to a treasure, a dead man in a locked room and a trail of small footprints. Holmes follows the clues into a chase down the Thames, and the story reveals how four men swore loyalty over a treasure from India. By the end, Watson walks away with more than a solved case. Published in 1890.

1. Behind the scenesDinner with Oscar Wilde

   The book grew out of an August 1889 dinner with an editor of Lippincott's Magazine. Oscar Wilde was at the table and went on to contribute The Picture of Dorian Gray to the July 1890 issue.

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2. ReferenceSign of Four

   In its October 1890 book form, the title came out as The Sign of Four, without the "the" in the second word, from publisher Spencer Blackett.

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