The Sign of the Four

The Sign of Four is the second Sherlock Holmes novel by famed British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. First published in February 1890 in the popular literary magazine Lippincott’s under the title “The Sign of the Four; or the Problem of the Sholtos,” its title was shortened to The Sign of Four when it was published in book format in October 1890. The Sign of Four has been adapted many times for the stage, radio, film, and television.

Following the publication of the first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, in 1887, The Sign of Four features another complex case for Sherlock Holmes and his second major adventure with John Watson. It includes several of Sherlock Holmes’s more famous lines of dialogue, as well as John Watson’s romance with Mary Morstan. With a plot centered around events in British-occupied India, the novel also engages with themes of British imperialism, greed, and fear of the other.

This study guide uses the 2006 paperback edition published by Headline Review.

Content Warning: This guide and the original text contain outdated and offensive language indicative of the racist attitudes of the late Victorian period. This guide also contains several references to recreational drug use.