The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles is a novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Released in serial form in 1901 (with a book form released in 1902), it features recurring protagonist Sherlock Holmes and tells of him investigating murders seemingly committed by a hellhound.

Though written and released after The Final Problem (which killed off Holmes), it is set before the Final Problem (and various other stories within the Memoirs and Adventures).

Characters[]

Sherlock Holmes
Dr. Watson
Dr. James Mortimer
Sir Henry Baskerville
Jack Stapleton
Mr. Barrymore
Mrs. Barrymore
Lestrade
Laura Lyons
Beryl Stapleton
Mr. Frankland
Selden

rest to be added

Publisher's summary[]

At Baskerville Hall on the grim moors of Devonshire, a legendary curse has apparently claimed one more victim. Sir Charles Baskerville has been found dead. There are no signs of violence, but his face is hideously distorted with terror. Years earlier, a hound-like beast with blazing eyes and dripping jaws was reported to have torn out the throat of Hugo Baskerville. Has the spectral destroyer struck again? More important, is Sir Henry Baskerville, younger heir to the estate, now in danger?

Enter Sherlock Holmes, summoned to protect Sir Henry from the fate that has threatened the Baskerville family. As Holmes and Watson begin to investigate, a blood-chilling howl from the fog-shrouded egdes of the great Grimpen Mire signals that the legendary hound of the Baskervilles is poised for yet another murderous attack.

The Hound of the Baskervilles first appeared as a serial in The Strand Magazine in 1901. By the time of its publication in book form eight months later, this brilliantly plotted, richly atmospheric detective story had already achieved the status of a classic. It has often been called he [sic] best detective story ever written. It remains a thrilling tale of suspense, must reading for every lover of detective fiction.

Full summary[]

Chapter 1: Mr. Sherlock Holmes[]

The story begins with Sherlock Holmes examining a cane left behind by a client of his. He invites Watson to give an examination of the cane and then, declaring Watson's examination erroneous, he then gives a better examination of the client - one Dr. James Mortimer. Mortimer then arrives at 221B Baker Street.

Chapter 2: The Curse of the Baskervilles[]

Mortimer first reveals a document written in the 1740s detailing the origin of the Baskerville curse. During the time of the English Civil War, an ill-mannered member of the Baskerville family (one Hugo Baskerville) kidnapped a young woman. When she escaped, Hugo gave chase across the moors but was found dead alongside the maiden with a hellhound standing over his corpse. After this, Mortimer reveals that another member of the Baskervilles (Sir Charles Baskerville) has died on the moors - his body surrounded by the footprints of a massive dog.

Chapter 3: The Problem[]

After explaining the case, Mortimer reveals that Charles' only surviving son (Henry Baskerville) is to return from Canada to take the reigns of the Baskerville estate. After this, he leaves. Holmes spends the rest of the day smoking tobacco (actually filling the room he's in with so much smoke that Watson thinks a fire has broken out) and studying the lands surrounding the Baskerville estate before he and Watson meets with Mortimer and Henry Baskerville.

Chapter 4: Sir Henry Baskerville[]

Holmes and Watson then meet Dr. Mortimer and Sir Henry Baskerville. During this meeting, Henry Baskerville reveals that he was sent a note made of clipped-out pieces of newspaper telling him to avoid the moor and that one of his shoes is missing. Once they leave, Holmes and Watson follow an unknown man in a cab who was following Sir Henry. Though they are unable to catch the cab, Holmes is able to remember the number of the cab. Holmes also sends a young man to scour the wastebins of local hotels for the newspaper that made up the note to Sir Henry.

Chapter 5: Three Broken Threads[]

Holmes visits the hotel that Sir Henry is staying at. While in the hotel, Sir Henry reveals that another of his shoes is missing. After this Holmes and Sir Henry discuss Sir Henry's pursuer. They discover that Sir Charles' butler (Barrymore) matches the description of the pursuer. Holmes sends a telegram to Barrymore to see if he is in London or the Baskerville estate. After this, Holmes gives Watson a mission - to accompany Sir Henry once he returns to the Baskerville estate.

After this, all three of Holmes' attempts to discover the pursuer and the note-writer's identity (or identities) fail, most notably due to the pursuer telling the driver of the hansom cab that his name is Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 6: Baskerville Hall[]

Watson and Sir Henry arrive at the Baskerville estate. The estate is situated in the Grimpen Mire, where an escaped murderer named Selden is said to be stalking. Dr. Mortimer leaves for his house shortly after arriving. After dinner, Watson retires to a room and tries to fall asleep but is awoken by a woman screaming due to sorrow.

Chapter 7: The Stapletons of Merripit House[]

The next day, Watson questions Mr. Barrymore on the screaming. He firmly denies that it was his wife who was screaming but Watson doesn't believe him. He then meets with one of the Baskervilles' neighbors, an entomologist named Jack Stapleton who shows him around the moor. This is interrupted by Stapleton's sister (Beryl) who tries to warn Watson (whom she believes to be Henry Baskerville) to leave the moors.

Chapter 8: First Report of Dr. Watson[]

Watson writes a letter to Holmes reporting that Sir Henry and Beryl Stapleton seem to be in love (to the chagrin of Jack Stapleton) and that Barrymore is showing unusual behavior, signaling at night to someone on the moors. Watson also records the character of an old neighbor named Mr. Frankland, an old and irritable man who seemingly only exists to send out lawsuits for his own amusement.

Chapter 9: Second Report of Dr. Watson: The Light Upon the Moor[]

Watson's next letter reports two odd events.

In the first event, Sir Henry goes out onto the moor - and demands that Watson let him walk upon the moors alone. Watson decides to follow, and finds Sir Henry and Beryl Stapleton meeting. The meeting is interrupted by Jack Stapleton, who argues with Sir Henry rather fiercely and leaves with Beryl. While it seems that Sir Henry and Beryl Stapleton's relationship is at an end, Jack reappears and allows the lovers to see each other again.

In the second event, Sir Henry and Watson catch Barrymore in the act signaling to someone in the moor. This someone turns out to be the convict Selden, who is a sister of Miss Barrymore. Sir Henry and Watson set off in pursuit of the convict (and hear the cries of the Hound while chasing Selden across the moor) but lose him. While on the moor, Watson sees the figure of a tall man but this silhouette vanishes before Sir Henry can see it.

Chapter 10: Extract from the Diary of Dr. Watson[]

After talking with Barrymore about Selden's passage into South America, Watson discovers that Charles Baskerville received a letter from someone with the initials L.L. He learns from Dr. Mortimer that this is Laura Lyons, estranged daughter of Mr. Frankland.

After dinner, Watson discovers that Barrymore knows about the figure on the moor (Barrymore learnt it from Selden) and that the figure lives in one of the ancient stone huts that dot the moors.

Chapter 11: The Man on the Tor[]

Watson meets with Laura Lyons and discovers that she wrote to Charles Baskerville so that she could gain a divorce from her husband. Laura intended on visiting Charles on the eve of his death but failed to do so.

Later, Watson is visited by Laura's father. Mr. Frankland reveals that he saw how the figure on the moors (whom he believes to be Selden) gets his food - a child brings it to him. Watson follows this child to the figure's home (empty once he enters). Once inside, he discovers that the figure has been trailing him. Watson waits inside until someone walks up to the house.

Chapter 12: Death on the Moor[]

The figure on the moors is revealed to be Sherlock Holmes, who hid on the moors to disguise his presence. Holmes reveals that the killer of Sir Charles is Jack Stapleton (and that Beryl Stapleton is his wife, not his sister). While leaving the moors, the duo find a dead body. They initially assume it to be Sir Henry's corpse but they find that it is actually the body of Selden. Jack Stapleton then interrupts them, but Holmes and Watson are able to hide their suspicions.

Chapter 13: Fixing the Nets[]

After this Holmes and Watson visit the Baskerville house. They find a painting of Hugo Baskerville that bears a striking resemblance to Jack Stapleton. This reveals Stapleton's motives. He is a Baskerville (at least by blood) and intends on claiming the Baskerville estate by killing off the other surviving Baskervilles.

To catch Stapleton before he kills Sir Henry, Holmes constructs an elaborate ruse meant to fool Stapleton into thinking that he and Watson have left for London, using Sir Henry as the instigator of this ruse. After setting their trap, Holmes and Watson visit Laura Lyons (whom Stapleton promised to marry) and reveal that Stapleton is already married. Due to this, Laura reveals that Stapleton made her send the letter and kept her from visiting Sir Charles. After this, Holmes and Watson meet Lestrade (whom Holmes summoned while setting the trap) and invite him to the moors.

Chapter 14: The Hound of the Baskervilles[]

At night, the trio stalk across the moor in the hopes that they can stop Sir Henry from being killed. They are interrupted by a fog descending - out of which a glowing, beastly hound emerges. Though the hound attacks Sir Henry, Holmes is able to kill it before it can even bite Sir Henry. An examination of its corpse reveals that it was slathered with phosphorus.

The trio then enters Stapleton's house and find Beryl Stapleton bound inside. Once freed, Beryl reveals that she no longer loves her husband and agrees to show the trio Stapleton's hiding spot. An examination reveals no trace of Stapleton (though the remains of various animals eaten by the hound are found), and it is assumed that Stapleton drowned in the moors.

Chapter 15: A Retrospection[]

Some time later, Holmes and Watson reminisce on the case of the Hound. This reveals several details about Jack Stapleton (such as that he was the son of a Baskerville who died in South America) and his wife (a native of South America), along with some details of Stapleton's crime that were missed by Watson.

Appearances in other works[]

Jonathan Morris' Jago & Litefoot audio drama The Monstrous Menagerie claims that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Hound to save himself from a time traveller with the name of "Charles Baskerville". Other appearances in the Doctor Who "extended universe" include in Lloyd Rose's Doctor Who novel Camera Obscura and Ian Potter's Doctor Who audio story The Revenants.
- Though it does not directly mention the Hound, John Peel's Doctor Who novel Evolution features another possible origin for the story of the Hound. In it, Arthur Conan Doyle (along with the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith) meet a mutated human-dog hybrid on a moor.

Sources[]

Goodreads
Wikipedia