The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely in Dartmoor, Devon, in England's West Country and follows Holmes and Watson investigating the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his apparent death in "The Final Problem", and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character's eventual revival.

One of the most famous stories ever written, in 2003, the book was listed as number 128 of 200 on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's "best-loved novel". In 1999, a poll of "Sherlockians" ranked it as the best of the four Holmes novels.

Plot
In London, 1889, Dr. James Mortimer asks for the aid of Sherlock Holmes, beginning by reading him a legend that has run in the Baskerville family since the time of the English Civil War, when Sir Hugo Baskerville kidnapped a farmer's daughter. When the girl escaped, Hugo pursued her, swearing a curse upon himself in his mad rage. Hugo's companions later found the girl dead of fear, and Hugo killed by a demonic hound. The dog is said to have haunted Dartmoor ever since, causing the premature death of many Baskervilles.

Mortimer explains that his friend, the philanthropic baronet Sir Charles Baskerville, took the legend very seriously. Sir Charles, who had a weak heart, had retired to Baskerville Hall in 1887, after amassing a fortune in South Africa. When the baronet's body was later found in a yew alley, with an expression of horror on his face, the death was attributed to cardiac arrest; however, Mortimer had secretly noticed large canine paw prints near the body. Sir Charles had been the eldest of three Baskerville brothers, and Sir Henry, the Canadian son of the deceased second brother, is Sir Charles' heir. The rather immoral third brother, Rodger, died of yellow fever in South America in 1876. Mortimer, the executor of Sir Charles's will, fears it might not be wise to bring Sir Henry to Dartmoor, in view of the possible supernatural dangers.

Though Holmes dismisses the legend as a fairy-tale, he meets with Sir Henry when the new baronet arrives in London. It transpires that strange things are already happening to Sir Henry; one of his old boots has been stolen, he has received an anonymous letter warning him against the moor, and someone has been following him in a hansom. Mortimer reveals that Sir Henry's inheritance is about £740,000 (equivalent to £0 in ); in view of these high stakes, Holmes asks Watson to act as Sir Henry's bodyguard, and to investigate things in Dartmoor.

Upon arriving in Dartmoor, Watson, Mortimer and Sir Henry learn that Selden, a convicted murderer, has escaped from Princetown Prison and is loose on the moor. At Baskerville Hall, they are introduced to John and Eliza Barrymore, the married butler and housekeeper. Watson sends detailed accounts of his investigations to Holmes, particularly focusing on the neighbourhood residents. The Stapleton siblings stand out; Jack is over-friendly, drops hints about the hound, and warns Watson against attempting to cross the dangerous Grimpen Mire. His sister Beryl, without his knowledge, repeatedly tries to get Sir Henry to flee back to London. Another neighbor, Mr. Frankland, is a perpetual busybody and troublemaker, including threatening to bring a lawsuit against Dr. Mortimer for excavating nearby barrows. Sir Henry falls in love with Beryl Stapleton, though her brother strongly objects to the romance.

Barrymore repeatedly sends candlelight signals to someone on the moor; following Barrymore one night, Watson and Sir Henry discover that Selden is Mrs. Barrymore's younger brother, and that she and her husband have been leaving food out for him. During an unsuccessful attempt to catch Selden, Watson sees a strange man standing on a tor.

Watson and Sir Henry learn from Barrymore that Frankland's estranged daughter Laura had once written to Sir Charles. After a failed attempt to interrogate Laura, Watson investigates the man on the tor and learns that it is Holmes, who has been investigating in secret to hide his direct involvement. Holmes reveals that Jack Stapleton is the murderer, and Beryl is his wife, abused and forced into posing as his sister; however, Holmes does not have enough proof to convince the authorities.

Holmes and Watson hear a man fleeing from a baying hound, and later find that Selden has fallen from a cliff and died. Barrymore had given Selden Sir Henry's discarded clothes, and Stapleton's hound, having been set on the trail with Sir Henry's stolen boot, had confused the scent. Later, after dining at Baskerville Hall, Holmes reveals to Watson that the portrait of Sir Hugo Baskerville bears a remarkable resemblance to Stapleton.

Holmes decides to use an unwitting Sir Henry as bait; he orders him to visit Stapleton that evening, and then walk across the moor on foot. Holmes and Watson then pretend to leave for London, but instead hide near Stapleton's house with Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard. Despite thick fog, they manage to kill the hound when Stapleton unleashes it after Sir Henry. They go to Stapleton's house to arrest him, but find he has bound his wife to a column and fled into the mire, presumably drowning. Holmes remarks that he considers Stapleton one of his most cunning adversaries.

Sir Henry and Dr. Mortimer depart on a sea voyage, to repair the baronet's shattered nerves. After they leave, Holmes explains to Watson that Jack Stapleton was really Rodger Baskerville II, the secret son of Sir Charles' youngest brother. A physical and spiritual throwback to Sir Hugo Baskerville, Rodger II had bought a savage black hound and painted it with phosphorus to make it look diabolical; either by fright or direct attack, he hoped the dog would remove all the other heirs so that he could inherit the Baskerville fortune. He had promised Laura marriage, and convinced her to lure Sir Charles out of his house on the night of the murder. Unable to save Sir Charles, Beryl had sent the anonymous letter to Sir Henry to thwart her husband's further schemes.

Origins and background
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this story shortly after returning to his home, Undershaw in Surrey, from South Africa, where he had worked as a volunteer physician at the Langman Field Hospital in Bloemfontein during the Second Boer War. He had not written about Sherlock Holmes in eight years, having killed off the character in the 1893 story "The Final Problem". Although The Hound of the Baskervilles is set before the latter events, two years later Conan Doyle brought Holmes back for good, explaining in "The Adventure of the Empty House" that Holmes had faked his own death. As a result, the character of Holmes occupies a liminal space between being alive and dead which further lends to the gothic elements of the novel.

He was assisted with the legend of the hound and local colour by a Daily Express journalist named Bertram Fletcher Robinson (1870–1907), with whom he explored Dartmoor in June, 1901; Robinson received a $1/3$ royalty payment that amounted to over 500 pounds by the end of 1901.

Doyle may also have been inspired by his own earlier story (written and published in 1898) of a terrifying giant wolf, "The King of the Foxes".

Inspiration
His ideas came from the legend of Squire Richard Cabell of Brook Hall, in the parish of Buckfastleigh, Devon, which was the fundamental inspiration for the Baskerville tale of a hellish hound and a cursed country squire. Cabell's tomb survives in the town of Buckfastleigh.

Cabell lived for hunting, and was what in those days was described as a "monstrously evil man". He gained this reputation, amongst other things, for immorality and having sold his soul to the Devil. There was also a rumour that he had murdered his wife, Elizabeth Fowell, a daughter of Sir Edmund Fowell, 1st Baronet (1593–1674), of Fowelscombe. On 5 July 1677, he died and was buried in the sepulchre. The night of his interment saw a phantom pack of hounds come baying across the moor to howl at his tomb. From that night on, he could be found leading the phantom pack across the moor, usually on the anniversary of his death. If the pack were not out hunting, they could be found ranging around his grave howling and shrieking. To try to lay the soul to rest, the villagers built a large building around the tomb, and to be doubly sure a huge slab was placed over the top.

Moreover, Devon's folklore includes tales of a fearsome supernatural dog known as the Yeth hound that Conan Doyle may have heard.

Weller (2002) believes that Baskerville Hall is based on one of three possible houses on or near Dartmoor: Fowelscombe in the parish of Ugborough, the seat of the Fowell Baronets; Hayford Hall, near Buckfastleigh (also owned by John King (d.1861) of Fowelscombe) and Brook Hall, in the parish of Buckfastleigh, about two miles east of Hayford, the actual home of Richard Cabell. It has also been claimed that Baskerville Hall is based on a property in Mid Wales, built in 1839 by one Thomas Mynors Baskerville. The house was formerly named Clyro Court and was renamed Baskerville Hall towards the end of the 19th century. Arthur Conan Doyle was apparently a family friend who often stayed there and may have been aware of a local legend of the hound of the Baskervilles.

Still other tales claim that Conan Doyle was inspired by a holiday in North Norfolk, where the tale of Black Shuck is well known. The pre-Gothic Cromer Hall, where Conan Doyle stayed, also closely resembles Doyle's vivid descriptions of Baskerville Hall.

James Lynam Molloy, a friend of Doyle's, and author of "Love's Old Sweet Song", married Florence Baskerville, daughter of Henry Baskerville of Crowsley Park, Oxfordshire. The gates to the park had statues of hell hounds, spears through their mouths. Above the lintel there was another statue of a hell hound.

Technique
The novel incorporates five plots: the ostensible 'curse' story, the two red-herring subplots concerning Selden and the other stranger living on the moor, the actual events occurring to Baskerville as narrated by Watson, and the hidden plot to be discovered by Holmes. The structure of the novel starting and ending in the familiar setting in London is used to ‘delimit the uncanny world associated with the Gothic landscape of the moors', with varying degrees of success. Doyle wrote that the novel was originally conceived as a straight 'Victorian creeper' in the style of Le Fanu, with the idea of introducing Holmes as the deus ex machina arising only later.

Publication
The Hound of the Baskervilles was first serialised in The Strand Magazine in 1901. It was well-suited for this type of publication, as individual chapters end in cliffhangers. It was printed in the United Kingdom as a novel in March 1902 by George Newnes Ltd. It was published in the same year in the United States by McClure, Philips & Co.

Original manuscript
In 1902, Doyle's original manuscript of the book was broken up into individual leaves as part of a promotional campaign by Doyle's American publisher – they were used in window displays by individual booksellers. Out of an estimated 185–190 leaves, only 37 are known still to exist, including all the leaves from Chapter 11, held by the New York Public Library. Other leaves are owned by university libraries in the United States and by private collectors.

A newly rediscovered example was sold at auction in 2012 for US$158,500. Another one was sold in 2021 for $423,000. The existence of the 37th leaf became publicly known in 2018; it was put up for auction in 2022, but did not sell.

Adaptations
The Hound of the Baskervilles has been adapted in various forms of media.

Film and television adaptations
Over 20 film and television versions of The Hound of the Baskervilles have been made.

Audio
Edith Meiser adapted the novel as six episodes of the radio series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The episodes aired in February and March 1932, with Richard Gordon as Sherlock Holmes and Leigh Lovell as Dr. Watson. Another dramatisation of the story aired in November and December 1936, with Gordon as Holmes and Harry West as Watson.

The story was also adapted by Meiser as six episodes of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson. The episodes aired in January and February 1941.

A dramatisation of the novel by Felix Felton aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1958 as part of the 1952–1969 radio series, with Carleton Hobbs as Sherlock Holmes and Norman Shelley as Dr. Watson. A different production of The Hound of the Baskervilles, also adapted by Felton and starring Hobbs and Shelley with a different supporting cast, aired in 1961 on the BBC Home Service.

The novel was adapted as an episode of CBS Radio Mystery Theater. The episode, which aired in 1977, starred Kevin McCarthy as Holmes and Lloyd Battista as Watson.

The Hound of the Baskervilles has been adapted for radio for the BBC by Bert Coules on two occasions. The first starred Roger Rees as Holmes, Crawford Logan as Watson and Matt Zimmerman as Sir Henry and was broadcast in 1988 on BBC Radio 4. Following its good reception, Coules proposed further radio adaptations, which eventually led to the 1989–1998 radio series of dramatisations of the entire canon, starring Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson. The second adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, featuring this pairing, was broadcast in 1998, and also featured Judi Dench as Mrs. Hudson and Donald Sinden as Sir Charles Baskerville.

Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman adapted The Hound of the Baskervilles as a progressive rock album in 2002, with narration by Robert Powell.

The Hound of the Baskervilles was adapted as three episodes of the American radio series The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, with John Patrick Lowrie as Holmes and Lawrence Albert as Watson. The episodes first aired in March 2008.

In 2011, Big Finish Productions released their adaptation of the book as part of their second series of Holmes dramas. Holmes was played by Nicholas Briggs, and Watson was played by Richard Earl.

In 2014, L.A. Theatre Works released their production, starring Seamus Dever as Holmes, Geoffrey Arend as Watson, James Marsters as Sir Henry, Sarah Drew as Beryl Stapleton, Wilson Bethel as Stapleton, Henri Lubatti as Dr. Mortimer, Christopher Neame as Sir Charles and Frankland, Moira Quirk as Mrs. Hudson & Mrs. Barrymore, and Darren Richardson as Barrymore.

In 2020, Lions Den Theatre released a new adaptation of the novel written and directed by Keith Morrison on the company's YouTube channel. An early version of the play was performed in various locations around Nova Scotia in 2018.

In 2021, Audible released a dramatisation by George Mann and Cavan Scott, starring Colin Salmon as Holmes and Stephen Fry as Watson.

In 2022, The Hound of the Baskervilles was adapted and conducted as a "concert drama" by Neil Brand, with the music directed by Timothy Brock, and performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Mark Gatiss and Sanjeev Bhaskar played Holmes and Watson, respectively. The production was recorded at the Barbican Hall on December 20, and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on January 22, 2023. A filmed recording of the reading was broadcast for BBC Four on 25 December, 2023.

Stage
In 2007, Peepolykus Theatre Company premiered a new adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. Adapted by John Nicholson and Steven Canny, the production involves only three actors and was praised by critics for its physical comedy. Following a U.K. tour, it transferred to the Duchess Theatre in London's West End. The Daily Telegraph described it as a ‘wonderfully delightful spoof’, whilst The Sunday Times praised its ‘mad hilarity that will make you feel quite sane’. This adaptation continues to be presented by both amateur and professional companies around the world.

Stage performances have also been performed in the U.K. in dramatisations by Joan Knight, Claire Malcolmson, Harry Meacher, and Roger Sansom, among others. Meacher's version has been produced three times, each time with himself the actor playing Holmes.

Ken Ludwig authored an adaptation entitled Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery which premiered as a co-production at Arena Stage (Washington, D.C.) in January 2015 and McCarter Theatre Center in March 2015.

In 2021, an adaption for the stage by Steven Canny and John Nicholson for Peepolykus, directed by Tim Jackson & Lotte Wakeman toured the UK produced by Original Theatre Company and Bolton's Octagon Theatre. It was a continuation the adaptation that was directed by Lotte Wakeman for English Theatre, Frankfurt, Jermyn St Theatre and Octagon, Bolton.

Video games
The Hound of the Baskervilles is utilised in the final case in The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures in which the protagonist teams up with Herlock Sholmes (Sherlock Holmes in the original Japanese version) to investigate mysteries based on various entries in the Holmes chronology. In particular, the manuscript of The Hound of the Baskervilles is a key part of the case.

Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles is a casual game by Frogwares. It departs from the original plot by introducing clear supernatural elements. Despite its non-canonical plot, it received good reviews.