His Last Bow

Infobox Book |
name = His Last Bow
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover of the first edition of "His Last Bow"
author = Arthur Conan Doyle
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series = Sherlock Holmes
genre = Detective fiction short stories
publisher = John Murray
release_date = 1917
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback)
pages = 305 pp
isbn = NA
preceded_by = The Return of Sherlock Holmes
followed_by = The Valley of Fear

"His Last Bow" is a collection of seven Sherlock Holmes stories (eight in American editions) by Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the title of one of the stories in that collection. Originally published in 1917, it contains the various Holmes stories published between 1908 and 1913, as well as the one-off title story from 1917.

The collection was originally called "Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes" and did not contain the actual story "His Last Bow", which appeared later, after the full-length "The Valley of Fear" was published. However later editions added it and changed the title. Some recent complete editions have restored the earlier title.

When the "Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" were published in the USA for the first time, the publishers believed "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" was too scandalous for the American public, since it dealt with the theme of adultery. As a result, this story was not published in the USA until many years later, when it was added to "His Last Bow". Even today, most American editions of the canon include it with "His Last Bow", while most British editions keep the story in its original place in "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes".

"The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" was not originally published under that name; it is a lengthy two-part story, consisting of "The Singular Experience of Mr John Scott Eccles" and "The Tiger of San Pedro", and on original publication it bore no collective title other than "A Reminiscence of Mr Sherlock Holmes".

Contents

*"The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge"
*"The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" (this story is in "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" in British editions of the canon)
*"The Adventure of the Red Circle"
*"The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans"
*"The Adventure of the Dying Detective"
*"The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax"
*"The Adventure of the Devil's Foot"
*"His Last Bow"