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.[3]
One of the most famous stories ever written,[3] 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".[4] In 1999, a poll of "Sherlockians" ranked it as the best of the four Holmes novels.[5]
Download File ☆☆☆☆☆ https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://ckonti.com/2yLEai&source=gmail&ust=1719697704780000&usg=AOvVaw0uVyb12JDThCzd3Lq0YPRe
In London, 1889, Dr James Mortimer asks for the aid of Sherlock Holmes, recounting the legend of a curse 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 made a deal with the devil and pursued her. Hugo's companions found the girl dead of fear and Hugo killed by a demonic hound, which is said to have haunted Dartmoor ever since, causing the premature death of many Baskerville heirs.
Mortimer says that his friend Sir Charles Baskerville, who took the legend seriously, was found dead in the yew alley of his estate, Baskerville Hall, on Dartmoor. A locally noted philanthropist, Sir Charles had retired to his family estate in 1887 after some years in South Africa, where he had made a fortune through shrewd investments. His death was attributed to a heart attack, but his face had an expression of horror, and not far from his body were the footprints of a gigantic hound.
As the executor of Sir Charles's will, Mortimer fears for the new Baskerville baronet, Sir Henry Baskerville, the nephew of Sir Charles. Sir Charles had been the eldest of three Baskerville brothers; after Sir Henry, there were no further immediate heirs to the title and estate. Sir Charles's youngest brother, Rodger, who had led a scandalous life in England, had fled to Central America, where he had died of yellow fever in 1876, unmarried and childless.
Arriving in Dartmoor, Watson, Mortimer and Sir Henry learn that convicted murderer Selden has escaped from Dartmoor Prison and is hiding on the moor. They arrive at Baskerville Hall, where a married couple, the Barrymores, are butler and housekeeper. Watson sends details of his investigations to Holmes, particularly on the neighbourhood residents. The Stapletons, brother and sister, stand out: Jack is overfriendly, particularly as he warns Watson about the Grimpen Mire, where horses can sink to their death, and curious about the newcomers, while Beryl is weary of the moor and attempts to warn Sir Henry of danger.
Distant hound-like howls start troubling Watson and he witnesses Barrymore, who signals at night with a candle to someone on the moor. Sir Henry is drawn to Beryl despite her brother's initial attitude to any relationships she might have, and Frankland, an old and grumpy neighbour, likes to spy on others with his telescope and notes ancient tombs have been excavated by Mortimer. Watson and Sir Henry investigate the Barrymores and learn that Selden is Mrs Barrymore's brother, and that they have been taking food to him. During an unsuccessful attempt to catch Selden, Watson sees an unknown man standing on a tor. They learn from Barrymore that Frankland's estranged daughter Laura has unclear ties to Sir Charles.
Watson investigates the man on the tor and discovers that it is Holmes, who explains that he came secretly to the moor to hide his direct involvement. Holmes explains that he is close to solving the mystery. He explains that Stapleton is the suspect and that Beryl is actually Stapleton's wife, abused and forced into posing as his sister so as to influence Sir Henry and expose him to the hound. The hound kills a man on the moor whom Holmes and Watson fear is Sir Henry, but turns out to be Selden; Barrymore had given him Sir Henry's discarded clothes. Holmes decides to use Baskerville as bait to catch Stapleton. While dining with Sir Henry and Watson, Holmes suddenly notices a portrait of Sir Hugo Baskerville and recognises a family resemblance to Stapleton. He tells Sir Henry to accept an invitation to Stapleton's house and walk back after dark, giving his enemy every chance to unleash the hound.
Holmes and Watson pretend to leave Dartmoor by train but instead hide near Stapleton's house with Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard. Despite thick fog, Holmes and Watson manage to kill the hound when it attacks Sir Henry. They find Beryl tied up in Stapleton's house, while Stapleton himself, in his flight from the scene, seemingly drowns in the mire. In London, following a visit from Sir Henry and Dr. Mortimer (who leave on a trip to help improve Sir Henry's nerves), Holmes explains to Watson that Stapleton was Sir Henry's cousin, Rodger Baskerville, the only son of his namesake father, and that he had been hoping to inherit the family estate. A physical and spiritual throwback to Sir Hugo Baskerville, he had intended to kill his relations with a vicious hound painted with phosphorus to appear sinister. He had promised Laura marriage and convinced her to lure Sir Charles out of his house at night, in order to frighten him to death with the animal. Holmes remarks to Watson that Stapleton was one of the most formidable foes they had ever encountered.
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.[7]
His ideas came from the legend of Squire Richard Cabell of Brook Hall, in the parish of Buckfastleigh, Devon,[9] 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.[10][11]
Weller (2002) believes that Baskerville Hall is based on one of three possible houses on or near Dartmoor:[15] 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.[9] 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.[16]
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.[17]
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.[18]
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.[19] It was published in the same year in the United States by McClure, Philips & Co.[20]
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.[35]
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.[36]
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.[42]
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.[44]
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.[45]
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.[47] A filmed recording of the reading was broadcast for BBC Four on 25 December, 2023.[48]
7fc3f7cf58