The Sign of Four

The Sign of Four was published in 1890. As the second ever Sherlock Holmes story, it goes a long way towards developing the character of Sherlock Holmes. In this story, Sherlock emerges as a man reliant on cocaine - a weakness which we don't see in the first Sherlock Holmes story 'A Study in Scarlet' and which makes Holmes more human and well-rounded.

The story itself is set in 1888 - so it's like publishing a crime story today that takes place in 2014. To contemporary readers, the novel would have seemed modern, gritty and very close to home.

To get to know the text really well - listen to the audiobook: 




There's also lots of useful revision videos here:

Language:


Context:






Character: Watson


Character: Mary



Character: Sherlock


Structure 





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