This story is likely best known for two things. One, what has happened to Mary Morstan’s father, Captain Arthur Morstan? Two, who has been sending her mysterious pearls in the mail? Holmes of course solves both mysteries, with the assistance of his associate Dr. The Sign of the Four follows Holmes as he solves a two-fold mystery. The later Holmes stories were published in the Strand magazine. Conan Doyle later disassociated himself with Ward Lock and Co., as he felt the company exploited him and underpaid him for his work. The company bought all rights to the story for only 25 pounds. Doyle’s big break came about when he wrote A Study in Scarlet and submitted it to Ward Lock and Co. All the while, he wrote and published short stories and academic articles. He went to school to eventually become a doctor. He didn’t become truly well known until short stories featuring him began running in 1891.ĭoyle was born in Scotland in 1859. At this point, DOyle had only written about Holmes in the story A Study in Scarlet thus, Holmes wasn’t yet that popular of a character. Stoddart asked Doyle to contribute a story. Lippincott’s was an American magazine and Stoddart wished to make an English version utilizing British writers and editors. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote it in 1889 after Joseph M Stoddart, the managing editor of Lippincott’s Monthly, commissioned the story.

The Sign of the Four is a novel starring the characters Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle