The Hound of the Baskervilles

Last Updated on October 12, 2021 – Originally published May 24, 2015

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was originally serialized in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902.

Bringing Sherlock Back From the Dead?

Holmes and Moriarty fighting over the Reichenbach Falls. Art by Sidney Paget.

In 1893 Sherlock Holmes met his death at Reichenbach Falls in The Adventure of the Final Problem.   His fans had to wait until 1901 to once again enjoy a novel featuring the great detective.

In March of 1901 Conan Doyle vacationed in Norfolk with his friend Bertram Fletcher Robinson.

While the men played golf and relaxed they spoke of many things.  Robinson told Conan Doyle about growing up in Devon and the local legends.  Conan Doyle was especially interested in the tales of ghostly hounds that roamed Dartmoor.

Conan Doyle knew that the ghostly hound would make a good starting point for a novel.  However he needed a strong central character.  He decided that it made no sense to create a new character when he already had one in Sherlock Holmes.

While Conan Doyle wasn’t ready to bring Holmes back to life, Conan Doyle decided that he would write a novel that happened in an earlier time period.  A time period before the incident at  Reichenbach Falls.

The knowledge that the public would go wild over another Sherlock Holmes novel must have also helped Conan Doyle in his decision.

Black Shuck

Black Shuck and the Whisht Hounds are spectral, demon dogs from British folklore.   These ghostly dogs were the inspiration for The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The origin of these legends springs from Norse mythology.  They are derived from tales of the black Hound of Odin.

The Scene of the Crime – Dartmoor

Later that month Robinson took Conan Doyle on a tour of Dartmoor.  They visited Brook Manor, Grimspound, Child’s Tomb and Fox Tor Mires.

There were some initial thoughts that Robinson would actually coauthor the book.  In the end, most experts agree that the book was written by Conan Doyle.

However Conan Doyle did dedicate the book to Robinson and probably paid him something for his troubles.

The Baskerville Family

Did the Baskerville family really exist?

Harry Baskerville, a driver employed by Robinson, was thought to have provided the inspiration for the name.  In fact, Robinson gave Baskerville a copy of The Hound of the Baskervilles that was inscribed, “To Harry Baskerville, with apologies for using the name.”

Another possible source is the legend of the Cabell family of Brook Manor.  In one version of the story Sir Richard Cabell made a pact with the Devil.  Cabell rode a black horse through Dartmoor following a hound that was sent by their mutual master.

In another version of the Cabell legend states that Cabell abused his wife.  She tried to escape from her husband by fleeing across the moor.  Cabell caught her and murdered her.  He also killed her pet dog.  It was said that Cabell was haunted by the ghost of the dog for the rest of his life.

An Instant Success

The Hound of the Baskervilles was first published in The Strand magazine in August of 1901.

The public was indeed ready to hear more about Sherlock Holmes.  The magazine’s circulation instantly rose by thirty thousand copies.

The novel that Conan Doyle described as “a real creeper” was an instant success.

See quotes from The Hound of the Baskervilles