In "A Study in Scarlet", when a man is found lying dead in a room, with only the word "Rache" scrawled on the wall as a clue, it is up to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to solve the case! In "The Speckled Band", Sherlock Holmes must solve the mysterious death of a young woman's sister, before it is too late! Classics Illustrated tells this wonderful tale in colourful comic strip form, offering an excellent introduction for younger readers. This edition also includes a biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a list of all of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries and study questions, which can be used both in the classroom and at home to further engage the reader in the work at hand.

Doyle, unsuccessful in his medical practice, in need of money and a more satisfying career, had already sold a number of magazine stories when he wrote the novella, "A Study in Scarlet," the first Sherlock Holmes story, which, after many rejections, was published in Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887. Doyle got twenty-five pounds for all rights to the story. He never received another penny for it, although fortunately, in one of those little contractual details that could have changed literary history forever, he retained rights to the character. Here is the book, A Study in Scarlet, that introduced the world to Sherlock Holmes and his faithful side kick Dr. Watson.