The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the series of short stories that made the fortunes of the Strand magazine in which they were first published, and wond immesne popularity for Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. The detective is at the height of his powers and the volume is full of famous cases, including 'The Red-Headed League,' 'The Blue Carbuncle,' and 'The Speckled Band.' Although Holmes gained a reputation for infallibility, Conan Doyl shoed his own realism and feminism by having the great detective defeated by Irene Adler--the woman--in the very fists story, 'A Scandal in Bohemia.' (back cover) Source: OpenLibrary