This is the first of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes short stories. The hereditary King of Bohemia hires Holmes to retrieve (steal!) photographic evidence of a scandalous affair. Uncharacteristically, the great detective underestimates the jilted woman and is unable to complete the assignment. Rather than displaying frustration or anger, Holmes is smitten… not with love, but with admiration for her intellect. Themes: philandering, class, sexism, deception, underestimating one’s foe, respect. Some say that Holmes’s esteem for Adler suggests a feminist theme. However, as Watson says, she is the woman; the only one he ever regards so highly.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (8,543 words)
Video Version
This 1984 British TV show is quite faithful to the story, the only exception being that Dr Watson is still living in Holmes’s apartment. Doyle married Watson off in his previous story (The Sign of the Four), so poor Mrs Watson must be at home all alone! Fortunately, the text version got it right. Watch and enjoy!
Radio Play Version
There have been many radio play adaptions of the story. This 1990 episode of the Sherlock Holmes BBC Radio 4 series is one of the best. Listen and enjoy!