A List of Untold Tales of Sherlock Holmes compiled by Randall Stock

The Best of Sherlock Holmes

Untold Tales of Sherlock Holmes:

A List of Major Case References

How many unreported cases are mentioned in the Holmes stories? As with so many things it depends on your definitions.

Some of the untold tales are crimes or mysteries but don't involve Holmes at all. In others he is consulted but doesn't actively participate. For some cases it's just not clear whether or not he was involved. Holmes probably played little part in at least 30 of the untold tales mentioned in the stories.

It's also sometimes difficult to judge whether certain events constitute a separate "case" or should be considered part of a larger investigation. For example, Professor Moriarty's "little trip" allowed Holmes to start weaving a net around the entire gang. Is this part of "The Final Problem" or is it a separate untold tale?

While there are more than 100 unreported cases mentioned in the Holmes stories, the following 61 untold tales are probably the most colorful ones involving Holmes. This list was also used in the poll to rank the most interesting untold tales, which determined the Top 10 Untold Tales of Sherlock Holmes.

The Abernetty family (depth which the parsley had sunk into the butter)
The mortal terror of old Abrahams
The singular affair of the aluminum crutch
The Amateur Mendicant Society
The ancient British barrow (the Addleton tragedy)
The tragedy of the Atkinson brothers at Trincomalee
The colossal schemes of Baron Maupertuis (Netherland-Sumatra Company)
Bert Stevens, the mild-mannered murderer
The Bishopgate jewel case
Blackmailing one of the most revered names in England
The bogus laundry affair
The Camberwell poisoning case (Holmes winding a dead man's watch)
The sudden death of Cardinal Tosca
Colonel Warburton's madness
The Conk-Singleton forgery case
The two Coptic Patriarchs
Saving of Count Von und Zu Grafenstein
The cutter Alicia (never emerged from a small patch of mist)
The Darlington substitution scandal
The dramatic introduction of Dr. Moore Agar
The Dundas separation case (hurling false teeth at wife)
The Dutch steamship Friesland
The papers of Ex-President Murillo
The French Government matter of supreme importance
The giant rat of Sumatra (Matilda Briggs)
The Grice Patersons in the island of Uffa
The Grosvenor Square furniture van
Huret, the Boulevard assassin
The madness of Isadora Persano (remarkable worm unknown to science)
The disappearance of Mr. James Phillimore (umbrella)
The peculiar persecution of John Vincent Harden
The King of Scandinavia ("My last client of the sort was a king.")
The loss of the British bark Sophy Anderson
The Manor House case (Adams)
The woman at Margate with no powder on her nose
Merridew of abominable memory
The unfortunate Mme. Montpensier
Morgan the poisoner
The most repellent man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist
The most winning woman (poisoned three little children)
The Nonpareil Club card scandal (Colonel Upwood)
The Paradol Chamber
The politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant
The repulsive story of the red leech (death of Crosby the banker)
The reigning family of Holland
Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife
The old Russian woman
The Second Stain and Monsieur Dubuque
Services to the Crown for which Holmes refused a knighthood
The Smith-Mortimer succession case
The Sultan of Turkey
The Tankerville Club scandal
The Tired Captain
The Trepoff murder in Odessa
Vamberry, the wine merchant
Vanderbilt and the Yeggman
The Vatican cameos
Venomous lizard or gila
Vigor, the Hammersmith wonder
Vittoria, the circus belle
Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer

Return to the Top 10 Untold Tales of Sherlock Holmes

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