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SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

The Curse of the Baskervilles

About the Book

1 The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s best-known novels about the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.

2 The story is written in the first person because Sherlock’s friend, Dr Watson, is telling the story.

3 The novel has the elements of a Gothic novel, very common in the Victorian era: the mystery of the supernatural hound, and the dark and mysterious setting on the moor with both real and supernatural dangers.

4 Before being published as a novel, the story was published in parts in The Strand Magazine, like Conan Doyle’s other Sherlock Holmes stories.

5 Readers complained when Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock in a previous book, so he brought him back in The Hound of the Baskervilles, a story that takes place in the past, before Sherlock’s death.

About the Author

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a Scottish writer, best known for his books about Sherlock Holmes, one of the most famous fictional detectives. A doctor, writer and believer in the supernatural, Conan Doyle's great imagination made his books famous all over the world.

His Early Life

Conan Doyle loved adventure and travel. While he was studying medicine, he worked as a ship’s doctor on short trips to Antarctica and Africa. Based on these experiences and the stories he loved as a child, he began to write short stories. He graduated from Edinburgh University with a medical degree at the age of 22.

Conan Doyle: Spiritualism and Fairies

In 1916, Conan Doyle publicly declared he was a spiritualist. He believed that communication with spirits was possible and wrote books articles and made speeches about it. He also believed in fairies, and in 1922, he wrote a book called

The Coming of the Fairies, about two young girls who said they had photos of themselves playing with real fairies. A long time after Conan Doyle's death, they finally said it was all false.

First Novels

In 1886, Conan Doyle finished the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet. His second book with Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson was Sign of the Four. While writing the early Holmes stories, Doyle also wrote novels about British history, which he thought were more important. However, none of these novels had the success of the Sherlock Holmes short stories that appeared in The Strand Magazine, starting in 1891.

After writing three series of Holmes stories, which earned him a lot of money, Conan Doyle was tired of the popular detective and killed him off in the 1893 story, The Final Problem. His readers wrote letters to him, asking him to bring Holmes back. In 1902, he decided to write his third Holmes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles, which appeared in nine parts in The Strand Magazine. He continued, reluctantly, to write Holmes stories until 1927.

An Important Figure

Conan Doyle was an important public and political figure. He was knighted for his volunteer work during the Boer War, and during the First World War, he worked for the Foreign Office. He even solved real-life mysteries to free two unjustly imprisoned men.

OOKMARKS

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Don’t miss Bookmarks Readers, the series where every reader finds their place.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Adaptation and activities by Pauline Russo Illustrated by Giacomo Agnello Modica

Bookmarks

Founder and Series Editors

Grazia Ancillani, Daniele Garbuglia (Art Director)

Graphic Design and Layout: Emilia Coari

Production Manager: Francesco Capitano

Typeset in 12 / 15 pt Monotype Dante

Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa Recanati – EBM301.01 ISBN 978-88-536-4859-4 First edition: February 2026

www.elipublishing.com

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Retold by Pauline Russo

Illustrated by Giacomo Agnello Modica

About the Story

The story starts at Sherlock Holmes’ house at 221B Baker Street in London, but most of it takes place on Dartmoor, in the county of Devon, in England.

Holmes is asked to investigate the legend of a supernatural hound that the local people say is responsible for the deaths of some of the Baskerville family.

The new Baskerville heir, Sir Henry, thinks that the legend of the hound could be true, so Holmes sends Dr Watson to Baskerville Hall to protect him while he investigates.

Holmes doesn’t believe in the legend and believes that Sir Henry’s life is in danger, not from a supernatural creature but from a real person.

Main Characters

Dr Watson

Dr Mortimer Sir Henry

Sherlock Holmes

Mr Stapleton

Laura Lyons

Mr Frankland

Beryl Stapleton

Barrymore, the butler

The

Chapter 1 The Curse of the Baskervilles

Sherlock Holmes was sitting at a table having breakfast. I was standing behind him, looking at a walking stick left by a stranger the evening before while Holmes and I were out. Some writing on it said, “To James Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of the C.C.H.”

‘So, what do you think, Watson?’ Holmes asked me.

‘How did you know what I was looking at?’ I asked him in surprise.

‘I can see your reflection* in the silver teapot in front of me,’ replied Holmes. ‘What do you think about our mysterious visitor’s stick?’

‘I think that it belongs to a successful elderly doctor who is greatly appreciated* by the people who know him,’ I said.

‘Excellent, Watson.’

‘The letters M.R.C.S. tell me he’s a doctor - probably a country doctor, as I can see the stick is well-worn*. He probably walks a lot to visit his patients.’

‘Very good,’ said Holmes.

‘The writing also says, “from his friends of C.C.H.”, so the “H” could mean the stick is a gift from the members of a local hunt*.’

The Curse of the Baskervilles

‘Well done, Watson!’

I was pleased to hear his words of praise*. I asked him what else I could say about the mysterious visitor. Sherlock took the stick and examined it.

‘I’m sorry, dear Watson, but I have to say that most of what you said is wrong. You’re right that he’s a country doctor and he walks a lot, but that’s all. I think that C.C.H. stands for Charing Cross Hospital. A senior doctor wouldn’t leave such an important hospital. So, I think he’s a young man under 30 who left the hospital to go and work in the country, and this stick was a present from his friends. He owns a small dog that sometimes carries it in its mouth.’

I laughed and checked my medical directory*.

‘You’re right, Holmes. Here’s his name: Mortimer, James, M.R.C.S., 1882, Grimpen, Dartmoor, Devon. Doctor, from 1882 to 1884, at Charing Cross Hospital. But what about the dog?’

Holmes was now standing at the window. He pointed to the bite marks on the wood in the middle of the stick.

‘These show that the dog is neither too small nor too big. In fact, it may be… a curly-haired spaniel.’

I looked at him, amazed.

‘But Holmes, how can you be so sure of that?’

‘Because I can see it at our door with its owner,’ answered Holmes, looking out of the window.

Our visitor came into the study and was pleased to see his walking stick. He was very tall and thin, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed* glasses on his long nose.

‘I’m so pleased to see you have my walking stick,’ he said. ‘It was given to me when I got married and left Charing Cross Hospital to open my own business in the country. Are you Mr Sherlock Holmes?’

‘Yes, I am. And this is my friend Dr Watson.’

‘Pleased to meet you. You have an interesting dolichocephalic skull*. May I touch it?’

Sherlock smiled and said,

‘You clearly love your work, but I’m sure you didn’t come here to examine my skull. Please sit down and tell me why you have come to see me.’

‘Mr Holmes, I have a very serious and strange problem. I have a document in my pocket.’

‘Yes, I saw it when you entered the room,’ said Holmes. I see it’s old and, as an expert in these things, I can say that it’s probably from about 1730.’

‘The exact date is 1742,’ said Mortimer, as he took it out of his top pocket and handed it to Sherlock.

‘Sir Charles Baskerville, my patient and friend, gave me this paper before he died tragically three months ago. His father wrote it to him and his brothers, before he died.’

Holmes put the document on his knee to read it.

The Curse of the Baskervilles

I looked at it over his shoulder. At the top of the page was written, “Baskerville Hall”, with the year “1742” below it.

‘It’s a document about a legend in the Baskerville family. May I read it to you?’ said Mortimer.

Sherlock gave the document to Dr Mortimer and listened as he started to read:

“There have been many stories told about the Hound* of the Baskervilles, but I am a direct descendant* of Hugo Baskerville. I heard the story from my father, who heard it from his. I believe that what I write here is the truth. From this story, my sons, you will learn not to be afraid of the past, and you must not repeat the same mistakes in the future.

At the time of the English Civil War, Baskerville Hall was owned by Hugo Baskerville, a wild and cruel man. He fell in love with the good, kind daughter of a local farmer, but she knew Hugo was evil* and didn’t want to know him. One evening, when her father and brothers were away from home, Hugo and his friends went to the farm and carried her to the Hall. They locked her upstairs in a room, while they sat downstairs, drinking wine and singing and shouting. The girl was very frightened. She climbed out of the window and ran across the moor* towards her father’s farm. When Hugo found out that she was gone, he followed her on his black horse with his hunting dogs. His friends, thirteen of them, followed behind him on their horses. The moonlight

Hound of the Baskervilles

was shining on the moor. After a mile or two, they saw a night shepherd* and asked him about Hugo Baskerville. He pointed across the moor, and they rode on until they saw his horse without a rider. Then they saw Hugo’s dogs barking* at the edge of a valley on the moor. At the bottom, the men saw the body of the young girl, with Hugo beside her. A great black hound was beside him, with blood on its face!

My sons, this is the legend of the hound that has cursed* our family since that day. Many of my family have died suddenly and mysteriously, but we must hope that the innocent will not be punished after all these years.”

‘Do you not think it’s an interesting story, Mr Holmes?’ he asked.

‘It seems like a fairy tale to me,’ said Holmes. Dr Mortimer took a newspaper out of his pocket.

‘Now I’ll give you more recent news. This is a newspaper article from May 14th this year about the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, which happened a few days before that date. Mortimer started to read:

“We are sad to report the recent sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville, who lived at Baskerville Hall for only two years, after making his fortune in South Africa. Although he came from an old county family with a history of evil ways, Sir Charles was a kind man, respected by everyone. He was a widower* with no children, so he gave a lot of money to charities*.