Is Hound of the Baskervilles the Greatest Mystery Ever Written?

What is the true story that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle's best-seller? Why have there been so many portrayals of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in media beyond the novels? Is this the greatest Sherlock story ever told? Join Dominic Sandbrook and Tabitha Syrett as they delve into the fascinating story behind the writing of The Hound Of The Baskervilles, the world it was born of, and the novel itself. Email us: ⁠⁠thebookclub@goalhanger.com⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠@bookclubpodhq⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@thebookclubpodhq⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠@bookclubpodhq⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠@TheBookClubPodHQ⁠⁠ Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris Social Producer: Harry Balden Video Editor: Adam Thornton Executive Producer: Dom Johnson 0:00 — Why The Hound of the Baskervilles still terrifies readers 3:43 — Sherlock Holmes returns after a long absence 5:23 — The footprints of a gigantic hound 8:10 — Sir Henry Baskerville and the warnings from the moor 11:47 — Watson investigates strange figures on Dartmoor 13:53 — The extraordinary life of Arthur Conan Doyle 17:33 — Conan Doyle’s loves, politics, and belief in justice 19:42 — The creation of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson 23:40 — Why Holmes and Watson became literary icons 25:23 — Conan Doyle kills off Sherlock Holmes 28:31 — How a golfing trip inspired The Hound 31:09 — Folklore, ghosts, and Conan Doyle’s supernatural obsessions 34:18 — How Sherlock Holmes was resurrected 37:40 — The huge success of the Strand serialization 40:44 — Why The Hound is unusual for a Holmes story 43:56 — Sherlock Holmes rattled by the supernatural 45:11 — The Gothic power of Dartmoor and Baskerville Hall 49:20 — Rational Holmes versus ancient evil 53:20 — Is the hound supernatural or just a very big dog? 56:32 — Black dogs and hellhounds in British folklore 1:00:01 — Dogs across the Sherlock Holmes stories 1:01:13 — Women, brutality, and Gothic tropes in the novel 1:04:01 — Why Sherlock Holmes endures 1:06:26 — Final verdicts: fish hellhounds out of ten 1:09:19 — Next week: A Court of Thorns and Roses 1:10:14 — Favourite screen Sherlock Holmeses