His Last Bow – Arthur Conan Doyle – Oxford University Press - Classics

Arthur Conan Doyle's His Last Bow features a selection of Sherlock Holmes stories written at a time of growing tensions in Europe. First published as a collection in 1917, against the backdrop of the First World War, the volume covers tales that deviate from the pattern of earlier Sherlock adventures which focus on individual culpability and the comfort of a simplistic restoration of order. The titular story in this collection was influenced by Doyle's personal experience of the war, and in these tales the solutions to seemingly small-scale, local, mysteries uncover crimes concerning national security, or even expose the covert evil actions of organizations and powerful dictators.This edition contains a new introduction by Trish Ferguson which offers a richly detailed contextual backdrop for understanding the work as an act of war service designed to offer a morale boost to both British troops abroad and readers at home.