The Valley of Fear

The Valley of Fear
Arthur Conan Doyle

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.‘The greatest schemer of all time, the organizer of every deviltry, the controlling brain of the underworld, a brain which might have made or marred the destiny of nations – that's the man!’Summoned to a mysterious manor house by one of the henchmen of his arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty, Holmes and Watson find themselves confronted by the scene of a brutal murder. But the brilliant Holmes soon reveals that there is much more to this case than first meets the eye…First published as a serialisation in The Strand Magazine between 1914 and 1915, this fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel will delight fans of Conan Doyle’s legendary detective and his faithful sidekick Watson.

THE VALLEY OF FEAR

Arthur Conan Doyle

Copyright (#ulink_069ac520-40c5-539d-80e8-835f0d4b1f9f)

William Collins

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This eBook edition published by William Collins in 2016

Life & Times section © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

Gerard Cheshire asserts his moral right as author of the Life & Times section

Classic Literature: Words and Phrases adapted from

Collins English Dictionary

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Cover image: Holmes uses his magnifying glass to help solve the mysterious events at Birlstone, Frank Wiles, The Strand Magazine, 1914 © Mary Evans Picture Library

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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Source ISBN: 9780008166755

Ebook Edition © January 2016 ISBN: 9780008166762

Version: 2015-11-24

CONTENTS

Cover (#u4132f50d-a249-5080-b03a-32e1d72c02e6)

Title Page (#u94880700-d31b-5519-bcee-0eb45c9cc519)

Copyright (#u792ed744-c481-5fed-ab8e-837cd8c08b75)

History of Collins (#u129b8b85-c29a-53ef-924d-627ffe088b03)

Life & Times (#udfa1d8f1-a24e-5ba3-9566-890bfda6cf61)

PART 1: THE TRAGEDY OF BIRLSTONE (#u2c3a6aac-3553-5149-889b-2f92917bbbdb)

Chapter 1 - The Warning (#u3a71b9bf-1173-5b3c-b52e-67f80f8a9fcd)

Chapter 2 - Sherlock Holmes Discourses (#u85e2d493-b550-5dcc-b77e-fbb9541a2da4)

Chapter 3 - The Tragedy of Birlstone (#uc1a4550c-b6b0-5ab1-938b-c61a076a7963)

Chapter 4 - Darkness (#u11a57754-6a47-5b86-b74e-d94d8d194965)

Chapter 5 - The People of the Drama (#ub3214742-5e66-5c25-b6a1-f39ad4f1b928)

Chapter 6 - A Dawning Light (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 - The Solution (#litres_trial_promo)

PART 2: THE SCOWRERS (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 1 - The Man (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 2 - The Bodymaster (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 3 - Lodge 341, Vermissa (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 4 - The Valley of Fear (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 5 - The Darkest Hour (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 - Danger (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 - The Trapping of Birdy Edwards (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Classic Literature: Words and Phrases (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

History of Collins (#ulink_e047b7f1-a506-5535-b736-82efafbe91e1)

In 1819, millworker William Collins from Glasgow, Scotland, set up a company for printing and publishing pamphlets, sermons, hymn books, and prayer books. That company was Collins and was to mark the birth of HarperCollins Publishers as we know it today. The long tradition of Collins dictionary publishing can be traced back to the first dictionary William published in 1824, Greek and English Lexicon. Indeed, from 1840 onwards, he began to produce illustrated dictionaries and even obtained a licence to print and publish the Bible.

Soon after, William published the first Collins novel, Ready Reckoner; however, it was the time of the Long Depression, where harvests were poor, prices were high, potato crops had failed, and violence was erupting in Europe. As a result, many factories across the country were forced to close down and William chose to retire in 1846, partly due to the hardships he was facing.