"The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" | |||
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Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle | |||
![]() Lord St. Simon finds out the truth, 1892 illustration by Sidney Paget | |||
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Country | United Kingdom | ||
Language | English | ||
Genre(s) | Detective fiction short stories | ||
Publication | |||
Published in | Strand Magazine | ||
Publication date | April 1892 | ||
Chronology | |||
Series | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | ||
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"The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the tenth of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes . The story was first published in The Strand Magazine in April 1892. [1]
Lord Robert St. Simon comes to Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson for help after his bride, Hatty Doran, disappeared during their wedding reception. He explains that sometime prior, Hatty traveled from San Francisco, eager to marry him. However, she became uncharacteristically sharp with him following the wedding, during which she had dropped her bouquet and a gentleman in the front row returned it to her. During the post-wedding breakfast at St. Simon's father-in-law's home, Hatty spoke with her maid before claiming "a sudden indisposition" and retired to her room. Not long after, someone discovered she had disappeared. Additionally, her wedding dress and ring were found washed ashore at the Serpentine, leading to Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard attempting to drag the river for Hatty's body.
Despite Lestrade and Watson's confusion, Holmes easily deduces what happened, having dealt with similar cases before. Upon locating Hatty, he forces her to reveal to St. Simon that the mystery man, Francis H. Moulton, was her previous husband. Years prior, following their own wedding, Moulton had left to become a prospector. After he was reported killed following an Apache raid on the mining camp he worked at, Hatty assumed it was true and eventually met St. Simon even though she was still in love with Moulton. Meanwhile, Moulton was captured by the Apache, but escaped and followed Hatty to London to reunite with her. She recognised him instantly, though he gestured her to stay silent to avoid causing a scandal and secretly passed a note to her while returning her bouquet. She subsequently faked her death to be with Moulton again. Holmes convinces Hatty to be more honest and apologize to St. Simon. However, he refuses to accept, feeling that he had been ill used.
"The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" was first published in the UK in The Strand Magazine in April 1892, and in the United States in the US edition of the Strand in May 1892. [2] The story was published with eight illustrations by Sidney Paget in The Strand Magazine. [3] It was included in the short story collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , [3] which was published in October 1892. [4]
The story was adapted as a silent short film released in 1921 as part of the Stoll film series starring Eille Norwood as Holmes. [5]
The Granada Sherlock Holmes television series adapted the story in 1993 as a feature-length television film entitled The Eligible Bachelor. [6] The film makes significant changes and the inclusion of elements from other parts of the Holmes canon. [6] It features Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson and Simon Williams as Robert, Lord St. Simon. [6]
The 2018 HBO Asia/Hulu Japan series Miss Sherlock loosely adapts this story as the episode "The Missing Bride." In this version, the solution to the original story is revealed to be a red herring, and the bride's true motive for disappearing is quite different. [7]
Edith Meiser adapted the story as an episode of the radio series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes . The episode, titled "The Noble Bachelor", aired on 22 December 1930, starring Richard Gordon as Sherlock Holmes and Leigh Lovell as Dr. Watson. [8] A repeat broadcast of the episode aired in 1933, [9] and a remake aired in July 1936 (with Gordon as Holmes and Harry West as Watson). [10]
Edith Meiser also adapted the story as an episode of the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , with Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson, that aired on 13 October 1940. [11] A 1943 episode titled "A Sword That Beheaded Three Queens" was referred to by some newspapers as "The Noble Bachelor's Second Wedding", which may indicate that the episode was inspired by "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor". [12]
A radio adaptation of the story aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1959, as part of the 1952–1969 radio series starring Carleton Hobbs as Holmes and Norman Shelley as Watson. It was adapted by Michael Hardwick. [13]
"The Noble Bachelor" was dramatised for BBC Radio 4 in 1991 by Bert Coules, as an episode of the 1989–1998 radio series starring Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson. It featured Donald Gee as Inspector Lestrade. [14]
The story was adapted as an episode of the radio series The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , starring John Patrick Lowrie as Holmes and Lawrence Albert as Watson. The episode aired in 2015. [15]
"The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in Collier's in the United States on 26 September 1903, and in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in October 1903.
"The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as His Last Bow (1917), and is the second and final main appearance of Mycroft Holmes. It was originally published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom and in Collier's in the United States in 1908.
"A Case of Identity" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is the third story in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It first appeared in The Strand Magazine in September 1891.
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery", one of the fifty-six short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fourth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in the Strand Magazine in October 1891.
"The Problem of Thor Bridge" is a Sherlock Holmes short story by Arthur Conan Doyle collected in The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927). It was first published in 1922 in The Strand Magazine (UK) and Hearst's International (US).
"The Man with the Twisted Lip", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the sixth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine in December 1891. Doyle ranked "The Man with the Twisted Lip" sixteenth in a list of his nineteen favourite Sherlock Holmes stories.
"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" is one of 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the seventh story of twelve in the collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in January 1892.
"The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb," one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the ninth of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in The Strand Magazine in March 1892. Within the narrative of the story, Dr. Watson notes that this is one of only two cases which he personally brought to the attention of Sherlock Holmes.
"The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the eleventh of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in The Strand Magazine in May 1892.
"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the last of the twelve collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in June 1892.
"The Adventure of the Second Stain", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905) and the only unrecorded case mentioned passively by Watson to be written. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in December 1904, and was also published in Collier's in the United States on 28 January 1905. Doyle ranked "The Adventure of the Second Stain" eighth in his list of his twelve favourite Holmes stories.
"The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in January 1893, and in Harper's Weekly in the United States on 14 January 1893. It is the second of twelve stories collected in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes in most British editions of the canon, and the second of the eight stories from His Last Bow in most American versions.
"The Adventure of the Six Napoleons", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in Collier's in the United States on 30 April 1904, and in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in May 1904.
"The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the second tale from The Return of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in Collier's (US) on 31 October 1903 and in The Strand Magazine (UK) in November 1903.
"The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" is one of the fifty-six Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. One of eight stories in the volume His Last Bow, it is a lengthy, two-part story consisting of "The Singular Experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles" and "The Tiger of San Pedro", which on original publication in The Strand bore the collective title of "A Reminiscence of Mr. Sherlock Holmes".
"The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" from 1910 is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as His Last Bow.
"The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire", written by British author Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes stories collected between 1921 and 1927 as The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in the January 1924 issues of The Strand Magazine in London and Hearst's International in New York.
"The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" (1927), one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.
"The Adventure of the Retired Colourman" (1926), one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.
"The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of the eight stories in the cycle collected as His Last Bow (1917), and one of the few stories in which for much of the plot Watson must act alone and try his best with Holmes left in the background. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom and The American Magazine in the United States in December 1911.