Reread no.4 Whilst this may not be regarded as one of Doyle’s masterpieces, and is very clearly a transition piece to his lengthier writings and therefore excused of most shortcomings, it still manages to perfectly portray a yearning to write addressed through Doyle’s fabricated counterpart, ‘John Smith.’

Despite a lacking structure as well as a defined plot, it’s still hard to put down—even after the umpteenth reread. The only analogy I can make is being locked in a room with a sagacious, but overly prone to rambling old man.

This really is a gold mine for all the references and details recycled in his later, lengthier works.