“I suppose tomorrow will tell,” said he.
Tomorrow! With all the excitement of completing the case of the murdered pawnbroker, I had completely forgotten that the next day - Monday, 21 November - would see the publication of A Study in Scarlet.
In just a few hours I hoped to be basking in the literary glow of my first published work. At the time, I did not know how it would be received. Still, I could always hope. If the reviews were encouraging and if my medical practice allowed me the opportunity, then - who knew? - I could easily fancy myself reporting a few more adventures of my friend and colleague, Mr Sherlock Holmes...
THE END
The Editor’s Suggestions for Further Reading
Although there are many different English translations of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s[1] Crime and Punishment, one should read Frederick Whishaw’s translation (published by Courage Books) in order to recreate Dr Watson’s experience. Dover Publications offers Constance Garnett’s version, an excellent Audible recording of which is read by Constantine Gregory. A more modern translation has recently been done by Oliver Ready (published by Penguin Classics).
Dr Watson himself referred to an informative companion to the novel, Dostoyevsky’s own Notebooks for Crime and Punishment (Dover Publications). Among the numerous collections of critical analyses of the novel, there are insightful articles in The New Russian Dostoevsky edited by Carol Apollonio as well those in Harold Bloom’s two collections, both titled Modern Critical Interpretations: Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment (Chelsea House, 1988, 2004).
Biographical accounts shedding additional light on the novel include Richard Garnett’s biography of his grandmother, Constance Garnett: A Heroic Life (referred to by Watson in his Prologue) and Claudia Verhoven’s treatment of the unsuccessful assassination attempt of Tsar Alexander II, The Odd Man Karakozov: Imperial Russia, Modernity, and the Birth of Terrorism (Cornell University Press).
Needless to say, A Study in Scarlet, Watson’s heralded account of the first investigation he shared with Sherlock Holmes, was published on November 21, 1887. The rest, as they say, is history.
1 The more contemporary spelling of the author’s name. (DDV)
