When this competition was first mooted I went into it in a most light-hearted way, thinking that it would be the easiest thing in the world to pick out the twelve best of the Holmes stories. In practice I found that I had engaged myself in a serious task...

In 1927, Strand magazine challenged its readers to guess which of his Sherlock Holmes stories Arthur Conan Doyle himself rated as his very best. (Mr R. T. Newman of Spring Hill, Wellingborough, won 100 for successfully guessing ten of the twelve stories correctly.) Doyle revealed his choice and, in his own inimitable way, explained his reasoning in an article for the magazine. The stories included 'The Speckled Band', 'The Final Problem' and 'The Dancing Men'.

Arthur Conan Doyle's favourite twelve Sherlock Holmes stories are now published together for the first time, with his original Strand article to introduce his own selection.