"A Scandal in Bohemia" was the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories to be published in "The Strand Magazine" and the first Sherlock Holmes story illustrated by Sidney Paget. (Two of the four Sherlock Holmes novels—"A Study in Scarlet" and "The Sign of the Four"—preceded the short story cycle.) The story is notable for introducing the character of Irene Adler, often used as a romantic interest for Holmes in later derivative works. Doyle ranked "A Scandal in Bohemia" fifth in his list of his twelve favourite Holmes stories.
It was first published on 25 June 1891 in the issue of the magazine dated July, and was the first of the stories collected in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" in 1892.