Of all the thousands who have tried their hands in writing detective stories Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has won the most pleasing success. His Sherlock Holmes is a world-known character. The _Red-Headed League_ is an admirable example of the author’s method. The story is told by the hero’s friend, Dr. Watson, allowing opportunity for close appearance of reality, and for unstinted praise. The problem is introduced at first hand, apparently with every detail. To a certain degree we are allowed to enter the series of deductive reasonings pursued by Sherlock Holmes. We are given a brilliant series of events, and then the final solution. Occasional hints at other work performed by Sherlock Holmes tend to awaken further interest. There is such closeness to life, realistic character drawing, good humor, and natural conversation, that the story,—like all the four books of the Sherlock Holmes series,—is most attractive. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859. Both his father and grandfather achieved fame as artists. Sir Arthur began life as a physician and surgeon, but soon found his real work in letters. He has written a number of our best historical novels, _The White Company_, _Micah Clarke_, _The Refugees_, _Sir Nigel_, etc., and four books of stories about Sherlock Holmes, as well as much other work both in prose and in verse. =Omne ignotum pro magnifico.= Whatever is unknown is thought to be magnificent. =Sarasate.= A famous Spanish violinist, 1844—. =Partie carrée.= A party of four. “=L’homme c’est rien—l’œuvre c’est tout.=“ The man is nothing—the work is everything. =Gustave Flaubert.= 1821-1880. One of the greatest French novelists. =George Sand.= The pseudonym of the Baroness Dudevant, 1804-1876, a great French novelist and playwright. ONE HUNDRED IN THE DARK By OWEN JOHNSON In _One Hundred in the Dark_ Owen Johnson makes one of the characters say that the peculiar fascination of the detective story lies more in the statement of the problem than in the solution. “The solution doesn’t count. It is usually banal; it should be prohibited. What interests us is, can we guess it?”