Book Anatomy · The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1902, 59,487 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1902, 59,487 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
59,487 words. Modern crime and mystery often runs 70,000 to 90,000 words, so this is short for the shelf today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 59,487 words, the book is moderate length for a mystery novel. It is shorter than modern crime thrillers but longer than a novella. The length suits the plot: long enough for investigation, short enough to maintain pace. It reads as a substantial but swift story.
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1902, 59,487 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
The book was serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902. Each instalment likely ended with a hook: chapter 4 (the spy), chapter 9 (the hound's cry), chapter 12 (the body), chapter 14 (the confrontation). Serial breaks drove readers back monthly.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 9, Ch 12, Ch 14
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comps: Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series (detective investigating on home ground), Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novels (rural mystery with Gothic undertones), Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (isolated setting, mounting dread). All blend reason with suspense.
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Today it would be shelved as classic mystery or crime fiction. Readers seeking Sherlock Holmes stories, Gothic mysteries, or Victorian detective fiction would find it. It appeals to fans of locked-room puzzles and atmospheric suspense. Literary fiction readers may also appreciate its craft.
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: death by fear, murder, animal cruelty (the hound is trained and used as a weapon), brief reference to a murderer, a woman imprisoned by her brother, a woman treated as fallen for divorce. Violence is implied rather than graphic.
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
When a baronet dies under mysterious circumstances on the moor, Sherlock Holmes must separate legend from crime. A trained hound, a hidden heir, and a web of deception threaten the new heir's life. Holmes and Watson race to uncover the truth before superstition becomes murder.
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title is direct and iconic: The Hound of the Baskervilles. It names the central symbol and promises Gothic horror. This is typical of Victorian mystery titles, which often name the puzzle or the weapon. The title is memorable and marketable, fitting genre norms.
Ask The Hound of the Baskervilles a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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