The Adventure of the Creeping Man

The Adventure of the Creeping Man is a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring Sherlock Holmes. The story follows Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson, as they investigate a strange case involving a man who has been transformed into a creature that can move about only by creeping on all fours. The story was first published in 1923 and is considered one of the most bizarre cases in the Sherlock Holmes canon.

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle · First published 1923 · Genre: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Crime · 9,104 words

First lines

Mr. Sherlock Holmes was always of opinion that I should publish the singular facts connected with Professor Presbury, if only to dispel once for all the ugly rumours which some twenty years ago agitated the university and were echoed in the learned societies of London. There were, however, certain obstacles in the way, and the true history of this curious case remained entombed in the tin box which contains so many records of my friend's adventures. Now we have at last obtained permission to ventilate the facts which formed one of the very last cases handled by Holmes before his retirement from practice. Even now a certain reticence and discretion have to be observed in laying the matter before the public.

What this Textopian page supports

The Adventure of the Creeping Man is listed on Textopian as a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, dated 1923 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Short story
• Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Date: 1923 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Crime, Adventure, Suspense
• Length: 9,104 words
• Structure: 1 section, 163 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Adventure of the Creeping Man by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Discussion starters

• What should a reader notice first when entering The Adventure of the Creeping Man?
• How does this short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does Mystery first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

• The Adventure Of The Three Gables by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Adventure Of The Creeping Man by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Adventure Of Wisteria Lodge by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Adventure Of The Dying Detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• A Study In Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Adventure Of The Mazarin Stone by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Genres

• Mystery — As a Sherlock Holmes novel, 'The Adventure of the Creeping Man' revolves around the solving of a strange puzzling case, heavily relying on intelligent and deduction skills, thus placing it squarely in the Mystery genre.
• Detective Fiction — The work prominently features Sherlock Holmes, a professional detective, and his attempts to solve the mystery, which classifies it primarily as Detective Fiction.
• Crime — The story deals with detection and investigation of a crime, making Crime a relevant genre.
• Adventure — Named 'The Adventure of the Creeping Man', the story involves an adventurous investigation, indicating the Adventure genre.

Tags

mystery · detective · Sherlock Holmes · crime · investigation · suspense · thriller · London · 19th century · science · adventure · puzzle

More by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• The Parish Magazine (1914)
• The Great Brown-Pericord Motor (1914)
• The Holocaust of Manor Place (1901)
• The Debatable Case of Mrs. Emsley (1901)
• The Love Affair of George Vincent Parker (1901)
• The Disintegration Machine (1927)
• The Bully of Brocas Court (1914)
• The Brown Hand (1914)
• All works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle