The story and its main characters attracted little public interest when it first appeared. It was published in "Beeton's Christmas Annual" for 1887. Only 11 complete copies of the Annual exist now, and they have considerable value. Although Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories about Holmes, "A Study in Scarlet" is one of only four full-length Holmes novels. The novel was followed by "The Sign of the Four", published in 1890.