The Adventure of the Cardboard Box

His Last Bow #2

by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventure of the Cardboard Box By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Detective

26 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1893

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Cushing bekommt ein Paket zugeschickt mit zwei abgetrennten menschlichen Ohren!
Während Scotland Yard an einen Scherz glaubt, gehen Holmes´ Überlegungen in eine ganz andere Richtung...
Das hat wieder viel Spaß gemacht! Ich mag Sherlock Holmes und seine gescheiten Überlegungen! :)

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evidently this is one of the Sherlock Holmes stories used in the 1990s Jeremy Brett TV miniseries but I don’t remember it at all. The story revolves around a box delivered to a respectable spinster lady (50 years old). That box has two recently severed human ears in it. I’m surprised I didn’t remember that! It could be because the story doesn’t involve a trip to a country house or an interview of a pretty lady at 221 B Baker St.

Holmes reads a brief story in the daily paper and tells Watson about the woman receiving ears in the mail. Before long, Inspector Lastrade shows up to secure expert help from Holmes and Watson. He merely wants confirmation for his theory that it was a bad joke perpetrated by medical students. Holmes thinks otherwise. The crime is more than a joke and involves a complicated sisterly relationship, adultery and revenge. The fact that it takes place in South London and among working class people at a seaport makes it a little unusual for this series. Once Holmes digs into the facts a little bit it becomes fairly obvious.

[Charles van Buren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of free Kindle edition
A Public Domain Book
Publication date: May 12, 2012
Language: English
ASIN: B0082XIB2Q
27 pages

A simple case which Holmes solves very quickly. The remaining roughly 50% of the story consists of Holmes explaining his reasoning to Watson and of the criminal's statement as to why he did it.

[Aishu Rehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventures of the cardboard box by sir Arthur Conan Doyle is an excellent story or I must say an excellent short & sweet story with world's best detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.

The story begins by the scene that Sherlock Holmes is laying on the sofa and Dr Watson is lost in thought then Sherlock Holmes is reading something and while reading he told Dr Watson what he ( Watson ) was thinking.

Inspector Lestrade got a case in which Miss Susan Cushing received a parcel and when she opened it, she found two severed human ears.

During investigation she told Lestrade that she suspects three medical students. But when Lestrade found no way to solve the case then he called Sherlock Holmes and asked him to join the case.

Sherlock Holmes did his investigation and found that its a serious crime. With his excellent observations and a few questions to Miss Susan Cushing he was able to solve the case. He wrote something on the paper and give it to Lestrade and requested him that he didn't attach his name in investigation.

Brilliant dialogues with superb characters like Susie, Sarah, Marry and Jim and offcourse Sherlock Holmes and Watson, this is a good read.

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting how this story didn't find its place in the early versions of the Memoirs.
The plot is not necessarily the brightest one, but Holmes does a really good job.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a lady receives a cardboard box in the post, containing two severed human ears, Sherlock Holmes & Doctor Watson leave the oppressive heat of their Baker Street lodgings for another fascinating adventure.
It's always good to revisit a Holmes story, especially one I've not read for a long time. Like most of Conan Doyle's writing the author gives you more entertainment in a short story than others manage in a whole novel.

[Yasaman A · Rating 3 out of 5]

بچه تر که بودم همیشه داستانای شرلوک هولمز شگفت زده م می کرد. اینم از آفتای بزرگ شدنه که حالا می تونم خیلی از قسمتای داستانو جلو جلو حدس بزنم و نمی تونم اون لذت سابقو از کتابای شرلوک هولمز ببرم.
فکر می کنم خوندن تمام این کتابای پلیسی و دیدن این همه سریال جنایی، داره از تک تک ما یه شرلوک هولمز می سازه

[Veromika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just like Holmes, I would choose to be only associated with those crime (stories) which present some difficulty in their solution.
Of course, Holmes and Watson are endearing, and the little quirks of Doyle's writing prevail, but the case itself was so utterly uninteresting and contained so little suspense that I deplored having ever picked it up.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. A different one from Doyle. More like a 'how-the-culprit-did-it,' than a 'who-dun-it.' Short too - just 21 pages. Two severed ears in a carboard box were sent to Miss Susan Cushing. The suspect becomes apparent before the half way mark, and our favourite detective is not reluctant to divulge his thinking, something he's often warry of doing especially to Dr. Watson. When the good doctor queries him about the case, Holmes responds, "It is fairly complete in essentials." Watson then asks, "I presume that this XX is the [person] you suspect?" "Oh! it is more than a suspicion." I found it amusing that even Watson got it right on the first try. As I did and surely you will too. But proving guilt is the issue. I liked the change in approach. Similar to Edgar Allan Poe who was writing 45 years before Doyle, Poe was the 19th century's model for detective fiction, the author can't stop himself from throwing in a demonstration up front of Sherlock Holme's talent. For Poe, it was his erudition. Here Doyle shows how Holmes can read a subject's mind, Watson's of course. By the way the doctor was later portrayed on screen, possibly that wasn't so difficult! Enjoy. I did. (Jul2024/May2025)

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 2 out of 5]

Text and audio in Portuguese. Too much talk and explanations, and little action. I watched the TV series with Jeremy Brett, read some Sherlock Holmes abridged adventures in English for foreign and I found Arthur Doyle short stories wonderful. But now that I'm read this unabridged text translated for Portuguese, it isn't so much interesting as I thought.

[Mohamed Shoaib · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصة لطيفة بقضية غير معقدة ممتعة لكن ليسترد كالعادة لم يكن ليحلها لولا وجود شيرلوك

[Wissal H · Rating 4 out of 5]

"لغز الطرد البريدي" هو قصة قصيرة مكتوبة من قبل آرثر كونان دويل، وهو كاتب اسكتلندي مشهور.

القصة هي واحدة من القصص القصيرة التي تضم المحقق الشهير شيرلوك هولمز. في هذه القصة، يطلب من هولمز حل لغز غامض حول طرد بريدي تم سرقته.

هولمز، بفضل مهاراته التحليلية والاستنتاجية، ينجح في حل اللغز واكتشاف هوية اللص. القصة تتميز بكتابة دويل الجذابة والغامضة، وتقدم نظرة ثاقبة على أسلوب هولمز في التحقيق.

"لغز الطرد البريدي" هو قصة قصيرة رائعة للمحبيين للروايات التحقيقية والغامضة، ويقدم نظرة ثاقبة على شخصية هولمز وطريقة تفكيره.

[itsdanixx · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" is the second story in the His Last Bow: 8 Stories story collection, the eighth publication in the Sherlock Holmes series.

Holmes investigates the case of a woman who has received two freshly-severed human ears in a cardboard box delivered to her house.

An enjoyable story in typical Holmesian fashion.

[Peyman Haghighattalab · Rating 3 out of 5]

من تو داستان خوندن آدم ته ماجرا چی میشه نیستم. زیاد برام مهم نیست آخر ماجرا کی قاتله کی فریب خورده کی دوز و کلک. اگه همچه نگاهی داشتم یحتمل این مجموعه داستان کوتاه زیاد برام غافل گیرکننده نمی بود. ولی برای من همیشه فرآینده و چینش و علت و معلول ها و روندها جذابه. این که اول چی شد بعد چی شد و کی چی حس کرد و چه چرخه هایی تکرار شد تو داستان خوندنه برام جذابه.
جذاب ترین ویژگی این کتاب برام نوع نگاه استنتاجی شرلوک هلمز بود. این که همه چیز پر از نشانه است و نشانه ها هستند که باید کشف شوند و از روی نشانه هاست که می شود روندها را فهمید. گاهی اوقات به اغراق می زد همچه شیوه ی نگرشی. ولی دوست داشتنی بود.

[Arwa Saraireh · Rating 3 out of 5]

فالعادة ما كان يقال " من تدخل فيما لا يعنيه، نال مالا يرضيه" ، لكن للأسف ما يحصل هو أن من تدخل فيما لا يعنيه يتسبب بالضرر و الأسى للأخرين، و ينالوا مما لا يرضيهم أضعاف ما نال هو

[Mahdis · Rating 5 out of 5]

فکر نمیکردم انقد خوندن شرلوک هلمز لذت بخش باشهه

[Mary ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars

TW: murder, alchoholism, emotional abuse

Sherlock Holmes classes were an absolute bliss, and more stories are coming!

[Ehsan'Shokraie' · Rating 5 out of 5]

همه داستان ها بسیار زیبا,اشنا و لذت بخش نوشته شده..یه حس خیلی خوب رو میده برای بعد از ظهر های معمولی..ارتور کونان دویل یه دنیای کوچیک اما جذاب رو ساخته..و شخصیت شرلوک هولمز خداست..
جالبه که گاهی نویسنده نمیتونه بهترین مخلوق خودش رو دوست داشته باشه!

[Dhia Nouioui · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this story a little too far fetched. If I could give this book zero stars, I would.

[Jaksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting tale from either The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, or His Last Bow. (Different stories appeared in diff. volumes in England and the US.)

A middled-aged, placid, and kindaboring English woman receives a box with two severed ears in it. Of course Lestrade, both puzzled and somewhat amused by all this, brings the matter to the attention of Sherlock. With dazzling insight and a thorough inspection of the weird items, Mr. Holmes pretty much solves the problem. (Also with a bit of information gathered from questioning the woman.) A few runs here and there, an errand or two and he is proven right.

This story was slightly scandalous at the time, as it involved some illicit goings-on, something which didn't appear in stories 'written for boys.' But I suppose as adults got in on the action (as we adults will do, often taking over entertainment 'meant for children' as our own), Sir Arthur upped the ante, so to speak.

Oh, what wild ones those late Victorians be!

Three stars

[Amira Mahmoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

أنبهرت جداً بقدرته على إختراق أفكار صديقه "واطسون" في بدايه القصة ^_^
رائعة ,ككل قصص شيرلوك هولمز :)

[MD Mostafijur Rahaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

ছোটো গল্প ★★★★

[Saba jahangiriyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان‌های شرلوک هلمز همیشه با هیجانات خاص خودش همراهه اما از اونجایی که داستان‌ها کوتاه هستن کمی پرونده‌ها ساده‌ترن اما هنوز جذابن.
و البته ترجمه بسیار دقیق مترجم و پانویس‌های عالی و به‌جاشون مسائل رو خیلی بهتر توضیح می‌داد.
خسته نباشید می‌گم بهشون.

[ESRAA MOHAMED · Rating 3 out of 5]

تستقبل سيدة طرد بريدي مرعب يحتوي على أذنين بشريتين.
تظهر قدرات شيرلوك هولمز في الكشف عن جريمة مفجعة نتيجة الحقد والغيرة والشك.
العبرة المهمة من القصة لم تكن حل الجريمة فقط ولكن فكرة أن يغدر بك أقرب الناس إليك.

استمتعوا...
دمتم قراء…❤❤❤

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars & 4/10 hearts. This story has always intrigued and fascinated me even as it saddened me. I really liked the main character and felt that it isn’t totally his fault he ended up as he did... He made his choices and so did M., but it was S. who did the trouble and was the real villain. That aside, I loved Sherlock + Lestrade + Watson in this one—with Lestrade completely disbelieving but coming around at the right time, and Sherlock enjoying himself solving a little problem instead of lying on his sofa. Overall, I find this story very interesting to read and ponder over, although it probably isn’t for everyone. Recommended ages: 18+

Content: Smoking, swearing, drinking, violence, & conjugal issues (not actually detailed). Specified: WARNING! MASSIVE SPOILERS! A man is married and his sister-in-law falls in love with him. When he throws her off, she revenges herself by making his wife suspicious of them and then introducing her to another man. The wife ends up falling in love with the other man, and is actually caught alone with him, upon which her husband swears to kill her if he finds that again. When he sees them gallivanting off once more, he murders them and sends their ears to the sister-in-law. He expresses extreme remorse when caught.

A Favourite Quote: “We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind, which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘In accordance with the scheme which we had formed in order to test our theories’ [the ‘we’ is rather fine, Watson, is it not?] ‘I went down to the Albert Dock yesterday at 6 p.m…. The affair proves, as I always thought it would, to be an extremely simple one, but I am obliged to you for assisting me in my investigation. With kind regards, yours very truly, G. Lestrade.’ Hum! The investigation really was a very simple one,” remarked Holmes, “but I don’t think it struck him in that light when he first called us in.

[Saman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Susan Cushing of Cross Street, Croydon receives a cardboard box sent by post from Belfast. On opening the box she was horrified to find two human ears, freshly severed, inside it. Is it a practical joke or a serious crime?
Miss Susan has two younger sisters, Sarah and Mary. Mary got married to a steward, Jim Browner and resides at Liverpool. Miss Sarah has once been intimate with Jim when she had gone to stay with the Browners, until recently, when a quarrel divided them and she returned to Croydon to stay with her elder sister.
Once again Lestrade has asked for Sherlock's assistance in the case. Whose ears have been severed? Was it sent to Miss Susan or to someone else?
The story ends with an unexpected turn of events which was both startling and astonishing.

[Zainab Al saba'a · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What is the meaning of it, Watson?” said Holmes solemnly as he laid down the paper. “What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear? It must tend to some end, or else our uni- verse is ruled by chance, which is unthinkable. But what end? There is the great standing perennial problem to which human reason is as far from an answer as ever.”

Sad story. What a pity :(

[زهراء · Rating 4 out of 5]

(( ما معنى هذا يا واطسون ؟ ما الهدف من دائرة البؤس و العنف و الخوف ؟ يجب أن ينتهي هذا إلى خاتمة ما ، و لكن أي خاتمة ؟ هذه هي المشكلة الكبرى الخالدة التي لم يستطع العقل الإنساني الإجابة عليها منذ الأزل )) .

خاتمة أخرى لمغامرة أخرى تقابلها متعة أخرى .
إن آرثر كونن دويل لا يعطيك الفرصة لتختار فتجد نفسك مرغما على الإعجاب بشخصية بطله شارلوك هولمز .

[Walaa Fathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

أعجبني سلاسة الأحداث وتتبعها وبساطتها ، الحبكة جاءت سريعة ولكنني من خلالها توقعّت بأن القاتل هو زوج أختهم كما بينت النتائج.. كان من الممكن أن تُكتب الخاتمة بشكلٍ أفضل.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second short story in His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle. A woman receives a cardboard box in the mail, and in it are two severed ears. Sherlock Holmes is on the case. Interesting mystery.