MathFiction: The Valley of Fear (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Valley of Fear (1916)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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Having introduced Sherlock Holmes' most famous enemy, Professor Moriarty, as a mathematician in an earlier story, Doyle provides us with just a small glimpse of his mathematical genius (as opposed to his criminal genius) by mentioning his thesis "The Dynamics of an Asteroid" which brought him acclaim in the mathematical/astronomical community. Three other stories (by other authors) probe the content of this thesis a little further: Isaac Asimov's "The Ultimate Crime", "The Adventure of the Russian Grave" and Ruth Berman's "Professor and Colonel".

This book is available for free online at Online-Literature.Com.

Contributed by Anonymous

Contributed by the Wendell Urth Society: I recommend very highly "Sherlock Holmes as Chemist" by Isaac Asimov from his book The Roving Mind, published 1983, page 127. This is a brilliant essay on Arthur Conan Doyle's numerous bloopers in mathematics, astronomy, and chemistry in many Holmes stories, including The Valley of Fear.

More information about this work can be found at www.amazon.com.
(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)

Works Similar to The Valley of Fear

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

Adventure of the Final Problem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Musgrave Ritual by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Bishop Murder Case by S.S. van Dine (pseudonym of Willard Huntington Wright)
Holy Disorders by Edmund Crispin
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Leigh Sayers
The Beekeeper's Apprentice: Or the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. King
Murder by Mathematics by Hector Hawton
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
And Be a Villain by Rex Stout
Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins

Ratings for The Valley of Fear:

Ratings

Have you seen/read this work of mathematical fiction? Then click here to enter your own votes on its mathematical content and literary quality or send me comments to post on this Webpage.

Mathematical Content:
1/5 (3 votes)

Literary Quality:
3.67/5 (3 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Mystery,
Motif	Evil mathematicians, Sherlock Holmes,
Topic
Medium	Novels, Available Free Online,

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Where are the new works of mathematical fiction?: As you can see from this chronological listing, this database includes many works of mathematical fiction for each year from 1990 to 2025. Strangely, only two are listed for 2026, so far. Either less mathematical fiction is being published than in previous years or I'm just having more trouble finding it. If you know of any works of fiction that should be added to this list, especially recently published ones, please let me know. (Keep in mind that I do not include self-published works or children's fiction that just covers elementary mathematical concepts.) Thanks!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)