Conan Doyle was not convinced to truly resurrect Holmes until two years later. In 1901, The Strand ran a new Holmes serial, the nine-part Hound of the Baskervilles.
Over 20,000 people cancelled their subscriptions to The Strand Magazine, whose staff referred to Holmes's death as 'the dreadful event.' Arthur Conan Doyle had tired of his most popular creation, and was occupied with his first wife, who was gravely ill with tuberculosis. As they read 'The Final Problem,' readers were outraged to discover that their beloved character had apparently died while struggling with his nemesis Moriarty at the edge of a cliff. In December 1893, 'The Final Problem' appeared in The Strand Magazine, signaling the start of eight long years without a new Holmes story. An illustration from Collier's Weekly, February, 1904
