The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' is a collection of twelve short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In general, the stories identify, and deal with, social injustices. Holmes is portrayed as offering a new, fairer sense of justice. The stories were well received, and boosted the subscriptions figures of The Strand Magazine, prompting Doyle to be able to demand more money for his next set of stories. The first story, 'A Scandal in Bohemia', includes the character of Irene Adler, who, despite being featured only within this one story by Doyle, is a prominent character in modern Sherlock Holmes adaptations, generally as a love interest for Holmes. Doyle included four of the twelve stories from this collection in his twelve favorite Sherlock Holmes stories, choosing 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' as his overall favorite.