Status
Available
Local notes
PB Doy
Collection
Publication
Berkley (1986), Edition: 31st Printing
Description
A collection of short stories featuring beloved detective Sherlock Holmes Originally published in 1927, these short stories represent the fifth and final collection of Arthur Conan Doyle's tales featuring Sherlock Holmes. Included are the following stories, originally published in Strand Magazine beginning in 1921 and stretching through 1927: The Adventure of the Illustrious Client The Adventure of the Blanched Solider The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone The Adventure of the Three Gables The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire The Adventure of the Three Garridebs The Problem of Thor Bridge The Adventure of the Creeping Man The Adventure of the Lion's Mane The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place The Adventure of the Retired Colourman Note: The original text contained wording and phrasing choices that represented outdated cultural beliefs related to race. Per the publisher's discretion, this audiobook edition makes minor edits to these instances to avoid perpetuating racial prejudice and stereotyping. With these texts now available in the public domain, readers are free to view the original text via sources such as Project Gutenberg, Wikisource, or Faded Page.… (more)
Subjects
Awards
Haycraft Queen Cornerstones (1927)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1921-10 to 1927-04: The Strand Magazine UK (Individual stories)
1927-06: Collection of 12 stories (Book)
Physical description
7 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member ctpress
And so, reader, farewell to Sherlock Holmes! I thank you for your past constancy, and can but hope that some return has been made in the shape of that distraction from the worries of life and stimulating change of thought which can only be found in the fairy kingdom of romance.
Arthur Conan Doyles
Yes, farewell, dear Sherlock Holmes! I have now read the entire Holmes corpus by Arthur Conan Doyle. This last collection is a worthy farewell to a great detective - and I like the variety of the cases. A rich women in peril, lovers on the run, a missing soldier, a disfigured woman, a priceless jewel and a slight touch of vampirism (which the logical thinking Holmes of course discard as superstition).
Again I like the victorian setting and atmosphere of the stories - even if they are not all clever whodunnit stories, it’s a sheer delight to see Holmes in action - and his special relationship with Dr. Watson - a touching example we find in the "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs" where Watson gets shot in the leg.
Holmes: You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!
Watson: It was worth a wound - it was worth many wounds - to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation.
Arthur Conan Doyles
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preface to “The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes”Yes, farewell, dear Sherlock Holmes! I have now read the entire Holmes corpus by Arthur Conan Doyle. This last collection is a worthy farewell to a great detective - and I like the variety of the cases. A rich women in peril, lovers on the run, a missing soldier, a disfigured woman, a priceless jewel and a slight touch of vampirism (which the logical thinking Holmes of course discard as superstition).
Again I like the victorian setting and atmosphere of the stories - even if they are not all clever whodunnit stories, it’s a sheer delight to see Holmes in action - and his special relationship with Dr. Watson - a touching example we find in the "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs" where Watson gets shot in the leg.
Holmes: You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!
Watson: It was worth a wound - it was worth many wounds - to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation.
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LibraryThing member Lukerik
So I have just finished all the Sherlock Holmes stories. What the hell am I supposed to do now?
LibraryThing member eglinton
Revel in the elegant language, arrogant sensibility, and self-assured stereotyping of late era Holmes. One can still see the appeal, as the working is well-crafted, the fabricated status quo ante of a stable elite class is reassuringly smooth, and the range of settings and locations, is pleasing.
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But the transparent simplicity of the identity of the wrongdoers does grate: they're nearly always easy to spot, and nearly always foreign. "Yes, she is very jealous - jealous with all the strength of her fiery tropical love" ("The Sussex Vmpires", p.105) is a typical piece of laugh-out-loud characterisation. But one shouldn't carp, we know what we're getting... Show Less
LibraryThing member weakley
Compared to the rest of the collected stories this one was actually pretty dark! You can tell that the world has certainly changed since the late 1880's. Crimes are more bestial...people are less noble overall. Very glad I read this one. It was kind of refreshing after reading the rest. I enjoyed
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them all, but the earlier stories have the glamour of Victoriana. These ones are closer to Micky Spillane. Show Less
LibraryThing member hashford
This product comprises a collection of 12 short detective stories across 8 CDs. This means that a story may begin and/or end in the middle of a CD. I listened to them in the car (on the daily school run) – and this didn’t particularly bother me or my daughter.
As it happens we were both new to
However we were disappointed with the reading by Derek Jacobi. Perhaps I had unrealistically high expectations but I would have expected that he could do more than one distinct upper class English accent. As it was, we found the voices of Sherlock and Watson hard to distinguish from one another.
As it happens we were both new to
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these stories (though we are avid fans of the modern tv show - Sherlock). As newcomers to the works of Conan Doyle, we were neither particularly impressed with the stories, nor disappointed with them. Homes remains an irritatingly smug character and Watson annoyingly servile; but the stories are well enough crafted and sufficiently different from each other to be interesting. Though I would say that the original isn’t a patch on the TV version!However we were disappointed with the reading by Derek Jacobi. Perhaps I had unrealistically high expectations but I would have expected that he could do more than one distinct upper class English accent. As it was, we found the voices of Sherlock and Watson hard to distinguish from one another.
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LibraryThing member mykl-s
-a year does not go by for me without rereading some Holmes
-the short stories are much better than the novels
-the short stories are much better than the novels
LibraryThing member sageness
GLBT-interest tag due both to the amazingly overt Holmes/Watson language in this collection AND to the one about the Boer War vet named Jimmie with the missing army buddy (hi, I suck at remembering titles), whom he refers to as "chum" (code in late-to-post-Victorian era for m/m friends with ss.
I'm almost amazed it passed the censors, but the roaring 20s were far more lax than the aughts.
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benefits) and whom he recruits Holmes to help him save entirely like a fairytale knight rescuing his fair princeI'm almost amazed it passed the censors, but the roaring 20s were far more lax than the aughts.
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LibraryThing member ediekm1990
I listened to this in audio version so I'm not sure if it was exactly the same. The read was done by David Timson and the stories included The Problem of Thor Bridge, The Adventure of Mazarin Stone, The Adventure of the Creeping Man, The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire, The Adventure of the Three
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Garridebs, and The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier. This was a fun audio book to listen to. Each story is like a mystery with clues that come up as the story goes on. I always found myself trying to guess what was happening before the story revealed itself. This would be a good read for middle school students and beyond. Critical thinking comes into play a lot. Show Less
LibraryThing member AliceAnna
A couple of the stories were among the best I'd read of his. A couple were among the worst. But overall, his stories are always entertaining.
LibraryThing member curlycurrie
I've watched plenty of TV adaptations but this is my first read of a Sherlock Holmes book and I was hooked. Most of the stories have such simple explanations to the mysteries they hint at. Sherlock is a genius. I'm now on the look out for more Sherlock Holmes books.
LibraryThing member OscarWilde87
It is time to bid farewell to a great literary figure. Sherlock Holmes: consulting detective and quirky mastermind. Solving problems and criminal cases merely by observation and deduction, the character of Sherlock Holmes, former resident of 221b Baker Street, has probably influenced literature for
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes is the last volume of his stories. While his cases are as usual mainly chronicled by his dear friend John Watson, this volume also features stories narrated by the detective himself. In the reading process this change in narrative perspective becomes rather obvious and emphasizes the logical way of Holmes' thinking. In comparison to Watson's narration, Holmes is very straightforward and tells everything without further ado. In one case he already gives away the solution somewhere in the middle of the story, only to remark that this would not have happened, had Watson told the story.
It is somewhat sad that there will not be any new Sherlock Holmes stories anymore after having followed him for such a long time, that is four novels and 56 short stories. Then again, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes is a worthy finish for a great series of stories. Highly recommendable, 4 stars.
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years to come. Now, he is retired.The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes is the last volume of his stories. While his cases are as usual mainly chronicled by his dear friend John Watson, this volume also features stories narrated by the detective himself. In the reading process this change in narrative perspective becomes rather obvious and emphasizes the logical way of Holmes' thinking. In comparison to Watson's narration, Holmes is very straightforward and tells everything without further ado. In one case he already gives away the solution somewhere in the middle of the story, only to remark that this would not have happened, had Watson told the story.
It is somewhat sad that there will not be any new Sherlock Holmes stories anymore after having followed him for such a long time, that is four novels and 56 short stories. Then again, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes is a worthy finish for a great series of stories. Highly recommendable, 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member amydross
This project was a bit of a slog, but I did have individual stories or elements of stories that I enjoyed all the way up through the final volume. It was interesting to see how they changed -- the stories in the final volume are *so* much more death and age and sickness focused than the earlier
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ones. Loneliness and solitude as well. From starting out as lively adventures, they take on a certain melancholy cast. Show Less
LibraryThing member loraineo
The last collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. Reprinted from the Strand Magazine. The illustrations are great.. fun to read and re read.
LibraryThing member xicanti
These twelve stories make up the final adventures of Sherlock Holmes. As I understand it, Arthur Conan Doyle eventually got so fed up with the character that he killed him off... and was met with a public outcry. He resurrected his famous sleuth for a few more cases, then let him fade into the
I had not previously read any of Doyle's shorter Holmes stories. I'd explored his supernatural fiction, (which I must say, I prefer), and I'd read THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, (which is as good as the supernatural stories), but somehow I'd never quite gotten around to the short stories that made him a household name in the first place. I'm glad I finally made the time.
I must admit, though, I mostly found myself comparing Doyle to Agatha Christie. I've read nearly everything Christie's written, and I can really see how Doyle's work influenced her. Even though I was coming to them for the first time, the structure of these stories was very familiar. Brilliant private detective with a great sense of his own importance? Check. Slightly clueless - but still useful - sidekick, with whom the brilliant detective used to share rooms? Check. Police force eager to take advantage of the brilliant detective's skills? Check.
There are differences, true, but on the whole Poirot and Hastings owe more than a little to Holmes and Watson.
The stories themselves are fun enough. You've got a good mystery of the guess-along type, all dressed up in Doyle's engaging style. They were quite entertaining, and I was frequently pleased with myself for guessing the denouement.
However, I often got the feeling that Doyle's heart wasn't in it anymore. I kept thinking about how he'd killed Holmes off. It seems to me that you don't go and kill a character off unless a) it'll tug at your readers' heartstrings, b) you're sick and tired of writing about him, or c) all of the above. Maybe I was unduly prejudiced by the bits of hearsay and the like that I've picked up on over the years, but this lack of authorial interest, (imagined or not), made it difficult for me to really engage with the stories. They were fun. I had a good time guessing along and thinking about how they fit into the mystery genre as a whole. But none of them really jumped out at me, and I feel all right about passing this along to someone else.
(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina).
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woodwork.I had not previously read any of Doyle's shorter Holmes stories. I'd explored his supernatural fiction, (which I must say, I prefer), and I'd read THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, (which is as good as the supernatural stories), but somehow I'd never quite gotten around to the short stories that made him a household name in the first place. I'm glad I finally made the time.
I must admit, though, I mostly found myself comparing Doyle to Agatha Christie. I've read nearly everything Christie's written, and I can really see how Doyle's work influenced her. Even though I was coming to them for the first time, the structure of these stories was very familiar. Brilliant private detective with a great sense of his own importance? Check. Slightly clueless - but still useful - sidekick, with whom the brilliant detective used to share rooms? Check. Police force eager to take advantage of the brilliant detective's skills? Check.
There are differences, true, but on the whole Poirot and Hastings owe more than a little to Holmes and Watson.
The stories themselves are fun enough. You've got a good mystery of the guess-along type, all dressed up in Doyle's engaging style. They were quite entertaining, and I was frequently pleased with myself for guessing the denouement.
However, I often got the feeling that Doyle's heart wasn't in it anymore. I kept thinking about how he'd killed Holmes off. It seems to me that you don't go and kill a character off unless a) it'll tug at your readers' heartstrings, b) you're sick and tired of writing about him, or c) all of the above. Maybe I was unduly prejudiced by the bits of hearsay and the like that I've picked up on over the years, but this lack of authorial interest, (imagined or not), made it difficult for me to really engage with the stories. They were fun. I had a good time guessing along and thinking about how they fit into the mystery genre as a whole. But none of them really jumped out at me, and I feel all right about passing this along to someone else.
(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina).
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LibraryThing member DanielSTJ
A final conclusion to the Sherlock Holmes stories. The prose is sharper and the stories a bit more centralized and focused, or so it seems, in this one. Good book.
3 starts.
3 starts.
LibraryThing member DrFuriosa
A fine last collection of mysteries and adventures with Sherlock Holmes.
LibraryThing member TobinElliott
This last batch of Holmes and Watson adventures, while still fun, also show the wear and tear on their author. He's really reaching in some of these.
That being said, I appreciated the different points of view some of the stories took, including the ones narrated by Holmes himself. I'd completely
Even with some of the dopey stories in this one, it still shows why Holmes and Watson have persisted in popularity to this day.
That being said, I appreciated the different points of view some of the stories took, including the ones narrated by Holmes himself. I'd completely
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forgotten Doyle did that.Even with some of the dopey stories in this one, it still shows why Holmes and Watson have persisted in popularity to this day.
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LibraryThing member leslie.98
I found this last collection of Holmes short stories uneven but on the whole worth reading. The change in perspective from the usual first person by Watson to third person to first person by Holmes was surprising but interesting.
I did dislike "The Adventure of the Creeping Man", which I found
I did dislike "The Adventure of the Creeping Man", which I found
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unconvincing and unrealistic. Show Less
LibraryThing member StephenBarkley
The Sherlock Holmes cannon is expansive. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories for his detective which have been collected into 5 books. Holmes and Watson also star in four novels including The Hound of the Baskervilles. I have started my exploration of the Holmes stories at the back
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, first published in book form in 1927, is the final collection of short stories. By this time in his career, Doyle was tired of writing Sherlock Holmes stories. He even killed his detective off in the last story in The Final Problem. No fictional character, however, is ever truly dead.
David Stuart Davies, in the afterword to this book, claims that these stories are the bottom scrapings of the barrel. The stories are not bad, "rather they are disappointing in construction and surprising in their unpleasantness. ... We can see that while some of the stories are weak in plot development they are also fascinating because of the dark and cruel nature of their content" (297).
Despite Davies' write-up, I enjoyed the stories. The darkness in content reflects the ethos of a world at war. It was also interesting to read the voice of Sherlock Holmes in two of these stories. (Typically Doyle wrote in the voice of Watson, Holmes' assistant.) Doyle did well at differentiating his perspective from Watson's in the prose.
If this is the weakest collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, I'm really going to enjoy the strong ones!
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end.The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, first published in book form in 1927, is the final collection of short stories. By this time in his career, Doyle was tired of writing Sherlock Holmes stories. He even killed his detective off in the last story in The Final Problem. No fictional character, however, is ever truly dead.
David Stuart Davies, in the afterword to this book, claims that these stories are the bottom scrapings of the barrel. The stories are not bad, "rather they are disappointing in construction and surprising in their unpleasantness. ... We can see that while some of the stories are weak in plot development they are also fascinating because of the dark and cruel nature of their content" (297).
Despite Davies' write-up, I enjoyed the stories. The darkness in content reflects the ethos of a world at war. It was also interesting to read the voice of Sherlock Holmes in two of these stories. (Typically Doyle wrote in the voice of Watson, Holmes' assistant.) Doyle did well at differentiating his perspective from Watson's in the prose.
If this is the weakest collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, I'm really going to enjoy the strong ones!
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LibraryThing member nickhoonaloon
A personal favourite I`ve revisited lately.
Personally, I prefer Sherlock in short story form, and this is probably the best introduction to him anyone could hope for. It is surprising how many of the stories in this one are not that well-known, probably because the world of TV and fim has tended
Personally, I prefer Sherlock in short story form, and this is probably the best introduction to him anyone could hope for. It is surprising how many of the stories in this one are not that well-known, probably because the world of TV and fim has tended
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to neglect this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member tuckerresearch
If you're a fan of the old Baring Gould annotated edition, or you've seen the new Norton annotated edited by Leslie Klinger, it is better to spend your cash on this set annotated by Klinger. The annotations are (semi-)proper footnotes. The slim paperbacks in the Sherlock Holmes Reference Library
The drawbacks. They are paperbacks, not hardcovers, so less durable. Published by a small outfit, there are a few typos, but maybe one every other story or so. The footnotes are great and brilliant, but as an historian I prefer a different style, though these are quite functional. The bibliography should be separated into book and article sections for ease of lookup. Also, I would prefer more discussion on the chronology of the tales, as Klinger only provides a table of chronologies for the stories at the end of the book.
The introduction was good, and at least this set is unburdened by Baring-Gould's shoddy, idiosyncratic timeline/chronology of events found in the Norton-Klinger annotated.
The "Case-Book" is often seen, and rightly so, as the worst outing in the Holmes œuvre. And they are right. Some of these stories are so bad, or told in third person, or from Holmes's point-of-view, that Sherlockians often surmise that they are forgeries by somebody, but not Watson. "Blanched Soldier," "Mazarin Stone," "Sussex Vampire," "Creeping Man," "Lion's Mane," and "Veiled Lodger" are so terrible on so many levels. Langur serum? Man, the First World War threw everyone for a loop, Doyle too. Some stories are good, like "Thor Bridge," so, it's not a total loss.
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are easier to lug around, study, and read than the comparatively incomplete Klinger-Norton annotated edition. The annotations are extensive, covering a great range of Sherlockian speculation. They are endlessly diverting and thought provoking. The bibliography is extensive and complete. The drawbacks. They are paperbacks, not hardcovers, so less durable. Published by a small outfit, there are a few typos, but maybe one every other story or so. The footnotes are great and brilliant, but as an historian I prefer a different style, though these are quite functional. The bibliography should be separated into book and article sections for ease of lookup. Also, I would prefer more discussion on the chronology of the tales, as Klinger only provides a table of chronologies for the stories at the end of the book.
The introduction was good, and at least this set is unburdened by Baring-Gould's shoddy, idiosyncratic timeline/chronology of events found in the Norton-Klinger annotated.
The "Case-Book" is often seen, and rightly so, as the worst outing in the Holmes œuvre. And they are right. Some of these stories are so bad, or told in third person, or from Holmes's point-of-view, that Sherlockians often surmise that they are forgeries by somebody, but not Watson. "Blanched Soldier," "Mazarin Stone," "Sussex Vampire," "Creeping Man," "Lion's Mane," and "Veiled Lodger" are so terrible on so many levels. Langur serum? Man, the First World War threw everyone for a loop, Doyle too. Some stories are good, like "Thor Bridge," so, it's not a total loss.
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