Status
Available
Local notes
PB Doy
Collection
Publication
BekIey (1986), 304 pages
Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. Mystery. HTML: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes collects Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first twelve short stories about his famous London detective. It begins with the first meeting of Holmes and his sidekick Watson, who narrates the stories. Doyle was the first to employ the sidekick technique, thereby creating a character in just as much suspense and awe as his readership at the mental escapades of the erratic, terrifyingly intelligent Holmes..
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1892-1897
Physical description
304 p.; 4.02 x 0.67 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member grunin
Favorite quote: "If I claim full justice for my art, it is because it is an impersonal thing—a thing beyond myself. Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell. You have degraded what should have been a course of lectures into a
(Spoiler alert: these plot summaries are to help remember which story is which.)
A Scandal in Bohemia - Holmes is asked to recover a photograph. Not much detective work here.
The Red-Headed League - Holmes is asked to look into an odd situation, and discovers a crime is being planned
A Case of Identity - A girl asks Holmes to find her missing suitor. He knows the answer immediately.
The Boscombe Valley Mystery - basic murder mystery, with an Australian connection.
The Five Orange Pips - a noir, featuring the KKK. No real detection.
The Man with the Twisted Lip - Holmes finds a missing husband.
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle - a diamond disappears, then reappears unexpectedly. Holmes tracks its path, just for fun.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band - a lady fears she is marked for death.
The Adventure of The Engineer's Thumb - no detection, just a 'guest' narrative.
The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor - Holmes finds a runaway bride.
The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet - Holmes finds some missing jewels.
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches - a woman's misgivings lead Holmes to a lady kept prisoner.
Show More
series of tales."(Spoiler alert: these plot summaries are to help remember which story is which.)
A Scandal in Bohemia - Holmes is asked to recover a photograph. Not much detective work here.
The Red-Headed League - Holmes is asked to look into an odd situation, and discovers a crime is being planned
A Case of Identity - A girl asks Holmes to find her missing suitor. He knows the answer immediately.
The Boscombe Valley Mystery - basic murder mystery, with an Australian connection.
The Five Orange Pips - a noir, featuring the KKK. No real detection.
The Man with the Twisted Lip - Holmes finds a missing husband.
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle - a diamond disappears, then reappears unexpectedly. Holmes tracks its path, just for fun.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band - a lady fears she is marked for death.
The Adventure of The Engineer's Thumb - no detection, just a 'guest' narrative.
The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor - Holmes finds a runaway bride.
The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet - Holmes finds some missing jewels.
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches - a woman's misgivings lead Holmes to a lady kept prisoner.
Show Less
LibraryThing member countrylife
Gotta love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s sense of humor. In one of the short stories in this omnibus, he has Sherlock Holmes saying to Dr. Watson, “If I claim full justice for my art, it is because it is an impersonal thing – a thing beyond myself. Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is
This little “series of tales” was my introduction to Sherlock Holmes; intriguing little stories with odd cases to solve, none of which was beyond Holmes’s logical mind. I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. It was fun to follow along and listen to ‘Watson’s interpretation’ of his thinking.
Show More
upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell. You have degraded what should have been a course of lectures into a series of tales.”This little “series of tales” was my introduction to Sherlock Holmes; intriguing little stories with odd cases to solve, none of which was beyond Holmes’s logical mind. I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. It was fun to follow along and listen to ‘Watson’s interpretation’ of his thinking.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
These are the first Sherlock Holmes short stories--twelve of them--that first appeared in the magazine The Strand from 1891 to 1892. This presents Doyle at the top of his game with Holmes, and it was one of the short stories in this volume, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" that was my
Show More
introduction to Holmes when it was assigned in school. I'd definitely name that story as a standout, although I think my favorite might very well be the first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia" where the famously misogynistic Holmes is impressed by Irene Adler who manages to outwit him--not something you'd often see. I'd also call "The Red-Headed League" among the most memorable Sherlock Holmes story, although there's not one story in this volume I didn't love. Even more than the Holmes novels, its these short stories that made me fall in love with Holmes--and his "Boswell" Doctor James Watson--Holmes friend and our narrator and sharper and more insightful in these stories than the reputation he gained from the films. Show Less
LibraryThing member Matke
A strong collection of Holmes stories, highlighted by the powerfully creepy “The Speckled Band,” the modesty gothic “The Copper Beeches,” and the delightful “A Scandal in Bohemia.”
The only story that was substandard for me was “The Blue Carbuncle,” in which the plot was too
We tend to forget how much mystery stories and novels owe to Conan Doyle. His ideas and plots are being used even today as inspiration for authors.
If you long for gas-lit London, hansom cabs, fog, and excellent detecting, try this volume, either for the first or fifth time. You’ll be glad you did.
The only story that was substandard for me was “The Blue Carbuncle,” in which the plot was too
Show More
fantastic to be believed. But even that story is full of the late Victorian atmosphere and Holmes at his best.We tend to forget how much mystery stories and novels owe to Conan Doyle. His ideas and plots are being used even today as inspiration for authors.
If you long for gas-lit London, hansom cabs, fog, and excellent detecting, try this volume, either for the first or fifth time. You’ll be glad you did.
Show Less
LibraryThing member freddiefreddie
Recently I read a Yahoo! article that stated many Brits (I forget the percentage) believe Sherlock Holmes was real. For that alone, Doyle deserves four stars. Extra star for the writing.
LibraryThing member TobinElliott
This first collection of shorter Holmes and Watson adventures is massively enjoyable.
Yes, the stories are a touch formulaic in that Holmes and Watson are typically met by a confused or panicked individual who manages to provide a completely coherent and well-observed summary of the mystery. Then
And yet, for all of that, each one is vastly entertaining and well-written. Holmes is surely one of the pinnacles of fictional characters.
Love this stuff.
Yes, the stories are a touch formulaic in that Holmes and Watson are typically met by a confused or panicked individual who manages to provide a completely coherent and well-observed summary of the mystery. Then
Show More
Holmes almost always has the answer almost immediately and heads off to confirm his theory, then there is the denouement where certain suspicions are confirmed, and Holmes walks us through his solution.And yet, for all of that, each one is vastly entertaining and well-written. Holmes is surely one of the pinnacles of fictional characters.
Love this stuff.
Show Less
LibraryThing member edgeworth
This collection contains twelve short stories regarding the famous Sherlock Holmes and his perennially flabbergasted assistant Dr. Watson, and I was only required to read one ("A Case of Identity") for my literary studies class. But since I'd bought the whole book, I figured I might as well finish
And it surprised me by being not half bad - much better than the Maltese Falcon, despite breaking the age record by another forty years. I'm actually formulating a theory about that; my edition of the Maltese Falcon was published in the 70s, while my edition of this was published in the 90s. Every book published in the 70s has a very small and irritating font, leading me to subconsciously dislike it.
Anyway.
I like the characters. They are the kind of men whom you can really picture smoking pipes and speaking to each other in verbose, quick sentences in their upper-class British accents, which appeals greatly to me for reasons I'm unsure of. There's just something loveably hilarious about those kind of people, who don't really exist anymore. The plot, as with any anthology of short stories, is sometimes good and sometimes dull. The mysteries are usually fairly interesting, and certainly paint an accurate sketch of London society in the late 19th century. I was also pleased to find that I solved some of them before they were over. It does occasionally require some suspension of disbelief, usually about Holmes' observational skills. Part of this is the abundance of clues themselves, which reminded me of Terry Pratchett's quote that "the footprints in the flowerbed were probably, in the real world, left by the window cleaner."
The other thing that irritated me was that people were constantly amazed by Holmes' skill, even Watson, who after twenty years of friendship with the detective really should have grown used to it. Worse are his Scotland Yard colleagues, who scoff at his "fanciful" solutions and insist that their solution to the crime is the correct one. In the space of a few stories it was quite easy for me to see that Sherlock Holmes is the Jack Bauer of the Victorian era: he is never, ever wrong, and if you want to solve a problem, just step aside and let him do his thing. Everyone he deals with fails to grasp such an obvious fact despite it being repeatedly shoved in their faces, and if this was typical of people at the time, then I guess I can see why the British Empire fell apart.
Fun fact: Sherlock Holmes was addicted to crack!
Show More
it off.And it surprised me by being not half bad - much better than the Maltese Falcon, despite breaking the age record by another forty years. I'm actually formulating a theory about that; my edition of the Maltese Falcon was published in the 70s, while my edition of this was published in the 90s. Every book published in the 70s has a very small and irritating font, leading me to subconsciously dislike it.
Anyway.
I like the characters. They are the kind of men whom you can really picture smoking pipes and speaking to each other in verbose, quick sentences in their upper-class British accents, which appeals greatly to me for reasons I'm unsure of. There's just something loveably hilarious about those kind of people, who don't really exist anymore. The plot, as with any anthology of short stories, is sometimes good and sometimes dull. The mysteries are usually fairly interesting, and certainly paint an accurate sketch of London society in the late 19th century. I was also pleased to find that I solved some of them before they were over. It does occasionally require some suspension of disbelief, usually about Holmes' observational skills. Part of this is the abundance of clues themselves, which reminded me of Terry Pratchett's quote that "the footprints in the flowerbed were probably, in the real world, left by the window cleaner."
The other thing that irritated me was that people were constantly amazed by Holmes' skill, even Watson, who after twenty years of friendship with the detective really should have grown used to it. Worse are his Scotland Yard colleagues, who scoff at his "fanciful" solutions and insist that their solution to the crime is the correct one. In the space of a few stories it was quite easy for me to see that Sherlock Holmes is the Jack Bauer of the Victorian era: he is never, ever wrong, and if you want to solve a problem, just step aside and let him do his thing. Everyone he deals with fails to grasp such an obvious fact despite it being repeatedly shoved in their faces, and if this was typical of people at the time, then I guess I can see why the British Empire fell apart.
Fun fact: Sherlock Holmes was addicted to crack!
Show Less
LibraryThing member anneofia
I first met Sherlock Holmes in high school, and have been on friendly terms with him ever since. The dozen stories in this book include: A Scandal in Bohemia, The Red-Headed League, A Case of Identity, The Boscombe Valley Mystery, The Five Orange Pips, The Man with the Twisted Lip, The Adventure of
Show More
the Blue Carbuncle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb, The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor, The Adventure of the Beryl Cornet, and The Adventure of the Copper Beeches. Show Less
LibraryThing member aprildt
This book consists of several bite-sized nuggets of mystery, each of the tales being 20-25 pps long. Holmes usually has the answer to the case before he hears the end of the story, and Watson always tries to be as perceptive as Holmes, but fails. However, we need Watson because he is the narrator!
Show More
I can't decide which was scarier: The Speckled Band or The Engineer's Thumb. Gripping! I am glad to have finally discovered Watson and Holmes! Show Less
LibraryThing member Andrew-theQM
I really liked this one, it had a number of interesting short stories in highlighting the skills of Sherlock Holmes. I much prefer longer novels to short stories but I did all these stories fully engaging. Onto the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes now.
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892) is the first book-length collection of Holmes short stories, they were originally published in The Strand Magazine 1891-92. Most of them have small references to other stories so there is a sense of coherence and world-building. It includes "The Adventure of
Show More
the Speckled Band" which Doyle considered his all-time favorite Holmes story. It's gaslight entertainment that evokes an age. The spooky mansions with the evil mastermind, brutish henchmen and the locked room with a mystery. Well, it's better than Saturday morning cartoons. Show Less
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
Unlike the earlier books in A.C. Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series, this is a collection of short stories about the famed detective rather than one over-arching mystery novel. It opens with a story involving the infamous Ms. Adler (who's from New Jersey!):
To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman.
Many of the adventures take place after Dr. Watson has married Miss Morstan, taken up his own residence, and returned to civil practice. Meanwhile, Holmes spends his time "buried among his old books, and alternating from week to week between cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the drug, and the fierce energy of his own keen nature."
These adventures may seem pale compared to today’s often bloody and grisly murder mysteries. Many of the cases seem rather mundane at first glance, although as Holmes points out in this conversation, the blandest-appearing mysteries often turn out to be the most complex:
“It seems, from what I gather, to be one of those simply cases which are so extremely difficult.” [Holmes]
“That sounds a little paradoxical.”
“But it is profoundly true. Singularity is almost invariably a clue. The more featureless and commonplace a crime is, the most difficult it is to bring it home.”
While it was only beginning to be alluded to in earlier two books, we see Holmes here as the master of disguise. We also learn some more about Holmes’s methods from his lips (“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.” and "I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.") as well as from Watson's observations of Holmes's work ("there was something in his masterly grasp of a situation, and his keen, incisive reasoning, which made it a pleasure to me to study his system of work, and to follow the quick, subtle methods by which he disentangled the most inextricable mysteries.")
When Doyle finishes the collection with “The Adventure of the Copper Benches,” he begins that story with a reflection again on his own writing, vis-à-vis a conversation between Holmes and Watson:
To the man who loves art for its own sake,” remarked Sherlock Holmes, tossing aside the advertisement sheet of the Daily Telegraph, “it is frequently in its least important and lowliest manifestations that the keenest pleasure is to be derived. It is pleasant to me to observe, Watson, that you have so far grasped this truth that in these little records of our cases which you have been good enough to draw up, and, I am bound to say, occasionally to embellish, you have given prominence not so much to the many causes célèbres and sensational trials in which I have figured but rather to those incidents which may have been trivial in themselves, but which have given room for those faculties of deduction and of logical synthesis which I have made my special province.”
“And yet,” said I, smiling, “I cannot quite hold myself absolved from the charge of sensationalism which has been urged against my records.”
“You have erred, perhaps,” he observed, taking up a glowing cinder with the tongs and lighting with it the long cherry-wood pipe which was wont to replace his clay when he was in a disputatious rather than a meditative mood—“you have erred perhaps in attempting to put colour and life into each of your statements instead of confining yourself to the task of placing upon record that severe reasoning from cause to effect which is really the only notable feature about the thing.”
… “At the same time,” he remarked after a pause, during which he had sat puffing at his long pipe and gazing down into the fire, “you can hardly be open to a charge of sensationalism, for out of these cases which you have been so kind as to interest yourself in, a fair proportion do not treat of crime, in its legal sense, at all. The small matter in which I endeavoured to help the King of Bohemia, the singular experience of Miss Mary Sutherland, the problem connected with the man with the twisted lip, and the incident of the noble bachelor, were all matters which are outside the pale of the law. But in avoiding the sensational, I fear that you may have bordered on the trivial.”
“The end may have been so,” I answered, “but the methods I hold to have been novel and of interest.”
All in all, this is indeed a work “of interest” despite its perhaps “trivial” mysteries. (Although I would argue that the mysteries are not trivial but rather interesting brain teasers for the armchair sleuth.) One thing I enjoyed about this book being a collection of short stories rather than a novel was that I could take my time and stretch out the enjoyment of this book by reading only a story or two at a time and then pausing to read something else before coming back to enjoy some more Holmes with another round or two. This is definitely a must-read for any Sherlock Holmes fan as well as a good introduction to the world-famous detective for others.
To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman.
Show More
I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself in a false position. He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They were admirable things for the observer—excellent for drawing the veil from men’s motives and actions. But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental results. Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his. And yet there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable memory.Many of the adventures take place after Dr. Watson has married Miss Morstan, taken up his own residence, and returned to civil practice. Meanwhile, Holmes spends his time "buried among his old books, and alternating from week to week between cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the drug, and the fierce energy of his own keen nature."
These adventures may seem pale compared to today’s often bloody and grisly murder mysteries. Many of the cases seem rather mundane at first glance, although as Holmes points out in this conversation, the blandest-appearing mysteries often turn out to be the most complex:
“It seems, from what I gather, to be one of those simply cases which are so extremely difficult.” [Holmes]
“That sounds a little paradoxical.”
“But it is profoundly true. Singularity is almost invariably a clue. The more featureless and commonplace a crime is, the most difficult it is to bring it home.”
While it was only beginning to be alluded to in earlier two books, we see Holmes here as the master of disguise. We also learn some more about Holmes’s methods from his lips (“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.” and "I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.") as well as from Watson's observations of Holmes's work ("there was something in his masterly grasp of a situation, and his keen, incisive reasoning, which made it a pleasure to me to study his system of work, and to follow the quick, subtle methods by which he disentangled the most inextricable mysteries.")
When Doyle finishes the collection with “The Adventure of the Copper Benches,” he begins that story with a reflection again on his own writing, vis-à-vis a conversation between Holmes and Watson:
To the man who loves art for its own sake,” remarked Sherlock Holmes, tossing aside the advertisement sheet of the Daily Telegraph, “it is frequently in its least important and lowliest manifestations that the keenest pleasure is to be derived. It is pleasant to me to observe, Watson, that you have so far grasped this truth that in these little records of our cases which you have been good enough to draw up, and, I am bound to say, occasionally to embellish, you have given prominence not so much to the many causes célèbres and sensational trials in which I have figured but rather to those incidents which may have been trivial in themselves, but which have given room for those faculties of deduction and of logical synthesis which I have made my special province.”
“And yet,” said I, smiling, “I cannot quite hold myself absolved from the charge of sensationalism which has been urged against my records.”
“You have erred, perhaps,” he observed, taking up a glowing cinder with the tongs and lighting with it the long cherry-wood pipe which was wont to replace his clay when he was in a disputatious rather than a meditative mood—“you have erred perhaps in attempting to put colour and life into each of your statements instead of confining yourself to the task of placing upon record that severe reasoning from cause to effect which is really the only notable feature about the thing.”
… “At the same time,” he remarked after a pause, during which he had sat puffing at his long pipe and gazing down into the fire, “you can hardly be open to a charge of sensationalism, for out of these cases which you have been so kind as to interest yourself in, a fair proportion do not treat of crime, in its legal sense, at all. The small matter in which I endeavoured to help the King of Bohemia, the singular experience of Miss Mary Sutherland, the problem connected with the man with the twisted lip, and the incident of the noble bachelor, were all matters which are outside the pale of the law. But in avoiding the sensational, I fear that you may have bordered on the trivial.”
“The end may have been so,” I answered, “but the methods I hold to have been novel and of interest.”
All in all, this is indeed a work “of interest” despite its perhaps “trivial” mysteries. (Although I would argue that the mysteries are not trivial but rather interesting brain teasers for the armchair sleuth.) One thing I enjoyed about this book being a collection of short stories rather than a novel was that I could take my time and stretch out the enjoyment of this book by reading only a story or two at a time and then pausing to read something else before coming back to enjoy some more Holmes with another round or two. This is definitely a must-read for any Sherlock Holmes fan as well as a good introduction to the world-famous detective for others.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bleached
In high school, I read a dumbed-down version of the Hound of Baskerville which I found very lacking. It wasn't until I discovered the editing of Holmes' cocaine usage and the real nature of his witty dialogue that I really became interested in his detective stories (not to mention the fact that the
I was not disappointed in the slightest. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a fabulous collection filled with suspense, suspicion, and supposition to the truest form and, in my opinion, been the inspiration for not only CSI but most characters and situations permeating our culture.
Show More
stereotype of Sherlock Holmes portrayed in modern culture is completely obscured). When the movie came out (in which Robert Downey Jr. was the most true and exquisite Holmes), I was convinced that I needed to take the time to sit down the the actual novels and read them through.I was not disappointed in the slightest. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a fabulous collection filled with suspense, suspicion, and supposition to the truest form and, in my opinion, been the inspiration for not only CSI but most characters and situations permeating our culture.
Show Less
LibraryThing member barpurple
I love Sherlock Holmes and can happily re-read this book again and again. Although the settings and stories are familiar to me each time I read it I find something different stands out, so I have a sightly altered view of the great consulting detective each time. Conan Doyle's writing absorbs me
The font size in this edition is a bit small, but once you're into the stories you don't notice. A well lit room is a good idea though so you don't end up with an eye strain headache.
Show More
into Victorian London to the point where I will find myself using his syntax and words in my speach for days after I've turned the final page.The font size in this edition is a bit small, but once you're into the stories you don't notice. A well lit room is a good idea though so you don't end up with an eye strain headache.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lkmuir
He's rude, arrogant, cold, unfriendly, and easily bored. But nobody minds, because Sherlock Holmes is a genius at solving mysteries. This collection of some of Holmes's most intriguing cases includes unabridged tales of blackmail, lost fortunes, and, of course, murder.
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
If you've ever read Sherlock Holmes, you don't need me to tell you how brilliant this collection of stories is. It has most of my favourites: A Scandal in Bohemia, The Adventure of the Red-Headed League, The Five Orange Pips, The Man with the Twisted Lip and The Adventure of the Speckled Band. The
Sherlock Holmes is, far and away, my favorite all-time literary character and I never get tired of reading him; Watson... ok, if I read too many stories in a row I want to throttle Watson because surely he can't be that obtuse all the time? But he's a big teddy bear and someone needs to play the straight man to Holmes' brilliance.
Show More
rest are all great too, but those have always been the stories I remember, even after reading the entire collection at least half a dozen times.Sherlock Holmes is, far and away, my favorite all-time literary character and I never get tired of reading him; Watson... ok, if I read too many stories in a row I want to throttle Watson because surely he can't be that obtuse all the time? But he's a big teddy bear and someone needs to play the straight man to Holmes' brilliance.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dragonasbreath
Holmes is ALWAYS worth a read.
LibraryThing member lahochstetler
I had previously read Holmes in novel-length, but this is the first I've read Holmes in short form. The shorter form really seems to suit the larger-than-life character that is Sherlock Holmes. Holmes's quirks and ego, and Watson's sycophantic toadying are far more tolerable in smaller doses.
It's possible for the reader who attends to the details to figure out the solution to many of these cases, generally at least, if not in all the details. The stories in this volume are just the right length to be suspenseful without being stale. It is easy to see why these detective stories have withstood the test of time.
Show More
Holmes's deductive reasoning is also on full display in these short tales, as attention to the details leads him to the solution, which is always "really rather simple, Watson!" It's possible for the reader who attends to the details to figure out the solution to many of these cases, generally at least, if not in all the details. The stories in this volume are just the right length to be suspenseful without being stale. It is easy to see why these detective stories have withstood the test of time.
Show Less
LibraryThing member 391
This is the first volume of short stories, containing the stories written after the Sign of Four and published in the Strand. Doyle's style is enhanced, I think, by the abbreviated style - The Sign of Four and A Study in Scarlet both had the same problem with dragging and tedious narrative in the
Doyle has an excellent turn for description; "All day the wind had screamed and the rain had beaten against the windows, so that even here in the heart of great, hand-made London we were forced to raise our minds for the instant from the routine of life and to recognise the presence of those great elemental forces which shriek at mankind through the bars of his civilisation, like untamed beasts in a cage."
Some of my favorites in this collection are The Adventure of the Red-Headed League (hilarious!), The Adventure of the Speckled Band, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches and The Boscombe Valley Mystery, which are all rife with an intriguing mystery and dramatic intent. We see the extent to which Holmes has come to depend on Watson, as well, and are introduced to more of the man's peculiar habits - cocaine, bending steel pokers, and loitering in opium dens which makes for a hilarious opening sequence (even in a rather lackluster story).
Show More
second act, while the short stories simply have no room for wandering digression. They still aren't at top form, though, I think, though they are fabulous. Doyle has an excellent turn for description; "All day the wind had screamed and the rain had beaten against the windows, so that even here in the heart of great, hand-made London we were forced to raise our minds for the instant from the routine of life and to recognise the presence of those great elemental forces which shriek at mankind through the bars of his civilisation, like untamed beasts in a cage."
Some of my favorites in this collection are The Adventure of the Red-Headed League (hilarious!), The Adventure of the Speckled Band, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches and The Boscombe Valley Mystery, which are all rife with an intriguing mystery and dramatic intent. We see the extent to which Holmes has come to depend on Watson, as well, and are introduced to more of the man's peculiar habits - cocaine, bending steel pokers, and loitering in opium dens which makes for a hilarious opening sequence (even in a rather lackluster story).
Show Less
LibraryThing member kingoftheicedragons
I remembered reading the Hound of the Baskervilles when I was younger, and remembered that I liked it. Also, Sherlock Holmes has been an interest of mine since childhood, despite not having read many of his stories. So when I found The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes as a free e-book, I downloaded it
I must say that I have had some mixed opinions about the book. The fact that it, like many of the Sherlock Holmes stories, are told from the point of view of Watson instead of from the third person perspective diminishes the book to some degree. The author in essence took the easy way out of telling detective stories from the point of view from someone who doesn't know about solving mysteries--in other words, the author--Sir Conan Doyle--apparently did not know about what he was writing about. Mysteries were being solved sometimes as quickly as he was being given the facts--and there were quite a few facts that the reader is never given but yet what Sherlock Holmes apparently "knew."
I'm someone who likes to try to solve the mystery along the way as I'm reading, and with most of the stories, that just isn't possible. With the exception of the last story in the book, which I would have to say is my favorite, which can be solved easily by reading it. Maybe that means it's too predictable or the plot has been overdone many times throughout the years, I don't know.
In these stories, you will find the story of the women who was able to defeat Sherlock Holmes, the mention of his drug addiction, as well as his axom of "once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, most be the truth."
Show More
and read it. I must say that I have had some mixed opinions about the book. The fact that it, like many of the Sherlock Holmes stories, are told from the point of view of Watson instead of from the third person perspective diminishes the book to some degree. The author in essence took the easy way out of telling detective stories from the point of view from someone who doesn't know about solving mysteries--in other words, the author--Sir Conan Doyle--apparently did not know about what he was writing about. Mysteries were being solved sometimes as quickly as he was being given the facts--and there were quite a few facts that the reader is never given but yet what Sherlock Holmes apparently "knew."
I'm someone who likes to try to solve the mystery along the way as I'm reading, and with most of the stories, that just isn't possible. With the exception of the last story in the book, which I would have to say is my favorite, which can be solved easily by reading it. Maybe that means it's too predictable or the plot has been overdone many times throughout the years, I don't know.
In these stories, you will find the story of the women who was able to defeat Sherlock Holmes, the mention of his drug addiction, as well as his axom of "once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, most be the truth."
Show Less
LibraryThing member callmecordelia1912
Sherlock Holmes posses an uncanny knowledge of almost everything, which allows him to see through every case. My personal favorite of the short stories was A Scandal in Bohemian, featuring the only woman to ever outsmart Sherlock Holmes...while The Adventure of the Speckled Band kept me on the edge
Show More
of my seat. This is a must read for any mystery fan. 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, though "be" was used for "he" twice in "The Copper Beeches." 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.
Show More
are easier to lug around, study, and read than the comparitavely 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, though "be" was used for "he" twice in "The Copper Beeches." 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.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Neale
Short stories that are about non-murder mysteries on the whole and are enjoyable to read if not for the pre-1900 descriptions, but for Sherlock's deductions. An Australian link to one of the stories as well.
LibraryThing member LisaMorr
This is an omnibus edition that includes A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of the Four, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. This was one of those books that I was wondering if I had read as a kid, but when I got into I found that I definitely had not. It's one that I
I did enjoy reading this collection of mysteries. The first mystery, A Study in Scarlet, was quite long and involved, and included a mini-story that took place in Utah and involved Mormons. I was really surprised by that, and as I started to read the section in Utah, I was pretty confused wondering what is this story doing here and how is it connected - even wondering if maybe my copy of this book was mis-printed! But then it started to make sense. I will say that Doyle treated the Mormons with a great deal of suspicion.
The second mystery, The Sign of the Four, was also long, involving 12 chapters. This was a pretty good mystery also, involving a back story of events in India.
The rest of this volume included 24 short mysteries. I liked some more than others, but I would say that they were all good. One thing about all of these stories is that you don't see everything that Sherlock sees, so you can't often solve the whole puzzle, but you can make some good guesses sometimes.
Out of the short stories, my favorites were The Red-Headed League, The Five Orange Pips, The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb, The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet, The Stockbroker's Clerk, The Musgrave Ritual and The Final Problem (introducing us to the infamous Professor Moriarty).
I enjoyed learning both about Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes - their particular idiosyncracies and such.
I definitely recommend this!
Show More
kept by my bedside, reading a chapter - which was usually one case - at a time.I did enjoy reading this collection of mysteries. The first mystery, A Study in Scarlet, was quite long and involved, and included a mini-story that took place in Utah and involved Mormons. I was really surprised by that, and as I started to read the section in Utah, I was pretty confused wondering what is this story doing here and how is it connected - even wondering if maybe my copy of this book was mis-printed! But then it started to make sense. I will say that Doyle treated the Mormons with a great deal of suspicion.
The second mystery, The Sign of the Four, was also long, involving 12 chapters. This was a pretty good mystery also, involving a back story of events in India.
The rest of this volume included 24 short mysteries. I liked some more than others, but I would say that they were all good. One thing about all of these stories is that you don't see everything that Sherlock sees, so you can't often solve the whole puzzle, but you can make some good guesses sometimes.
Out of the short stories, my favorites were The Red-Headed League, The Five Orange Pips, The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb, The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet, The Stockbroker's Clerk, The Musgrave Ritual and The Final Problem (introducing us to the infamous Professor Moriarty).
I enjoyed learning both about Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes - their particular idiosyncracies and such.
I definitely recommend this!
Show Less
LibraryThing member WhatTheDickens
I like the way that Doyle sets a scene. When reading each short story I really feel like I am right there in 19th century London with Holmes and Watson, safe in the confines of 221B Baker Street. When compared to most modern mystery writers, Holmes mysteries are fairly low on drama . . . more like
Show More
interesting puzzles to be solved by the ever intriguing and eccentric Holmes. Especially enjoyed the character development of Holmes and Watson throughout the series of short stories/ Show Less
Similar in this library
Pages
304