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.0000000000Sherlock Holmes is the greatest fictional detective in the world. The hero of 56 short stories and four novels, he is so convincing that letters still arrive at 221b Baker Street seeking his help, and when it was thought that he had died in his clash with the evil Professor Moriarty ('the Napoleon of Crime') young men in London wore black armbands. This handsome edition, bound in real cloth, with head and tail bands, a ribbon marker, top edge gilt and a gold-blocked jacket, presents all of the short stories, many illustrated by Sidney Paget, who prepared these drawings for the original publication in The Strand Magazine. It also contains the four novels: A Study in Scarlet in which Holmes and Dr Watson first meet, The Sign of the Four, The Valley of Fear and the chilling masterpiece The Hound of the Baskervilles.… (more)
User reviews
I've loved the Holmes stories ever since I encountered "The Speckled Band," included here, in my school text. There are wonderful stories here that still hold up after a hundred years or more. Sherlock Holmes is one of those wonderful literary creations it is a pleasure to be around. The template of the "great detective" who is all brain, just as the first person narrator and friend, John Watson has plenty of heart. My favorite stories within include "A Scandal in Bohemia" (which features the rare person who could match wits with Holmes and win, Irene Adler), "The Red-Headed League," "The Five Orange Pips"--and yes, "The Speckled Band." But there isn't one story in this book I didn't enjoy.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the most famous Sherlock Holmes novel, and certainly one of the best, the spookiest and most atmospheric, set in 1889 in the eerie moors of Devonshire. Right from the beginning we're given a demonstration of Holmes' gifts when, from a walking stick left behind by a visitor, Holmes is able to deduce a wealth of details about the man, down to the breed of his dog. Add a centuries old manor inherited by the young Sir Henry Baskerville along with a centuries old family curse involving a demon hound that has seemingly killed the previous squire, a butler and housekeeper of the manor with secrets, an escaped murderer loose upon the moor, and several suspicious neighbors: Franklin, a litigious crank with an estranged daughter, the mysterious Stapletons--and you have quite a delicious brew served up.
Who never to himself hath said,
"I love Sherlock Holmes."