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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I've kept a copy of this book in the glove compartments of several cars over the decades. If I ever got stuck waiting somewhere, whether it be a job interview, appointment or pickup, I knew I could pick up Sherlock Holmes, start anywhere and enjoy. I've read every story several times but it never loses its charm.
Stephen Fry is unbeatable for audio books. Absolutely amazing
My mom hates children’s TV shows, so while I was growing up, I mostly watched HER shows: “Star Trek: Next Generation” and Granada Television’s production of “Sherlock Holmes”. I think it might be where my weakness for Victoriana and highly intelligent and sarcastic men comes from, because I was head over heels for Jeremy Brett. I apparently asked for a deerstalking hat and violin lessons for Christmas, due to overexposure to the show… But being an industrious bookworm, I quickly got my hands on a copy of the massive “Complete Sherlock Holmes” and kept it as my bedside table book for years: that copy recently fell to pieces form overuse and I had to replace it with a sturdy leather-bound edition.
Besides the obvious emotional attachment I have for these stories, as they have accompanied me as a comfort read since I was about 10 years old, I am always impressed by how timeless the writing is. Unlike his very comical “Lost World”, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave the world a collection of stories that always feel fresh with the Holmesian canon: the prose style is clean and never feels dated, the universality of motives behind the crimes investigated by Holmes still ring true, and the characterization of the famous detective and his faithful companion Dr. Watson has risen to an almost mythical level: readers believed in them at the time of the original publication, and modern readers are dying to believe in them now.
The four novels are slightly longer commitments than the short stories, but they are so well constructed, and often genuinely funny and/or scary, so the hugeness of the book shouldn’t discourage you. I have my favorites, obviously, that I can re-read over and over without ever getting bored:
• A Study in Scarlett
• The Hounds of the Baskervilles
• The Sign of Four
• Scandal in Bohemia
• The Blue Carbuncle
• The Copper Beeches
• The Musgrave Ritual
• The Crooked Man
• The Final Problem
• The Solitary Cyclist
• The Dancing Men
• The Six Napoleons
• The Devil’s Foot
Sherlock Holmes’s investigation taught me that a sharp mind is one of the greatest asset a person can have. He also made the word “exceedingly” part of my day-to-day vocabulary. For any reader who enjoys cleverness and adventure!
Besides the obvious emotional attachment I have for these stories, as they have accompanied me as a comfort read since I was about 10 years old, I am always impressed by how timeless the writing is. Unlike his very comical “Lost World”, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave the world a collection of stories that always feel fresh with the Holmesian canon: the prose style is clean and never feels dated, the universality of motives behind the crimes investigated by Holmes still ring true, and the characterization of the famous detective and his faithful companion Dr. Watson has risen to an almost mythical level: readers believed in them at the time of the original publication, and modern readers are dying to believe in them now.
The four novels are slightly longer commitments than the short stories, but they are so well constructed, and often genuinely funny and/or scary, so the hugeness of the book shouldn’t discourage you. I have my favorites, obviously, that I can re-read over and over without ever getting bored:
• A Study in Scarlett
• The Hounds of the Baskervilles
• The Sign of Four
• Scandal in Bohemia
• The Blue Carbuncle
• The Copper Beeches
• The Musgrave Ritual
• The Crooked Man
• The Final Problem
• The Solitary Cyclist
• The Dancing Men
• The Six Napoleons
• The Devil’s Foot
Sherlock Holmes’s investigation taught me that a sharp mind is one of the greatest asset a person can have. He also made the word “exceedingly” part of my day-to-day vocabulary. For any reader who enjoys cleverness and adventure!
Five stars, though I must say this book is not quite so thought provoking as I would've liked it to be for such a rating. These are absolutely amazing stories, but contain very few metaphors, creative diction, and other compositions of great literary works that I had expected to be contained in Doyle's stories.
Many of Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle's novels were composed of as much backstory as there was the point of view of Watson. At first, I found this occurrence to be quite irksome, as I hadn't much cared for the story of the life of either the deceased or the murderer. But, as I continued to read these novels, I found that such backstories added a delightful dimension that was not present in the completely analytical mind of Holmes (even as it was sightly softened through the eyes of his dear friend Watson).
As for the short stories, I had trouble at first attach myself to the personas of the clients, as the characters were quite flat and static in the reader's point of view. (Though don't make the mistake for a second that I had not immediately became enthralled by the personalities of Sherlock and Watson, for I've loved each of these characters dearly from the start). But, as I continued to read the many volumes of compilations, I found that such secondary characters as Holmes' customers were, were designed not only to take on whatever personality could be formed by the imagination of the reader, but were also forced to be bland so as to allow for the cunning personality of Holmes to take precedent. Many of these cases were well thought-out, nearly conceivable crimes. Some were a bit hard to swallow, but all-in-all, I believe that the author did a magnificent job in describing the steps of observation and reasoning needed to make such cases conceivable.
I would've like further variation between stories, as their seemed to be a number of annoyingly similar burglaries, but not a single case of kidnapping. Furthermore, I found that there was an obnoxious number of cases whose motive simply lied in the explanation of love, an occurrence likely common in real life, but to me seemed merely a simple explanation to a tired Arthur Conan Doyle. These repetitions may have very well been a consequence of the popularity of the stories in the eyes of the public during the time of their publishing, as the author needed to created such plots in quantity rather than quality as the love of the novels increased. But, whatever the case, I found that I wish the creativity which had enthralled readers during the start of the novels and stories would've lasted to the end of the series.
Another component which I wished might've lasted to the end of the series was a common villain. Yes, yes, I understand that *crime* is the one and only villain to the Sherlock Holmes. But, I was under the impression (perhaps naively) that Moriarty was a central figure and opponent to the detective. This was not so. Though Moriarty and his web of fiends was mentioned many a time, I found that in a mere single story did the villain ever present himself fully, and there were very few actual villains who sought to stop the ways of the detective. This was a bit of a disappointment to me, for I would've loved to seen some over-arching conflicts that connected each of the short stories. In my opinion, such a component would have allowed the series to flow much more fluidly than they had, even if this precluded the existence of stand-alones.
Another point which I wish to address is the personality of Holmes and Watson. Having guiltily watched a multitude of TV shows based on such a beloved character before the reading of such stories, I had a fixed image in my mind of what the famed Sherlock Holmes should be. He should be a character of grace, spontaneous outbursts, and an unexplained indifference to the rest of the human race. He should be distant from his family, for his obsessive (nearly sociopathic) tendencies have estranged him from all of society except the unfazed Dr. Watson. But, such qualities were not found to be so.
Yes, Holmes was found to have exhibited many oddities throughout the novels, and through the eyes of Watson he did indeed portray a sense of cool apathy, but he acted on far more emotional and moral ideals in resolving decisions than seemed to match the widespread idea of what the detective should be (in my opinion at least). Furthermore, Watson was much more docile than I would've expected him to behave as well. Would a man so often ridiculed and tricked through arrogant portrays of intelligence so kindly offer praise to he who had treated him so? I would've liked to have seen more human outbursts from Dr. Watson, more examples of a realistic reaction. But once again, Holmes was far more amiable than I would have expected him to be, so I suppose it is only reasonable that Watson be so too.
Anyways, if you have read the entire length of this review, I congratulate you. I would only like to add that despite the seemingly large number of criticisms I hold, I believe Arthur Conan Doyle to be a wondrous writer. The stories of Sherlock Holmes may not have been perfect, but they offered what all readers look for in a book: a world so different from our own that we may delve inside of, so as to escape and/or enrich our current reality while simultaneously feeling safe in the warm conform of an ever availing hero. I have had an amazing time reading such a series, finding not only that I have taken on a style of writing similar to that of the old-English novels, but that I acquired the same curiosity of the world presented in each of the cases of SH. I am glad to have read of the characters so often referenced through pop-culture and other literature in our time. I have now reached a melancholy point in my review in which I must say goodbye to my dear friends Sherlock and Watson, hoping only to see them in other lives and portrayed in other stories.
Many of Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle's novels were composed of as much backstory as there was the point of view of Watson. At first, I found this occurrence to be quite irksome, as I hadn't much cared for the story of the life of either the deceased or the murderer. But, as I continued to read these novels, I found that such backstories added a delightful dimension that was not present in the completely analytical mind of Holmes (even as it was sightly softened through the eyes of his dear friend Watson).
As for the short stories, I had trouble at first attach myself to the personas of the clients, as the characters were quite flat and static in the reader's point of view. (Though don't make the mistake for a second that I had not immediately became enthralled by the personalities of Sherlock and Watson, for I've loved each of these characters dearly from the start). But, as I continued to read the many volumes of compilations, I found that such secondary characters as Holmes' customers were, were designed not only to take on whatever personality could be formed by the imagination of the reader, but were also forced to be bland so as to allow for the cunning personality of Holmes to take precedent. Many of these cases were well thought-out, nearly conceivable crimes. Some were a bit hard to swallow, but all-in-all, I believe that the author did a magnificent job in describing the steps of observation and reasoning needed to make such cases conceivable.
I would've like further variation between stories, as their seemed to be a number of annoyingly similar burglaries, but not a single case of kidnapping. Furthermore, I found that there was an obnoxious number of cases whose motive simply lied in the explanation of love, an occurrence likely common in real life, but to me seemed merely a simple explanation to a tired Arthur Conan Doyle. These repetitions may have very well been a consequence of the popularity of the stories in the eyes of the public during the time of their publishing, as the author needed to created such plots in quantity rather than quality as the love of the novels increased. But, whatever the case, I found that I wish the creativity which had enthralled readers during the start of the novels and stories would've lasted to the end of the series.
Another component which I wished might've lasted to the end of the series was a common villain. Yes, yes, I understand that *crime* is the one and only villain to the Sherlock Holmes. But, I was under the impression (perhaps naively) that Moriarty was a central figure and opponent to the detective. This was not so. Though Moriarty and his web of fiends was mentioned many a time, I found that in a mere single story did the villain ever present himself fully, and there were very few actual villains who sought to stop the ways of the detective. This was a bit of a disappointment to me, for I would've loved to seen some over-arching conflicts that connected each of the short stories. In my opinion, such a component would have allowed the series to flow much more fluidly than they had, even if this precluded the existence of stand-alones.
Another point which I wish to address is the personality of Holmes and Watson. Having guiltily watched a multitude of TV shows based on such a beloved character before the reading of such stories, I had a fixed image in my mind of what the famed Sherlock Holmes should be. He should be a character of grace, spontaneous outbursts, and an unexplained indifference to the rest of the human race. He should be distant from his family, for his obsessive (nearly sociopathic) tendencies have estranged him from all of society except the unfazed Dr. Watson. But, such qualities were not found to be so.
Yes, Holmes was found to have exhibited many oddities throughout the novels, and through the eyes of Watson he did indeed portray a sense of cool apathy, but he acted on far more emotional and moral ideals in resolving decisions than seemed to match the widespread idea of what the detective should be (in my opinion at least). Furthermore, Watson was much more docile than I would've expected him to behave as well. Would a man so often ridiculed and tricked through arrogant portrays of intelligence so kindly offer praise to he who had treated him so? I would've liked to have seen more human outbursts from Dr. Watson, more examples of a realistic reaction. But once again, Holmes was far more amiable than I would have expected him to be, so I suppose it is only reasonable that Watson be so too.
Anyways, if you have read the entire length of this review, I congratulate you. I would only like to add that despite the seemingly large number of criticisms I hold, I believe Arthur Conan Doyle to be a wondrous writer. The stories of Sherlock Holmes may not have been perfect, but they offered what all readers look for in a book: a world so different from our own that we may delve inside of, so as to escape and/or enrich our current reality while simultaneously feeling safe in the warm conform of an ever availing hero. I have had an amazing time reading such a series, finding not only that I have taken on a style of writing similar to that of the old-English novels, but that I acquired the same curiosity of the world presented in each of the cases of SH. I am glad to have read of the characters so often referenced through pop-culture and other literature in our time. I have now reached a melancholy point in my review in which I must say goodbye to my dear friends Sherlock and Watson, hoping only to see them in other lives and portrayed in other stories.
These stories got me through many mornings in college. Read on my phone while waiting in lines or on the bus.
2018 Read Harder Challenge: A classic of genre fiction. Although I won't finish the "complete works" in 2018, I'm counting the first novel, "A Study in Scarlet," for this challenge. I keep thinking about the brain-attic, and all of Sherlock is now in Stephen Fry's voice in my head.
5/30/2018 -- I recently finished the novel "The Sign of Four." This one took me a long time. Memories of it include a very exciting boat chase down the Thames, some fairly racist/colonialist bits, and a fairly good description of how and why Holmes uses drugs (boredom). At one point, they are in a carriage in the London fog, and Watson says something about how he's not affected by the creepy atmosphere because "I am not given to impressions, myself." Ha! Going by that description, I'm 100% given to impressions, at all times.
March 2018 - I'm going through this very slowly on audio, and just finished "A Study in Scarlet."
Thoughts:
1) Although I think I read most of the SH stories in high school, I had no memory of this one being a novel. I kept thinking it was going on pretty long if it wanted to get wrapped up, and then all of a sudden we were in Utah with no explanation whatsoever.
2) Either Stephen Fry's American accent is hilarious, or it's just jolting to hear him switch quickly, but I noticed it every time.
3) After finishing, I re-watched the BBC Sherlock episode "A Study in Pink," with more of an appreciation for how they both used direct quotes, and modernized the story.
4) Ooof, the views of women and Mormons.
5) I've thought multiple times about Holmes' amazing quote about the "brain-attic." It makes me feel so much better about how many facts I've forgotten:
“That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth traveled round the sun appeared to me to be such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.
‘You appear to be astonished,’ he said, smiling at my expression of surprise. ‘Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it.’
‘To forget it!’
‘You see,’ he explained, ‘I consider that a man’s brain is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.’
‘But the Solar System!’ I protested.
‘What the deuce is it to me?’ he interrupted impatiently: ‘you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.”
5/30/2018 -- I recently finished the novel "The Sign of Four." This one took me a long time. Memories of it include a very exciting boat chase down the Thames, some fairly racist/colonialist bits, and a fairly good description of how and why Holmes uses drugs (boredom). At one point, they are in a carriage in the London fog, and Watson says something about how he's not affected by the creepy atmosphere because "I am not given to impressions, myself." Ha! Going by that description, I'm 100% given to impressions, at all times.
March 2018 - I'm going through this very slowly on audio, and just finished "A Study in Scarlet."
Thoughts:
1) Although I think I read most of the SH stories in high school, I had no memory of this one being a novel. I kept thinking it was going on pretty long if it wanted to get wrapped up, and then all of a sudden we were in Utah with no explanation whatsoever.
2) Either Stephen Fry's American accent is hilarious, or it's just jolting to hear him switch quickly, but I noticed it every time.
3) After finishing, I re-watched the BBC Sherlock episode "A Study in Pink," with more of an appreciation for how they both used direct quotes, and modernized the story.
4) Ooof, the views of women and Mormons.
5) I've thought multiple times about Holmes' amazing quote about the "brain-attic." It makes me feel so much better about how many facts I've forgotten:
“That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth traveled round the sun appeared to me to be such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.
‘You appear to be astonished,’ he said, smiling at my expression of surprise. ‘Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it.’
‘To forget it!’
‘You see,’ he explained, ‘I consider that a man’s brain is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.’
‘But the Solar System!’ I protested.
‘What the deuce is it to me?’ he interrupted impatiently: ‘you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.”
This is a classic of Sherlockian scholarship, and a useful resource for any fan of the Great Detective. The only thing I find a bit annoying is perhaps also the most useful thing about the work: Baring-Gould's "chronological" arrangement of the stories and novels makes it rather difficult to find individual stories. Of course, part of the point of that arrangement is Baring-Gould's point of view on Sherlockian chronology. I just appreciate Les Klinger's arrangement of the stories/novels a bit more.
What I've read so far: 10/13
[novels]
A Study in Scarlet (1887)
The Sign of Four (1890)
[short stories] - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (short stories, published in The Strand between July, 1891 and December, 1892):
"A Scandal in Bohemia"
"The Adventure of the Red-Headed League"
"A Case of Identity"
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery"
------------
More through 11/13 - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (short stories, published in The Strand between July, 1891 and December, 1892):
[short stories]
"The Five Orange Pips"
"The Man with the Twisted Lip"
"The Adventure of 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 Coronet"
"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches"
------------
Started the second audiobook volume 11/22
------------
Additionally read 3/1/2013
"The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes": (short stories, published in The Strand as additional episodes of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, between December, 1892 and November, 1893):
- The Adventure of the Silver Blaze
- The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
- The Adventure of the Yellow Face
- The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk
- The Adventure of the "Gloria Scott"
- The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual
- The Adventure of the Reigate Squires
- The Adventure of the Crooked Man
- The Adventure of the Resident Patient
- The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
- The Adventure of the Naval Treaty
- The Adventure of the Final Problem
"The Return of Sherlock Holmes": (short stories, published in The Strand between October, 1903 and January, 1905):
- The Adventure of the Empty House
- The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
- The Adventure of the Dancing Men
- The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
- The Adventure of the Priory School
- The Adventure of Black Peter
- The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
- The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
- The Adventure of the Three Students
- The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
- The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
- The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
- The Adventure of the Second Stain
Currently in the middle of the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.
(novel, published in The Strand between August, 1901 and April, 1902)
[novels]
A Study in Scarlet (1887)
The Sign of Four (1890)
[short stories] - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (short stories, published in The Strand between July, 1891 and December, 1892):
"A Scandal in Bohemia"
"The Adventure of the Red-Headed League"
"A Case of Identity"
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery"
------------
More through 11/13 - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (short stories, published in The Strand between July, 1891 and December, 1892):
[short stories]
"The Five Orange Pips"
"The Man with the Twisted Lip"
"The Adventure of 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 Coronet"
"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches"
------------
Started the second audiobook volume 11/22
------------
Additionally read 3/1/2013
"The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes": (short stories, published in The Strand as additional episodes of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, between December, 1892 and November, 1893):
- The Adventure of the Silver Blaze
- The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
- The Adventure of the Yellow Face
- The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk
- The Adventure of the "Gloria Scott"
- The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual
- The Adventure of the Reigate Squires
- The Adventure of the Crooked Man
- The Adventure of the Resident Patient
- The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
- The Adventure of the Naval Treaty
- The Adventure of the Final Problem
"The Return of Sherlock Holmes": (short stories, published in The Strand between October, 1903 and January, 1905):
- The Adventure of the Empty House
- The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
- The Adventure of the Dancing Men
- The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
- The Adventure of the Priory School
- The Adventure of Black Peter
- The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
- The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
- The Adventure of the Three Students
- The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
- The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
- The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
- The Adventure of the Second Stain
Currently in the middle of the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.
(novel, published in The Strand between August, 1901 and April, 1902)
I've had this sitting on my shelf for years and finally got to it. I don't know where everyone gets, "simple elementary my dear Watson," from, because he never says that exact series of words. If I remember correctly, Holmes only even uses the word elementary about three times. I really enjoyed it, if I had to say something bad about it, it would be the grammar. There are several typos where they left out letters in names after stating the correct spelling of them. It seemed like it was hand typed or copied word for word from an original copy because there were several unnecessary hyphens. Aside from the sometimes distracting grammar, this is a great book.
If you like to make your own guesses based on clues in mystery novels, this might not be for you. Most of the clues remain kept in Homes' mind until either the very end of a case, or very close to the end of the cases.
If you like to make your own guesses based on clues in mystery novels, this might not be for you. Most of the clues remain kept in Homes' mind until either the very end of a case, or very close to the end of the cases.