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A review by missbryden
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
3.0
This collection works on the assumption of the reality of Holmes and Watson. “The reader of these volumes will not find reference to the literary sources of the stories or to biographical incidents in the life of Sir Arthur that may be reflected in the canon”. Such details, I think, would be helpful or make sense perhaps of inconsistencies, but work under the assumption of reality, apparently.
Chronology section (in Vol I and III but not II, and I had to return the other volumes while I still had II) is helpful but a little confusing, because it includes expert fan hypotheses which I don't know whether they can be confirmed in Canon, like family members' names and pre-case histories. Annotations include these kind of speculations and reference to the many works trying to explain inconsistencies or connections. But they also include the usual helpful references to things that were of the times, like objects, places, historical people or events. And the inclusion of a variety of story illustrations and pictures of the times and places is great, too.
I don't think you'd want to read this edition for a first read as they reference later stories within earlier ones, plus it's big and bulky. I read most of the stories for the first time via audio.
As the stories go on, perhaps especially from The Return, the annotations seem to poke lots of holes in the “master’s” (meaning Sherlock Holmes) stories, especially it seemed in “The Bruce-Partington Plans” (from The last Bow), and yet in its intro it's said to be “regarded as one of the finest mystery stories in the annals of detection”.
I am perhaps unreasonably annoyed by the editor’s use of the word “role” with a symbol over the “o”. I understand that the word might be from another language which uses symbols over letters, but is it's use in a book published in 2005 a little pretentious? Maybe it's a UK/US difference but I don't believe I’ve ever seen it like that before this trio of books.
And an exchange in French between Arthur Conan Doyle and a French general on the front lines in 1916, shared in a footnote to “His Last Bow”, is not translated. Yet whenever Holmes, in the stories, spouts a line of French or other language, it’s translated.
Short stories Vol.1 finished 6/20. Just reading the annotations (having previously read all the stories) takes some time.
Last volume started 6/27 and finished 7/14.
Chronology section (in Vol I and III but not II, and I had to return the other volumes while I still had II) is helpful but a little confusing, because it includes expert fan hypotheses which I don't know whether they can be confirmed in Canon, like family members' names and pre-case histories. Annotations include these kind of speculations and reference to the many works trying to explain inconsistencies or connections. But they also include the usual helpful references to things that were of the times, like objects, places, historical people or events. And the inclusion of a variety of story illustrations and pictures of the times and places is great, too.
I don't think you'd want to read this edition for a first read as they reference later stories within earlier ones, plus it's big and bulky. I read most of the stories for the first time via audio.
As the stories go on, perhaps especially from The Return, the annotations seem to poke lots of holes in the “master’s” (meaning Sherlock Holmes) stories, especially it seemed in “The Bruce-Partington Plans” (from The last Bow), and yet in its intro it's said to be “regarded as one of the finest mystery stories in the annals of detection”.
I am perhaps unreasonably annoyed by the editor’s use of the word “role” with a symbol over the “o”. I understand that the word might be from another language which uses symbols over letters, but is it's use in a book published in 2005 a little pretentious? Maybe it's a UK/US difference but I don't believe I’ve ever seen it like that before this trio of books.
And an exchange in French between Arthur Conan Doyle and a French general on the front lines in 1916, shared in a footnote to “His Last Bow”, is not translated. Yet whenever Holmes, in the stories, spouts a line of French or other language, it’s translated.
Short stories Vol.1 finished 6/20. Just reading the annotations (having previously read all the stories) takes some time.
Last volume started 6/27 and finished 7/14.