The Best of Sherlock Holmes

by Arthur Conan Doyle

This is an alternative cover for ISBN13: 9781853267482

Click for Enlarged View

3 Unabridged Books on 10 Cassettes • A Study in Scarlet • The Sign of Four • Valley of Fear

In the Best of Sherlock Holmes Volume 1, the Literate Listener(tm) series introduces you to the world's most famous detective. The three featured unabridged books are some of Arthur Conan Doyle's finest works, and are presented with the rich reading voice of Patrick Horgan. You'll be highly entertained as you listen to Holmes using his famous deductive skills to solve the mysteries of these three great novels. Includes nearly 15 hours of high-quality recordings.

Over 14 Hours of listening time!

A Study in Scarlet This is Dr Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes book. In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. John Watson, discharged from the military service after suffering severe wounds, is at a loose end until a chance encounter leads him to take rooms with an amazing young man. The arrogant Sherlock Holmes is a master chemist, and an expert on all aspects of crime. And when Watson is drawn into the investigation of a bizarre murder in which Holmes is involved, he is unaware that this is the beginning of the most famous crime solving partnership of all time. Unabridged. 4 hrs 17 minutes.

The Sign of Four In India, four men swear an oath to keep a terrible secret, a secret drenched in blood, which is the key to huge wealth. In order to unlock the secret, Holmes and Watson accompany a beautiful young woman on a quest that leads them through the dark heart of London to a one-legged man, a terrifying creature, and an incredible tale of greed and revenge. The Sign of Four is truly a detective classic. Unabridged. 4 hrs 11 minutes.

The Valley of Fear A coded warning of impending danger sends Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson to the fortress-like country home of Jack Douglas. When they arrive too late to prevent a tragic death, the great detective and his partner must follow a series of baffling clues to find a murderer who has vanished into thin air. An exciting classic Sherlock Holmes mystery.

Genres: Classics, Mystery, Fiction, Short Stories, Crime, Detective, Historical Fiction

462 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Jason Donoghue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A four star rated book, it was a five but the storylines become predictable and tiresome to read. I find Holmes brilliant and the writing is truly amazing but all the storylines had the same ending which bored me.

I do think if the author started the story which a scandal in Bohemia and ending it with the final problem it would have been amazing. But he did not and the story for me ended with the same story repeating again and again.

Like most tv shows today they don't know how to end it correctly and this book is like that. You need a good beginning and great ending and this does not have it. I found the story almost predictable and lost interest in many of the stories.

I would recommend it. But stop reading after the final problem

[Zelal Zelalcan]

this is not a review but a reminder for the future
of the contents of this book
from
BOOK 1-The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1-A Scandal in Bohemia
2-The Red-headed League
3-The Five Orange Pips
4-The Man with the Twisted Lip
5-The Blue Carbuncle
6-The Speckled Band
7-The Copper Beeches
BOOK 2-The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
1-The Silver Blaze
2-The Musgrave Ritual
3-The Reigate Squires
4-The Greek Interpreter
5-The Final Problem
BOOK 3-The Return of Sherlock Holmes
1-The Empty House
2-The Dancing Men
3-The Solitary Cyclist
4-The Priory School
5-Charles Augustus Milverton
6-The Second Stain
BOOK 4-His Last Bow
1-The Devil’s Foot
BOOK5-The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
1-The Illustrious Client

[Vasil Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want it to end so I deliberately read it slowly...

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible book to start off the year 2022! I savored every last page of this magnificent classic. Sherlock Holmes is a such an inspirational character in classic literature. He plays the perfect protagonist and his adventures will stay with me always. Sherlock Holmes’ intellectual fortitude is awe inspiring. Special thanks to my sister Kendra and brother Sean from Gilbert, Arizona for gifting me this amazing book!

[Killian De Geest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veel beter dan verwacht maar tegen verhaal 15 ofzo begin je wel een serieuze trend te herkennen.

[Lara Woods · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was so average and took so long to read because it was just actually so predictable and boring. i know it was the starter for all mystery/detective novels but it's still terrible. 1.5/5

[Phoenix2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Sherlock Holmes and I've watched nearly every one of the tv adaptions of the well-known detective and his friend, so it was time for me to pick up the original.

The first part of the book was good, with some of the all known cases, and some lesser ones. The second part, however, was a bit boring, as the pattern of the cases kept being repeated. The writing was spot on though and the illustrations fantastic.

So, overall, a good read, but not as good as I thought it would be.

[Lazaros Karavasilis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Πρώτη φορά Σέρλοκ Χόλμς και ήταν καλή εμπειρία σε γενικές γραμμές. Η συλλογή απαρτίζεται απο τις πιο σημαντικές ιστορίες πλην των πλέον σημαντικών (Baskervilles, Study in Scarlet κτλ.) και όπως είναι φυσιολογικό δεν μπορούν να έχουν όλες το ίδιο ενδιαφέρον. Ωστόσο, σε γενικές γραμμές οι ιστορίες σου δίνουν να καταλάβεις το μυαλό του Χόλμς και πως δουλεύει για να επιλύσει τις υποθέσεις. Για καλοκαίρι είναι μια χαρά, ελαφρύ και διασκεδαστικό.
Φυσικά και το διάβασα λόγω της σειράς και φυσικά η σειρά το πάει σε άλλο επίπεδο.

[Gracie Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 - I knew nothing about Sherlock Holmes other than the name before this so it took me a few stories to get into it but once I did I was so invested. Really enjoyed these overall and probably will eventually read the rest of the collection

[Maurane Pieters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grand ol' time

[Harriet Coulson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading this, having promised myself (and my dad) I’d read about Sherlock Holmes’ adventures every year for as long as I can remember. I got a lot of enjoyment out of the first half of the collection, but started to struggle from there on in.

The stories are - of course - classics, and are fantastically written, I think that my issue came with reading them all in one go, making it feel repetitive where it wouldn’t had I read this over the course of a couple of months dipping in and out. One story of a mysterious poison or weapon from the scary wider world of India or ‘the continent’ and fainting women is intriguing, but back to back it loses its sparkle.

I also found that having watched all of the Jeremy Brett adaptations meant that the element of surprise was robbed from me, as they follow the written stories almost to the letter. Personally this is a 3 star for me, due purely to the circumstance I read them in and maybe some very very built up expectations having been so immersed in the series from a young age.

[Tejal Reddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doyle's writing throughout the short stories is incredibly vivid and immersive, making it an effort to put the book down. Although some of the stories occasionally fell into a pattern with their end results, a consistent thread of continuity ran through all of them.

Throughout the book, the dynamic between Sherlock and Watson was thoroughly explored, with the subtleties of their relationship brought to the front in many of the stories. Additionally, we were treated to Sherlock's confrontations with Moriarty's gang across multiple of the tales, adding a different twist to the collection. Sherlock's unconventional investigate methods and their divergence from the typical police style is also toyed with, and the contrast that is highlighted makes for a captivating reading experience.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the 12 short stories better than the novel Hound of the Baskervilles. The character Sherlock Holmes was unique and brilliant at deduction. I was surprised that he was all about solving mysteries rather than ensuring the criminals went to jail. Dr Watson was likeable but came across as a bit dim. I'm not sure how he maintained a medical practice when he spent so much time assisting Sherlock Holmes.

The mediocre rating is because I found the short stories forgettable and I was not absorbed enough to finish the book quickly.

[Barahir Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

"To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. 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."

[Szabx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply great. You can't just put the book down for a bathroom-break

[katrīna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ar šo grāmatu es arī beidzu savu Šerloka Holmsa gājumu. Kaut vai man šī grāmata patika visvairāk visā sērijā, tā joprojām nepadarīja lasīšanu baudāmāku. Sākumā bija ļoti interesanti, jo bija īsi stāstiņi, tomēr beigās man tie apnika.
Vismaz tagad es sapratīšu katru Šerloka Holmsa atauci :)

[anaeliteratura · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a fun time with this collection!
professor moriarty, you will always be famous.

[Undrakh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad to say that the number of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fans was increased by one half-insane book lover - that would be me :P. Not only his stories were so good : full of scenes that made me forget to breathe and anxiously skim to know what was gonna happen next , but also the writing prose of Sir Arthur was rather pleasant to read . 'The best of Sherlock Holmes' is exactly the book you will never regret for reading it instead of doing your homework :D
I've heard lots of compliments about the incidents of acute inspector Sherlock, and want to affirm that those stories deserve that much praise. Though I read about twenty cases about his investigations , I still cannot say what kind person he is , in deep inside of his soul . All of the records are narrated through the perceptions of Watson who usually accompanies Sherlock in detecting mysteries . Therefore , readers only see Sherlock in a way how Watson sees and judges him . Mr.Sherlock will remain as a complete mystery by himself .

[Valiant Budi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Best of Sherlock Holmes adalah salah satu buku yang saya beli tanpa pikir panjang—tak peduli cover ataupun sinopsisnya.

Meskipun beberapa kisahnya bisa jadi telah kita baca di majalah masa kecil, tapi koleksi 20 cerita dalam
buku ini tetap membuat hati penasaran.Ulangan yang menyenangkan!

The Best of Sherlock Holmes juga diperkaya ‘kesaksian’ sang editor David Stuart Davies tentang seluk beluk penyuntingan kisah Sherlock Holmes selama ini.

Buku ini juga membuat saya semakin mengangkat topi kepada Sir Arthur Conan Doyle yang kreatif dalam menciptakan plot dan sudut pandang demi penciptaan karakter yang kuat. Itu semua membuat saya hampir delusional, karena percaya bila Sherlock Holmers benar-benar ada di salah satu bagian bumi ini.

[Maureen · Rating 1 out of 5]

That's it. I admit it. I cannot stand Conan Doyle and his insufferable writing style. I have tried and failed to finish the novels and the shorts on multiple occasions and I just cannot enjoy his writing style which I find to be too distancing. I enjoy TV and film adaptations, but I cannot get into the original works. Also the plots rely on withholding information from the reader nine times out of ten which is just downright irritating. I don't like these classics. So shoot me.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of stories is truly fascinating. It feels like a miracle every time Sherlock somehow solves it all while everyone else involved is still in the dark. A good read.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the short stories.
They are easy to read. And you keep on reading once you start with a story.
Now I understand why Sherlock Holmes is a classic. And why it got so famous!

[Auderoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://wp.me/p7yj2T-U

FAV QUOTES:

I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routine of everyday life. You have shown your relish for it by the enthusiasm which has prompted you to chronicle, and, if you will excuse my saying so, somewhat to embellish so many of my own little adventures.

It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.

I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner.

Come at once -- if convenient -- if inconvenient come all the same.

It may be that you are not yourself luminous but you are a conductor of light.

You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.

Women are naturally secretive, and they like to do their own secreting.

Here I have heard what he had heard, I had seen what he had seen, and yet from his words it was evident that he saw clearly not only what had happened, but what was about to happen, while to me the whole business was still confused and grotesque.

My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence. These little problems help me to do so.

Do not think of revenge, or anything of the sort, at present. I think that we may gain that by means of the law; but we have our web to weave, while theirs is already woven.

The ideal reasoner would, when he has once been shown a single fact in all it's bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which would follow from it.

Well, I say now, as I said then that a man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber-room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.

There is nothing more to be said or to be done tonight, so hand me over my violin and let us try to forget for half an hour the miserable weather, and the still more miserable ways of our fellow-men.

You have a grand gift of silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion. 'Pon my word, it is a great thing for me to have someone to talk to, for my own thoughts are not over-pleasant.

Sherlock Holmes was a man, however, who when he had an up solved problem upon his mind would go for days, and even for a week, without rest, turning it over, rearranging his facts, looking at it from every point of view, until he had either fathomed it, or convinced himself that his data were insufficient.

I confess that I have been as blind as a mole, but it is better to learn wisdom late, than never to learn it at all.

Amid the action and reaction of so dense a swarm of humanity, every possible combination of events may be expected to take place, and many a little problem will be presented which may be striking and bizarre without being criminal.

I should like to see the solution of so tangled a business.

My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don't know.

But I have heard, Mr. Holmes, that you can see deeply into the manifold wickedness of the human heart.

To the man who loves art for its own sake, it is frequently in its least important and lowliest manifestations that the keenest pleasure is to be derived.

No, it is not selfishness or conceit. 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.

“Data! data! data!” he cried impatiently. “I can’t make bricks without clay.”

Do you know, Watson, that it is one of the curses of a mind with a turn like mine that I must look at everything with reference to my own special subject. You look at these scattered houses, and you are impressed by their beauty. I look at them, and the only thought which comes to me is a feeling of their isolation, and of the impunity with which crime may be committed there.

It is one of those cases where the art of the reasoner should be used rather for the sifting of details than for the acquiring of fresh evidence. The tragedy has been so uncommon, so complete and of such personal importance to so many people that we are suffering from a plethora of surmise, conjecture and hypothesis. The difficulty is to detach the framework of fact — of absolute undeniable fact — from the embellishments of theorists and reporters. Then, having established ourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see what inferences may be drawn, and which are the special points upon which the whole mystery turns.

See the value of imagination. We imagined what might have happened, acted upon the supposition, and find ourselves justified. Let us proceed.

I follow my own methods, and tell as much or as little as I choose. That is the advantage of being unofficial.

I don’t know whether you’ve observed it, Watson, but the colonel’s manner has been just a trifle cavalier to me. I am inclined now to have a little amusement at his expense.

“Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” “The dog did nothing in the night-time.” “That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.

An anomaly which often struck me in the character of my friend Sherlock Holmes was that, although in his methods of thought he was the neatest and most methodical of mankind, and although also he affected a certain quiet primness of dress, he was none the less in his personal habits one of the most untidy men that ever drove a fellow-lodger to distraction.

For heaven’s sake, don’t get started on a new problem when your nerves are all in shreds.

“I don’t think you need alarm yourself. I have usually found that there was method in his madness.” “Some folk might say there was madness in his method,” muttered the inspector.

This reticence upon his part had increased the somewhat inhuman effect which he produced upon me, until sometimes I found myself regarding him as an isolated phenomenon, a brain without a heart, as deficient in human sympathy as he was pre-eminent in intelligence.

Art in the blood is liable to take the strangest forms.

To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate oneself is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers.

It is stupidity rather than courage to refuse to recognise danger when it is close upon you.

All day I turned these facts over in my mind, endeavoring to hit upon some theory which could reconcile them all, and to find that line of least resistance which my poor friend had declared to be the starting-point of every investigation.

“Journeys end in lovers meeting.”

Every problem becomes very childish when once it is explained to you.

What one man can invent another can discover.

The strong, masterful personality of Holmes dominated the tragic scene, and all were equally puppets in his hands.

Well, you call that love, but I should call it selfishness.

You know, Watson, I don’t mind confessing to you that I have always had an idea that I would have made a highly efficient criminal.

Only one important thing has happened in the last three days, and that is that nothing has happened.

The law is as dangerous to us as the criminals are.

To let the brain work without sufficient material is like racing an engine. It racks itself to pieces.

I have heard your reasons and regard them as unconvincing and inadequate.

Woman’s heart and mind are insoluble puzzles to the male.

She is not in her senses. She is madly in love.

[Jonny R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this as a present for my other half probably a couple of years ago. She's into the Sherlock TV series and I remember enjoying reading a couple of stories as a kid, however she hasn't read it yet and I ended up picking it up.

It took me a while to tune into this one, either that or the stories got better as the collection progressed!

I think I spent a good 6 months reading this and had a big break, occasionally reading a story or two until I picked it back up and got fairly hooked and by the end I didn't want it to be over.

I think initially all the third person writing and the flat characters/ridiculous plots/slight super powers grated on me a bit but I think when I started seeing the stories as little puzzles to try and solve I started enjoying them more. You can't often work out all the details but quite often you can work out certain elements and it's pretty fun to try and do so! I'm not sure if you'd get that feeling when rereading as you might just be able to remember the plot (I'd previously read "the speckled band" I think probably at school and could more or less remember that one).

So bit of a weird review overall - probably my initial review would have been 2 stars (although since I read it over a long period of time I can't remember exactly why I was struggling so much) whereas my more recent experience was more of a 4 stars. I decided to be generous and go with the higher rating.

I think the short story format works well here, especially when reading several at a time as the continuity between the characters and setting allows familiarity to be build up and for the world to feel larger. I found you could often read a single 'case' more or less in one sitting and reading them quite quickly was good as you had all the details in your head at the same time.

I think give this a go if you're not sure and I think going in expecting the style to be a bit jarring and with that "it's a puzzle" mindset will help you enjoy it the most.

I think there are a couple of other compilations and I might give them a go at some point in the future.

[Anmolbir Randhawa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is a classic novel and as you know it might be difficult to read. The book includes best stories of Sherlock Holmes. You might at some point of time think of just leaving it, since I as a reader wasn’t able to understand half of the story, but was able to make out a fair idea about the plot. But if you love difficult reading experiences this one is surely for you, or if you want to work on your patience or anger management and also reading comprehension, this book can be quite handy.

Sir Author Conan Doyle might indeed be an intellectual man, since his style of writing make the reader’s brain to work hard in order to analyses what he has written.

Let’s see the personality sketch of Sherlock Holmes.
Holmes is a brilliant man, a detective who loves to solve crimes. He is honest, it can be seen from the instance that when a police man told him: “You are indeed unbeatable”, he replied: “No, I have earlier lost from 4 men and 1 women, in my entire detective tenure”. He talks less and nobody knows what is going in his/her mind, not even his companion who goes by the name of Mr. Watson. Sherlock Homes has an elder brother named Mycroft Holmes, who isn’t into detective work. Even Watson didn’t knew about it. According to Sherlock, his brother is smarter and clever then him which he indeed is as shown in one of the chapter.
Sherlock has the tendency to get lost in his thoughts, which we can call an incubation period, when he solves a case. Many a times his companion thinks that he has gone to sleep, but it wasn’t true. Holmes know the power of silence and don’t boast about his success, but doesn’t hesitated to boast about his failures. He is indeed a man to look up to, but unfortunately it is a fiction. Holmes has a bad habit to in taking cocaine in the form of cigar, but I guess as that time it was a status symbol. Even the great Sigmund Freud, the psychiatrist who started the school of psychoanalyses, had a cigar with him. But I am against it.

Rest the novel is a must read, it is my mom’s favorite.

[Katie Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. I am a huge fan of the BBC adaptation (which at first I was skeptical about due to it being a modern-day adaptation) and I had only read a couple of the short stories before watching the series. I never realised (apart from the time period) how different the series is to the original stories in terms of plot and character, so this was a really refreshing read!

The only thing that slightly lets it down is that when reading the stories in this format, they get a little bit predicable as the structure is almost the same in every one: something happens to someone, they go to Baker Street and tell Sherlock, and he cracks the code. although, I acknowledge that they were originally published in strand magazine (once a month I think!) so were not intended to be read one after the other like this.

overall, this is a really nice and fun read, not too demanding or preachy like other literary works of its time tend to be, and the stories are short and snappy so perfect for anyone who struggles to make time for reading!

[Marlieke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had only read The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of Four before and although I knew there were several short stories as well, I had never read any before. So this was a good start.
It took me a few weeks to finish it, but where that usually means that I don't really like the book, this was definitely not the case with this collection. I enjoyed every single short story in it and could have read plenty more after these.

The chosen stories give a great example of who Sherlock Holmes is and the introduction adds a little extra. I read the introduction before reading the stories, but I caught myself going back to it after reading several stories to see why that particular story was chosen.

There is no doubt to why Sherlock Holmes became so popular and still remains so.
The illustrations are an interesting addition to the stories, although I couldn't help myself picturing Sherlock as Benedict Cumberbatch and Dr Watson as Martin Freeman.

[yanimbrung · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ "It's more than possible, it's probable," said Holmes ✨

started at home, finished at MRT station, what a distance (mana selesainya lama banget lagi) 🥲
.
.
the first detective book i read. karena lebih duluan nonton series dari pada baca bukunya, what i imagine for along reading adalah mukanya Benedict dan Martin, proven that they played well in the series 😂
.
another experience to enjoy the Sherlock "franchise". pas baca, awal-awal cerita ngga pernah kepikiran siapa suspectnya, but the dialog written in the book completely told us the detail 🤯 3 of 20 titles i do like a lot:
- A Scandal in Bohemia
- The Dancing Men
- The Priory School, and the rest are pretty cool 👌🏻
(but you know Eng UK is beautiful to be pronounced, but not with the vocabs and phrases 🥲)

[Jayna Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was handed down to me from my mom who got it from her older sister, my aunt Gloria. While my mom read it on one family vacation to the beach and a little after, I took 3 years of beach vacations for me to finish!! This has been my vacation book, my late night read before bed!! I have loved this book and I’m sad to part with it… it’s been a good 3 years and I’ve loved every mystery. Reading this book has made me realize why Sherlock Holmes has been adapted again and again. It’s classic for a reason. Next up: The Complete Set of Sherlock Holmes!!!

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our Nibs bookclub read this, with plans to visit an Escape room together as our follow up after discussion. I haven’t read a lot of mystery genre so this was a fun little diversion from my usual reads. After reading, a friend recommended I watch the entire series of Sherlock that was produced as Granada TV and I’m enjoying it as well (free on Youtube). It was also recommended to read the entire Hounds of the Baskercvilles by Doyle so I plan to do that as well.