The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Vol. III: The Novels

by Arthur Conan Doyle, Leslie S. Klinger (Editor)

This is an alternative cover edition for ISBN 039305800X / ISBN-13 9780393058000.

The four classic novels of Sherlock Holmes available in a new slipcased edition.

The publication of Leslie S. Klinger's brilliant new annotations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 short stories in 2004 created a Holmes sensation. Here, in this eagerly awaited third volume, Klinger reassembles Doyle's four seminal novels in their original order, with over 1,000 new notes, 350 illustrations and period photographs, and tantalizing new Sherlockian theories. Inside, readers will find: A Study in Scarlet (1887)—a tale of murder and revenge that tells of Holmes and Dr. Watson's first meeting; The Sign of Four (1889)—a cinematic tale of lost treasure; The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901)—hailed as the greatest mystery novel of all time; and The Valley of Fear (1914)—a fresh murder scene that leads Holmes to solve a long-forgotten mystery. Whether as a stand-alone volume or as a companion to the boxed short stories, this classic work illuminates the timeless genius of Conan Doyle for an entirely new generation. Slipcased hardcover; two-color text; 300 illustrations.

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Fiction, Crime, Literature, Victorian, Detective

922 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

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

[Anthony McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ultimate in Sherlock Holmes collections. I have collected many different publishing versions of these four novels by Arthur Conan Doyle since my schooldays.

This collection contains:
A Study in Scarlet (1887)
The Sign of Four (1889)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901)
The Valley of Fear (1914)

This mammoth Norton publication needs to be read and studied at home - just too big to lug around on public transport or whatever.
The research involved with the annotations is phenomenal and this along with the illustrations from the original magazines plus book covers and images from the period are just amazing.
A must for all Sherlockians!

[Fred Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume provides all four Sherlock Holmes novels with loads and loads of annotations that provide historical and literary context and definitions, plus some inconsistencies. I am new to Sherlock Holmes and enjoyed how the annotations helped me understand some things I otherwise wouldn't. I could not read all (indeed, most) of the annotations because that would take an incredible amount of time. Yes, the volume is also large and not easy to carry around in traditional book format. I'd say this is perfect for readers who are already Holmes fans. Readers like me, who are new to the stories, sometimes have to be careful to avoid annotations that are spoilers.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great companion to my recent Sherlock Holmes binge, in which I listened to A Study in Scarlet and The Hound of the Baskervilles. The illustrations from the original publications and annotations contained in this volume added so much to my enjoyment of those books. It also introduced me to Sherlock Holmes scholarship; dozens of experts have studied and written about Holmes and company and turn-of-the 20th-Century London as if they were actual people instead of the conjuring of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A little dense in places and definitely not a book to tote around - it's large format and feels like it weighs 10 pounds - but very fun to have handy while reading these novels. There are two companion books covering all the short stories.

Why I'm reading this: I'm listening to The Hound of the Baskervilles along with the Mystery, Crime and Thriller Group and wanted to have a print copy handy. I discovered this annotated version at my library - looks like it will be a great companion to the audio.

[Beatriz V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunque pueda resultar extraño para muchos lectores, este ha sido mi primer acercamiento a Sherlock Holmes como lectora.
Me ha conquistado de tal manera que seguiré leyendo su Canon.
La edición de Akal Anotado es una verdadera joya por sus notas, apéndices, etc. donde no falta el mínimo detalle.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently reading these four novellas in this new annotated volume, which is a revelation and highly recommended. Below is my basic review of these four novella-length stories.

A Study in Scarlet, is actually two stories woven into one. In the first, Holmes and Watson meet for the first time, and one of the greatest working relationships in all of fiction begins. Watson recounts a case of murder where a body was found in a slum in Brixton, with the word "RACHE" carved above the body. The second story takes place in America, in a Mormon community, and features an appearance by Brigham Young. In the final pages, the connection between the two stories is finally revealed.

The Sign of Four is many people's favorite Sherlock Holmes story, and with good reason. Even though it is the shortest of the four, its plot is one of the most complex. It involves a pact among four escaped convicts, military service in India, a cruel husband, and a stolen treasure. It is also the first time that Holme's drug use comes into play.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of Conan Doyle's best-known stories, partly for its spooky setting on the moors, partly for the unearthly howling hound, but mostly for the interaction among the finely drawn characters: a rich man in love with the sister of a naturalist, a doctor, the servants, a dangerous killer, and, of course, Watson and Holmes. For much of this story, Watson carries the day as the protector of Henry Baskerville, the only remaining heir to the Baskerville name and fortune.

In the final novel, The Valley of Fear, once again a series of adventures take place in America. The protagonists are based upon a real group, the Molly Maguires, a group of militant union organizers in the coal fields of Pennsylvania. There is the death of one man, who is falsely assumed to be someone else. The second man's story takes up most of the second half of the tale.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

After visiting Reichenbach Falls a few months ago, I decided to brush up my Sherlock Holmes, starting at the beginning. So far the first two novels, A Study in Scarlet, and The Sign of Four, have been a disappointment. The stories seem to have been written rapidly and inattentively, with a number of inaccuracies and inconsistencies, and the level of writing is just barely so-so. Actions that go beyond the plot--for example Watson's love-at-first-sight of Mary Morstan--are a little embarrassing in their silliness. I'm hoping that things will improve with the short stories. The annotations in this edition are remarkably thorough, with all kinds of lore I didn't know. It seems that Victorian gentlemen ALWAYS carried a walking stick, that you could judge a woman by how perfectly her gloves fit, and that Englishmen didn't carry wallets until the introduction of paper money in 1914. Who knew the date of the first public telephone? Or the novelty of taking cocaine by injection? Certainly not me. On the other hand, the annotations all adopt the Sherlockians' assumption that these are real historical personages acting in the real world--so they are forced to spend a lot of (for me) tiresome effort in explaining away the many inconsistencies and inaccuracies. Highlights,though,are the many illustrations from early editions, often several depicting the same plot-point. It's fascinating to see how skillful and accurate some of them are, and sometimes how clumsy and inaccurate. There are thirteen illustrations of Jonathan Small, the man with the wooden leg in The Sign of Four. It was explicitly his right leg, taken above the knee by a crocodile. Only two of the illustrations get both those things right. One even shows him with no wooden leg at all.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as the novels are concerned, there is no need for any comment. Regarding the annotations, my opinion is that they are the most comprehensive that can be physically compiled. If only Mr. Klinger could refrain from 'The Game', and produce his stupendous work without any whimsical pretensions of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson being living persons (Sir Arthur merely acting as Watson's literary agent) [more in the line of the collection brought out by the Gasogene books], I could have breathed easily.

a note of caution to prospective buyers: this IS a hefty tome, so please abandon all hopes of taking it to the bed.

[cool breeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever thought you could never get enough Sherlock Holmes, these are the books for you. Three volumes of 20 pounds each, with the complete novels and short stories. There is nearly as much annotation and commentary as the original text, and they are lavishly illustrated with drawings from the original stories and serializations and other material. It is almost too much, but you can take or leave as much of the supplementary material as you want.

[Ronald Koltnow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Hound

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Note: this review addresses editor Leslie S. Klinger's essays, annotations, and appendices rather than Doyle's works. For my reviews of the individual Holmes novels, please see my separate entry for each particular book.)

I'll save the bulk of my comments for when I finish the short story volumes, but what will apply there will largely apply here as well. As a shepherd through the Holmes canon for a reader on their first trip, this volume provides a lot of very welcome background, some inane but ultimately harmless digressions based on the theory that Holmes and Watson were real, and... spoilers.

I'm happy to report that this disappointing trend seemed to become less of a problem with the two later books in this volume, but Klinger's annotations for both A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four gave away the perpetrator's name long before Doyle mentioned it within the narrative. I suppose the fact that Doyle didn't design either book as a modern-style whodunnit (where the author allows the reader to solve the mystery for herself) somewhat mitigates that problem, but as I didn't understand that fact going in, it took me more than a little by surprise. The issue becomes even more glaring in the annotations for the later books, where Klinger seems to have already learned his lesson, and either disguises references within the annotations, or makes reference to later annotations that come after the secret gets revealed.

Still, many, many more of the annotations delivered valuable explanations of Victorian-era trivia and slang, and I find that they overall improved and deepened my appreciation for these books beyond what I might have experienced otherwise. The seasoned Holmes reader will savor this volume as a treat. For the Holmes newcomer... let's say that while I don't have any regrets, I lament that Klinger apparently too late considered a wider audience.

[Richard Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arthur Conan Doyle never revealed how he came to meet John Watson, although one theory noted by Leslie Klinger is that it was at the Phoenix Masonic Lodge, which Doyle joined in 1887. Whatever the circumstances, we know that Doyle became Watson’s collaborator and agent, and within the same year he arranged for Watson’s account of a double-murder investigation in London to be published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual. The first part of the work introduced Watson’s flatmate Sherlock Holmes, the world’s first self-described “consulting detective”, while in the second half another author (most likely Doyle himself) filled in the American background to the case, which involved Mormonism, forced marriage and revenge. A second long adventure appeared three years later in Lippincourt’s magazine, after which a further 58 stories about Holmes – mostly, but not all narrated by Watson – were famously published in the Strand magazine and collected into a series of books.

Klinger’s “New Annotated Edition” in three volumes covers the complete canon of four novels and 56 stories, and alongside a wealth of general historical and geographical contextualisation his notes draw on decades of “Holmesian” (or, as Americans prefer, “Sherlockian”) scholarship. Like Bram Stoker (Klinger’s New Annotated Draculareviewed here), Watson and Doyle hid many names and locations behind pseudonyms, and a close reading of the stories – which were published over four decades – reveal numerous continuity muddles, character inconsistencies and arguable interpretations of events. For example, was Watson wounded in Afghanistan in the shoulder or in the leg? Or do both versions cover a more embarrassing anatomical location? Why does Watson in “The Adventure of the Empty House” present Holmes’s survival of his encounter with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls as a great revelation, when the stories that follow demonstrate that everyone must have known about his return to London for some time already?

One tempting explanation is that Doyle made the whole thing up as he went along: this is the approach taken by the Oxford Sherlock Holmes, which is concerned with Doyle’s supposed sources. Holmesians, however, for the most part reject this reductionist perspective, instead suggesting ingenuous (and sometimes tortuous) explanations and inferences that either resolve problems or put a different light on events (including how Holmes botched some cases or was taken in by false mitigations). Even among Holmesians, though, there are reservations about the authenticity of some of the material: “The Mazarin Stone”, for example, seems to be a pastiche based on a play script by Doyle, and it is notable that scientists even now are unable to explain or replicate the simian transformation described in “The Creeping Man”. One “fundamentalist” theory is that Holmes really did perish in Switzerland, but Watson or Doyle fabricated his return for financial reasons. On the other hand, similarity in “The Problem of Thor Bridge” to an incident related by the Austrian criminologist Hans Gross need not imply a derivative story, but rather that the individuals concerned were themselves inspired by Gross’s work.

Although real identities are for the most part obscured, a few historical figures appear as themselves: most famously, A Study in Scarlet features Brigham Young, although Klinger notes that he is described as being younger than he actually was during the exodus to Utah, and that the size of the his entourage is too large (a few hundred rather than Doyle’s “nigh ten thousand” – Klinger also disputes allegations of forced conversions and of the continuation of the “Danite” secret society). More usually, though, real identities have had to inferred: according to Klinger, the character of Birdy Edwards in The Valley of Fear is “beyond question” the Pinkerton detective James McParlan, although their subsequent histories diverge. Holmes describes his grandmother as a sister to the French painter Vernet, although the family produced several painters and so it’s not clear which one is intended. There are also some more speculative connections, such as the suggestion that a figure met by Holmes at the Lyceum in The Sign of the Four was Bram Stoker himself, or that Holmes may have met M.R. James during the “Adventure of the Three Students” or worked against the Russian agent Dorijev in Tibet.

Some of the notes also locate Holmes within a wider literary universe, although again the claims are speculative. Given Holmes’s French grandmother, might C. Auguste Dupin have been his grandfather, despite Holmes’s dismissive assessment of the French detective’s abilities? Might Nero Wolfe have been his son by Irene Adler? Was the unnamed politician mentioned in The Veiled Lodger “Dollmann” from The Riddle of the Sands? Was Fred Porlock, Moriarty’s minion in The Valley of Fear, actually Adolf Verloc from Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent? Was the dictator Murillo, mentioned in The Adventure of Wsiteria Lodge, actually the “Tiger of Haiti” Mayes, described in Arthur Morrison’s The Red Triangle? There also may be links with other non-Holmes Doyle stories, with Lady Frances Carfax perhaps related to Lord Rufton from “How the Brigadier Triumphed in England”. The “Great Hiatus” – the period when Holmes was thought be dead – has created a lot of Holmesian scope for this kind of thing. Did Holmes visit Shangri-La during this period? Was he a secret agent who, disguised as a Chinese official, rescued Rider-Haggard’s Ludwig Horace Holly from execution? Did Moriarty also survive, and reinvent himself as Fu Manchu?

I was sorry to get rid of my old one-volume edition of facsimile reprints from the Strand, but the New Annotated Edition is far superior: Klinger notes textual variations between different editions, as well as material excised or amended from manuscripts. All the Strand illustrations by Sidney Paget and others are reproduced, as well as images from other editions (mostly American, but also including a German edition of A Study in Scarlet). The notes include the continuity recaps for serialised stories, and the extra material that appeared when the stories were collected into books are also present: prefaces by Watson and by Doyle, and a short essay by Joseph Bell. Klinger also provides a long introduction, titled “The World of Sherlock Holmes” (there is also a short foreword by John Le Carré, confusingly called the “Introduction”), as well as short essays on various themes attached to particular stories, and a chronology.

[Louis Corsair · Rating 5 out of 5]

That took a while to read, but it was worth it; and also, this includes three books. The long novels of Sir Conan Arthur Doyle age well and are intriguing. Sherlock Holmes, the master detective shows his stuff.

Okay, I honestly thought that his gift for deduction was exaggerated, but there’s an excellent example of it in The Valley of Fear. It hit me by surprise because you follow along, like Watson, and are equally astonished. That is until Holmes explains his reasoning and then it all becomes clear.

There are also some scenes that speak of the era with brutal honesty. One scene shows Watson reproaching Holmes while he is shooting up cocaine!

Excellent read.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a complete surprise as a Christmas gift and what a gift it is! I have already read all the Canon at least once and most many times [ I read the Hound of the Baskervilles EVERY October along with The Scarlet Pimpernell as a birthday gift to myself]. This guy goes into Victorian life and customs and really opens up what sometimes the modern reader is forced to skip over. I could not recomend these 3 editions any more highly.

[Stefano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se si fosse trattato di un romanzo contemporaneo avrei dato voto 3, ma considerando l'epoca dello scritto, in anticipo sui tempi, il libro merita almeno 4. Ben scritto, storie interessanti (a tratti forse avvincenti), resta pur sempre un classico da gustarsi almeno una volta nella vita. Del resto, come scrive Arthur Conan Doyle stesso:

"La mediocrità non riconosce nulla che le sia superiore; ma il talento riconosce istantaneamente il genio"

[Leslie]

These annotated editions have some really great, interesting information in them, BUT... I cannot recommend them for a first time reading through the Sherlock Holmes stories. If you're already a die hard fan, looking for additional information, or you are (unlike me) able to ignore all those little numbers indicating notes in the text, you'll probably enjoy these. But if it's your first read of Holmes, I'd suggest starting with an un-annotated edition.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb edition of the classic crime novels. Not only do the stories themselves (mostly) hold up very well, changing a misleading impression one might have of Sherlock Holmes, but you can learn an awful lot just from the annotations.

[Katherine Beniger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories are timeless and this edition is really wonderful. My favorite is The Hound of the Baskervilles.

[Mike Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

23

[Mark Lisac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read these in a different, older collection, and will write only about The Valley of Fear, which is the one I just finished. The first three novels are classic Holmes stories. The Valley of Fear has a first part done in the classic tradition and a second part that fills in the back story of one of the characters. It's notable for two reasons. The solution to the mystery in the first part was used in a famous mystery published nearly 30 years later (and subsequently made into a great film); you have to wonder if the second author was aware of Doyle's story. And the second part of Valley of Fear features more bloodshed and mayhem than I would ever have expected from Doyle. It's still a mystery done at Doyle's high (if now somewhat dated) standard, but it doesn't match the general atmosphere of other Holmes stories, in which the crimes are more neatly contained and less gruesome. Maybe Doyle was reacting to the horrors of the First World War?

[Michael McGrath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating is actually 3.33

5 stars the novels: No fault there. Hound of Baskervilles has such an atmosphere to it, so lacking in today's fiction.

3 stars the illustrations: Docked two stars for film stills and crappy photos that detract from stories, specially from Hound of Baskervilles. These annotated volumes would have been served keeping to the classic illustrations, which are beautifully rendered here. Sadly Mr. Klinger has poor sense of aesthetics when it comes to books.

1 star for Klinger's mostly useless annotations that serve no purpose other than to entertain the idea that Sherlock is a historical character and create a big pile of unpalatable spaghetti mess when it comes to extricating what Watson wrote versus say Doyle. By the way this has been done before, so there was no need to retread what has already been done.

[Amanda Artist Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

This singular - to quote Victorian - book will tell Sherlock lovers everything you want to know about the world of Sherlock Holmes, from how many brothers Prof. Moriarty had (two, all named James) to exactly what happened to Dr Watson's bull dog, who mysteriously vanished after one tiny mention in "A Study in Scarlet"(theories include that the dog was not a dog but a pistol by name of "bull pup" or Watson had a pet weasel instead of a dog and was corrected by Sherlock, and was too embarrassed to evermention it again.)

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Det er lækker udgave at have i hånden, stor, tung, flot, men da jeg gik i gang med at læse den bed jeg mere mærke i ting jeg ville ønske var anderledes end ting jeg kunne lide. Noterne og illustrationerne er for forstyrrende og kunne med fordel samles på den højre side så at man altid havde originaltekst til venstre og ekstra-materiale til højre, i stedet er det lidt et hullet kludetæppe at sidde med.

[Charlie Miksicek · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading so many Sherlock Holmes knock offs, it was good to go back and read some of the originals. The annotations are really valuable for understanding Holmes' time and place and the connections between to different books. A large and heavy volume though, not a beach read.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

You can't go wrong with Sherlock Holmes. The annotations are very helpful and the illustrations are superb. Very much recommended for fans of Holmes and Watson and also for those just starting to delve into the Canon.

[Óli Sóleyjarson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ef þú hefur lesið Sherlock Holmes oft og manst eftir því hvernig allt endar er þetta kannski fínt. Aðrir varist. Það eru höskuldar í fótunótunum og inngangsköflunum. Flestir pælingar óspennandi. Ekki.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It doesn't explain everything but it comes closest of all annotated editions. A must have if you are reading it for the first time.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Sherlock Holmes equivalent to the Riverside Shakespeare! Huge, dense, and extremely detailed

[I.M.BookMeIn]

15/01/2023 ✔️ A Study in Scarlet ⭐⭐⭐

[Adhavan Sivakumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected too much from the book but it's a good book altogether.

[Fer Aportela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georgoeus edition containing the four novels of the most famous inspector of all times, with very good illustrations and an infinite number of notes that help to know the work in depth.