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The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes #8

مغامرة الرجل الزاحف

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It's elementary that any Conan Doyle fan will want this splendid set of Sherlock Holmes mysteries-twelve timeless classics performed as radio theater, linked by violin music interludes. The great Sir John Gielgud stars as the sleuth of Baker Street, with Ralph Richardson as his venerable companion, Dr. Watson, and Orson Welles as the nefarious Professor Moriarty. With three giants of the theater in such colorful roles, it's no mystery why this collection was so popular on cassette. Includes:

28 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1923

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About the author

Arthur Conan Doyle

15.9k books24.3k followers
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.

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5 stars
181 (15%)
4 stars
325 (27%)
3 stars
452 (38%)
2 stars
159 (13%)
1 star
52 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
Profile Image for Federico DN.
1,163 reviews4,397 followers
May 4, 2024
Meh.

Not worth reviewing it.

For the moment at least.

It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.

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PERSONAL NOTE :
[1927] [30p] [Crime] [Not Recommendable]
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Meh.

No vale la pena reseñarlo.

Al menos por ahora.

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[1927] [30p] [Crimen] [No Recomendable]
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Profile Image for Aishu Rehman.
1,101 reviews1,079 followers
January 27, 2019
Mr Trevor Bennett comes to Sherlock Holmes with an unusual problem. He is Professor Presbury’s personal secretary, and Mr Bennett is also engaged to the professor’s only daughter, Edith Presbury.

Professor Presbury is himself engaged to a young lady, Alice Morphy, a colleague’s daughter, although he himself is already over sixty years old. Their impending marriage does not seem to have caused a great scandal; so that is not Mr Bennett’s problem. Nonetheless, the trouble seems to have begun at about the time of Professor Presbury’s and Alice’s engagement.

First, the professor suddenly left home for a fortnight without telling anyone where he was going. He returned looking very weary. It was only through a letter from a friend, sent to Mr Bennett, that he learnt that Professor Presbury had gone to Prague.

Also, the professor’s faithful wolfhound has taken to attacking him on occasion, and has had to be tied up outside. Of course, Holmes knows that what dogs do in the night is often important!
Profile Image for Bill.
1,164 reviews192 followers
January 29, 2024
An enjoyable mystery for Sherlock Holmes to investigate where the build up is more satisfying than the rushed ending.
Profile Image for Katja Labonté.
Author 31 books342 followers
June 27, 2022
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. This is a slightly disturbing tale, involving an older professor madly in love with a beautiful and much younger girl, and ‘an obscure scientist who was striving ... for the secret of rejuvenescence and the elixir of life’ and created a ‘wondrous strength-giving serum’ made in some way from langurs, ‘the great black-faced monkey of the Himalayan slopes, biggest and most human of climbing monkeys.’

While Prof. Presbury was not a likeable character by any means, Miss P. & Mr. Bennett were a nice young couple. The sci-fi element wasn’t my fav, but I did like Holmes’ monologue on it and I enjoyed him & Watson as usual. Also, there is one of my favourite bits of Sherlock’s humorous mockery of Watson within these pages:

Content: For G*d’s sake.

“He was crawling, Mr. Holmes—crawling! He was not quite on his hands and knees. I should rather say on his hands and feet, with his face sunk between his hands. Yet he seemed to move with ease. I was so paralyzed by the sight that it was not until he had reached my door that I was able to step forward and ask if I could assist him. His answer was extraordinary. He sprang up, spat out some atrocious word at me, and hurried on past me, and down the staircase. I waited about for an hour, but he did not come back. It must have been daylight before he regained his room.”
“Well, Watson, what make you of that?” asked Holmes with the air of the pathologist who presents a rare specimen.
“Lumbago, possibly. I have known a severe attack make a man walk in just such a way, and nothing would be more trying to the temper.”
“Good, Watson! You always keep us flat-footed on the ground. But we can hardly accept lumbago, since he was able to stand erect in a moment.” …
“Speaking as a medical man,” said I, “it appears to be a case for an alienist. The old gentleman's cerebral processes were disturbed by the love affair…. His letters and the box may be connected with some other private transaction—a loan, perhaps, or share certificates, which are in the box.”
“And the wolfhound [who keeps attacking him since] no doubt disapproved of the financial bargain.”
Profile Image for Rob Thompson.
745 reviews44 followers
May 27, 2021
Jack Bennett asks Sherlock to investigate his employer and future father-in-law Professor Presbury. The professor's personality and behavior have suddenly changed. Bennett fears that Professor Presbury could become dangerous. As does the professor's daughter Edith. The changes in the professor's character have coincided with his dog taking a sudden violent dislike towards him. While Bennett is discussing the case with Holmes, Edith arrives. She says she saw her father's face at her bedroom window the previous night. The problem is her bedroom is on the second floor and there is no way for any man to have been able to get to that window.

Presbury is a widower engaged to a considerably younger woman, Alice Morphy. The Professor is quite displeased at hearing that Bennett, who also happens to be his assistant, has hired the Great Detective. He escorts Holmes and Watson off the property. When Holmes reads of thefts from zoos — all monkeys and apes — he begins to unravel the mystery.

This is definitely one of the more extraordinary and fantastical stories of the Holmes canon. With a extremely odd climax which verges on science fiction.
Profile Image for Dhia Nouioui.
293 reviews158 followers
August 7, 2021
The science is just so wrong that the story is completely soured for me. It actually is cringe worthy, in my estimation. I suppose it could be viewed as an attempt at science-fiction, but It reads more as a fear of scientific progress. I like to pretend it doesn't exist.
Profile Image for رومولا الن emmajain-book.
1,350 reviews112 followers
December 26, 2021
ونعود مع مغامرة جديدة للمحقق المشهور شيرلوك هولمز
يطلب من هولمز التحقيق بالتصرفات الغريبة التي يمر بها أحدث أشهر أساتذة الجامعة
وكالعادة يرافقه صديقه العزيز الدكتور واطسون
كانت قصة ممتعه وخفيفه
انصح بها
484 reviews107 followers
January 7, 2021
This is an other great adventure of Sherlock Holmes the Master detective. It concerns a DR. who is messing dangerously with nature.
Profile Image for Sara .
1,719 reviews256 followers
August 5, 2019
" عندما يحاول الإنسان أن يتحدى الطبيعة ينتهي به الحال للوقوع تحت رحمتها "

قصة لا بأس بها ؛ عن برفيسور عجوز وقع في حب بنت صغيرة ، فبعض الرجال أوصوا بأن يستخدم أكسيرا للشباب فحوله الأكسير لشيء حيواني التصرفات ..

نهاية المراهقة المتأخرة بقي :D
Profile Image for John Yelverton.
4,435 reviews38 followers
March 26, 2019
Some people groan at the story, and some people love it, but without giving anything away, it's important to remember that what is discussed in this story was actually occurring in the 1920's when it was written, predominately by Serge Voronoff. I don't think that I can say anything else without giving away significant plot points, but read it for yourself, and see what you think.
Profile Image for Jason Parent.
Author 50 books690 followers
June 2, 2016
This one, I do not think, measures well scientifically, but whatevs
Profile Image for Joop.
926 reviews8 followers
December 18, 2021
Doyle begint wat af te dwalen van het normale werk.
Profile Image for Katie Kuntz.
85 reviews2 followers
June 5, 2024
Monkey Dope
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for William Bainbridge.
250 reviews
February 5, 2025
Solid read but nothing to write home about. Was good enough to make me want to read more sherlock though and the mystery was actually pretty interesting. CREEPERRRRRR, SHES A CREEPERRRR, KINDA SCARY DONT KNOW HOW TO TREAT HER
Profile Image for Riju Ganguly.
Author 37 books1,866 followers
May 5, 2024
Once upon a time this work used to be regarded as proto-scifi. Later people dubbed it as a biothriller(-ish). Alas! Now this story has become a matter of groan in the world of Sherlockiana.
By this time Sir Arthur must have been detesting the Great Detective greatly. Otherwise he would have shaped this one differently.
Profile Image for Jakša.
142 reviews20 followers
November 2, 2012
Pored priče iz naslova knjiga sadrži još nekoliko Holmsovih avantura i sve se dešavaju nakon njegovog 'oživljavanja'. Dakle Morijarti je mrtav a Šerlok rešava slučajeve koji nisu naročito nadahnuto napisani, iako je simpatično čitati te staromodne dijaloge u svoj njihovoj naivnosti. Saznajemo i kako se Holms na kraju karijere povukao u jednu vilu gde je mogao na miru da živi podalje od gradske vreve i kako je čak i u tim idiličnim uslovima poneki slučaj znao da mu upadne u krilo, dakle sve ono što je čitalačka rulja želela i smatrala izuzetno važnim a nesretni Dojl nije imao snage ili hrabrosti da im ne da i time ih pouči dobrom ukusu.
Dok sam čitao shvatio sam i da je stari dobri Šerlok malo previše napadan u svom moralisanju i didakticizmu te da bi mi bilo veoma interesantno čitati 'Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles' od Kima Njumana gde bih za protagonistu imao nekog malo drugačijih nazora.
Profile Image for Kyle Krebs.
12 reviews
August 19, 2022
Caveat: I need to read more of Sherlock’s other adventures to put this story in context and give it a fair evaluation. I don’t know, for example, how the quality of writing in this story stacks up against the other stories in the Holmes canon.

Take this rating with a grain of salt. Overall, I liked it. The story was a bit simple but good. It kept me engaged. I don’t know if I’ve been spoiled by the bbc tv series or what but I was kind of expecting more clever twists and turns. This story had some great one liners though like the classic “come if convenient. If inconvenient, come anyway — SH”

Overall I would recommend this.

Profile Image for Rao Javed.
Author 10 books44 followers
May 15, 2016



Well, it was fine. Good in start, slow in mid and creepy a bit but in the it was just fine.
283 reviews
April 24, 2025
Mixes science fiction and mystery. Includes some too obvious symbolism. Crappy story.

Screen history:

1991 --Granada-- Jeremy Brett/Edward Hardwicke-- did the best they could with this silliness

2001 --Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century More monkey serum
Profile Image for Helen.
1,243 reviews38 followers
April 7, 2020
It was interesting at first. Then the revelation let me down. A fun read but better not think about it too much because it's rubbish the more you think about it.
Profile Image for آية.
311 reviews24 followers
September 5, 2019
قصة لا بأس بها، صحيح لم أجد متعة كبيرة بين صفحاتها إلا أنها عبرة لكل من يحاول أن يتحدى الطبيعية...
Profile Image for Brian.
13 reviews
June 14, 2021
Definitely not what I expected from a Sherlock Holmes story. An odd story and an even odder ending.
Profile Image for R.J. Huneke.
Author 4 books26 followers
May 17, 2022
Here’s a fantastic tale of the nature of humanity and the thirst for the elixir of life, no matter the cost.
Profile Image for Kindle.
622 reviews1 follower
May 19, 2023
I was only half paying attention but it wasn't great.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews

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