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Six Great Sherlock Holmes Stories
Undoubtedly the best-known detective in literature, Sherlock Holmes was the creation of British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930), who endowed his super sleuth with an extraordinary facility for solving crimes. Drawing on his remarkable powers of observation and deduction, coupled with an encyclopedic knowledge of crimes and criminals, Holmes seeks out his prey in the London underworld, where no evildoer is safe from his keen wits and tenacious pursuit.
Reprinted from a standard text, this inexpensive volume offers mystery lovers a choice selection of six of the finest Sherlock Holmes stories: "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Red-headed League," "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb," "The Final Problem," and "The Adventure of the Empty House." In these richly atmospheric stories, Victorian London comes vividly to life as hansom cabs clatter over the cobblestoned streets, gas lamps flare in the thick fog, and an almost palpable sense of excitement seizes the reader as Holmes and Dr. Watson set off on another adventure.
(back cover)
Reprinted from a standard text, this inexpensive volume offers mystery lovers a choice selection of six of the finest Sherlock Holmes stories: "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Red-headed League," "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb," "The Final Problem," and "The Adventure of the Empty House." In these richly atmospheric stories, Victorian London comes vividly to life as hansom cabs clatter over the cobblestoned streets, gas lamps flare in the thick fog, and an almost palpable sense of excitement seizes the reader as Holmes and Dr. Watson set off on another adventure.
(back cover)
107 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1904
43 people are currently reading
2357 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
15.9k books24.5k followersSir 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.
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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
May 29, 2020
A nice collection of 6 short Sherlock Holmes stories. Some I had read in the past, but there were a few I had not. Sherlock is always an enjoyable read as the reader tries to understand the solution as Sherlock spells it out. A quick, totally enjoyable read.
December 16, 2023
3+ Super Sleuth!
By the look in his eyes and his slight limp I could see he was left-handed. The speck of dust and bare patch on his coat indicated he had been in London precisely at 10:06 pm, last night. Therefore, since he is over 6’ tall and his sister is named Anne, he is the murder! Elementary my dear Watson!
By the look in his eyes and his slight limp I could see he was left-handed. The speck of dust and bare patch on his coat indicated he had been in London precisely at 10:06 pm, last night. Therefore, since he is over 6’ tall and his sister is named Anne, he is the murder! Elementary my dear Watson!
March 21, 2008
This slim collection, as a first real introduction to Sherlock Holmes and dear Watson, was necessarily both broad in scope and shallow in depth. Even so, I think it serves as a useful introduction. You get a sense of the arc that these stories followed, both preceding the 'death' of Holmes and following his eventual resurrection. These stories are so satisfying and wonderful, in good part because Doyle was helping to create a recognizable template for all detective stories to come. We're given firstly, an eccentric detective who is dashing and clever and always ready with a witty observance and a trick up his sleeve. We're treated to the most convoluted intrigue, but always know that somehow everything will be wrapped up with a neat little bow at the end of ten pages. Then there are of course, the throwback charms of a time less sophisticated than ours--'foreigners,' for instance, are exoticized and fetishsized without even the slightest hint of irony.
I supposed the only reason that I won't really be able to throw myself whole-heartedly into the great Sherlock Holmes is that despite the whole insomniac, cocaine-dabbling, 'bohemian' thing he's got going on, he's not really flawed in any major way. Even on the rare occasion that he's outsmarted, he seems to come out on top of things. I suppose I simply prefer my post-Sherlock detectives and PI's, those who are a bit more damaged--I love the Marlowes and the Archers, the Sejers and the Erlendurs...I mean, even Poirot had his flaws.
I supposed the only reason that I won't really be able to throw myself whole-heartedly into the great Sherlock Holmes is that despite the whole insomniac, cocaine-dabbling, 'bohemian' thing he's got going on, he's not really flawed in any major way. Even on the rare occasion that he's outsmarted, he seems to come out on top of things. I suppose I simply prefer my post-Sherlock detectives and PI's, those who are a bit more damaged--I love the Marlowes and the Archers, the Sejers and the Erlendurs...I mean, even Poirot had his flaws.
February 22, 2023
Taken from the original newspaper serials, these are fun, if lightweight (and necessarily repetitious) adventures of Holmes and Watson, some adapted from Doyle stories, some originals.
Edith Meiser's writing is breezy and Holmes seems to come across slightly more humorous and charming than I remember, but overall, they are a lot of fun. And Frank Giacoia's art is just perfect for the strip.
Each story runs roughly twenty pages, or what would have been about five-ish weeks of newspapers. They're light, mostly bloodless, and enjoyable.
Edith Meiser's writing is breezy and Holmes seems to come across slightly more humorous and charming than I remember, but overall, they are a lot of fun. And Frank Giacoia's art is just perfect for the strip.
Each story runs roughly twenty pages, or what would have been about five-ish weeks of newspapers. They're light, mostly bloodless, and enjoyable.
January 23, 2024
Classic stuff. Some of it was pretty interesting though.
August 1, 2015
Fun book. Teaching it this year
November 13, 2017
Six Great Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle contains six short Sherlock Holmes mysteries that are real page turners for the reader. The six short stories included in the book include ones such as “A Scandal in Bohemia,” “The Red-headed League,” “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb,” “The Final Problem” and “The Adventure of the Empty House.” Each story is as good as the next one and it is perfect for mystery genre book lovers. Throughout the years of English class, I have read excerpts from Sherlock Holmes and I have heard of the television show that everyone loves, but I have never actually read a full story by him. I was looking for a new book to read so I perused my father's bookshelf and found this book. I have wanted to get into reading mystery stories and what better way to start but with the best detective in all of literature. I was worried at first because the book seemed short with only one-hundred-and-eight pages but when I started to read it I noticed that the size of the font on the pages of the book is very small so it took me just as long to read as a normal size book would take me. Every story was very well written and kept the reader on the edge of their seats.
My favorite of the six short stories would have to be, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” because I was very tied into this story and finished the whole thing in only a day because I could not put it down. I do remember reading small excerpts of this story in eighth grade but we never got around to reading the complete story. The story first takes place at Baker Street where Sherlock and Watson are greeted by a soon to be bride named Helen Stoner who fears that she is going to be murdered in her home due to the fact that her twin sister, Julia was killed in her room before she was to married. The girl also warres the two detectives about her odd father who is very wealthy and has many unusual pets, can be abusive at times and has been involved with Gypsies. In the story the author states, “You must not fear," said he soothingly, bending forward and patting her forearm. "We shall soon set matters right, I have no doubt. You have come in by train this morning, I see." This is Sherlock assuring the lady that they will take care of the case. Watson and Sherlock plan their great stakeout of the house. When they get to her house they find that the young lady's father owns many Indian pets who are not native to where they are and are very dangerous. Read the story to find out how Holmes and Watson get around the many obstacles of the home and find out what murdered Julia Stoner and if Helen has anything to fear. Overall I would recommend this book to any readers who want to start exploring the genre of mystery.
Six Great Sherlock Holmes Stories
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
My favorite of the six short stories would have to be, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” because I was very tied into this story and finished the whole thing in only a day because I could not put it down. I do remember reading small excerpts of this story in eighth grade but we never got around to reading the complete story. The story first takes place at Baker Street where Sherlock and Watson are greeted by a soon to be bride named Helen Stoner who fears that she is going to be murdered in her home due to the fact that her twin sister, Julia was killed in her room before she was to married. The girl also warres the two detectives about her odd father who is very wealthy and has many unusual pets, can be abusive at times and has been involved with Gypsies. In the story the author states, “You must not fear," said he soothingly, bending forward and patting her forearm. "We shall soon set matters right, I have no doubt. You have come in by train this morning, I see." This is Sherlock assuring the lady that they will take care of the case. Watson and Sherlock plan their great stakeout of the house. When they get to her house they find that the young lady's father owns many Indian pets who are not native to where they are and are very dangerous. Read the story to find out how Holmes and Watson get around the many obstacles of the home and find out what murdered Julia Stoner and if Helen has anything to fear. Overall I would recommend this book to any readers who want to start exploring the genre of mystery.
Six Great Sherlock Holmes Stories
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
August 20, 2024
In 1974, when Nicholas Meyer published The 7-Per-Cent Solution, I realized that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories weren’t necessarily over and done with, even though Conan Doyle had long since left the scene. Indeed, I learned around the same time that Conan Doyle himself had already killed off his great detective and then, facing public pressure, had brought him back. This isn’t “fan service” as the term is usually used, but I can see now that Conan Doyle recognized, long before that concept came into being, what serving the fandom might call for. In fact, he contributed to shaping the modern phenomenon of recursive fiction.
I can also see that when Conan Doyle wrote “The Final Problem,” in which he attempted to get rid of his detective, he recognized the dramatic value of raising the stakes of the story. In it, Holmes faces off (literally, in a couple of scenes) against no mundane miscreant but an archvillain named Professor Moriarty, who heads a vast criminal enterprise. As is often the case when saving the world is concerned, this story has almost no bearing on more down-to-earth human matters, apart from the ongoing friendship between Holmes and Dr. Watson, but the earlier stories here fill in that area nicely. There’s an affair of the wayward heart, involving the King of Bohemia and a famed “adventuress” named Irene Adler, who is, I’m inclined to think, Holmes’s most agile adversary. (This may be my favorite of all of Holmes’s cases.) There’s an eerie and outlandish tale involving red-headed men; there’s a tale of inheritance and family nastiness and a remote, run-down country house; there’s another eerie and outlandish tale, involving a hydraulic engineer. Wrapping everything up and bringing Holmes back from what had seemed to be his end, there’s a locked-room mystery.
The world, in these stories, can appear to be a disordered place, strange or threatening, and decidedly out of joint, and yet it proves to be orderly, intelligible, and usually susceptible to being set right, as long as the proper persons and the proper methods are brought to bear. That’s a comfortable, pleasurable, and encouraging point of view. One can debate whether the world is really like this, just as one can debate whether the world really sits on top of a stack of turtles, but if a reminder that it could be the case will get you somewhere, plunge in. It works for me.
I can also see that when Conan Doyle wrote “The Final Problem,” in which he attempted to get rid of his detective, he recognized the dramatic value of raising the stakes of the story. In it, Holmes faces off (literally, in a couple of scenes) against no mundane miscreant but an archvillain named Professor Moriarty, who heads a vast criminal enterprise. As is often the case when saving the world is concerned, this story has almost no bearing on more down-to-earth human matters, apart from the ongoing friendship between Holmes and Dr. Watson, but the earlier stories here fill in that area nicely. There’s an affair of the wayward heart, involving the King of Bohemia and a famed “adventuress” named Irene Adler, who is, I’m inclined to think, Holmes’s most agile adversary. (This may be my favorite of all of Holmes’s cases.) There’s an eerie and outlandish tale involving red-headed men; there’s a tale of inheritance and family nastiness and a remote, run-down country house; there’s another eerie and outlandish tale, involving a hydraulic engineer. Wrapping everything up and bringing Holmes back from what had seemed to be his end, there’s a locked-room mystery.
The world, in these stories, can appear to be a disordered place, strange or threatening, and decidedly out of joint, and yet it proves to be orderly, intelligible, and usually susceptible to being set right, as long as the proper persons and the proper methods are brought to bear. That’s a comfortable, pleasurable, and encouraging point of view. One can debate whether the world is really like this, just as one can debate whether the world really sits on top of a stack of turtles, but if a reminder that it could be the case will get you somewhere, plunge in. It works for me.
May 22, 2024
I have a couple of quibbles; my objection to "The Speckled Band" would be a spoiler, so I'll just say that the solution was specifically dismissed as a possibility early in the story, and the explanation given for the inconsistency was insufficiently justified. And then, in "The Final Problem", we are told that Holmes' quarters on Baker Street have been burned down, but in "The Adventure of the Empty House", they are unchanged from what they've always been. I'm OCD enough to be annoyed by sloppy inconsistencies, but in general, these stories are fun and a good read.
December 7, 2018
It's strange to read the source material of something so embedded in pop culture. This is my first time actually reading a Sherlock Holmes story, but it felt completely familiar. These stories were much shorter, easier reads than I expected, but also less mysterious.
The Last Problem was underwhelming and Moriarty, despite supposedly being "the most dangerous man in London," didn't really ... do anything??
The Last Problem was underwhelming and Moriarty, despite supposedly being "the most dangerous man in London," didn't really ... do anything??
March 19, 2023
Sherlock homes has become a fiction figure of great importance to mystery book and movie fans everywhere, what could be the most famous writings about him are given in this book. The man who’s mind can “warp time” to solve crimes. In this book six amazing stories about the character we love are given, if you like anything enrolling mystery, you will love this book.
May 7, 2024
It was a little hard to follow the storyline in this book because the stories were spaced out. It took me to long to finish the book. I kept spacing out when reading the story, but every now and then I would find enough focus to really get into the story. The only prior knowledge of the stories came from watching the BBC version of Sherlock.
January 7, 2026
This was a fun collection of stories. I hadn’t read Sherlock Holmes before, and it was fun to read them as homeschool curriculum, to take the time to consider how the Watson POV allows us to get all the clues but not solve the case.
December 16, 2017
Simply spectacular.
January 31, 2018
I think it's fair to say I don't like Sherlock Holmes stories.
August 7, 2018
Six short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyal. Very well written.
November 8, 2019
Enjoyable book of Sherlock Holmes short stories.
December 17, 2019
Just fun
November 11, 2022
Classic tales you may have read at sometime before.
August 19, 2023
Las historias de Sherlock quizás algo formulaicas son siempre disfrutables.
September 18, 2025
SOOO GOOD, LOVED the writing and the stories, I cried when Sherlock died and then cried again when he came back
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2011
This is a great book for mystery and classic fanatics. Conan Doyle does an amazing job in creating his genius London investigator, Sherlock Holmes. He knows the key to most difficult of cases. Dr. Watson, the narrator and Holmes' best friend, upholds his intellect and great skill of observation.The book contains six stories of which I read five. A Scandal in Bohemia revolves around a King scared to be exposed by his former lover, Irene Idler. This story reaveals the mysterious female mind, which even Holmes can't beat. The Red-headed League centers on a red-headed man that responds to an advertisement that is strictly designed for red-headed men. He gets the job and later is deceived. Holmes digs for the root of the Red-headed League and solves the puzzle. This was an okay story; it was quite creative on Doyle's part. Nonetheless, I feel like he could have done more with it. Holmes is not that challenged. The Adventure of Speckled Band is my second favorite. Two sisters live in a weird house with their weird step-father, Dr. Roylott. One of them is murdered in her room on the day before her wedding. The cause remains a mystery. The other sister is about to get married and is terrified to death of what can happen to her. This story by far best illustrates Holmes skill of
observation and precision to detail. The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb is about an engineer that loses his thumb in an 'accident'. This wasn't the most interesting story, but it had a moral that money can easily blind you. The Final Problem is my favorite story because Holmes is faced with a villan at his own intellectual level. He's finally challenged. He's out of his comfort zone.
observation and precision to detail. The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb is about an engineer that loses his thumb in an 'accident'. This wasn't the most interesting story, but it had a moral that money can easily blind you. The Final Problem is my favorite story because Holmes is faced with a villan at his own intellectual level. He's finally challenged. He's out of his comfort zone.
January 10, 2012
I read "A Scandal In Bohemia" for my British Literature book review. This story taught me sort of how British Literature is all about. I found it to be very interesting to read and to learn about. This story, to me, is about loyalty and somewhat conflict. The story tells about how the King of Bohemia is engaged to Clotide Lothman, which is the princess of Scandinavia. This all was after the King had been imformally engaged to Irene. So, to me this story has a lot of drama. It was interesting to me how Sherlock Holmes portrayed the drama in this story, he in a way had a great idea of combining conflict with drama to make the story more appealing to the reader, and also add more excitement to the story. Also, what is interesting to me is about British Literature is it combines many aspects of stories such as drama, mystery, conflict and more. This story has its share of mystery too. For example, when Irene left the photo of herself to the King to read and also she left a letter for Holmes. But, when she realizes what she had actually done she rushes back to the King. So, this story interested me very much, and I have learned a lot about British Literature frome the story.
November 2, 2008
This little dollar edition by Dover is a great book for commuting or traveling. I started reading the Sherlock Holmes mysteries when I began taking the bus from Hillcrest to UCSD in La Jolla, a 30-minute commute each way. The stories are very short and easy to pick up and put down. Once you finish this small book, you'll probably want to move on to the rest of Arthur Conan Doyle's series.
Aside from the recognizability of the icon of Sherlock Holmes, readers will enjoy the details of the Victorian era as they are described by the author, the wit of both Holmes and Watson, and the scenery of England. Each story unfolds a mystery and another glimpse at the world of Arthur Conan Doyle. Notice the recurring themes and characters that interest him. And enjoy the logic of Sherlock Holmes!
Aside from the recognizability of the icon of Sherlock Holmes, readers will enjoy the details of the Victorian era as they are described by the author, the wit of both Holmes and Watson, and the scenery of England. Each story unfolds a mystery and another glimpse at the world of Arthur Conan Doyle. Notice the recurring themes and characters that interest him. And enjoy the logic of Sherlock Holmes!
July 31, 2015
The book I read was published in 1991 but I couldn't find it on line so here are the stories that are contained within: The man with the twisted lip, the speckled band, Silver blaze, the final problem, the empty house, the Norwood builder, the Devil's foot, the creeping man, Shoscombe old place.
These are short stories. Conan Doyle did not not waste time on too many details, lengthy descriptions or various threads that expand the plot. Once I was used to all this it became quite enjoyable.
Peter Cushing and Martin Freeman were lovely in the lead roles. ;)
These are short stories. Conan Doyle did not not waste time on too many details, lengthy descriptions or various threads that expand the plot. Once I was used to all this it became quite enjoyable.
Peter Cushing and Martin Freeman were lovely in the lead roles. ;)
June 2, 2009
I liked these stories. They are very interesting, and wow- Holmes is brilliant! I kept wanting to say- Truly, you have a dizzying intellect. ;) All in all, I liked the stories. There were times when Doyle's writing would get just a little dull, but it always picked up. I must say though- Sherlock Holmes sure is pompous and arrogant! But, I still like him!
October 7, 2009
I had never read Sherlock Holmes stories before so this was a nice introduction. I enjoyed the six that were included but I can honestly say I don't think I'll go seeking out anymore. While they twists and turns are somewhat interesting it seemed to get repetitive after a while. Glad I can say I've read some though :)
April 13, 2008
This was my first introduction to Sherlock Holmes, and I enjoyed it. The circumtances in the stories were a bit extreme, but it was fun to read. I like the short story format because it's easier to remember all of the clues to the mystery.
November 18, 2012
From this collection, I'm not sure how Sherlock Holmes became such a phenomenon. I love the modern interpretations (BBC version, Robert Downey, Jr., etc.), but this was dry, lacking in suspense or action, and mostly devoid of the mental skills for which Holmes is renown. Not recommended.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews