What do you think?
Rate this book
Mysterious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The
Further adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 1982
33 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
15.8k books24.3k 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Read
March 19, 2021I’m not giving this book a rating but I just want everyone to know I spent days dog-earring what I thought were pages containing a secret coded message in the book (little marks on letters) when it was really just a misprint lol bye
March 18, 2011
What if there was a man that could solve any mystery, murder, even remember the tattoo on your elbow? Well guess what? There is. His name is Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes has always been a mysterious man, who always thinks differently than others. Most people jump to conclusions, but he doesn't run to them, he chases them, until he captures them. He always thinks twice. His clothing is what you might say... different. He wears a double sided hat, and smokes a pipe. He remembers everything he sees, which definitely helps him when he is solving mysteries. This classic adventure usually takes place in England, although it does not clearly say, you just have to use your imagination. In some cases like certain mysteries, Arthur Conan Doyle, the genius behind this fabulous book, paints an often scary setting, and the words in it make it seem like a movie in your head, he paints the picture just absolutely perfectly. In adventurous cases such as the Greek Interpreter, or the Gloria Scott, he always catches the bad guy, with a hint of flavor in his solving. By this I mean that he is always prepared to ask a question, to find am answer, whether it is surprising or boring. The author used some Old English terms, and some language such as, "imbecile" which you may be unfamiliar with, but it is also a fantastic way to expand your vocabulary, in a thrilling way. There are also several symbols which you will recognize as you read this, which you will love, and be fascinated by. This book is obviously a classic. In my opinion, it has been around for this long because no matter who you are, whether you are the smartest man in the world, you just don't know what's coming next. Even if you have already read it, you will be so amazed in the moment, that you will have to keep reading, and amaze yourself again. It just never gets old, you just cant get enough. So many mysteries, once you finish one mystery you are absolutely hooked, and you just cant put it down, you are hungry for the next. A classic is in the dictionary, a guide. Sherlock Holmes is definitly a guide for many tings. One, it is a guide for authors, the language is beautiful, the characters created are unthinkable, the setting painted remarkable, the everything is amazing. It is also a guide for people. It is because it teaaches you that you must tink twice before every action, and that on your first time of thinking something it may not always be rights. This truly is a remarkable, adventurous, fantastic, book, which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone of any age. You will find it to be just absolutely thrilling.
I give this 5 Pipes
I give this 5 Pipes
November 1, 2021
Things I learned from this book, if you do something bad and get away with it, it will probably come to light in 20-30 years and you’ll probably faint from being startled when it’s revealed that someone knows and by fainting you’ll probably die (seriously there were 8 mysteries in this book and that happened more or less in over half).
But more importantly apparently people in Victorian London legitimately fainted on a regular bases because 1. Both men and women wore corsets so tight it permanently moved the position of their internal organs, and 2. They consumed and surrounded themselves with absurd amounts of heavy metals like arsenic and lead (sometime intentionally because they thought it would keep them young even though they knew it was used to kill rats and sometimes unintentionally like coating their walls with it). As a result they fainted, vomited, and had seizures on an absurdly high level. Crazy. That doesn’t have much to do with the actual stories, except that someone faints in almost every one, but I thought it was real interesting.
But more importantly apparently people in Victorian London legitimately fainted on a regular bases because 1. Both men and women wore corsets so tight it permanently moved the position of their internal organs, and 2. They consumed and surrounded themselves with absurd amounts of heavy metals like arsenic and lead (sometime intentionally because they thought it would keep them young even though they knew it was used to kill rats and sometimes unintentionally like coating their walls with it). As a result they fainted, vomited, and had seizures on an absurdly high level. Crazy. That doesn’t have much to do with the actual stories, except that someone faints in almost every one, but I thought it was real interesting.
January 25, 2018
Unlike the other books about Sherlock Holmes, I thought the story in this book wasn't really motivating. As for this book did not really give me a lot of expressions to the story. No excitement, no new thought (the story was too obvious, guessed what will happen right away). In one statement, not entertaining as much. In my opinion, I think that the story of Arsen Lupin was better. I don't really encourage you to read this book, but some people might read it anyway.
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
I didn't like this book
Do you agree too?
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
I didn't like this book
Do you agree too?
October 3, 2009
A brilliant London-based "consulting detective", Sherlock Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess, and is renowned for his skillful use of astute observation, deductive reasoning and inference to solve difficult cases.
Stories included in this unabridged edition includes:
"The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter" ~ Mr. Melas, a Greek interpreter, tells a rather unnerving experience to Mycroft Holmes, who like his brother Sherlock Holmes, is remarkably endowed with powers of observation and deduction. Sherlock claims that his brother’s powers actually outstrip his own, but he is a lazy, apathetic character who rarely uses his powers to their full potential. Melas was called upon one evening by a man named Harold Latimer to go to a house, supposedly in Kensington, to do some translation in a business matter.
"The Gloria Scott" ~ This story is related mainly by Holmes rather than Watson, and is the first case to which Holmes applied his powers of deduction, having treated it as a mere hobby until this time. A piece of trivia for Holmes's fans: the phrase "smoking gun" meaning undeniable guilt is often attributed to this short story.
"The Resident Patient" ~ Having been a brilliant student but a poor man, Dr. Trevelyan has found himself a participant in an unusual business arrangement. A man named Blessington, claiming to have some money to invest, has set Dr. Trevelyan up in premises with a prestigious address and paid all his expenses. In return, he demands three-fourths of all the money that the doctor’s practice earns. However, something has happened to Mr. Blessington. He has become excitable and agitated, this after he said that he had read about a burglary somewhere in the city.
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery" ~ Set in 1888, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called down to Boscombe Valley to investigate the death of Mr. Charles McCarthy. James, his son, was seen by one witness following his father to the nearby pond, and another, a young girl, saw the two remonstrating with each other by the pond. There are some facts that simply do not seem to fit. Whom was McCarthy going to the pond to meet? He had told his serving-man that he had to keep an appointment there, from which he never came back alive. How could the meeting have been with James when McCarthy believed that his son was in Bristol? Why did McCarthy use the call "Cooee!", which his son is used to using? Why did he get angry with James? Why won't James reveal the exact nature of the conversation when his silence might well put his neck in a noose? How did a piece of clothing a few yards from James and his dying father vanish without a trace while James was right there? What did McCarthy's dying words about "a rat" mean? Who could have wanted McCarthy dead, if not James, and why? Is Miss Turner, who wants to marry James, somehow tied into all this?
"The Three Students" ~ Sherlock Holmes finds himself in a famous university town (probably either Oxford or Cambridge) when a tutor and lecturer of St Luke's College, Mr. Hilton Soames, brings him an interesting problem. Someone got into Soames’s office and had a look at some galley proofs of an Ancient Greek exam that were lying on his desk. Soames’s main concern is to avoid a scandal, but there is also money at stake. A sizeable scholarship will be awarded to the best student. The college and the whole university could wind up under a cloud if the cheater is not found and dealt with quickly.
"The Noble Bachelor" ~ The story entails the bride of the fictional Lord St. Simon disappearing on the day of their marriage. Lord St. Simon tells Holmes that he noticed a change in the young lady's mood just after the wedding ceremony. She was uncharacteristically sharp with him. The only obvious happening at the church where the wedding took place that was out of the ordinary was Hatty's little accident: She dropped her wedding bouquet and a gentleman in the front pew picked it up and handed it back to her.
"The Adventure of the Crooked Man" ~ Colonel James Barclay, of The Royal Mallows based at Aldershot Camp, is dead, apparently by violence, and his wife Nancy is the prime suspect. Holmes believes that the case is not what it at first appears to be. Although the staff are quite sure that they only heard the Colonel’s and his wife’s voices, Holmes is convinced that a third person came into the room at the time of the Colonel’s death, and rather oddly, made off with the key. This Holmes deduces from footmarks found in the road, on the lawn, and in the morning room. Odder still, the mystery man seems to have brought an animal with him.
"The Five Orange Pips" ~ A young Sussex gentleman named John Openshaw has a strange story: in 1869 his uncle Elias Openshaw had suddenly come back to England to settle on an estate at Horsham, West Sussex after living for years in the United States as a Planter in Florida and serving as a Colonel in the Confederate Army. Strange things happened: papers from the locked room were burnt and a will was drawn up leaving the estate to John Openshaw. The Colonel's behaviour became bizarre-he would either lock himself in his room and drink or he would go shouting forth in a drunken sally with a pistol in his hand. On May 2, 1883 he was found dead in a garden pool.
Book Details:
Title The Mysterious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Puffin Classics)
Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Reviewed By Purplycookie
Stories included in this unabridged edition includes:
"The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter" ~ Mr. Melas, a Greek interpreter, tells a rather unnerving experience to Mycroft Holmes, who like his brother Sherlock Holmes, is remarkably endowed with powers of observation and deduction. Sherlock claims that his brother’s powers actually outstrip his own, but he is a lazy, apathetic character who rarely uses his powers to their full potential. Melas was called upon one evening by a man named Harold Latimer to go to a house, supposedly in Kensington, to do some translation in a business matter.
"The Gloria Scott" ~ This story is related mainly by Holmes rather than Watson, and is the first case to which Holmes applied his powers of deduction, having treated it as a mere hobby until this time. A piece of trivia for Holmes's fans: the phrase "smoking gun" meaning undeniable guilt is often attributed to this short story.
"The Resident Patient" ~ Having been a brilliant student but a poor man, Dr. Trevelyan has found himself a participant in an unusual business arrangement. A man named Blessington, claiming to have some money to invest, has set Dr. Trevelyan up in premises with a prestigious address and paid all his expenses. In return, he demands three-fourths of all the money that the doctor’s practice earns. However, something has happened to Mr. Blessington. He has become excitable and agitated, this after he said that he had read about a burglary somewhere in the city.
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery" ~ Set in 1888, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called down to Boscombe Valley to investigate the death of Mr. Charles McCarthy. James, his son, was seen by one witness following his father to the nearby pond, and another, a young girl, saw the two remonstrating with each other by the pond. There are some facts that simply do not seem to fit. Whom was McCarthy going to the pond to meet? He had told his serving-man that he had to keep an appointment there, from which he never came back alive. How could the meeting have been with James when McCarthy believed that his son was in Bristol? Why did McCarthy use the call "Cooee!", which his son is used to using? Why did he get angry with James? Why won't James reveal the exact nature of the conversation when his silence might well put his neck in a noose? How did a piece of clothing a few yards from James and his dying father vanish without a trace while James was right there? What did McCarthy's dying words about "a rat" mean? Who could have wanted McCarthy dead, if not James, and why? Is Miss Turner, who wants to marry James, somehow tied into all this?
"The Three Students" ~ Sherlock Holmes finds himself in a famous university town (probably either Oxford or Cambridge) when a tutor and lecturer of St Luke's College, Mr. Hilton Soames, brings him an interesting problem. Someone got into Soames’s office and had a look at some galley proofs of an Ancient Greek exam that were lying on his desk. Soames’s main concern is to avoid a scandal, but there is also money at stake. A sizeable scholarship will be awarded to the best student. The college and the whole university could wind up under a cloud if the cheater is not found and dealt with quickly.
"The Noble Bachelor" ~ The story entails the bride of the fictional Lord St. Simon disappearing on the day of their marriage. Lord St. Simon tells Holmes that he noticed a change in the young lady's mood just after the wedding ceremony. She was uncharacteristically sharp with him. The only obvious happening at the church where the wedding took place that was out of the ordinary was Hatty's little accident: She dropped her wedding bouquet and a gentleman in the front pew picked it up and handed it back to her.
"The Adventure of the Crooked Man" ~ Colonel James Barclay, of The Royal Mallows based at Aldershot Camp, is dead, apparently by violence, and his wife Nancy is the prime suspect. Holmes believes that the case is not what it at first appears to be. Although the staff are quite sure that they only heard the Colonel’s and his wife’s voices, Holmes is convinced that a third person came into the room at the time of the Colonel’s death, and rather oddly, made off with the key. This Holmes deduces from footmarks found in the road, on the lawn, and in the morning room. Odder still, the mystery man seems to have brought an animal with him.
"The Five Orange Pips" ~ A young Sussex gentleman named John Openshaw has a strange story: in 1869 his uncle Elias Openshaw had suddenly come back to England to settle on an estate at Horsham, West Sussex after living for years in the United States as a Planter in Florida and serving as a Colonel in the Confederate Army. Strange things happened: papers from the locked room were burnt and a will was drawn up leaving the estate to John Openshaw. The Colonel's behaviour became bizarre-he would either lock himself in his room and drink or he would go shouting forth in a drunken sally with a pistol in his hand. On May 2, 1883 he was found dead in a garden pool.
Book Details:
Title The Mysterious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Puffin Classics)
Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Reviewed By Purplycookie
November 28, 2021
Sherlock Holmes is indeed a perceptive and knowledgeable man but I find myself bored at the start of each adventure until the case is finally explained. And then there began to be a predictable theme. A lot of the mysteries had death and the victim is normally someone with a criminal background. Fortunately there was a variety later on. But it was rather depressing.
June 29, 2022
I thought I’d read all the Sherlock stories but not so, it seems. This was a collection of short stories featuring our erstwhile detective and his sidekick Watson. An easy read and really quite charming.
January 9, 2018
easy and entertaining
January 15, 2019
It's more of a 3.5 stars
April 19, 2019
An amazing mind, way ahead of his time.
July 30, 2020
A good and interesting mix of Sherlock Holmes Stories
November 13, 2021
Not the best compilation of Sherlock short stories, but still a decent read for Sherlock fans.
Regards,
Sri
Regards,
Sri
May 5, 2023
Not a lot to say; I love Sherlock Holmes!
May 10, 2024
I will happily consume any Sherlock Holmes content. It always hits.
December 18, 2019
This book is called, The Mysterious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arther Conan Doyle. This book falls into the mystery genre because it deals with multiple incriminating murders that the detective Sherlock Holmes and his assistant John Watson need to solve.This book contains a character named Sherlock Holmes, who is a deductive problem solving P.I who often buds in to police work. The other main character is John Watson who is a retired military surgeon in Victorian times London, England . The plot in this multitude of stories is all about the process and the thinking process of criminals and crime solving of Sherlock Holmes and his interesting ideas about life, as he is often stuck in a dark place. The theme of this book is to use reasoning and logic in hard situations, but also never give up when you can’t find the solution such as the many road blocks Sherlock faces.This story A Scandal in Bohemia did not include murder, but burglary and deceit, which was a harder case to solve for Sherlock Holmes. He often dealt with murder or attempted, which had blood and DNA evidence, but this case made him feel mad because, it was much harder to track crimes and burglary during the 1800s. He had little to work with but a king who wanted a photograph, and the victim Irene Adler who was supposedly paid for a photo which she never gave. This all created tension, and he had a hard time knowing who to trust. This story had parts of man vs. man because, Sherlock Holmes was trying to find the criminal, when the criminal was trying to run away. These books are usually good vs evil, knowledge over power because Sherlock the good guy always has to find who did the crime otherwise it drives him mad. I liked this book because it included interesting storylines and gave extreme detail like you were in London during the Victorian era. I also liked it because it included inner thought feelings and moments of true distress which makes it so life like. And this I think middle school and up would like this book of any gender. This book is for an audience who can understand old English, unlike younger kids who may not comprehend the story. This book is also set in the past which includes how life was really like. Although you may need a higher Lexile to be able to read this book, and be interested because of the word usage and the old English may be challenging for some readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2012
This is the first collection of Sherlock Holmes stories I've read. I liked them, although I felt a little gypped because the reader isn't meant to solve the cases using the clues. The author withholds vital information until the big reveal at the end of each story. So with Father Brown stories, or even Encyclopedia Brown stories, you get all the information up front, and then spend a few moments racking your brain trying to guess whodunnit, then give up, and read on for the solution. With these eight Sherlock Holmes stories, this puzzle solving portion has been mercifully removed, and you just read the story and enjoy a surprise at the end. One small example is that Holmes correctly guessed that his guest visitor had just traveled from south-west of London, and then explained his reasoning based on the distinctive clay and chalk mixture on his shoes. The clue came after the guess, so the reader just has to roll with it. The same story has Holmes go off, get clues, and solve the whole thing in between scenes, and then come back and fill in Watson with the resolution. But since Holmes is the archetype of the whole genre, I guess Doyle gets a pass. I liked it. The character of Holmes is just great. The "Crooked Man" story even has Holmes say "Elementary", I felt like cheering.
November 16, 2022
11/2/22: The Greek Interpreter - interesting, it introduced to me Sherlock's brother Mylock and Sherlock didn't so much as solve the case as speculate how it turned out and save a life. Very different that some of the others I've read of his.
11/5/22: "The Gloria Scott" - I didn't love this one but it was interesting to see how Sherlock came to his conclusions, as always
11/6/22: "The Resident Patient" - interesting but I could see the answer right away so not much intrigue here
11/8/22: "Boscombe Valley Mystery" - quite interesting
11/12/22: "The Three Students" - probably the best of these stories included in this book, while I figured which one did it pretty close to the beginning, it was interesting to hear how and why
11/12/22: "The Noble Bachelor" - Fun little romp with the woman doing what she wanted - I liked this one
11/13/22: "The Crooked Man" - I still am unsure what the "animal" was but this was interesting. I think it said in the story, but I must not have paid that much attention to it. Somewhat of a weird one.
11/14/22: "The Five Orange Pips" - very cool, but the ending left a little to be desired, otherwise really good.
Probably a 3.5 overall rounded to a 4 here on GR.
11/5/22: "The Gloria Scott" - I didn't love this one but it was interesting to see how Sherlock came to his conclusions, as always
11/6/22: "The Resident Patient" - interesting but I could see the answer right away so not much intrigue here
11/8/22: "Boscombe Valley Mystery" - quite interesting
11/12/22: "The Three Students" - probably the best of these stories included in this book, while I figured which one did it pretty close to the beginning, it was interesting to hear how and why
11/12/22: "The Noble Bachelor" - Fun little romp with the woman doing what she wanted - I liked this one
11/13/22: "The Crooked Man" - I still am unsure what the "animal" was but this was interesting. I think it said in the story, but I must not have paid that much attention to it. Somewhat of a weird one.
11/14/22: "The Five Orange Pips" - very cool, but the ending left a little to be desired, otherwise really good.
Probably a 3.5 overall rounded to a 4 here on GR.
September 30, 2011
This book contains different mystery stories, some of it are really hard to fathom or deduce as you read along while some can give you a hint or two, only if you pay attention to the narrative story of the crime scenes. I find the Kindle version all right in terms of the format and presentation of the texts. However, this original novel, if I may conclude is quite difficult for me to understand. I would need to repeat a phrase or paragraphs just to digest the wordings. I think this is written based on an old English Language which I am not sort of accustomed into but I kind of pull it through. Not impressive but I like it.
October 2, 2008
I very rarely read mysteries. I knew Sherlock Holmes was supposed to be amazing (and he is) but i always thought he was probably an overrated character. But then I read a play on one of his books, and I found it fascinating. Every little thing draws a logical and probable conclusion from him, and every case is well solved. At times he fails, tho. Some stroies disturb me. Like the one on the KKK. some confoozle me a bit because it's beyond my understanding, but oh well...
January 13, 2010
Totally enjoyed this set of short stories! Mine were titled "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes"; not sure if the "mysterious" was added later or why the difference, but whatever. Doyle's tales are perfect for short stories, actually better I think (or should I say simply more enjoyable) for modern readers than the novels. Highly, highly recommend for all ages.
April 5, 2010
Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic master of logic and detective calculation comes through time and again in the well-known and beloved mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. With Doyle's unmatched atmospheric evocation of Victorian London, unforgettable leads, and imaginative mysteries, Sherlock Holmes is delightful.
December 6, 2016
I think this book is good. This book had a lot of remembering to do. Also this book had a lot of crime and action going on. You have to remember where they are and what is happening because it has a lot of details to pay attention to. Lastly this book has very good vocabulary and has a lot of big words.
January 20, 2012
I love the short stories, it's easy to read a chapter while the kids nap. Some of the stories were a little hard to follow, mostly because of the older language and being unfamiliar with London and that time period.
Read
July 14, 2012Hum... What can I say? Holmes is a fascinating character.
Yet, I'm amazed how little one learns about the 19th century London.
However, any crime fiction fan should have read it. It's elementary!
Yet, I'm amazed how little one learns about the 19th century London.
However, any crime fiction fan should have read it. It's elementary!
October 26, 2012
Thrilling and breath taking beyond expression.
March 7, 2013
This book was my first introduction to Sherlock Holmes. I remember being a bit confused, but ultimately enjoying the stories.
February 9, 2018
No doubt about how this book became such a well loved classic
Read
February 22, 2016I think I'm going to take a break from this, as I found a new novel to read.
November 2, 2010
just too good!
March 27, 2017
Have read all of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and probably others as well, just never bothered to put them in to amazon or goodreads, so dates wrong. Some KU some paperback some hardback some collections.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews