Sherlock Holmes: 24 Classic Short Stories

by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes contains four of Conan Doyle’s own all-time favorite Holmes mysteries, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," "The Red-Headed League," "A Scandal in Bohemia," and "The Five Orange Pips." The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes has another three of Conan Doyle’s favorites in "The Adventure of the Reigate Squire," "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual," and "The Adventure of the Final Problem." It is in "The Final Problem," of course, that Dr. Watson sadly reports the death of Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls near Meiringen in Switzerland. Holmes’s titanic struggle with his arch enemy, Professor Moriarty, had seen them both apparently plunge over a sheer drop, although Watson never actually saw Holmes’s body. This was Conan Doyle’s attempt to bring an end to Holmes’s adventures, but he was to be resurrected by popular demand eight years later. The Memoirs also includes "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter," in which Holmes’s brother, Mycroft, appears for the first time and "The Adventure of the Gloria Scott ," in which Holmes describes to Watson his very first case.

656 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

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

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this collection, which was a gift from my Nana. My favourites were The Five Orange Pips, The Crooked Man and The Final Problem. I realize that The Final Problem ended up not being the final Sherlock Holmes adventure, due to the public demand to bring him back, but I think it was a very powerful way to end things- for eight years at least!


Updated 2024:

In finally watched the Benedict Cumberbatch version of "Sherlock", which I loved! It reminded me of the stories I so enjoyed back in 2018, and the stories I have still to read. I have some audio versions read by Stephen Fry, which I will listen to soon and then see what else I need to find. 🔍