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The Complete Sherlock Holmes

(Sherlock Holmes)

Arthur Conan Doyle

4.51 · Rating details · 154,545 ratings · 3,363 reviews

A study in scarlet --
The sign of four --
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : A scandal in Bohemia ; The red-headed league ; A case of identity ; The Boscombe Valley mystery ; The five orange pips ; The man with the twisted lip ; The adventure of the blue carbuncle ; The adventure of the speckled band ; The adventure of the engineer's thumb ; The adventure of the noble bachelor A study in scarlet --
The sign of four --
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : A scandal in Bohemia ; The red-headed league ; A case of identity ; The Boscombe Valley mystery ; The five orange pips ; The man with the twisted lip ; The adventure of the blue carbuncle ; The adventure of the speckled band ; The adventure of the engineer's thumb ; The adventure of the noble bachelor ; The adventure of the beryl coronet ; The adventure of the copper beeches --
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes : Silver blaze ; The yellow face ; The stock-broker's clerk ; The "Gloria Scott" ; The Musgrave ritual ; The Reigate puzzle ; The crooked man ; The resident patient ; The Greek interpreter ; The naval treaty ; The final problem --
The return of Sherlock Holmes : The adventure of the empty house ; The adventure of the Norwood builder ; The adventure of the dancing men ; The adventure of the solitary cyclist ; The adventure of the priory school ; The adventure of Black Peter ; The adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton ; The adventure of the six Napoleons ; The adventure of the three students ; The adventure of the golden pince-nez ; The adventure of the missing three-quarter ; The adventure of the abbey grange ; The adventure of the second stain. Volume 2. Introduction / by Loren D. Estleman --
The hound of the Baskervilles --
The valley of fear --
His last bow : The adventure of Wisteria Lodge : The singular experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles ; The tiger of San Pedro ; The adventure of the cardboard box ; The adventure of the red circle ; The adventure of the Bruce-Partington plans ; The adventure of the dying detective ; The disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax ; The adventure of the devil's foot ; His last bow --
The case-book of Sherlock Holmes : The adventure of the illustrious client ; The adventure of the blanched soldier ; The adventure of the Mazarin stone ; The adventure of the three gables ; The adventure of the Sussex vampire ; The adventure of the three Garridebs ; The problem of Thor Bridge ; The adventure of the creeping man ; The adventure of the lion's mane ; The adventure of the veiled lodger ; The adventure of Shoscombe old place ; The adventure of the retired colourman. ...more

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Paperback, 1796 pages

Published October 1st 1986 by Bantam Classics (first published 1927)

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4.51 ·

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· 154,545 ratings · 3,363 reviews

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Oct 31, 2007 adam bradford rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: researchers

A few of the things I learned:

Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth

Never theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.

Also, I now sometimes try to analyze people based on their shoes and pants when sitting on the subway. I have yet to ask anyone if I was accurate about my predictions.

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Oct 20, 2016 Rowan Wiese rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Time does not change great literature This was completely entertaining and no matter how old you are it's still great to read over the ones you enjoyed the first time. Several I had not remembered reading. I bought this book at special price from here:
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Sherl...

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Oct 31, 2007 Meave rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anyone

My copy of this book is a wreck, I have read it so often. My dad gave it to me, I can't remember if it was a birthday or Christmas gift, but regardless it's one of the best books I've ever been given. You just have to read a couple of pages and you fall right into Holmes and Watson's world; it's wonderful.

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Oct 25, 2017 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, leatherbound-editions

Holmes, who loathed every form of society with his whole Bohemian soul, remained in our lodgings in Baker Street, buried among his old books, and alternating from week to week between cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the drug and the fierce energy of his own keen nature. Holmes was still, as ever, deeply attracted by the study of crime, and occupied his immense faculties and extraordinary powers of observation in following out those clues and clearing up those mysteries which had been aba ...more

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Oct 07, 2016 Arah-Lynda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-said, paperwhite, top, lod

I have no idea how I let myself get so long in the tooth before finally settling down and reading this collection. Suffice to say I am glad I finally came to my senses.

It is all here, every Sherlock Holmes story ever penned by Arthur Conan Doyle. There are four complete novels and five books of case studies. Relax I am not going to even attempt to review every one of these. That would be tedious for me as well as you.

There is no doubt that my hands down favourite of the entire collection was ...more

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Aug 16, 2018 Aishu Rehman rated it liked it

Shelves: english-literature, ar-conan-doyle

Most of the stories are similar to one another, but it was nice to read about old England. In my opinion the novels are better than the shorts since Doyle had the opportunity to expand the story into other areas which gave depth and breadth to the stories.

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Feb 05, 2013 Rizwan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, mystery-thrillers, f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e-s

সকুলের শেষে এসএসসির পর পুরো "শারলক হোমস অমনিবাস" টানা পড়ে শেষ করেছিলাম, সমভবত একবসাতেই । কলকাতার তুলি-কলম পরকাশনীর পরকাশিত মণীনদর দততের দুরদানত অসাধারণ পূরনাঙগ অনুবাদ । গভীর মুগধতায় এক বিসময়কর ঘোরের মাঝে ডুবে ছিলাম কয়েকটা দিন । ইতোপূরবে শারলক হোমস কে, কি, কেন এসব সমপরকে তখন আবছা আবছা ধারণা বৈ আর কিছুই জানা ছিল না । এখনকার অতি বিচকষণ ও অভিজঞ পাঠকদের মত আগেভাগেই সব জেনে যাবার কোন সুযোগ ছিল না, একেবারে আনকোরা চোখে নতুন এক জগত আবিষকারের অনাবিল নিখাঁদ আননদের সাথে পরতিটি গলপ পরতিটি পৃষঠা উপভোগ করেছিলা স্কুলের শেষে এসএসসির পর পুরো "শার্লক হোমস অমনিবাস" টানা পড়ে শেষ করেছিলাম, সম্ভবত একবসাতেই । কলকাতার তুলি-কলম প্রকাশনীর প্রকাশিত মণীন্দ্র দত্তের দুর্দান্ত অসাধারণ পূর্নাঙ্গ অনুবাদ । গভীর মুগ্ধতায় এক বিস্ময়কর ঘোরের মাঝে ডুবে ছিলাম কয়েকটা দিন । ইতোপূর্বে শার্লক হোমস কে, কি, কেন এসব সম্পর্কে তখন আবছা আবছা ধারণা বৈ আর কিছুই জানা ছিল না । এখনকার অতি বিচক্ষণ ও অভিজ্ঞ পাঠকদের মত আগেভাগেই সব জেনে যাবার কোন সুযোগ ছিল না, একেবারে আনকোরা চোখে নতুন এক জগত আবিষ্কারের অনাবিল নিখাঁদ আনন্দের সাথে প্রতিটি গল্প প্রতিটি পৃষ্ঠা উপভোগ করেছিলাম ।

প্রথম উপন্যাস 'আ স্টাডি ইন স্কারলেট'-এ প্রথমবারের মত হোমসের ক্ষুরধার বুদ্ধিদীপ্তির চমকপ্রদ প্রমাণ, মহাজটিল রহস্যকাহিনীর ভেতরেই অপ্রত্যাশিতভাবে হৃদয়ভাঙ্গা এক বিয়োগান্তক প্রেমের গল্প, নিদারুণ কঠিন প্রতিশোধপরায়ণতা । আমি বলা যায় ডয়েলের কল্পনাশক্তির এক ঘুষিতেই কুপোকাত ! কিন্তু সে তো সবে শুরু, বিশ্ববিখ্যাত 'দ্য হাউন্ড অফ দ্য বাস্কারভিলস' পড়ে প্রতিটা মুহুর্তে যে গা শিউরানো শিহরণ, রুদ্ধশ্বাস রোমাঞ্চ আর ক্ষণে ক্ষণে উচ্চরক্তচাপ অনুভব করেছিলাম তা এখনো পরিষ্কার মনে আছে । ভরদুপুর বেলাতেও ভয়াল বাদা'র (জলাভূমি) ভীতিকর পরিবেশের বর্ণনা পড়ে বাস্তবিকই আমার গা কাঁটা দিয়ে উঠছিল । এটি আমার জীবনে পড়া ২য় সর্বশ্রেষ্ঠ রহস্যোপন্যাস (১মটি আগাথা ক্রিস্টি'র অতুলনীয় 'অ্যাণ্ড দেন দেয়ার ওয়ার নান') । 'দ্য সাইন অফ ফোর' আরেকটি অতি অতি অসাধারণরকমের দুর্ধর্ষ রহস্যোপন্যাস; আপাতঃ অসম্ভব সিচুয়েশনে অদ্ভূত এক খুনের ঘটনা, আর পরিস্থিতির সাথে পাল্লা দিয়ে হোমসের বিদ্যুৎগতির তদন্ত ও একের পর এক বুদ্ধির ঝিলিক, দৌড়ের উপরে লন্ডনের এক অন্ধকার প্রাসাদবাড়ির খুনের ঘটনাস্থল থেকে আমাকে নিয়ে ফেলেছিল পৃথিবীর অপর প্রান্তে ব্রিটিশশাসিত ভারতের আগ্রা দূর্গের ফটকে আরেক খুনের ঘটনায়... সবকিছুর সাথে কিভাবে যেন জড়িয়ে গেল রোমাঞ্চকর গুপ্তধন-শিকারের গল্প ! উপন্যাসগুলোর মধ্যে একমাত্র 'দ্য ভ্যালি অফ ফিয়ার' পড়েই সেই মাত্রার মজা পাইনি, তারপরেও ভিন্নস্বাদের কাহিনী হিসেবে ভালই লেগেছিল, মাঝখানে আবার ওয়েস্টার্ন-ধর্মী কিছু ফ্ল্যাশব্যাকও আছে (কয়েকবার পড়ে নিশ্চিত হতে হয়েছিল যে ভুল করে অন্য গল্পে ঢুকে যাইনি!) । হোমসের ছোটগল্পও প্রতিটাই ডিজার্ভিংলি ক্লাসিক, ছোট মরিচে ঝাল বেশির মত, বিশেষত 'দ্য অ্যাডভেঞ্চারস অফ শার্লক হোমস' আর 'দ্য রিটার্ন অফ শার্লক হোমস'-এর সবগুলো গল্প । বলা বাহুল্য 'দ্য মেমোয়ারস অফ শার্লক হোমস'-এরও অধিকাংশ গল্প যথারীতি দারুণ, বিশেষ ভাবে উল্লেখ করতে হয় সংকলনের সর্বশেষ গল্প 'দ্য ফাইনাল প্রবলেম'-এর কথা, যাতে প্রথম ও শেষবারের মত আবির্ভাব ঘটে হোমসের চিরশত্রু ও সবচেয়ে বিপজ্জনক প্রতিপক্ষ ডঃ জেমস মরিয়ার্টির । গল্পের শেষে রাইকেনবাক প্রপাতের গোড়ায় তাদের দুজনার দ্বৈরথ ও তার নাটকীয় সমাপ্তি এমনই ধাক্কা দিবে পাঠককে যা থেকে বোধ করি আক্ষরিক অর্থেই "ক্লিফহ্যাঙ্গার" শব্দটার উৎপত্তি হলেও অবাক হব না । লিখতে গিয়ে এখন খেয়াল হল, 'দ্য কেসবুক অফ শার্লক হোমস' আর 'হিজ লাস্ট বাও'-এর বেশিরভাগ গল্পই কেন জানি এখন একেবারে মনে নাই, তাই মনে হচ্ছে খুব শিঘ্রই অনেক বছর পর আবার রিভাইজ দেয়া দরকার বইটা । পড়েছি তো সেই ১৫ বছর আগে !

দেড় যুগ পর আজ হুট করে স্মৃতিকাতর হয়ে গেলাম শার্লক হোমসের পৃথিবীতে প্রবেশের প্রথম অনুভূতির কথা মনে পড়ায় । বর্তমান প্রজন্ম ও আগামী প্রজন্মের জন্য এখন আফসোস হয়, পৃথিবীটা হাতের মুঠোতে চলে আসায় সম্ভবত আর কখনই তাদের কেউ আমার মত কোনপ্রকার পূর্ব ধারণা ছাড়া সম্পূর্ণ নতুন দৃষ্টিতে শার্লক হোমসের জগত উন্মোচনের আনন্দ আস্বাদন করতে পারবে না । তবে একটা কথা ধ্রুবসত্যঃ হাল আমলে যত নিত্যনতুন সৃজনশীলতাই আনুক না কেন শার্লককে টিভিতে-মুভিতে-বইতে নতুনভাবে নতুন সময়ে নতুন প্রেক্ষাপটে উপস্থাপন করে (আমি নিজেও অবশ্য এসবের ভক্ত ভালরকম), প্রকৃত শার্লক হোমস আর তার ভিক্টোরিয়ান লন্ডনের ২২১-বি বেকার স্ট্রিটে সেইসব যাবতীয় গল্পগাঁথা আর্থার কোনান ডয়েলের লেখাতেই অমর হয়ে আছে যুগ থেকে যুগান্তরে, চিরকাল তাই থাকবে ।

'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'
--Sherlock Holmes, 'The Sign of Four'

...more

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Apr 28, 2018 Natalia Yaneva rated it it was amazing

Shelves: in-english

*Nota bene: Долуописаната сцена не е част от никоя от историите на сър Артър Конан Дойл. Всяка прилика с фикционални лица и събития обаче е напълно преднамерена.

Квартирата на Шерлок Холмс и д-р Джон Уотсън на ул. „Бейкър“ 221Б, Лондон. Холмс е погълнат от химичен експеримент, а Уотсън седи в кресло пред камината, взира се в пламъците и от време на време се оглежда неспокойно.

- Уотсън, убеден съм, че нервната Ви превъзбуда е напълно необоснована. Тихото шумолене, което така често прекъсва хода *Nota bene: Долуописаната сцена не е част от никоя от историите на сър Артър Конан Дойл. Всяка прилика с фикционални лица и събития обаче е напълно преднамерена.

Квартирата на Шерлок Холмс и д-р Джон Уотсън на ул. „Бейкър“ 221Б, Лондон. Холмс е погълнат от химичен експеримент, а Уотсън седи в кресло пред камината, взира се в пламъците и от време на време се оглежда неспокойно.

- Уотсън, убеден съм, че нервната Ви превъзбуда е напълно необоснована. Тихото шумолене, което така често прекъсва хода на мислите Ви, не може да бъде нищо друго, освен отгръщане на страниците на книга. Съвсем очевидно е, че някой чете за нас! Явно Вашите описания на скромните ни преживявания са привлекли публика.
- Колко смущаващо ти самият да си обект на нечие изследване… Кой ли би могъл да бъде?
- Смятам, че имаме работа с не твърде висока дама, тъмнокоса, с увлечение към викторианската литература.
- Холмс, предполагам, че за организиран ум като Вашия тези заключения са напълно логични, но бихте ли…
- Лекият аромат, който и двамата долавяме, разбира се, е на жасминов чай – съгласете се, че ако нашият наблюдател беше мъж, по-вероятният му избор би бил стипчив и силен „English breakfast“ например. За интереса на дамата към този тип четива можем да предположим по ритмичното и относително бавно отгръщане на страниците – твърде вероятно става въпрос за препрочитане на абзаци или просто за бавно наслаждаване на текста. Като се замисля може да бъде и някой слабоумен клетник със странни гастрономически навици… Но по-добре е да се придържаме към първоначалното ми предположение.
- Но откъде разбрахте, че става въпрос за дребна брюнетка, Холмс?!
- Както и сам знаете, драги ми Уотсън, представителките на прекрасния пол, които са наясно със своята… хм, физическа и метафорична висота в обществото, ако мога така да се изразя, често предпочитат по-светски занимания от книгите за двама старомодни джентълмени. Що се отнася до цвета на косата, тъмнокосите хора статистически винаги са били по-многобройни от светлите, но прибавих този детайл по-скоро за изчерпателност. Мисля, че все пак е безопасно да възприемем заключенията ми като работна хипотеза за момента.
- Но какво ще правим?
- Предлагам и този път да видим къде ще ни отведе случаят и просто да се оставим да бъдем изследвани…

Небезизвестните приключения на двамата лондонски господа се разстилат тържествено, подобно на „Болеро“-то на Морис Равел или пък са жизнерадостни и бързи като „На хубавия син Дунав“ на Щраус-син, но понякога добиват и тревожните нотки на Бетховеновата „Лунна соната“. Бих казала, че Шерлок и Уотсън са една от най-синергичните двойки в литературата, но вече не съм чак толкова малка, че да си въобразявам, че знам всичко. Уотсън винаги задава точните въпроси, които разкриват тихото величие на неповторимия детектив на Артър Конан Дойл. Добрият доктор смирено приема ролята си на втора цигулка (все пак Холмс има завидна практика в тази област на музиката) и на него неизменно може да се разчита – ако не за дедукции, то поне за допълнителен зареден револвер и много кураж. Дарбите на Холмс се простират от разпознаване на аромата на 75 различни парфюма, през 140 вида тютюн, та чак до подробности за личния живот по отпечатъка на обувката. Шерлок неминуемо има и своите слабости – подчертаният уклон към драматизъм и употребата на седемпроцентен разтвор на кокаин са част от примерите, които обаче само добавят благородна патина към мекия блясък на чистия ум.

Признавам, че съм напълно пристрастна и прочутото отвратително английско време, изтънчени маниери и високомерни обноски винаги са ми били по-близки, отколкото е допустимо, ако си зърнал Албиона за пръв път едва след като си минал двайсетте. Някой по-запознат от мен с детективските истории би казал, че заключенията на Холмс не само граничат, но и често бродят далеч отвъд границите на вероятното. Аз обаче в доста отношения съм привърженик на по-овехтелите школи, затова обичам като покорен читател да се оставям щастливо да ме водят за носа, особено по толкова словесно издържан начин. Ако сте изкушени да проследите развитието на западната детективска традиция между По и Уилки Колинс от една страна и Агата Кристи и всички останали нови попълнения на жанра от друга, непременно се отбийте на по питие и лула у Шерлок и Уотсън. Няма да съжалявате. ...more

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Oct 25, 2016 Hasham Rasool rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arthur-conan-doyle, classic, crime, favourites, fiction, historical-fiction, short-story

Most people in the world know who is Sherlock Holmes as the matter of fact, he is one of the most popular fictional characters.

'The Complete stories of Sherlock Holmes with original illustrations the 'strand' magazine'.

4 novels:

'A Study in Scarlet'
'The Sign of the Four'
'The Hound of the Baskervilles'
'The Valley of Fear'

5 books of 56 short stories:

'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes':
'A Scandal in Bohenia'
'The Red-Headed League'
'A Case of Identity'
'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'
'The Five Orange Pip ...more

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Mar 11, 2016 The Books Blender rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Caro Arthur Conan Doyle,

So il che rapporto con la tua più famosa creatura non sempre è stato idilliaco. So che sei arrivato perfino a commettere un omicidio pur di sbarazzarti della tua onnipresente e impertinente creatura. Ma… sono contenta che ti sia ricreduto e che Sherlock Holmes, alla fine, sia sopravvissuto anche al suo peggior nemico: il suo stesso creatore.

Ora, ci sono mille altre cose che vorrei aggiungere. Ad esempio, potrei dire di come abbia cominciato con "Uno studio in rosso" che ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Manny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: parody-homage, celebrity-death-match, pooh-dante, life-is-le-petit-prince

For the Celebrity Death Match Review Tournament, Le Petit Prince (14) versus The Complete Sherlock Holmes (19)

It was some time during the summer of 19__ that I received an urgent telegram from Holmes. Arriving at 221B, Baker Street, I was struck by how little he had changed. He was older, to be sure; but his eye was as keen as ever, and his enthusiasm not one whit abated by the passage of the years.

"I trust you have brought your passport, Watson?" he said, in lieu of greeting. "We depart for Alg ...more

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Aug 28, 2011 K.D. Absolutely rated it really liked it

Shelves: 501, 1001-core, challenging, mystery, long-read, canon

So, I'm now done with reading this whole 2-volume 1,796-page Sherlock Holmes canon. I spent 10 months reading all the 4 novels and 56 short stories contained herein.

I really liked the experience and I am proud of this accomplishment. My first time to read a canon. Before reading this, I thought that the word canon only applied to biblical works. Well, that was the first thing I learned upon adding this book in my currently-reading folder.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in a classy classic manner a So, I'm now done with reading this whole 2-volume 1,796-page Sherlock Holmes canon. I spent 10 months reading all the 4 novels and 56 short stories contained herein.

I really liked the experience and I am proud of this accomplishment. My first time to read a canon. Before reading this, I thought that the word canon only applied to biblical works. Well, that was the first thing I learned upon adding this book in my currently-reading folder.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in a classy classic manner and even if his settings were not familiar to me as a Filipino, I appreciated his stories because of the universal messages in them: love of a husband to a wife, a son to a father, a father to his child, etc; the evil in greed especially when it comes to riches and money; that men can be truly friends without homosexuality getting in-between; that we have to respect the people we work with; always be wary of the people around you; and that, if used in moderation, cocaine and morphine can actually make you sharper. I cringed while typing the last one.

So, what are my takeaways from Sherlock Holmes? There are three:

1. Logical reasoning. He is a keen observer. In almost every company I joined with, there is a safety program and one of the things they teach in the training is to stop and closely look up, down, left, right, front, back for every thing that we see that can cause an accident. I think that if all of us in the company will have that power of keen observation, all factories will have zero unsafe incidents. Not only that, because Holmes has that keen observation, he uses those things that he sees to link them to his hypotheses and when he applies his knowledge in forensics (having a background on medicine), to the things he observes, it results to his power of deduction.

2. Ability to disguise. I am still to see any Sherlock Holmes television episodes or movies but this one makes the story unbelievable for a middle age man like me but interesting enough to engage me while reading. Sherlock Holmes can be anybody: a pheasant, a woman, an old man, a soldier, a dead person, etc. Not only that, some of his characters put disguises too. This fantasy element in the story is entertaining in my mind but it is the least in terms of the practical application of what I learned from Sherlock Holmes. For one, I could not freaking imagine myself dressed like a woman.

3. Forensic skills. From the first few pages of the A Study in Scarlet when the very young Sherlock Holmes told Dr. Watson how to detect blood from the scene, I was mesmerized. Oh, I thought I knew it from my medical technology readings way back 3 decades ago. However, I am not practicing that profession so at times I already forget what I learned before. Sir Conan Doyle really puts his passion into each novel and short story because he incorporated what he learned from medical books but even history, travel and other sciences such as anthropology, handwriting analysis, weaponry, zoology and botany (I still remember the giant jellyfish). He must have been a very well-read gentlemen.

My favorite novel of course is The Hound of the Baskervilles followed by The Sign of Four. My top 10 favorite stories are below. Interestingly, while typing this, I checked a website and all, except #1, of my choices are not among the Top 12 Sherlockians' choices haha.

1.The Final Problem (Memoirs) - 5 stars
2. His Last Bow (Last Bow) - 5 stars
3. The Adventure of the Retired Colourman (Case Book) - 5 stars
4. The Five Orange Pips (Adventures) - 4 stars
5. The Copper Beeches (Adventures) - 4 stars
6. The Naval Treaty (Memoirs) - 4 stars
7. The Adventure of the Empty House (Return) - 4 stars
8. The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton (Return) - 4 stars
9. The Adventure of the Three Students (Return) - 4 stars
10. The Adventure of the Devil's Foot (Last Bow) - 4 stars

Maybe I am just strange but I always enjoy stories that either "speak" to me or at least "surprise" me.

Anyway, I will definitely miss Sherlock Holmes. But I have to move on to Samuel Beckett. ...more

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Feb 24, 2008 Diana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I was so sad when I finished this book. Nothing new to read ever again about Sherlock Holmes ... hmmmm *sigh*

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Apr 03, 2017 Archit Ojha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-we-own

One sentence until I turn up with a more powerful review :

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Oct 07, 2008 Martha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: those in varying states of wakefullness

I don't know if anyone else does this, but in times of stress or when I have exceptional trouble falling asleep, I find myself re-reading a favorite book. One of these used to be my complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series but alas, it *is* in fact possible to read those books too many times. Lately this book has been the Complete Sherlock Holmes.

What amazes me the most about these stories is that, despite having read through the entire collection a number of times, I seem to find someth ...more

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Jan 03, 2018 Marissa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: beautiful-cover, books-i-own, mystery, adult, classics

*My overall rating is 4.5 stars for the entire bind up. I do list each story and my rating individually, as well as my average rating for each collection.*

A Study in Scarlet : 4 stars

The Sign of the Four : 4.5 stars

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 3.9 stars
-"A Scandal in Bohemia": 4 stars
-"The Red-Headed League": 3.5 stars
-"A Case of Identity": 4.5 stars
-"The Boscombe Valley Mystery": 5 stars
-"The Five Orange Pips": 4 stars
-"The Man with the Twisted Lip": 3.75 stars
-"The Blue Carbuncle": 3 ...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Alexis Hall added it · review of another edition

Shelves: srs-fiction

My impression of what a Sherlock Holmes' story is actually like.

I came down to breakfast one morning to find my dear friend, Sherlock Holmes disembowelling a gerbil with a teaspoon.

"My dear Holmes," said I, "is that really necessary?"

Barely glancing up from his gruesome task, he told me that it was. "You see, Watson," he continued, "there is matter that I believe may soon become illuminated not only to you but the whole of London society."

"Good God, Holmes!" I cried. "Whatever is this?"

"Have pat ...more

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May 30, 2016 Jaro rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: p-sherlock

Phew… I finished this whole thing in twelve days (except for The Hound of the Baskervilles which I had read before). I was in a very restless mood while reading and couldn’t stop. The focus, precision and energy of the stories kept me alert throughout and I never tired. As soon as I finished a story I was immediately hungry for more. I think the stories actually gained something by being consumed in succession in a short time. It made me aware of the structure of the stories, about similarities ...more

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Mar 14, 2019 Stacy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love Sherlock, and it was great to finally read the collection all the way through. : )

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Nov 02, 2017 Trish Isiderio rated it it was amazing

This book is nothing short of brilliant.

Arthur Conan Doyle is a master writer; there never was a dull moment in every story, and there are only a handful of characters that I would love as dearly as I love Sherlock and Watson.

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Jan 15, 2013 Jan Rice rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-my-youth, favorites-best-books, gift-to-me

Jan. 15, 2013: I received this as a gift when I was 20 years old. I had already read it but I must have read again, because the cover wore off. I tucked the front and back piece of the cover in the back of the book, and that's how I know it was this edition. I loved Sherlock Holmes. I own a Sherlock Holmes sweatshirt at this very time.

I also liked Arthur & George by Julian Barnes, which was about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Added after I saw one of my friends was going to read Sherlock Holmes.
I s ...more

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Jan 13, 2018 Leona Carstairs rated it liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, classics

I'M DONE! I'M FINALLY DONE. I'M FREAKING DONE YAYYYY. IT TOOK ME ABOUT 8 1/2 MONTHS OF SLAVING AWAY AND I AM SO HAPPY THAT I AM FREED OF THIS BURDEN. YOU CAN'T IMAGINE HOW FRUSTRATED I WAS WITH MY SLOW PROGRESS, BUT I JUST DECIDED TO PUSH THROUGH AND FINISHED IT ONCE AND FOR ALL.

Look, I don't hate this book! Of course not. But like all story collections, it contains Good stories, Marvelous stories, Dull stories and Awful stories. So I am giving it an overall rating of 3 stars (Plus it took me s ...more

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Jun 05, 2008 Jordan Bailey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

What first got me hooked on reading.
[That sounds corny, like 'Hooked on Phonics' or something...]
Either way, I found a seriously abridged and illustrated version of a few stories when I was in 3rd grade. And I've never looked back. Hands down my favorite reads ever.

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Dec 07, 2015 Tracey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, hist-myst

As it turns out, I don't like Sherlock Holmes very much. The idea? Some of the writing? The kernel of the character and Watson and 221B and Mrs. Hudson and so on?

Absolutely. Holmes himself and his mysteries?

Oh, God.

I'm sure it was in some small part down to the fact that I listened to the entire blessed Holmes canon in an Audible "Complete" edition. I was happy about it, because it was narrated by Simon Vance, who has done such a magnificent job voicing Holmes in sequels by other authors. And ...more

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Oct 18, 2015 Filipa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, english-books, own, policial-thriller-mystery, 1001-books, 5-stars, 2017-reads

I decided to read The Complete Sherlock Holmes in chronological order because: a) it would be more fun, 2) I would love to see the evolution of the characters, namely of Sherlock and Watson. So below are specific ratings on all the sections of the book:

A Study in Scarlet - 5/5
The Sign of Four - 4/5
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (12 tales) - 4/5
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (11 tales) - 5/5
The Hound of Baskervilles - 4,5/5
The Return of Sherlock Holmes (13 tales) - 4,5/5
His Last Bow (8 tales) ...more

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Apr 15, 2018 Eℓℓis ♥ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: grandi-classici, best-ever, thriller-gialli-e-affini, i-miei-scaffali-traboccanti

Che cosa posso dire di un'opera simile? Immensa, su ogni fronte.
Va a sir Arthur Conan Doyle - oramai consacrato tra i più grandi scrittori gialli di sempre - il merito di aver dato vita ad un personaggio dalle mille ed eclettiche sfaccettature, capace di esercitare la sublime, sottile, arte della deduzione: l'eccentrico Sherlock Holmes.
Dal libro:

Lei ha portato l'arte dell'indagine ad essere tanto più vicina possibile a una scienza esatta quanto mai potrà esserlo in questo mondo.

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Jul 24, 2014 Sahaj rated it it was amazing

Shelves: novels-fiction

A Scandal in Bohemia: Chapter I. A dialogue I liked.
A scene at 221/B, Baker Street, London

Sherlock is sitting in his armchair in his usual manner, his eyes closed. In front of him is Count Von Kramm, a Bohemian nobleman, wearing a mask. (Who he was kidding? He was in front of the great SH!) And so in front of him actually is Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel Felstein, and hereditary King of Bohemia. by this time SH has opened his eyes and had an impatient look at ...more

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Oct 04, 2015 DeAnna Knippling rated it really liked it

Shelves: top-100-crime-novels-cwa, top-100-mystery-novels-mwa

The Complete Sherlock Holmes...I happened to finish Dan Simmons's The Fifth Heart recently, and was a little put out about how he treated Sherlock in some spots. Having now finished the complete stories and novels - okay, yeah. Lots of inconsistencies, many stories a long stone's throw from fair, repetitive plotlines, and those stupid stories that are Sherlock intro, Sherlock epilogue...and a mass of adventure from America that I couldn't care less about. Sherlock is a heartless bastard, all rig ...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Jesús rated it it was amazing

My first review... Well then... Let's get to it.

There are many things about Sherlock Holmes stories that I find to be brilliant but I will discuss only three in this review so as not to make it too long.

The first is that Holmes is actually as brilliant as his reputation would have everyone believe. Something that I find extremely annoying in fiction is when a character has a reputation for being a fantastic investigator or for being great at something else but they never do anything to prove th My first review... Well then... Let's get to it.

There are many things about Sherlock Holmes stories that I find to be brilliant but I will discuss only three in this review so as not to make it too long.

The first is that Holmes is actually as brilliant as his reputation would have everyone believe. Something that I find extremely annoying in fiction is when a character has a reputation for being a fantastic investigator or for being great at something else but they never do anything to prove themselves worthy of that reputation. The character just seems to have average intelligence and the writer makes the main character look smart by making everyone else stupid. Doyle actually went to the trouble of thinking up brilliant things for Holmes to do instead of just making everyone else in the stories stupid as a lot of writers do.

The second is the way Doyle handled Holmes and Watson's relationship. Something else that I have come to detest in fiction is the typical friendship in which the characters are too often making a huge sacrifice for one another and are too frequently having big emotional scenes together. Relationships such as that eventually get to the point where they seem too unrealistic and no longer make me feel anything. But Doyle manages to convince the reader that Holmes and Watson are close friends without any of the sacrifices or emotional scenes. He uses little things to show the depth of their friendship which prevents it from ever becoming sappy or too fictional. Also, the way he wrote the characters helps a great deal to establish them as being close friends. The main thing that convinced me that Holmes and Watson must care a lot for one another was the fact that Watson put up with Holmes' arrogance, rudeness, and strange behavior and the fact that Holmes, who was a very cold and unemotional person, actually allowed Watson to be his friend.

The third is the stories themselves. Even today they are so original and unpredictable. Another complaint that I have about modern fiction is that I can usually determine the whole plot of the story at the very beginning or at least have a general idea where the writer is going to go with the story and the characters. With most of these stories I didn't have a clue as to what was going to happen next. There were a couple of the stories that I was able to predict but it was still cool to hear Holmes give a logical explanation as to how he had arrived at a conclusion that I had only arrived at by guessing.

If you've never read these stories then I would highly recommend doing so. They are absolutely wonderful. ...more

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Sep 27, 2015 Cindy Rollins rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, 2015

58 hours of narration by the wonderful Simon Vance which I doubt will ever be improved upon. Truly remarkable stories.

I often struggle to determine how many stars to give many books, especially modern ones which often come highly touted. But there is no struggle here. These stories are superior to any modern stories I have read this year.

For those who may not know this Doyle was a wonderful author of other books equal to his Sherlock Holmes books. For family reading do not miss The White Compa ...more

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About Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle

16,643 followers

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born the third of ten siblings on 22 May 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, Charles Altamont Doyle, was born in England of Irish descent, and his mother, born Mary Foley, was Irish. They were married in 1855.

Although he is now referred to as "Conan Doyle", the origin of this compound surname (if that is how he meant it to be understood) is uncertain. His baptism re ...more