The Complete Sherlock Holmes [Leatherbound] (original 1930; edition 2009)

Read this a couple years back...

Sherlock Holmes embodies my view of myself: "I am smart enough to be annoying, but not smart enough to not be annoying." Sure Holmes is curious, observant, and tenacious, so he gets the job done. But along the way, he alienates anyone with an ego.

So 5 stars for an awesomely clever collection of tales - 1 star for the painful kick in my ego-ass = 4 stars. (Yes, my review is biased. In the immortal words of William Golding: "Who says life is fair?") ( )

No, I didn't read all of them, I just couldn't find a more appropriate version. I read a bunch of 'em. I read them when I was a kid, too, so it was kindof a nostalgia trip. I like this stuff. Man, Holmes was really a dick.

Note to prospective readers: this list of the 12 best Holmes stories pretty much nails it, as far as I've ever been concerned. ( )

Have this in 2 vols, Doubleday, 197? -- Vol. 1 p. 1-480, vol 2 p. 481-1122 ( )

This is not quite the same version - I got the 1.99 version on my Nook.

Just started this. The first story introduces us to Watson, who is trying to find suitable apartments to rent. A friend of his mentions a rather odd if pleasant gentleman who is looking for a roommate for an apartment he just found...

Great so far! Love that Holmes disses other literary detectives.

12-24 Still loving this. More than halfway done with the 1,700 some pages. I'll really miss it when I'm done.

I have not quite gotten through the last of these... but I'm marking it as "read" because I've simply gone through way more than half of these numerous stories. Definitely fodder for a re-read sometime. ( )

This is a massive omnibus so I will be reviewing the bits as I finish them. (I have read one or two of the short story collections before - everything else should be fairly new.)

A Study in Scarlet:

I knew the bones of the mystery already - it's been riffed on so many times it's impossible not to. But I was struck by first, how charming the introduction of Our Heroes is, and secondly how wacky the random Western stuck in the middle seemed. I would have found it more charming if I had any patience right now for sinister Mormons and the caricatured portrayals thereof.

The Sign of the Four:

Similarly, this mystery is centered around discovering what happened in far-off exotic places that came home to roost. It feels more slight than A Study in Scarlet and there's a degree of period-standard racism than makes me flinch, but Watson and Holmes remain entertaining.

The Hound of the Baskervilles:

A pure English countryside mystery. Holmes is really kind of a dick to Watson, but one can't argue too much with success, and of course Watson doesn't. Definitely one of those where the reader really can't jump ahead too much, because the solution is dependent on clues we just don't get until the end. I don't mind that too much, but I know it infuriates some people.

The Valley of Fear:

Again a local mystery bracketed around an Exciting Adventure in Foreign Parts. I find this device baffling, although the interstitial story was much better than the previous two examples. Introduces Moriarty in a distant sort of way.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes:

The short stories begin! This and the following volume I had read previously. I can definitely see why Holmes and Watson are such resilient characters - their relationship is delightful. The actual stories are pleasantly short, and I was satisfied that while I couldn't actually solve the mystery most of the time (the reader doesn't get enough info) I could usually see the shape of it, which made me anticipate the reveal more than I would have otherwise.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes:

Just as entertaining as the Adventures. The Final Problem was one I'd heard so much about that it seemed like I must have read it, but it was nice to actually do so. The stories don't stick in my head much - they're fairly slight - but fun and worth the read.

His Last Bow:

A few interesting variations - a story written in the third person, one written from Holmes' perspective - but otherwise more of the same.

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes:

The joy does seem to have gone out by this point. Fairly rote, although reading for homoeroticism remains a delight.

Incidental note: This is a huge cheap edition that I picked up for a song. Wouldn't recommend it - heavy, unwieldy, and unlovely. ( )