The Sherlock Holmes Mysteries: New Expanded Edition (Signet Classics | 22 stories)
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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There is no greater detective in fictitious London than Sherlock Holmes. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 1880's, the nimble-minded detective was known for his logical reasoning and early forensic science skills to solve England's most gruesome crimes. Along with his trusted sidekick Dr. John H. Watson, Holmes proves his ability as a gumshoe and a master of disguise. Stories like "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" require inventive and creative measures for Doyle's intelligent show more detective to solve a murder. The crime took place in a locked room with no way in or out, and it is only when Holmes locks himself in the room that he able to solve the mystery and reveal the true killer. In another story, Holmes is outsmarted by a woman in "A Scandal in Bohemia," though he looks upon the case with fond memories because he was dazzled by the woman and her wit and charms. The stories do not all focus on mere intelligence, though. Holmes faces a great deal of action, fighting, and gun play in his line of work. He was also one of the first fictitious characters to use forensic evidence to help solve crimes. Most of the forensic sciences had not been developed at the time of Doyle's writing; thus, Sherlock Holmes' stories actually helped create and shape forensics. This collection, "The Sherlock Holmes Mysteries," is a wonderful addition to any book collection, and it is an exciting read for audiences of all ages. show lessTags
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There's something about these stories, with all their flaws, that keeps me re-reading.
Novelist biography: Doyle decided that if he were to develop a base of readers, he needed to create an ongoing character, and one whose adventures could be self-contained, so that his readers would not have to read long stories in monthly installments and be disappointed if they missed chapters. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's fictional detective M. Dupin and Émile Gaboriau's Lecoq, Doyle decided to try his hand at detective fiction. The result was Sherlock Holmes--a fictionalized version of his old medical teacher Joseph Bell. The hallmark of his detective was Holmes's brilliance as deducing facts from the most subtle and unlikely types of evidence. Doyle's first Holmes books were an immense success; however, he soon to feel constrained show more by his creation. Plots of sufficient complexity for Holmes to solve were difficult to construct. He tried to kill Holmes off in "The Final Solution" by sending the detective over the Reichenbach Falls, but the outrage of his readership forced him to resurrect his hero. show less
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3,988+ Works 169,253 Members
The most famous fictional detective in the world is Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. However, Doyle was, at best, ambivalent about his immensely successful literary creation and, at worst, resentful that his more "serious" fiction was relatively ignored. Born in Edinburgh, Doyle studied medicine from 1876 to 1881 and received his M.D. in show more 1885. He worked as a military physician in South Africa during the Boer War and was knighted in 1902 for his exceptional service. Doyle was drawn to writing at an early age. Although he attempted to enter private practice in Southsea, Portsmouth, in 1882, he soon turned to writing in his spare time; it eventually became his profession. As a Liberal Unionist, Doyle ran, unsuccessfully, for Parliament in 1903. During his later years, Doyle became an avowed spiritualist. Doyle sold his first story, "The Mystery of the Sasassa Valley," to Chambers' Journal in 1879. When Doyle published the novel, A Study in Scarlet in 1887, Sherlock Holmes was introduced to an avid public. Doyle is reputed to have used one of his medical professors, Dr. Joseph Bell, as a model for Holmes's character. Eventually, Doyle wrote three additional Holmes novels and five collections of Holmes short stories. A brilliant, though somewhat eccentric, detective, Holmes employs scientific methods of observation and deduction to solve the mysteries that he investigates. Although an "amateur" private detective, he is frequently called upon by Scotland Yard for assistance. Holmes's assistant, the faithful Dr. Watson, provides a striking contrast to Holmes's brilliant intellect and, in Doyle's day at least, serves as a character with whom the reader can readily identify. Having tired of Holmes's popularity, Doyle even tried to kill the great detective in "The Final Problem" but was forced by an outraged public to resurrect him in 1903. Although Holmes remained Doyle's most popular literary creation, Doyle wrote prolifically in other genres, including historical adventure, science fiction, and supernatural fiction. Despite Doyle's sometimes careless writing, he was a superb storyteller. His great skill as a popular author lay in his technique of involving readers in his highly entertaining adventures. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Arthur Conan Doyle has a Legacy Library. Legacy libraries are the personal libraries of famous readers, entered by LibraryThing members from the Legacy Libraries group.
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Sherlock Holmes Mysteries: New Expanded Edition (Signet Classics | 22 stories) (Signet Classics | 22 stories)
- Original publication date
- 1984
- People/Characters
- Sherlock Holmes; John H. Watson; Mycroft Holmes; Irene Adler; Professor James Moriarty
- Important places
- 221B Baker Street, London, England, UK
- First words
- Introduction: Holmes' Occupation:
It was 1887, and a manuscript of a story - after several rejections - was sold for £25 to a publisher who performed the signal service of bringing out A Study in Scarlet in whi... (show all)ch a character who thereafter disappears forever makes an historic introduction "Dr. Watson, Mr. Sherlock Holmes."
To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman • • A Scandal in Bohemia - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Adventure of the Abbey Grange:
" ... Come back to this lady in a year, and may her future and yours justify us in the judgement which we have pronounced this night!" - Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- STOP! The "New Expanded" edition of The Sherlock Holmes Mysteries contains 22 stories (compared with 10 in another edition). See description for details.
So which one is this supposed to be ... (show all)- the 22 the ISBN sent us to, or the original 10? The description would indicate it's the edition with 22 stories.
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Statistics
- Members
- 431
- Popularity
- 71,152
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.25)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 5
