This reading was not my original encounter for any of the stories collected here: several I'd read in miscellaneous editions at various points in the past four-plus decades, and every one I'd seen as adapted by Granada for the celebrated Jeremy Brett / David Burke performances. Impressive indeed how closely those Granada episodes hew to the source material.

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No issue with the stories selected for the Folio Society collection. My primary reaction was having to battle my typical urge to purchase the entire Holmes story collection. I enjoyed each story here, and while I wistfully could recall some stories passed over, I'm not such a fan that I can recall stories I liked better but were not included.

Max Löffler illustrates for the Folio Society edition and combines the menace of story plots and settings with the intrigue of Holmes's personality, provoking both awe and amusement (sometimes for the same image). Löffler's trompe l’oeil stylings are more 20th Century than my usual preference for Holmesiana, but these work very well, leaning art deco more than photorealism. ( )