The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

While I don't think this is the exact same book that I read, it's the closest I could find. Mine is also an exact facsimile with the original illustrations and a foreword about "The Magic of Sherlock Holmes". I picked it up not too long ago after being led into the bowels of the Morristown Library by a gang of elderly annoyed librarians in search of a "book sale" my father and I saw a small cardboard sign for. There wasn't much to choose from- they were mostly selling romances that people had donated to the library (further supporting my belief that romance novels are, for the most part, disposable). I wanted to get something, though, since everything was incredibly cheap and I had nothing to read. I saw a paperback version of this book show more tossed in a dusty corner and it seemed as good a choice as any- plus it was $2, and there aren't a whole lot of books I wouldn't buy for that price.

So I went to the scowling cashier with the beehive hairdo and paid for it, then tried to find my way out of the labyrinthine library basement. It took a while. Seriously, you would not even believe the books that some libraries have in their basement. Rooms and rooms of them, some with leather covers and clasps that looked older than the United States.

Once I started reading the book, I couldn't stop. I read as we walked, I read during lunch, I read the entire time during the drive back, then stayed up till some obscene hour finishing one last short story. Hence my placement on the "who-needs-sleep-anyway?" shelf.

I love short stories. When they're bad, you don't feel like you wasted as much time as you would have reading a bad novel. But when they're good, they can pack even more of a punch than the lengthiest of epics. They are a true lesson in how much an author can say in so few words. To me, they are like the gourmet bite-sized appetisers of the books world, the pigs in a blanket, the curry puffs, the potato skins, the strange crunchy things at a foreign restaurant that you're not even sure what they are but they're so damn good you scoop a dozen of them onto your plate and have at it.

This is compilation of the first 12 short stories in which Sherlock Holmes and John Watson first appeared. They are the perfect length, not to mention illustrated- I love any book for adults that gives me an excuse to look at pictures. In reading this, I gained a new appreciation for the character of Sherlock Holmes, and I truly believe that until you've read at least one of Doyle's stories you don't know what you're missing.

The true Sherlock Holmes is not very much like he is portrayed in popular movies and TV shows (none that I've seen, at least) and, in fact, neither is Watson. Before reading this book, I pictured Holmes as a bitter, condescending genius with a fondness for deerstalker hats. While that's right to some extent, the actual character profile is far more layered. He's a restless cocaine and opium addict, often does chemistry in his own little lab, plays the fiddle quite frequently, is very moody, and while he is often difficult and gruff, he's not like the sour, world-weary old man I thought he would be. (Also, he only wears a deerstalker hat once in all of the stories in here. Sometimes he opts for a top hat or bowler but more often than not, he goes bare-headed.)

I was surprised at how much I liked Dr. Watson. He isn't as accustomed to bizarre adventures as Holmes is and he is more easily flummoxed, but it is implied that he's actually a real badass. I mean, he's often armed, he's got a military background, he's the only friend of the greatest detective in Victorian London, and he's got a bullet in his arm that he calls a relic of his Afghan campaign. Much cooler than you thought, eh?

Also, he's got a killer moustache.

The dynamic between the good doctor and the detective is great as they help people from all walks of life and solve a spectrum of crimes from murders to people getting their thumbs chopped off with axes as they hang out of windows*. The setting and illustrations serve wonderfully as world-builders and you truly feel like you're in the stagecoach with Holmes and Watson as they roll along the London cobblestones in the dead of a stormy night.

I really must read the rest of Doyle's short stories, and I'll probably read the novels too if I ever get around to it. If you're a chronic skimmer, my favourite stories in this volume were The Engineer's Thumb, The Blue Carbuncle, The Speckled Band, A Scandal in Bohemia, and The Man with the Twisted Lip.

So there you have it. A review of what are considered the first great detective stories and an ode to what $2 can buy you. If you haven't read this yet, what are you waiting for? If you've watched any of the movies or series and yet refuse to read any of the books...

...really?

*Not even kidding. show less

Why are Sherlock Holmes stories revered? They contain clever mysteries, and the two main characters inspire fondness and fascination. That's fine. But that's not what blows me away upon reading this book. I am devastated by the language. The writing. Pacing, word choice, style... and something about the way that succeeding sentences and phrases almost seem to interrupt and yet build upon the preceding... an astonishing energy. In short, it's the writing. Oh, also: This volume must be read out loud. Not as good silent.

This is a reread...at least that's what I thought when I initially picked this book off of my shelf. When I was an undergrad approximately a million years ago I read a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. I felt pretty positive that the Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes were included but I definitely didn't remember all of the stories in this collection. That made the reading experience even more special because I got to experience these mysteries for the very first time!

I'd be quite surprised if you haven't been at least somewhat exposed to the deductive reasoning powers of the world-renowned detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusty chronicler Dr. John H. Watson. Whether through the original films, the reboots with Robert show more Downey Jr., or the tv series with the phenomenal Benedict Cumberbatch there's little doubt that you know something about these two characters. Most are familiar with The Study in Scarlet, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and His Last Bow but those stories are not included in this (quite large) tome. If you've read those and haven't explored the rest of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's offerings I highly recommend you pick this book up. It would make a great gift for a mystery lover and is perfect for cozying up with on a cold winter night. (I sound like I'm getting royalties to promote this but I genuinely just enjoyed my time visiting Baker Street again.) show less

What can you say about the original other than Amazing! That said, after reading most of the adventures, the 'pattern' of story used becomes similar from one to another which is why Sherlock became so popular. The highly intuitive character seems to have a connection with details others only dream about. Told through the eyes of Watson these stories are enchanting, surprising and filled with twists and turns. I did grow weary of the style over time though; in fact I seem to take on a "Sherlock" quality in that I could sense what would follow in an adventure or memoir. Good stuff all the way around though.

"The Yellow Face"
Thus far, this is my favorite of the Sherlock Holmes short stories. It's wonderful to see Sherlock be wrong, for a change. It humanizes him. Yet, even being wrong, he delighted in the resolution in the case, rather than being resentful - a sign of humility. The ending was wonderful. I truly enjoyed it.

"The Stockbroker's Clerk"
Meh. It just feels like a re-imaging of the Red-Headed League, to me.

"The Gloria Scott"
Not as captivating as some of his other stories, but it was still an interesting peak into the mind of Sherlock Holmes.

"The Musgrave Ritual"
Yay! I love it when I can solve the puzzle before the final reveal. At the same time, given how horrible I am at puzzles and mysteries, it makes me feel that this must have show more been lazily written if I could figure it out so readily.

"The Final Solution"
Ummm...What the hell is this crap? There's no real build of story, no interesting events, and then it just ends. It's far too obviously how Doyle felt about Sherlock by this story. show less

This took me a LONG time to get through, because I picked up this book pretty infrequently to squeeze in a story between other books, but I am SO GLAD that I have finally read all of these. My first exposure to Sherlock Holmes came in my eighth grade classroom when we were assigned "The Hound of the Baskervilles." Eighth-grader me no likey, but all growned-up me really enjoyed these stories. I should have taken some reading notes on the individual stories, because there are so many and I read them over such a stretch of time that they are all a bit of a jumble. But, in short, I loved these stories and they were so much more enjoyable than my twelve-year-old self would have anticipated.

After reading A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four, I wasn't psyched to continue with Holmes, but I soon formed the opinion that the character works way better in short stories. I was disappointed that Dr. Watson leaves Holmes to get married (although he comes back later), since that relationship is really the key to the stories for me. They manage to continue to work together, and Watson has some interesting speculations on Holmes's life on his own. The end of the Memoirs collection is a bit of a shock, and rather anti-climactic - literally, it turns out.