The Book Report #50

Episode #49

The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Book

This edition, of the book, was published by Wordsworth Editions Limited. It became part of the Wordsworth Library Collection in 2007 and was published with the original illustrations from the original work. The first complete stories book was published in 1928.

This is continuing with the book, from my to-be-read bookshelf. I received this book as a gift from a friend, who passed a few years ago when we took a trip to the Sherlock Holmes museum, in London.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of small short stories originally printed in the Strand magazine from July 1891 to June 1892 and brought together to create an omnibus book. This was published on 14th October 1892. It was first published in the UK by George Newnes Limited and in America by Harper & Brothers.

What I Think

As always the stories are written from the point of view of Dr John Watson as he joins his dear friend, Mr Sherlock Holmes, on the adventure of solving crimes and mysteries.

This time around instead of one long story. We have a collection of stories that show that most of the cases didn’t take that long to solve. But Dr Watson still needed to record it for prosperity. And we are thankful for it.

While I read this book, I realised it is essentially a book of stories where the “lads” have many days and nights out, even when Dr Watson’s wife has to go away for a while. Mrs Watson sends Dr Watson to Baker Street, knowing he will be safe with Holmes while they enjoy a play date. His room is always ready when he visits for a few days or more.

Yes, I understand that it is a little bit more than that. But down to the nitty gritty, that is what it is. The crime-fighting and mystery-solving, are the bonus.

The Woman

This book is where we witness the origins of Lady Irene Adler. Which I found, in the end, to be a little disappointing. TV and Film over the years have exaggerated the connection between these two. To only have a few pages together where Miss Adler outsmarts Holmes and disappears, to be never seen again.

Most of the cases involve the public asking for help, but they also include a couple that brings in Lestrade of Scotland Yard. It gets to a point where Sherlock can predict who and what is coming next, but he is still surprised at how some of the clients affect him.

Technology

I know they weren’t technically advanced in the 1800s, but, it still amazes me how fast travel was. The train was a marvel for the time. Even the horse and carriage seemed to move about quite well. And then you have the telegram system. I don’t know how much, or if any was exaggerated, but even though the methods were slow for the time, it must have felt like lightning speed.

I can not help but enjoy the stories of the adventures of Holmes and Watson. And I am looking forward to the next chapter.

The Audiobook

No time to read the book? Then have a listen.

Would I Recommend

Yes, I would recommend this book. If you have a few minutes to read a short story with some adventure than this is a book for you.

So, please give this book a go.

Would you like to purchase your very own copy?

You could try these online stores: Amazon UK/USA. Waterstones. AbeBooks UK/ USA, Barnes and Noble and eBay UK/ USA.

Alternatively, you could try your local bookshop or even your local library.