The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

By Arthur Conan Doyle and Otto Penzler

The immortal Sherlock Holmes solves eleven unforgettable mysteries

These stories, originally published in the Strand Magazine, follow Holmes from the astonishing heights of his deductive powers to the bottom of a treacherous gorge in Switzerland. “Silver Blaze,” a case that famously hinges on the “curious incident of the dog in the night-time,” finds the detective employing his singular imagination to locate a missing racehorse. In “The Greek Interpreter,” Holmes and his brilliant older brother, Mycroft, team up to put an end to a diabolical extortion scheme. And, most notoriously, criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty makes his first appearance in “The Final Problem,” a story that begins with the discovery of a secret criminal organization overtaking England, and ends on a cliff overlooking the Reichenbach Falls. With a heavy heart, Dr. Watson tells the world what no one wants to hear: Holmes and his archenemy have plunged to their deaths together, locked in mortal combat.
 
This legendary collection, which Arthur Conan Doyle intended to bring a fitting end to the Sherlock Holmes saga, also includes “The Musgrave Ritual,” “The Reigate Puzzle,” “The Crooked Man,” and “The Resident Patient.” Each of these eleven stories is now recognized as a masterpiece of crime fiction, and a clear indication that the peerless sleuth was not yet ready to leave the stage for good.
 
This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: MysteriousPress.com Open Road
• Release date: Apr 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480489721

Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a Scottish author best known for his classic detective fiction, although he wrote in many other genres including dramatic work, plays, and poetry. He began writing stories while studying medicine and published his first story in 1887. His Sherlock Holmes character is one of the most popular inventions of English literature, and has inspired films, stage adaptions, and literary adaptations for over 100 years.

Book preview

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle

Contents

Introduction

Adventure I. Silver Blaze

Adventure II. The Yellow Face

Adventure III. The Stock-Broker’s Clerk

Adventure IV. The "Gloria Scott"

Adventure V. The Musgrave Ritual

Adventure VI. The Reigate Puzzle

Adventure VII. The Crooked Man

Adventure VII. The Resident Patient

Adventure IX. The Greek Interpreter

Adventure X. The Naval Treaty

Adventure XI. The Final Problem

Introduction

by Otto Penzler

About one hundred years ago, Sherlock Holmes was described as one of the three most famous people who ever lived, the other two being Jesus Christ and Houdini. There are some who claim that he is a fictional character, but this notion is, of course, absurd. Every schoolchild knows what he looks like and what he does for a living, and most know many of his peculiar characteristics.

The tall, slender, hawk-nosed figure, with his deerstalker hat and Inverness cape, is instantly recognizable in every corner of the world. In addition to the superb stories describing his adventures written by his friend, roommate, and chronicler Dr. John H. Watson (with the assistance of his literary agent, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), Holmes has been impersonated on the stage, television, and radio, and in countless motion pictures. More than twenty-five thousand books, stories, and articles have been written about him by famous authors, amateur writers, and scholars.

Sherlock (he was nearly named Sherrinford) was born on January 6, 1845, on the farmstead of Mycroft (the name of his older brother) in the North Riding of Yorkshire. He solved his first case (eventually titled The Gloria Scott) while a twenty-year-old student at Oxford. Following graduation, he became the world’s first consulting detective—a vocation he followed for twenty-three years.

In January 1881 he was looking for someone to share his new quarters at 221B Baker Street and a friend introduced him to Dr. John H. Watson. Before agreeing to share the apartment, the two men aired their respective shortcomings. Holmes confessed, I get in the dumps at times, and don’t open my mouth for days on end. He also smokes a vile shag tobacco and conducts experiments with loathsome-smelling chemicals. And he failed to mention an affection for cocaine. Although he ruefully noted his fondness for scratching away at the violin while in contemplation, he proved to be a virtuoso who could calm his roommate’s raw nerves with a melodious air.

Watson’s admitted faults include the keeping of a bull pup, a strong objection to arguments because his nerves cannot stand them, a penchant for arising from bed at all sorts of ungodly hours, and an immense capacity for laziness.

I have another set of vices when I’m well, he said, but those are the principal ones at present.

They became friends, and Watson chronicled the deeds of his illustrious roommate, often to the displeasure of Holmes, who resented the melodramatic and sensational tales. He believed that the affairs, if told at all, should be put to the public as straightforward exercises in cold logic and deductive reasoning.

Holmes possesses not only excellent deductive powers but also a giant intellect. Anatomy, chemistry, mathematics, British law, and sensational literature are but a few areas of his vast sphere of knowledge, although he is admittedly not well versed in such subjects as astronomy, philosophy, and politics. He has published several distinguished works on erudite subjects: Upon the Distinction between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccos; A Study of the Influence of a Trade upon the Form of the Hand; Upon the Polyphonic Motets of Lassus; A Study of the Chaldean Roots in the Ancient Cornish Language; and, his magnum opus, The Practical Handbook in Bee Culture, with Some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen. His four-volume The Whole Art of Detection has not yet been published. When he needs information that his brain has not retained, he refers to a small, carefully selected library of reference works and a series of commonplace books. Since Holmes cares only about facts that aid his work, he ignores whatever he considers superfluous. He explains his theory of education thus: I consider that a man’s brain originally is like an empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. … It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before.

An athletic body complements Holmes’s outstanding intelligence. He seems even taller than his six feet because he is extremely thin. His narrow, hooked nose and sharp, piercing eyes give him a hawklike appearance. He often astonished Watson with displays of strength and agility; he is a superb boxer, fencer, and singlestick player. He needed all his strength when he met his nemesis, the ultimate arch-criminal Professor James Moriarty, in a struggle at the edge of the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. The evenly matched adversaries, locked in battle, fell over the cliff; both were reported to be dead. All England mourned the passing of its great keeper of the law, but in 1894, after being missing for three years, Holmes returned. He had not been killed in the fall, after all, but had seized a good opportunity to fool his many enemies in the underworld. He had taken over the identity of a Danish explorer, Sigerson, and traveled to many parts of the world, including New Jersey, where he is believed to have had an affair with Irene Adler (who will always be the woman to Holmes), and to Tibet, where he learned the secret of long life from the Dalai Lama.

When Miss Adler (the famous and beautiful opera singer Holmes first meets in A Scandal in Bohemia) died in 1903, he retired to keep bees on the southern slopes of the Sussex Downs with his old housekeeper, Mrs. Martha Hudson. He came out of retirement briefly before World War I, but his life since then has been quiet.

Holmes has outlived the people who have participated at various times in his adventures. In addition to Mycroft, Watson, Moriarty, Irene Adler, and Mrs. Hudson, the best-known auxiliary personalities in the stories include Billy the page boy, who occasionally announces visitors to 221B; Mary Morstan, who becomes Mrs. Watson; the Baker Street Irregulars, street urchins led by Wiggins, who scramble after information for Holmes’s coins; Lestrade, an inept Scotland Yard inspector; Stanley Hopkins, a Scotland Yard man of greater ability; Gregson, the smartest of the Scotland Yarders according to Holmes; and Colonel Sebastian Moran, the second most dangerous man in London.

The first story written about Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet, originally appeared in Beeton’s Christmas Annual for 1887 and subsequently was published in book form in London by Ward, Lock & Company in 1888; the first American edition was published by J. B. Lippincott & Company in 1890. Holmes is called to assist Scotland Yard on what Inspector Tobias Gregson calls a bad business during the night at 3, Lauriston Gardens. An American, Enoch J. Drebber, has been murdered, and Yard men can point to only a single clue, the word Rache scrawled on the wall in blood. They believe it to be the first letters of a woman’s name, Rachel, but Holmes suggests that it is the German word for revenge. Soon, the dead man’s private secretary, Stangerson, is also found murdered; the same word is written in blood nearby. A long middle section of this novel, dealing with Mormons, is an unusual flashback.

The Sign of the Four first appeared simultaneously in the English and American editions of Lippincott’s Magazine for February 1890. Spencer Blacket published the first English book edition in the same year; P. F. Collier published the first American book edition in 1891. Calling at 221B Baker Street for help is Mary Morstan, a fetching young lady by whom Watson is totally charmed; ultimately, he marries her. She is the daughter of a captain in the Indian Army who mysteriously disappeared ten years earlier and has never been heard from again. Four years after the disappearance, Miss Morstan received an anonymous gift, a huge, lustrous pearl, and got another like it each year thereafter. Holmes and Watson accompany her to a tryst with the eccentric Thaddeus Sholto, twin brother of Bartholomew Sholto and the son of a major who was Captain Morstan’s only friend in London. Holmes sets out to find a fabulous treasure and is soon involved with the strange Jonathan Small and Tonga.

A Scandal in Bohemia first appeared in the Strand Magazine in July 1891; its first book appearance was in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892). The first published short story in which Holmes appears features the detective in an uncharacteristic battle of wits with a lady, and with no real crime to solve. The king of Bohemia has had a rather indiscreet affair with Irene Adler, who threatens to create an international scandal when he attempts to discard her and marry a noblewoman. Holmes is hired to obtain possession of a certain unfortunate photograph before it can be sent to the would-be bride’s royal family. Holmes is outwitted, and he never stops loving Irene for fooling him.

In The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), Sir Charles Baskerville, of Baskerville Hall, Dartmoor, Devon, has been found dead. There are no signs of violence at the scene, but his face is incredibly distorted with terror. Dr. James Mortimer enlists the aid of Holmes to protect the young heir to the estate, Sir Henry Baskerville. Watson goes to the grim moor to keep an eye on Sir Henry but is warned to return to London by a neighbor, Beryl Stapleton, the lovely sister of a local naturalist, who hears a blood-chilling moan at the edge of the great Grimpen Mire and identifies it as the legendary Hound of the Baskervilles, calling for its prey.

The original stories about Holmes number sixty; more than that number have been written by other authors, however. Even Conan Doyle wrote a parody of the characters, How Watson Learned the Trick, first published in The Book of the Queen’s Dolls’ House in 1924. The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1974) by Nicholas Meyer was a longtime bestseller. Among the most famous pastiches are those by H. F. Heard, whose Mr. Mycroft is a pseudonymous Holmes; the tales of August Derleth, whose Solar Pons is the Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street; and The Unique Hamlet (1920) by Vincent Starrett, in which the great detective appears under his true name.

Other names (and guises) under which Holmes has appeared are Herlock Sholmes and Holmlock Shears (in Maurice LeBlanc’s The Exploits of Arsène Lupin, 1907, and The Fair-haired Lady, 1909); Picklock Holes (in R. C. Lehmann’s The Adventures of Picklock Holes, 1901); Shylock Homes (in John Kendrick Bangs’s series of short stories in American newspapers in 1903, reprinted as Shylock Homes: His Posthumous Memoirs, 1973; Bangs also wrote many parodies of Holmes using the detective’s real name, as in The Pursuit of the House-Boat, 1897; The Enchanted Type-Writer, 1899; and R. Holmes & Co., 1906, in which the hero is the son of Sherlock Holmes and the grandson of A. J. Raffles); Shamrock Jolnes (by O. Henry in two stories in Sixes and Sevens, 1911); Hemlock Jones (by Bret Harte in The Stolen Cigar-Case in Condensed Novels: Second Series, 1902); and Schlock Homes in many stories by Robert L. Fish.

Today, of course, Holmes continues to be a multimedia superstar, appearing in two internationally successful films starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes; the BBC television series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch; and Elementary, the wildly popular CBS series starring Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Watson.

Adventure I.

Silver Blaze

I AM AFRAID, WATSON, that I shall have to go, said Holmes, as we sat down together to our breakfast one morning.

Go! Where to?

To Dartmoor; to King’s Pyland.

I was not surprised. Indeed, my only wonder was that he had not already been mixed up in this extraordinary case, which was the one topic of conversation through the length and breadth of England. For a whole day my companion had rambled about the room with his chin upon his chest and his brows knitted, charging and recharging his pipe with the strongest black tobacco, and absolutely deaf to any of my questions or remarks. Fresh editions of every paper had been sent up by our news agent, only to be glanced over and tossed down into a corner. Yet, silent as he was, I knew perfectly well what it was over which he was brooding. There was but one problem before the public which could challenge his powers of analysis, and that was the singular disappearance of the favorite for the Wessex Cup, and the tragic murder of its trainer. When, therefore, he suddenly announced his intention of setting out for the scene of the drama it was only what I had both expected and hoped for.

I should be most happy to go down with you if I should not be in the way, said I.

My dear Watson, you would confer a great favor upon me by coming. And I think that your time will not be misspent, for there are points about the case which promise to make it an absolutely unique one. We have, I think, just time to catch our train at Paddington, and I will go further into the matter upon our journey. You would oblige me by bringing with you your very excellent field-glass.

And so it happened that an hour or so later I found myself in the corner of a first-class carriage flying along en route for Exeter, while Sherlock Holmes, with his sharp, eager face framed in his ear-flapped travelling-cap, dipped rapidly into the bundle of fresh papers which he had procured at Paddington. We had left Reading far behind us before he thrust the last one of them under the seat, and offered me his cigar-case.

We are going well, said he, looking out the window and glancing at his watch. Our rate at present is fifty-three and a half miles an hour.

I have not observed the quarter-mile posts, said I.

Nor have I. But the telegraph posts upon this line are sixty yards apart, and the calculation is a simple one. I presume that you have looked into this matter of the murder of John Straker and the disappearance of Silver Blaze?

I have seen what the Telegraph and the Chronicle have to say.

It is one of those cases where the art of the reasoner should be used rather for the sifting of details than for the acquiring of fresh evidence. The tragedy has been so uncommon, so complete and of such personal importance to so many people, that we are suffering from a plethora of surmise, conjecture, and hypothesis. The difficulty is to detach the framework of fact—of absolute undeniable fact—from the embellishments of theorists and reporters. Then, having established ourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see what inferences may be drawn and what are the special points upon which the whole mystery turns. On Tuesday evening I received telegrams from both Colonel Ross, the owner of the horse, and from Inspector Gregory, who is looking after the case, inviting my cooperation.

Tuesday evening! I exclaimed. And this is Thursday morning. Why didn’t you go down yesterday?

Because I made a blunder, my dear Watson—which is, I am afraid, a more common occurrence than any one would think who only knew me through your memoirs. The fact is that I could not believe it possible that the most remarkable horse in England could long remain concealed, especially in so sparsely inhabited a place as the north of Dartmoor. From hour to hour yesterday I expected to hear that he had been found, and that his abductor was the murderer of John Straker. When, however, another morning had come, and I found that beyond the arrest of young Fitzroy Simpson nothing had been done, I felt that it was time for me to take action. Yet in some ways I feel that yesterday has not been wasted.

You have formed a theory, then?

At least I have got a grip of the essential facts of the case. I shall enumerate them to you, for nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person, and I can hardly expect your co-operation if I do not show you the position from which we start.

I lay back against the cushions, puffing at my cigar, while Holmes, leaning forward, with his long, thin forefinger checking off the points upon the palm of his left hand, gave me a sketch of the events which had led to our journey.

Silver Blaze, said he, "is from the Somomy stock, and holds as brilliant a record as his famous ancestor. He is now in his fifth year, and has brought in turn each of the prizes of the turf to Colonel Ross, his fortunate owner. Up to the time of the catastrophe he was the first favorite for the Wessex Cup, the betting being three to one on him. He has always, however, been a prime favorite with the racing public, and has never yet disappointed them, so that even at those odds enormous sums of money have been laid upon him. It is obvious, therefore, that there were many people who had the strongest interest in preventing Silver Blaze from being there at the fall of the flag next Tuesday.

"The fact was, of course, appreciated at King’s Pyland, where the Colonel’s training-stable is situated. Every precaution was taken to guard the favorite. The trainer, John Straker, is a retired jockey who rode in Colonel Ross’s colors before he became too heavy for the weighing-chair. He has served the Colonel for five years as jockey and for seven as trainer, and has always shown himself to be a zealous and honest servant. Under him were three lads; for the establishment was a small one, containing only four horses in all. One of these lads sat up each night in the stable, while the others slept in the loft. All three bore excellent characters. John Straker, who is a married man, lived in a small villa about two hundred yards from the stables. He has no children, keeps one maid-servant, and is comfortably off. The country round is very lonely, but about half a mile to the north there is a small cluster of villas which have been built by a Tavistock contractor for the use of invalids and others who may wish to enjoy the pure Dartmoor air. Tavistock itself lies two miles to the west, while across the moor, also about two miles distant, is the larger training establishment of Mapleton, which belongs to Lord Backwater, and is managed by Silas Brown. In every other direction the moor is a complete wilderness, inhabited only by a few roaming gypsies. Such was the general situation last Monday night when the catastrophe occurred.

"On that evening the horses had been exercised and watered as usual, and the stables were locked up at nine o’clock. Two of the lads walked up to the trainer’s house, where they had supper in the kitchen, while the third, Ned Hunter, remained on guard. At a few minutes after nine the maid, Edith Baxter, carried down to the stables his supper, which consisted of a dish of curried mutton. She took no liquid, as there was a water-tap in the stables, and it was the rule that the lad on duty should drink nothing else. The maid carried a lantern with her, as it was very dark and the path ran across the open moor.

"Edith Baxter was within thirty yards of the stables, when a man appeared out of the darkness and called to her to stop. As he stepped into the circle of yellow light thrown by the lantern she saw that he was a person of gentlemanly bearing, dressed in a gray suit of tweeds, with a cloth cap. He wore gaiters, and carried a heavy stick with a knob to it. She was most impressed, however, by the extreme pallor of his face and by the nervousness of his manner. His age, she thought, would be rather over thirty than under it.

"‘Can you tell me where I am?’ he asked. ‘I had almost made up my mind to sleep on the moor, when I saw the light of your lantern.’

"‘You are close to the King’s Pyland training-stables,’ said she.

"‘Oh, indeed! What a stroke of luck!’ he cried. ‘I understand that a stable-boy sleeps there alone every night. Perhaps that is his supper which you are carrying to him. Now I am sure that you would not be too proud to earn the price of a new dress, would you?’ He took a piece of white paper folded up out of his waistcoat pocket. ‘See that the boy has this to-night, and you shall have the prettiest frock that money can buy.’

"She was frightened by the earnestness of his manner, and ran past him to the window through which she was accustomed to hand the meals. It was already opened, and Hunter was seated at the small table inside. She had begun to tell him of what had happened, when the stranger came up again.

"‘Good-evening,’ said he, looking through the window. ‘I wanted to have a word with you.’ The girl has sworn that as he spoke she noticed the corner of the little paper packet protruding from his closed hand.

"‘What business have you here?’ asked the lad.

"‘It’s business that may put something into your pocket,’ said the other. ‘You’ve two horses in for the Wessex Cup—Silver Blaze and Bayard. Let me have the straight tip and you won’t be a loser. Is it a fact that at the weights Bayard could give the other a hundred yards in five furlongs, and that the stable have put their money on him?’

‘So, you’re one of those damned touts!’ cried the lad. ‘I’ll show you how we serve them in King’s Pyland.’ He sprang up and rushed across the stable to unloose the dog. The girl fled away to the house, but as she ran she looked back and saw that the stranger was leaning through the window. A minute later, however, when Hunter rushed out with the hound he was gone, and though he ran all round the buildings he failed to find any trace of him.

One moment, I asked. Did the stable-boy, when he ran out with the dog, leave the door unlocked behind him?

Excellent, Watson, excellent! murmured my companion. "The importance of the point struck me so forcibly that I sent a special wire to Dartmoor yesterday to clear the matter up. The boy locked the door before he left it. The window, I may add, was not large enough for a man to get through.

"Hunter waited until his fellow-grooms had returned, when he sent a message to the trainer and told him what had occurred. Straker was excited at hearing the account, although he does not seem to have quite realized its true significance. It left him, however, vaguely uneasy, and Mrs. Straker, waking at one in the morning, found that he was dressing. In reply to her inquiries, he said that he could not sleep on account of his anxiety about the horses, and that he intended to walk down to the stables to see that all was well. She begged him to remain at home, as she could hear the rain pattering against the window, but in spite of her entreaties he pulled on his large mackintosh and left the house.

"Mrs. Straker awoke at seven in the morning, to find that her husband had not yet returned. She dressed herself hastily, called the maid, and set off for the stables. The door was open; inside, huddled together upon a chair, Hunter was sunk in a state of absolute stupor, the favorite’s stall was empty, and there were no signs of his trainer.

"The two lads who slept in the chaff-cutting loft above the harness-room were quickly aroused. They had heard nothing during the night, for they are both sound sleepers. Hunter was obviously under the influence of some powerful drug, and as no sense could be got out of him, he was left to sleep it off while the two lads and the two women ran out in search of the absentees. They still had hopes that the trainer had for some reason taken out the horse for early exercise, but on ascending the knoll near the house, from which all the neighboring moors were visible, they not only could see no signs of the missing favorite, but they perceived something which warned them that they were in the presence of a tragedy.

"About a quarter of a mile from the stables John Straker’s overcoat was flapping from a furze-bush. Immediately beyond there was a bowl-shaped depression in the moor, and at the bottom of this was found the dead body of the unfortunate trainer. His head had been shattered by a savage blow from some heavy weapon, and he was wounded on the thigh, where there was a long, clean cut, inflicted evidently by some very sharp instrument. It was clear, however, that Straker had defended himself vigorously against his assailants, for in his right hand he held a small knife, which was clotted with blood up to the handle, while in his left he clasped a red and black silk cravat, which was recognized by the maid as having been worn on the preceding evening by the stranger who had visited the stables. Hunter, on recovering from his stupor, was also quite positive as to the ownership of the cravat. He was equally certain that the same stranger had, while standing at the window, drugged his curried mutton, and so deprived the stables of their watchman. As to the missing horse, there were abundant proofs in the

Reviews for The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

[sasham-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This series of short stories is fun escapism. Not as sexist as the earlier stories, which is nice.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Three years after Sherlock’s death at the hands of Moriarty, Dr. Watson is shocked to discover he’s actually alive and well! He was so shocked in fact he faints for the first and only time in his life. The story that follows explains Sherlock’s absence over the past couples years and his current predicament. Some of Moriarty’s agents are trying to find and kill him and they’ll stop at nothing to do so. The clever Holmes devises a plan to not only catch his enemies, but also to solve an open case for the police at the same time. **SPOILERS**Colonel Moran is Sherlock’s pursuer in this novella. He is an admired military man with a reputation as an skilled hunter. Sherlock compares Colonel Moran (to his face) to the very tigers he hunted for so many years. It must have been salt in the wound to someone so proud of his ability to hunt. Holmes had no qualms about insulting him and making sure he understood that he was now the captured prey. Clearly the brilliant Sherlock has returned. **SPOILERS OVER**BOTTOM LINE: An excellent story and a must read for anyone who finishes The Final Problem.  

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the third short story collection, and it felt like the best so far - or maybe I'm just getting more and more into this crime universe. Holmes is returning after his presumed death in the fatal encounter with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Fall (recounted in the last story of "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes". The collection here is a feast of good stories, most of them shows Sherlock Holmes at the top of his game with his brilliant deductive powers. Oh, how Lestrade glows in the second story but guess who gets the last laughter. My favorites were "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" , "Abbey Grange", "The Second Stain", "Six Napoleons", "Priory School" and "The Norwood Builder".I like the variety - some scary, some intriguing, some comic - most of them just trademark Sherlock-spectacular. Again the Gothic setting of Victorian London is a sheer pleasure. Also there are trips to large estates outside London and a visit at a university. The perfect chemistry between Holmes and Watson are one of the reasons for the success of these stories. Holmes always five steps ahead of them all, Watson trying to catch up and being surprised all the time. Brilliant. In one of the stories Holmes gets engaged:“You would not call me a marrying man, Watson?""No, indeed!""You'll be interested to hear that I'm engaged.""My dear fellow! I congrat——""To Milverton's housemaid.""Good heavens, Holmes!""I wanted information, Watson.""Surely you have gone too far?""It was a most necessary step. I am a plumber with a rising business, Escott, by name.”

[benjamin.duffy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After growing up on Sherlock Holmes movies, Sherlock Holmes parodies, Sherlock Holmes-inspired characters and plots, and all manner of Sherlock Holmes culture references, I figured I owed it to myself to actually read a real, live Sherlock Holmes book. Otherwise, I felt like a bit of a poser, as if I was taking the name of Sherlock in vain, kind of like people who say "let's get the hell out of Dodge" without even knowing that they're quoting...(Googles furiously)...the classic 1960s-70s television series Gunsmoke.

I must say it was an interesting experience coming to these stories so late in life, as I simply kept shaking my head at how influential this stuff is. Yet it wasn't stuffy or stilted at all; the thirteen short episodes that make up this book were all brisk, readable, humorous, and fun. They have only the most tenuous continuity - they aren't even in chronological order - and the plots are very much of the cookie-cutter variety. What keeps you reading is just the drive to see who's lying and how Holmes is going to figure it out. Which, aside from an arrogant druggie protagonist, is just one more way House, M.D. robs Sherlock Holmes dry.

Definitely a worthy read, especially if you snatch it free from Project Gutenberg, as I did.

[djaquay_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Delightful stuff, loved the librivox.org free audiobook version. Not quite as engaging as the earlier stories, but still well worth the read.

[caitak_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Short stories are easy to read - can pick it up and just read one story before bed - does make me take more time to read.Find I prefer the stories that are mysteries/puzzles, rather than murders - liked 'The Empty House' (& the way Holmes returned), 'The Priory School' and 'The Three Students' best.Really like the picture on the cover (one of my favourites in the series).Arthur Conan Doyle seems to like to give the stories a happy ending - even when someone is caught and has to leave the country, they planned to go anyway. ^_^

[slarsoncollins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another fabulous novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Same characters, great new mysteries. My only problem with this book had to do with the formatting as opposed to the writing. In places, where there should have been pictures, my kindle only showed the word "graphic". It would have been nice to see the map/sketch instead of a note that there should be a picture. Other than that, brilliant!

[jguidry-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic Sherlock Holmes cases to show the genius of the detective and Conan Doyle's writing. The anthology starts with the case that brings Holmes back from the dead (with lots of fan urging). Then Holmes runs his natural gambit of murder, blackmail, and missing people. With most short story collections, some are good, some are not. With this collection there were no are nots" for me. I enjoyed them all. I had the added benefit of watching the TV series with Jeremy Brett. It was nice to remember how true they had stayed to the original stories. Few changes were made so I was able to picture the events clearly in my head. It made for wonderful bedtime reading.
"

[david7466 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While all of the stories are good, the last two in the book are the best in my opinion. They feel very classically Holmes.

[tgraettinger_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable.

[muumuumousie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars. Another strong collection of short stories. Some of these tales have a lot going on, with intrigue and mystery and confusion running through them. Others are more straightforward, even simple. One of the charms in this collection, for me, was this difference from one story to the next. Some tales felt like complete adventures, while other were more like snapshots. This was a nice mix. I found “Silver Blaze” and “The Musgrave Ritual” to be quite memorable, and Sherlock’s heartfelt speech about the hope and beauty that one finds in flowers remains one of my favorite moments in the whole saga. Finally, I won’t spoil anything here, but the adventures that Watson and Holmes share in “The Final Problem” are among the most compelling of anything in the series. Amazing.

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good, solid little collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. Watson narrates each tail, trying to personify the ingenious detective by filling it with character details and analyzing his friend, mentor, and partner in solving crimes. This was a more organized, roundabout collection than the others that I have read and I quite enjoyed reading it. An essential read for those interested in Sherlock Holmes or detective stories- or classics enthusiasts.3.5 stars.

[jessiqa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This compilation of eleven short stories includes various peculiar tales and adventures of Holmes and Watson. I love just about every version of Sherlock Holmes I’ve encountered, but there’s a particular delight in reading the original stories. Sometimes I see parts that have inspired other versions and adaptations. (The book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time takes its title from something Holmes says in “The Adventure of the Silver Blaze.”) Other times I see where those adaptations may have been wrong (Why is Moriarty’s first name Jim in the BBC Sherlock series, when “The Final Problem” states Moriarty’s brother’s name is James?) Either way it’s a lot of fun. If you like the character at all, you will want to read some of the original tales, and there’s no better place to start than The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

[andrew1theqm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although not a great fan of short stories, this was a good collection of cases involving Sherlock Holmes. Most of them left you wanting more. Interesting this early in the series of books to finish with Holmes and Moriarty at The Reichenbach Falls - also intriguing how this last scene wasn't told by Arthur Conan Doyle. Will always leave you wondering exactly what happened.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

More compelling short stories about the famed detective are included in this title. Unfortunately I read it quite some time ago and forgot to review it then, so my memory is slight, other than that I enjoyed the stories contained in here on the whole.

[bohemima · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another great entry in Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series, this has eleven short stories of consistent worth. My favorite was “ The Case of the Yellow Face,” which tells of a complete failure in Homes’s reasoning from facts work. The conclusion of this one is quite moving, which isn’t a word that applies to most of the Holmes stories.And of course there’s the famous confrontation at Reichenbach Falls between Sherlock and Moriarty. Highly recommended.

[msaucier818 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a series of short stories involving the famous, yet turns out flawed, Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed these stories because they had the trademark Holmes being more clever than the rest of us. However, they also showed a side of Holmes where he was not perfect and did not solve every case. This was a nice quick read.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

These are the stories that started a whole new genre. Well, there were others written before, but Conan Doyle was the best. Unfortunately, I'm not that big of a fan. I found the stories to be overwritten (Doyle was paid by the word), as well as dull at times. There were a few standouts - specifically "The Yellow-Face", which took an unexpected view of mixed race children from Sherlock Holmes.

[andyjb_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A curious incident and the death of Holmes. Superb!

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There are nine stories in this collection, ranging from Mr. Holmes earliest days to the last case he worked on before his unfortunate demise. I can't say that any one story stood out particularly as being very interesting, but as more insight to the universe of Sherlock Holmes, they are fun reading.

[dulac3_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another series of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes as reported by his faithful biographer Dr. Watson and it becomes clearer than ever that the real draw of these stories is the fascinating character of Holmes himself. The mysteries are secondary to the enjoyment, though many of them do prove to have distinct elements of interest (otherwise why would the great detective have bothered himself about them?), but it really is in observing the fascinating character of Holmes himself that the reader is immersed in them. Indeed, this collection provides a rare treat for the reader in that we learn more about the detective and his early life and connections than has previously been the case. Thus it was that some of the most interesting stories here, for me at least, were those that hearkened back to Holmes’ youth and showed us the man he was and in which we can see the seeds of the man he would come to be.

The first of these in this book is “The Adventure of the Gloria Scott” – The primary interest in this tale comes from the glimpse it gives us to Holmes’ first ‘case’ (though the following tale, “The Musgrave Ritual” is really better classified as his first actual case, since the Gloria Scott comes across more as an intriguing mystery to which Holmes is largely a spectator) and the impetus for his decision to become a detective. We also get a glimpse at Holmes’ college days and of the only friend he made there (and thus far in the stories the only friend at all that he seems to have ever had aside from Watson). Finally this tale gives us a glimpse of a young Holmes still capable of emotion and surprise to the point that he cries out in horror at certain circumstances that, in later tales, would have left little other than a wry smile and remark of interest on his lips.

As noted above “The Musgrave Ritual” provides us with a look at what could probably be considered Holmes’ first real case in which another University acquaintance of Holmes’ comes to him, based on his youthful reputation, with an apparently insoluble puzzle that revolves around the man’s lothario butler and a bizarre family tradition. Holmes of course breaks the case and takes no small relish in recounting the strange tale of an event “done prematurely before my biographer had come to glorify me” to his friend Watson.

“The Greek Interpreter” continues in our discovery of the details of the mysterious past of Sherlock Holmes as we discover he actually does have a family and did not, as might seem more likely, spring from the brow of Zeus full grown. We in fact meet his older brother Mycroft, a man even more withdrawn from normal human society than his brother, but who also seems to possess even greater observational powers (a fact that leaves both Watson and the reader shocked to say the least). It was indeed quite amusing to see the two siblings spar with each other, each vying to outdo the other’s seemingly gnomic observations upon two strangers viewed from a window, and each gently chiding and correcting the other. This scene, nothing more a game of one-upmanship between brothers, does an excellent job at both making Sherlock seem more human at the same time that it exemplifies the peculiarity of his abilities and his subsequent estrangement from other ‘normal’ people. I also wondered in passing whether the germ for Nero Wolfe was planted in the mind of Rex Stout upon reading Sherlock’s comment about his brother: “If the art of the detective began and ended in reasoning from an arm-chair, my brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived.” All that is needed is Archie Goodwin to do the foot work, a brownstone in New York and we’re off to the races.

The Memoirs even show a bizarrely puckish aspect to Holmes’ personality when, in the second to last tale “The Naval Treaty”, Holmes plays a practical joke for his own amusement at the expense of the nerves of his already rattled client…something strange indeed (though perhaps not altogether out of character given Holmes’ obvious desire to showboat and his distinct streak of misanthropy).

Other tales in the volume that were of interest: “The Crooked Man” which I found to be a rather affecting tale of retribution in the face of personal tragedy and “The Yellow Face” which, at the same time that it displayed some squicky elements of racism and abandonment, still managed to rise above them and display a story of ultimate familial devotion and personal love.

Of course one can’t leave off discussion of this volume without making mention of “The Final Problem” the story in which Holmes’ greatest adversary Moriarty, the Napoleon of Crime, is born. Doyle had grown weary of the public clamour for more tales of his peerless sleuth and decided it was time to end it so that he could concentrate on other characters and stories. Well, as it turns out this was not to be, but what resulted was an exciting tale in which Holmes finds himself pitted against the greatest adversary of his voluminous career. After months of playing cat-and-mouse with Moriarty and his insidious league of crime Holmes finally has gathered the pieces he needs to crush the vast criminal organization and its most dangerous leader. Moriarty, of course, is not likely to take such a possibility lying down and thus we have a final chase across London and Switzerland that ends in an off-screen (and thus retcon-able) death for both Holmes and his adversary. Watson’s final realization of what has happened to his friend is moving, as is the typically dry (though sincere) letter which Holmes leaves for him on the edge of Reichenbach Falls.

All in all, while some of the tales may have been weaker than others, I can’t do anything other than give this collection a five-star rating due to the great interest of the many tales of Holmes’ early life, as well as the singular event of his “death”.

[tlhelen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a great book to read. One of the best books to read by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about a great detective solving crime, murder mysteries. There are several different interesting murder cases and it is like travelling and solving mysteries and other great adventures with Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson. Full of exciting and great mysterious adventures. E.C.

[literary_butterfly · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well, you can't beat a bit of Sherlock Holmes, can you? These stories about this quintessentially English eccentric must probably have a place on most bookshelves - at least in Britain. I chose this book because it includes The Final Problem - the story in which Sherlock Holmes finally meets his match at the hands of the evil Professor Moriarty. I had never actually read this story, but of course I knew of it, and the final scene in Akunin's "The Coronation" seemed to be something of a homage to it.I don't usually enjoy collections of short stories - I find it frustrating for a story to end just as I'm starting to get into it. I've had a really busy week though, so it was actually great to be able to dip into the book for a few minutes and read a whole story. As expected, I found that the format didn't really work for me - once I'd got to the end of one of the stories I didn't have as much incentive to pick the book up again as I would have done if I'd been in the middle of an exciting novel.I hadn’t read a Sherlock Holmes story since I was a teenager, and as I progressed through the stories I began to realise how naive my youthful preconceptions of the detective and Doctor Watson were. In my head they were a stereotypical duo of the infallible detective and his likeable but bumbling assistant, but this turned out not to be the case at all. Holmes is in fact a very complicated man with more vices than virtues and, as Watson (the narrator) is often at pains to point out he isn't always entirely successful in his investigations. In several of the stories the mystery is solved in spite of, rather than because of, Holmes' interference. Watson also surprised me. He certainly gave very little help to Holmes in his investigations but, unlike Ziukin in "The Coronation", neither did he get in Holmes' way or try to take it upon himself to get involved in the action. He also came across as an extremely sensible and supportive friend, although maybe a little too accepting of Holmes' eccentric behaviours and dour moods.I liked the variety of the mysteries in the book - they are not all crimes. Some are very simple domestic or relationship problems although they all had fairly improbable solutions. My main problem with the book, however, was that the reader was rarely given the chance to solve the mystery before Holmes did. I suppose it's difficult in a short story to provide the reader with all the clues and red herrings that would be possible in a full-length novel, but time-and-time again, at the denouement, I would be exasperated by the amount of information Holmes had at his fingertips that the reader had not been given access to. Maybe I'm unusual, but my favourite thing about detective stories is getting to play detective myself. On the rare occasion that I work out who the culprit is I'm always so proud of myself, and so I felt rather cheated in most of these stories.The story I enjoyed the most was The Final Problem, which surely contains one of the most famous scenes in English literature - even people who haven't read it have heard of it. I'm really glad that I've finally read it for myself. What I hadn't realised was that Watson didn't witness the final events at first hand - his narrative is based on a reconstruction of the likely events based on the evidence left at the scene. This makes for really powerful narrative - both Watson and the reader are forced to imagine what might have happened to Holmes and Moriarty, which somehow makes the scene far more vivid than if it had been recounted in detail. The end of the book really is desolating - I felt so sorry for poor Doctor Watson. In his typically reserved English style he makes very little of his own emotions but beneath the understatement it is easy to see that his life will never be the same again. I'm glad Conan Doyle at least had the decency to marry him off.One tiny thing - I really, really don't like the cover of this edition. I just don't get it. It looks like it should be on the front of a collection of ghost stories. Very unattractive.On the whole I did enjoy this book and I'm glad I've finally read it. Holmes and Watson are both fascinating people to spend a bit of time with, and even when the detective element of the stories didn't quite do it for me, the character study of Sherlock Holmes was always fun to read.

[tinav95 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my first delve into the world of Sherlock Holmes. I have loved mysteries since I was a girl, but it wasn't until the recent SH movie, that I even considered reading what I thought would be a overtly male driven story line. I was incorrect. Although Holmes is obviously male, I had no trouble relating to him or to his incredible deductive reasoning process. I will definitely read more Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when I want a classical, individual, and highly detailed mystery!NOTE -- I thoroughly enjoyed these mysteries which I "read" on audio book. Apparently I started with the wrong book, as this contains the story of the death of Holmes. Very highly recommended anyway!

[drled_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review: This collection of stories has some of the famous and not so famous. All are written in that famous Doyle style with some being more interesting than others.

[mearso_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

First time reading any Holmes book, and very accessible. Will read some more

[katekf_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have always enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and when I realized this book filled a hole in my collection, it was a pleasure to acquire it. Holmes shares with Watson tales of his early adventures in The Musgrave Ritual and the "Gloria Scott" as they pursue new ones together. The short stories within this volume make a good introduction to a new Sherlock Holmes' reader as they are each succinct and fascinating. Reading these it is easy to see how Holmes and Watson captured the imagination of readers in the 1890s with their clever plots and comfortable banter.

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[barb_h_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short stories, most were good, some were boring. Left me hanging at the end though, going to have to find out what happened!

[devenish_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As the proud owner of all of Doyle's fiction and most of his non-fiction works I consider most of the stories in this volume and particularly The Final Problem to be amongst the best.