The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Sherlock Holmes Collector's Library: With Original Illustrations by Sidney Paget

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sidney Paget

The 12 short stories featured in this volume were the catalyst for the first literary fandom, the success of The Strand Magazine, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s lifelong career as the writer of the Sherlock Holmes adventures.

Enter the smoky rooms of 221B Baker Street and immerse yourself in the intriguing lives of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. This volume features tales including ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ and ‘The Red-Headed League’, which Arthur Conan Doyle named his favourite Holmes stories. Each of these twelve mysteries highlights the famous detective’s remarkable skill and methods, narrated by Watson.

The stories featured in this volume include:

- A Scandal in Bohemia

- The Red-Headed League

- A Case of Identity

- The Boscombe Valley Mystery

- The Five Orange Pips

- The Man with the Twisted Lip

First published in The Strand Magazine magazine between July 1891 and June 1892, this edition includes the stories’ original illustrations by Sidney Paget. A specially commissioned introduction also features in this volume, alongside an article by Arthur Conan Doyle and an essay on the history of detective fiction by S.S. Van Dine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Detective Fiction Classics
• Release date: Apr 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781528798570

Sir 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.

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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1859 to Charles and Mary Doyle. He was the eldest of nine siblings, seven of whom reached adulthood. His mother was effectively a single parent for the majority of his childhood due to his father’s struggle with alcoholism. In 1864, the family were separated, and Conan Doyle lived with a family friend for three years. When he was reunited with his parents and siblings, they lived in three squalid tenement flats. With the support of his extended family, he was sent to a Jesuit boarding school in England at the age of nine before moving to Austria at 16 to complete his education. Despite attending Catholic schools, he later rejected the faith and described himself as agnostic.

Between 1876 and 1881, Conan Doyle studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. While studying, he began writing short stories. His first piece, ‘The Mystery of Sasassa Valley’ (1879), was published in Chambers's Edinburgh Journal before he was 20. He also met the man who would later become the inspiration for his remarkable character Sherlock Holmes. Doctor Joseph Bell was a highly observant man whose powerful skills of deduction influenced the fictional detective’s unparalleled attention to detail.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery in 1881, Conan Doyle went on to work onboard the SS Mayumba as the ship’s surgeon. He then completed his Doctor of Medicine degree and moved to Plymouth to practice medicine in 1882. Settling in Southsea, he opened an independent medical practice and began writing in between seeing patients. It was here that he fell in love with Louisa Hawkins, and the pair married in 1885. They went on to have two children, Mary Louise (1889–1976) and Arthur Alleyne Kingsley (1892–1918).

After several unsuccessful attempts to get his fiction published, Conan Doyle’s first significant work, A Study in Scarlet, was printed in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887. The novel is the first instalment in the Sherlock Holmes series and introduces the detective and his loyal confidant, Doctor John Watson. When he began to write short Holmes stories for The Strand Magazine in 1891, his writing career took off, and he abandoned his medical practices.

The Sherlock Holmes stories were a commercial triumph, garnering an international following. Despite being one of the best-paid authors of the time, Conan Doyle wanted to write less of the detective’s adventures so he could focus on the work he truly enjoyed: historical fiction. He attempted to end Holmes’ narrative on multiple occasions, but both the fans and the publishers demanded more. The beloved character features in a total of 56 short stories and four novels, including Conan Doyle’s magnum opus, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902).

Aside from his fiction, Conan Doyle was also a passionate political campaigner. A pamphlet he published in 1902 defending the United Kingdom’s much-criticised role in the Boer War is seen as a major contributor to his receiving of a knighthood later that same year.

Since rejecting his Catholic upbringing, the author turned to mystic spiritualism. He developed a close friendship with the American escape artist Harry Houdini before the two had a public falling out in 1922 when the magician publicly declared his disbelief in spiritualism.

Conan Doyle’s first wife passed away in 1906 after battling tuberculosis. The following year, he married his close friend, Jean Elizabeth Leckie, who shared his spiritual interests and was a self-proclaimed psychic medium. They had three children together, Denis Percy Stewart (1909–1955), Adrian Malcolm (1910–1970), and Jean Lena Annette (1912–1997).

In the last years of his life, Conan Doyle dedicated most of his time to preaching the spiritualist movement. Travelling Australia, Northern America, and Europe, he gave a series of lectures on the subject. In 1925, he opened The Physic Bookshop dedicated to spiritualism in London. Having published the final volume of Holmes stories in 1927, Conan Doyle launched a five-month tour of Africa the following year, giving more lectures across the continent. Exhausted from his travels, he suffered a heart attack in 1929. Despite doctors’ advice, he continued to work, which led to a final heart attack in his East Sussex home on 7th July 1930. He passed away aged 71 as the most famous detective fiction writer of all time.

THE LEGACY OF

SHERLOCK HOLMES

An Introduction

Known for his sharp mind, astute observations, and remarkable skills of deduction, Sherlock Holmes is the most influential and beloved detective in literary history. Written between 1887 and 1927 by Arthur Conan Doyle, the Holmes stories were a turning point in the evolution of crime fiction, with the original Holmes universe spanning an impressive 40 years across four novels and 56 short stories.

The detective’s obsessive personality, unrivalled intelligence, and cold, calculating demeanour are combined with his exceptional skills of observation and deduction, making him a remarkable sleuth but an almost unbearable person to be around. Despite this, the community of Holmes fans stretches to every corner of the globe over a century after the detective’s first story was published. So, what makes the character so widely loved? And how did the Victorian London setting, combined with the author’s tragic personal life, influence the character? Explore the legacy of Sherlock Holmes and examine the detective’s story beyond his fictional adventures.

Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 22nd May 1859 to Charles and Mary Doyle. His father struggled greatly with depression and alcoholism, and in 1864, the family were separated. Forced to live across the city with various family friends due to Charles Doyle’s drinking habits, it wasn’t until 1867 that the family came together again to live in squalid tenement flats. In 1876, Charles Doyle was dismissed from his job and sent to a nursing home for alcoholics, where he developed epilepsy. This troubling background of alcohol abuse and addiction crept from Conan Doyle’s personal life into his writing. Holmes himself is seen using cocaine and morphine (both of which were legal at the time) in many of his stories. The detective's knowledge of chemistry and anatomy is utilised to manage his usage, but Conan Doyle doesn’t attempt to hide the drug-induced mania that many addicts suffer from.

In the same year as his father’s admission to the rehabilitation centre, Conan Doyle began studying at the University of Edinburgh Medical School. While studying, he met the man who would become the inspiration for Holmes’s iconic character. Doctor Joseph Bell (1837–1911) was a Scottish surgeon and lecturer and was considered a forensic science pioneer. He mesmerised Conan Doyle with his remarkable ability to deduce a stranger’s occupation and ailments by simply observing them. While working as Doctor Bell’s clerk at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Conan Doyle beheld the surgeon’s skills and considered the potential such abilities held outside of diagnosis. The seed of a remarkable idea was forming, and in 1887, Conan Doyle wrote the short story often considered the Sherlock Holmes prototype. The protagonists of the early piece, ‘Uncle Jeremy’s Household’, Hugh Lawrence and John H. Thurston, work together as an amateur detective duo and bear a strong resemblance to Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson.

Just months later, Conan Doyle altered the course of his life with the publication of the first Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet (1887). It was printed in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, and although it didn’t bring the author instant success, it was the springboard he needed. In 1889, the Managing Editor of Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine invited Conan Doyle to dinner, along with the prolific Irish writer Oscar Wilde. The three dined together, and both The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) and the second Holmes novel, The Sign of the Four (1889), were commissioned in a single evening.

Conan Doyle’s real breakthrough came in 1891 when he discovered The Strand Magazine. Proposing a series of short stories detailing a masterful detective’s adventures, he published the first short Holmes tale, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, in the literary magazine, then quickly signed a contract to provide one story per month. Abandoning his medicinal practices, he was able to devote himself to his writing.

Despite Holmes’ cold and often selfish persona, his fanbase grew rapidly as Conan Doyle’s short stories continued to be released. Each issue of The Strand was available for sixpence, which was half the cost of similar publications, making the magazine an accessible form of literature. Set in the heart of fog-shrouded Victorian London, the serialised stories often highlight the drastic class divide of the nineteenth century. Holmes’ adventures stretch from the grand houses built on the wealth of the British Empire to the Dickensian side of the city, where cholera and typhoid ravaged the population and children made a living for their families in the workhouses. Despite Conan Doyle only living in the capital for a total of four years (and often presenting misinformation regarding London in his work), he successfully captured the rapidly transforming city. London is as vivid a character in the stories as the detective himself.

Holmes is a protagonist like none other in literary history. His remarkably sharp mind and renowned skills of deduction and observation are juxtaposed with his emotional incapabilities and complete lack of empathy. Yet he remains a true Victorian gentleman, consistently taking care of his appearance and working to preserve social order. Not only does he have detailed knowledge of science, literature, and law, but he also excels in fencing and boxing and is a talented violinist. His combination of inconceivable brilliance and calculating coldness makes him fascinating.

To this day, the name Sherlock Holmes remains more famous than Arthur Conan Doyle’s, and fans widely believed that the detective was a real individual. This possibly arose due to the stories being narrated by Doctor Watson, Holmes' trusted companion and sleuthing partner. The author often received fan mail addressed to Holmes alongside requests for his autograph and letters asking him to find their missing possessions. Avid readers began identifying as Sherlockians or Holmesians, and the more stories Conan Doyle produced, the deeper the fans’ faith in the detective seemed to go.

There was just one problem, despite the overwhelming adoration the character had garnered, Conan Doyle couldn’t tolerate Holmes. The pressure to continually produce narratives featuring the detective weighed heavily on the author. Holmes had metamorphosed into Conan Doyle’s own version of Frankenstein’s monster, and the only plausible escape he could envision was to lay the detective’s storyline to rest permanently. He finally reached a breaking point when his father passed away after enduring a protracted period of medical intervention. In December 1893, just two months following his father’s death, ‘The Final Problem’ was published. The author was inspired to set the climactic battle between Holmes and Professor Moriarty at Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls, a location he had visited earlier in the year. When the battling pair appeared to have plunged to their demise, the public was outraged.

The fans’ love for Holmes was so ingrained they couldn’t come to terms with the idea of never reading another story featuring the detective. Conan Doyle was less affected by the death of his protagonist. The day he wrote the ill-fated scene, his journal entry simply read, ‘Killed Holmes.’ But he began receiving threats through the post, demanding he revive the beloved character. Londoners were even reported to be wearing black armbands in mourning. The impact of the fictional death was not only felt by the author but also inflicted a blow on The Strand Magazine. Reportedly, the number of readers who cancelled their subscription to the publication amounted to over 20,000, nearly causing it to go out of print.

Over the ensuing eight-year break, there was an inordinate demand for more Holmes stories. Entreated by the fans, Conan Doyle released a new novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), featuring Holmes but set before the detective's death. This period became known among readers as the Great Hiatus, and The Strand staff were reported to have referred to Holmes’ death as ‘the dreadful event’. The real comeback occurred in 1903 when ‘The Adventure of the Empty House’ was first published in the magazine. In a long-awaited twist, the short story is set three years after Holmes’ supposed death. Featuring the detective’s revival, Holmes reveals to Watson that he faked the scene at Reichenbach Falls to delude and escape Moriarty’s vengeful henchmen.

The Strand published a further 12 stories before Conan Doyle again attempted to end the series in Holmes’ retirement. In an interview with the Daily Mail in 1904, the author stated that Holmes was moving to the countryside and taking up beekeeping, concluding that ‘there is not the slightest intention of his ever again entering on the work of the detection of crime.’ Yet, finding himself once more in the position of Victor Frankenstein, it was impossible for Conan Doyle to destroy the monster he had created. Three subsequent volumes of Holmes stories, including another novel, were published before the author’s death. Two are set prior to the detective’s retirement, and ‘The Last Bow’ details his service during the First World War. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927) concludes the series with a collection of short stories set before the war.

In 1930, Conan Doyle died of a heart attack in his home at the age of 71 as one of the best-paid authors of the time. Despite the detective’s tales having come to an indisputable end, the author’s death heightened the public’s fascination with Sherlock Holmes.

In 1934, the first official Sherlock Holmes literary society was founded by American novelist Christopher Morley. Eponymously named the Baker Street Irregulars (BSI) after the group of young street urchins Holmes occasionally called upon for assistance, the group still regularly publish a range of scholarship dedicated to their favourite literary figure. Operating as an exclusive, invitation-only club, notable members include Isaac Asimov and Neil Gaiman. There were no female members until 1991, when Conan Doyle’s second daughter, Jean, was invested. The BSI has its own printing press dedicated to publishing volumes related to Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle. The Baker Street Journal is also released quarterly by the society featuring scholarly articles and pieces revolving around the Great Game, in which fans imagine and record character backstories and history not provided by Conan Doyle. The Great Game, also known as Holmesian Speculation and the Sherlockian Game, is based on the belief that Watson is the true author of the detective’s adventures. Members must avoid using Conan Doyle’s name when attending BSI meetings and events and instead refer to him as Watson’s literary agent. Other notable societies include the Sherlock Holmes Society of London (founded in 1951) and the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, which was founded in the 1960s as an exclusive women’s society.

Over a century since Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance, the iconic character has become a cultural touchstone. Inspiring generations of fans, filmmakers, and writers, the detective has made an ineradicable mark not only on the literary world but wider pop culture. Conan Doyle’s work altered the way readers interact with literature, prompting the formation of many dedicated fan groups worldwide, including prestigious societies and printing presses. From the smoke-filled rooms of 221B Baker Street and the spirited streets of Victorian London to the rolling countryside hills and misty moors, the Holmes stories are a rich portrayal of nineteenth-century England and enhance our understanding of the social and cultural context of the time. Conan Doyle’s literary influence will continue to captivate and inspire for many decades to come. The legacy of Sherlock Holmes is a testament to the enduring power of great storytelling.

Lizzie Stoddart

Bristol, 2023

THE ADVENTURES

OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

I

A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA

I

To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself in a false position. He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They were admirable things for the observer—excellent for drawing the veil from men’s motives and actions. But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental results. Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his. And yet there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable memory.

I had seen little of Holmes lately. My marriage had drifted us away from each other. My own complete happiness, and the home-centred interests which rise up around the man who first finds himself master of his own establishment, were sufficient to absorb all my attention, while Holmes, who loathed every form of society with his whole Bohemian soul, remained in our lodgings in Baker Street, buried among his old books, and alternating from week to week between cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the drug, and the fierce energy of his own keen nature. He was still, as ever, deeply attracted by the study of crime, and occupied his immense faculties and extraordinary powers of observation in following out those clues, and clearing up those mysteries which had been abandoned as hopeless by the official police. From time to time I heard some vague account of his doings: of his summons to Odessa in the case of the Trepoff murder, of his clearing up of the singular tragedy of the Atkinson brothers at Trincomalee, and finally of the mission which he had accomplished so delicately and successfully for the reigning family of Holland. Beyond these signs of his activity, however, which I merely shared with all the readers of the daily press, I knew little of my former friend and companion.

One night—it was on the twentieth of March, 1888—I was returning from a journey to a patient (for I had now returned to civil practice), when my way led me through Baker Street. As I passed the well-remembered door, which must always be associated in my mind with my wooing, and with the dark incidents of the Study in Scarlet, I was seized with a keen desire to see Holmes again, and to know how he was employing his extraordinary powers. His rooms were brilliantly lit, and, even as I looked up, I saw his tall, spare figure pass twice in a dark silhouette against the blind. He was pacing the room swiftly, eagerly, with his head sunk upon his chest and his hands clasped behind him. To me, who knew his every mood and habit, his attitude and manner told their own story. He was at work again. He had risen out of his drug-created dreams and was hot upon the scent of some new problem. I rang the bell and was shown up to the chamber which had formerly been in part my own.

His manner was not effusive. It seldom was; but he was glad, I think, to see me. With hardly a word spoken, but with a kindly eye, he waved me to an armchair, threw across his case of cigars, and indicated a spirit case and a gasogene in the corner. Then he stood before the fire and looked me over in his singular introspective fashion.

Then he stood before the fire.

Wedlock suits you, he remarked. I think, Watson, that you have put on seven and a half pounds since I saw you.

Seven! I answered.

Indeed, I should have thought a little more. Just a trifle more, I fancy, Watson. And in practice again, I observe. You did not tell me that you intended to go into harness.

Then, how do you know?

I see it, I deduce it. How do I know that you have been getting yourself very wet lately, and that you have a most clumsy and careless servant girl?

My dear Holmes, said I, this is too much. You would certainly have been burned, had you lived a few centuries ago. It is true that I had a country walk on Thursday and came home in a dreadful mess, but as I have changed my clothes I can’t imagine how you deduce it. As to Mary Jane, she is incorrigible, and my wife has given her notice, but there, again, I fail to see how you work it out.

He chuckled to himself and rubbed his long, nervous hands together.

It is simplicity itself, said he; my eyes tell me that on the inside of your left shoe, just where the firelight strikes it, the leather is scored by six almost parallel cuts. Obviously they have been caused by someone who has very carelessly scraped round the edges of the sole in order to remove crusted mud from it. Hence, you see, my double deduction that you had been out in vile weather, and that you had a particularly malignant boot-slitting specimen of the London slavey. As to your practice, if a gentleman walks into my rooms smelling of iodoform, with a black mark of nitrate of silver upon his right forefinger, and a bulge on the right side of his top-hat to show where he has secreted his stethoscope, I must be dull, indeed, if I do not pronounce him to be an active member of the medical profession.

I could not help laughing at the ease with which he explained his process of deduction.

When I hear you give your reasons, I remarked, the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that I could easily do it myself, though at each successive instance of your reasoning I am baffled until you explain your process. And yet I believe that my eyes are as good as yours.

Quite so, he answered, lighting a cigarette, and throwing himself down into an armchair. You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.

Frequently.

How often?

Well, some hundreds of times.

Then how many are there?

How many? I don’t know.

Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed. By the way, since you are interested in these little problems, and since you are good enough to chronicle one or two of my trifling experiences, you may be interested in this. He threw over a sheet of thick, pink-tinted notepaper which had been lying open upon the table. It came by the last post, said he. Read it aloud.

The note was undated, and without either signature or address.

There will call upon you to-night, at a quarter to eight o’clock, it said, a gentleman who desires to consult you upon a matter of the very deepest moment. Your recent services to one of the royal houses of Europe have shown that you are one who may safely be trusted with matters which are of an importance which can hardly be exaggerated. This account of you we have from all quarters received. Be in your chamber then at that hour, and do not take it amiss if your visitor wear a mask.

This is indeed a mystery, I remarked. What do you imagine that it means?

I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. But the note itself. What do you deduce from it?

I carefully examined the writing, and the paper upon which it was written.

The man who wrote it was presumably well to do, I remarked, endeavouring to imitate my companion’s processes. Such paper could not be bought under half a crown a packet. It is peculiarly strong and stiff.

I carefully examined the writing

Peculiar—that is the very word, said Holmes. It is not an English paper at all. Hold it up to the light.

I did so, and saw a large E with a small g, a P, and a large G with a small t woven into the texture of the paper.

What do you make of that? asked Holmes.

The name of the maker, no doubt; or his monogram, rather.

Not at all. The ‘G’ with the small ‘t’ stands for ‘Gesellschaft,’ which is the German for ‘Company.’ It is a customary contraction like our ‘Co.’ ‘P,’ of course, stands for ‘Papier.’ Now for the ‘Eg.’ Let us glance at our Continental Gazetteer. He took down a heavy brown volume from his shelves. Eglow, Eglonitz—here we are, Egria. It is in a German-speaking country—in Bohemia, not far from Carlsbad. ‘Remarkable as being the scene of the death of Wallenstein, and for its numerous glass-factories and paper-mills.’ Ha, ha, my boy, what do you make of that? His eyes sparkled, and he sent up a great blue triumphant cloud from his cigarette.

The paper was made in Bohemia, I said.

Precisely. And the man who wrote the note is a German. Do you note the peculiar construction of the sentence—‘This account of you we have from all quarters received.’ A Frenchman or Russian could not have written that. It is the German who is so uncourteous to his verbs. It only remains, therefore, to discover what is wanted by this German who writes upon Bohemian paper and prefers wearing a mask to showing his face. And here he comes, if I am not mistaken, to resolve all our doubts.

As he spoke there was the sharp sound of horses’ hoofs and grating wheels against the curb, followed by a sharp pull at the bell. Holmes whistled.

A pair, by the sound, said he. Yes, he continued, glancing out of the window. A nice little brougham and a pair of beauties. A hundred and fifty guineas apiece. There’s money in this case, Watson, if there is nothing else.

I think that I had better go, Holmes.

Not a bit, Doctor. Stay where you are. I am lost without my Boswell. And this promises to be interesting. It would be a pity to miss it.

But your client—

Never mind him. I may want your help, and so may he. Here he comes. Sit down in that armchair, Doctor, and give us your best attention.

A slow and heavy step, which had been heard upon the stairs and in the passage, paused immediately outside the door. Then there was a loud and authoritative tap.

Come in! said Holmes.

A man entered who could hardly have been less than six feet six inches in height, with the chest and limbs of a Hercules. His dress was rich with a richness which would, in England, be looked upon as akin to bad taste. Heavy bands of astrakhan were slashed across the sleeves and fronts of his double-breasted coat, while the deep blue cloak which was thrown over his shoulders was lined with flame-coloured silk and secured at the neck with a brooch which consisted of a single flaming beryl. Boots which extended halfway up his calves, and which were trimmed at the tops with rich brown fur, completed the impression of barbaric opulence which was suggested by his whole appearance. He carried a broad-brimmed hat in his hand, while he wore across the upper part of his face, extending down past the cheekbones, a black vizard mask, which he had apparently adjusted that very moment, for his hand was still raised to it as he entered. From the lower part of the face he appeared to be a man of strong character, with a thick, hanging lip, and a long, straight chin suggestive of resolution pushed to the length of obstinacy.

You had my note? he asked with a deep harsh voice and a strongly marked German accent. I told you that I would call. He looked from one to the other of us, as if uncertain which to address.

Pray take a seat, said Holmes. This is my friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, who is occasionally good enough to help me in my cases. Whom have I the honour to address?

You may address me as the Count Von Kramm, a Bohemian nobleman. I understand that this gentleman, your friend, is a man of honour and discretion, whom I may trust with a matter of the most extreme importance. If not, I should much prefer to communicate with you alone.

A man entered

I rose to go, but Holmes caught me by the wrist and pushed me back into my chair. It is both, or none, said he. You may say before this gentleman anything which you may say to me.

The Count shrugged his broad shoulders. Then I must begin, said he, by binding you both to absolute secrecy for two years; at the end of that time the matter will be of no importance. At present it is not too much to say that it is of such weight it may have an influence upon European history.

I promise, said Holmes.

And I.

You will excuse this mask, continued our strange visitor. The august person who employs me wishes his agent to be unknown to you, and I may confess at once that the title by which I have just called myself is not exactly my own.

I was aware of it, said Holmes dryly.

The circumstances are of great delicacy, and every precaution has to be taken to quench what might grow to be an immense scandal and seriously compromise one of the reigning families of Europe. To speak plainly, the matter implicates the great House of Ormstein, hereditary kings of Bohemia.

I was also aware of that, murmured Holmes, settling himself down in his armchair and closing his eyes.

Our visitor glanced with some apparent surprise at the languid, lounging figure of the man who had been no doubt depicted to him as the most incisive reasoner and most energetic agent in Europe. Holmes slowly reopened his eyes and looked impatiently at his gigantic client.

If your Majesty would condescend to state your case, he remarked, I should be better able to advise you.

The man sprang from his chair and paced up and down the room in uncontrollable agitation. Then, with a gesture of desperation, he tore the mask from his face and hurled it upon the ground. You are right, he cried; I am the King. Why should I attempt to conceal it?

Why, indeed? murmured Holmes. Your Majesty had not spoken before I was aware that I was addressing Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, and hereditary King of Bohemia.

He tore the mask from his face.

But you can understand, said our strange visitor, sitting down once more and passing his hand over his high white forehead, "you can understand that I am not accustomed to doing such business in my own person. Yet the matter was so delicate that I could not confide it to an agent without putting myself in his power. I have come incognito from Prague for the purpose of consulting you."

Then, pray consult, said Holmes, shutting his eyes once more.

The facts are briefly these: Some five years ago, during a lengthy visit to Warsaw, I made the acquaintance of the well-known adventuress, Irene Adler. The name is no doubt familiar to you.

Kindly look her up in my index, Doctor, murmured Holmes without opening his eyes. For many years he had adopted a system of docketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it was difficult to name a subject or a person on which he could not at once furnish information. In this case I found her biography sandwiched in between that of a Hebrew rabbi and that of a staff-commander who had written a monograph upon the deep-sea fishes.

Let me see! said Holmes. Hum! Born in New Jersey in the year 1858. Contralto—hum! La Scala, hum! Prima donna Imperial Opera of Warsaw—yes! Retired from operatic stage—ha! Living in London—quite so! Your Majesty, as I understand, became entangled with this young person, wrote her some compromising letters, and is now desirous of getting those letters back.

Precisely so. But how—

Was there a secret marriage?

None.

No legal papers or certificates?

None.

Then I fail to follow your Majesty. If this young person should produce her letters for blackmailing or other purposes, how is she to prove their authenticity?

There is the writing.

Pooh, pooh! Forgery.

My private note-paper.

Stolen.

My own seal.

Imitated.

My photograph.

Bought.

We were both in the photograph.

Oh, dear! That is very bad! Your Majesty has indeed committed an indiscretion.

I was mad—insane.

You have compromised yourself seriously.

I was only Crown Prince then. I was young. I am but thirty now.

It must be recovered.

We have tried and failed.

Your Majesty must pay. It must be bought.

She will not sell.

Stolen, then.

Five attempts have been made. Twice burglars in my pay ransacked her house. Once we diverted her luggage when she travelled. Twice she has been waylaid. There has been no result.

No sign of it?

Absolutely none.

Holmes laughed. It is quite a pretty little problem, said he.

But a very serious one to me, returned the King reproachfully.

Very, indeed. And what does she propose to do with the photograph?

To ruin me.

But how?

I am about to be married.

So I have heard.

To Clotilde Lothman von Saxe-Meningen, second daughter of the King of Scandinavia. You may know the strict principles of her family. She is herself the very soul of delicacy. A shadow of a doubt as to my conduct would bring the matter to an end.

And Irene Adler?

Threatens to send them the photograph. And she will do it. I know that she will do it. You do not know her, but she has a soul of steel. She has the face of the most beautiful of women, and the mind of the most resolute of men. Rather than I should marry another woman, there are no lengths to which she would not go—none.

You are sure that she has not sent it yet?

I am sure.

And why?

Because she has said that she would send it on the day when the betrothal was publicly proclaimed. That will be next Monday.

Oh, then we have three days yet, said Holmes with a yawn. That is very fortunate, as I have one or two matters of importance to look into just at present. Your Majesty will, of course, stay in London for the present?

Certainly. You will find me at the Langham under the name of the Count Von Kramm.

Then I shall drop you a line to let you know how we progress.

Pray do so. I shall be all anxiety.

Then, as to money?

"You have carte blanche."

Absolutely?

I tell you that I would give one of the provinces of my kingdom to have that photograph.

And for present expenses?

The King took a heavy chamois leather bag from under his cloak and laid it on the table.

There are three hundred pounds in gold and seven hundred in notes, he said.

Holmes scribbled a receipt upon a sheet of his note-book and handed it to him.

And Mademoiselle’s address? he asked.

Is Briony Lodge, Serpentine Avenue, St. John’s Wood.

Holmes took a note of it. One other question, said he. Was the photograph a cabinet?

It was.

Then, good-night, your Majesty, and I trust that we shall soon have some good news for you. And good-night, Watson, he added, as the wheels of the royal brougham rolled down the street. If you will be good enough to call to-morrow afternoon at three o’clock I should like to chat this little matter over with you.

II

At three o’clock precisely I was at Baker Street, but Holmes had not yet returned. The landlady informed me that he had left the house shortly after eight o’clock in the morning. I sat down beside the fire, however, with the intention of awaiting him, however long he might be. I was already deeply interested in his inquiry, for, though it was surrounded by none of the grim and strange features which were associated with the two crimes which I have already recorded, still, the nature of the case and the exalted station of his client gave it a character of its own. Indeed, apart from the nature of the investigation which my friend had on hand, there was something in his masterly grasp of a situation, and his keen, incisive reasoning, which made it a pleasure to me to study his system of work, and to follow the quick, subtle methods by which he disentangled the most inextricable mysteries. So accustomed was I to his invariable success that the very possibility of his failing had ceased to enter into my head.

It was close upon four before the door opened, and a drunken-looking groom, ill-kempt and side-whiskered, with an inflamed face and

Reviews for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Sherlock Holmes Collector's Library

[bookmarkaussie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent short stories with the same detective and his friend Dr. Watson, the stories normally being less than 20 pages. I like how the stories are bizarre yet still realistic and that logic plays such a big part. Quite entertaining.

[comfypants · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sherlock Holmes solves mysteries.2.5/4 (Okay).Some of these are pretty bad, especially the early ones where Doyle (and therefor Holmes) is on the side of the villains as often as not. They improve as they go, as Doyle settles into a formula. Unfortunately, unlike the preceding novellas, there's no character development at all.(May 2022)

[kevn57-163679 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the first and the last stories the best, but I really like the longer novel length stories the best in the Holmes canon. 3 1/2 stars

[tobinelliott · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This first collection of shorter Holmes and Watson adventures is massively enjoyable.

Yes, the stories are a touch formulaic in that Holmes and Watson are typically met by a confused or panicked individual who manages to provide a completely coherent and well-observed summary of the mystery. Then Holmes almost always has the answer almost immediately and heads off to confirm his theory, then there is the denouement where certain suspicions are confirmed, and Holmes walks us through his solution.

And yet, for all of that, each one is vastly entertaining and well-written. Holmes is surely one of the pinnacles of fictional characters.

Love this stuff.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rating 3.8ReviewI've had this on my TBR for a long time. I thought I had the one that is part of 1001 but I checked further and not all are the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This consisted of 12 short stories narrated by the good doctor Watson POV. Entertaining, not complicated, easily to engage stories. I had read only one previously The Blue Carbuncle which was a free one at Christmas time a few years back. These stories are full of social justice issues.

[smokler_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Classic, great, fun all that. I think I'm just more partial to the pacing and length of the four novels.

[tgraettinger_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed more than I expected! I hadn't read some of these stories since high school, but some of the memories came sprinting back. Looking forward to reading more of the Holmes canon.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A varied, intriguing collection. My favorites are "A Scandal in Bohemia," "A Case of Identity," "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle," and "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches," because they are fascinating but deliciously plotted mysteries. "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is suuuuper creepy (and it involves a creature I hate), but it's one of the most suspenseful stories in the collection.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

2020 reread via this Tantor audiobook:An excellent way to experience these short stories but unfortunately, it is missing the 2nd story "The Red-headed League". According to the pdf file that came with the audiobook, this story should have been included; it is possible this defect is individual due to my download but for those considering buying this audiobook, make sure that you get the whole book.Simon Prebble did a good narration.

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

The classic collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. I enjoyed re-reading these classic favorites. My favorite story was "The Five Orange Pips". There have been many watered down retellings of this story, but the original is much grittier and unusual for the setting.

[muumuumousie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

These are the classic Sherlock tales, and they’re probably the best known of all the short stories. I remember my dad reading these aloud to my brother and me when we were children. These stories are distinctive and quite enjoyable, and in my opinion, some of Sherlock’s most memorable moments occur within these pages. I liked that not all of these stories involved traditional crimes, and I also liked that several of them featured strong women. Holmes fails in at least two of these stories, and it really was something to see the great detective in his lower moments as well. He is still a very human character, for all his powers, and he’s very well fleshed-out here. On the whole, a wonderful collection of tales.

[tjl-13 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. At first, I wasn't thrilled with the narrator, but shortly into the first story I found that he suited the material well. I only wish he would have tried for different voices for Holmes and Watson, but that's a minor point.

Out of this collection, "A Scandal in Bohemia" is the rough basis for the season 2 Sherlock premiere, "A Scandal in Belgravia". Reading it, you can definitely see where the TV series borrowed portions. Not that either suffers from the comparison. It's also the where Irene Adler first appears in a Holmes story.

There's a variety of different kinds of mysteries in the collection. Some are terrible crimes to be solved/averted while others are simply interesting mysteries to be solved. But, one can't always tell which stories fits into which category. Some stories are truly fantastic, while others are merely good.

I'd highly recommend that fans of mysteries and in particular, fans of the BBC series read these stories. You won't regret it.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This collection of a dozen short stories recorded by Dr. Watson showcases the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes. The crimes range from murder to blackmail, robbery, and missing persons. They’re not in chronological order. Watson is married in some stories, and in others he is a bachelor sharing rooms with Holmes. The impression one gets is that Watson is writing up cases from his notes as something triggers his memory of a particular case. This time around I listened to the audio by Ralph Cosham. I prefer Edward Hardwicke’s narration of the Holmes stories, perhaps because he played Watson in the Granada TV series.

[asxz-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My first collection of Sherlock's shorts and they were super fun. Witty, varied, self-referential, Holmes is a much gentler fellow in these tales than he appears in recent incarnations. He fights for the underdog and cares about the wronged. Some of these stories seem to have been told and retold in every detective series ever imagined but they shine here in their original forms.

[helenliz_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read this multiple times, having first come to Holmes as a teenager. This was the first time I've listened to them, and having Stephen Fry narrate is a stroke of genius. He has that patrician voice that seems to match nicely with the tone I can hear in Watson as he narrates the stories. The short stories make it easy to listen while commuting. That and the fact that as I listened to them I could remember what the puzzle or situation involved meant this was a bit like revisiting an old friend and finding them both changed and reliably the same.

[matke-261098 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A strong collection of Holmes stories, highlighted by the powerfully creepy “The Speckled Band,” the modesty gothic “The Copper Beeches,” and the delightful “A Scandal in Bohemia.”The only story that was substandard for me was “The Blue Carbuncle,” in which the plot was too fantastic to be believed. But even that story is full of the late Victorian atmosphere and Holmes at his best.We tend to forget how much mystery stories and novels owe to Conan Doyle. His ideas and plots are being used even today as inspiration for authors.If you long for gas-lit London, hansom cabs, fog, and excellent detecting, try this volume, either for the first or fifth time. You’ll be glad you did.

[cubsfan3410 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great little mystery stories, I had fun reading this!

[purplequeennl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book I have read out of all Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has made me want to read the actual novels, names and incidents of which were mentioned in several of the stories in this book.

I loved both the observation of Sherlock Holmes himself, by Dr. Watson who writes the accounts of their investigations, in the first person. I love how, seemly odd events come together to make such intriguing tales. It is less 'mystery thriller' or 'whodunnit' and more the small almost imperceptible occurrences which grow into something more, or baffling accidents which become investigative worthy. I loved the simplicity of how such detailed and convoluted happenings come together and unfold into something criminal - things that would be completely missed by anyone but Sherlock Holmes' keen eye.

I loved the style of late Victorian writing, reminiscent of a time gone by. It made me realise that the recent Sherlock Holmes films (staring Robert Downey Jr.) reflect both the time and the writing. This has book has turned me into a Sherlock Holmes fan!

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

The Powers of ObservationSherlock Holmes was a busy detective. In this stage of his illustrious career there is so much to tell. Dr. Watson, his faithful companion and oficial schreiber, gives us a summary of Holmes’s most interesting cases. The short stories found in this book provide the reader enough material to appreciate Holmes’s powers of careful observation and enlightened deduction. Holmes’s path to mystery solving is quite unique. His behavior somewhat funny. The short stories show all this. Although I cannot recollect the details of most stories, I enjoy a lot the book. Above all one feel more familiarity with Holmes and that is good.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great mystery stories that I will miss reading on the couch each night.The clues offered give readers a chance to figure out the crime and criminalsand none is gruesome or horrifying, though The Thumb can be rough to endure.The characters of Holmes and Watson are so finely tuned that we fit right in as soonas the fireplace or dressing gown or breakfast are mentioned.A few of the stories could have used more suspense, as though Doyle was tired and just wanted to end them,yet what a variety!

[nx74defiant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was nice to re-read these.

[stbalbach_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892) is the first book-length collection of Holmes short stories, they were originally published in The Strand Magazine 1891-92. Most of them have small references to other stories so there is a sense of coherence and world-building. It includes "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" which Doyle considered his all-time favorite Holmes story. It's gaslight entertainment that evokes an age. The spooky mansions with the evil mastermind, brutish henchmen and the locked room with a mystery. Well, it's better than Saturday morning cartoons.

[tonifgmamtc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is filled with several short stories. They were interesting and live up to the adventures part of the title. I believe the shortness of the stories made me not get into them as much. I still liked them for sure.

[andrew1theqm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this one, it had a number of interesting short stories in highlighting the skills of Sherlock Holmes. I much prefer longer novels to short stories but I did all these stories fully engaging. Onto the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes now.

[murderbydeath · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you've ever read Sherlock Holmes, you don't need me to tell you how brilliant this collection of stories is.  It has most of my favourites: A Scandal in Bohemia, The Adventure of the Red-Headed League, The Five Orange Pips, The Man with the Twisted Lip and The Adventure of the Speckled Band.   The rest are all great too, but those have always been the stories I remember, even after reading the entire collection at least half a dozen times. Sherlock Holmes is, far and away, my favorite all-time literary character and I never get tired of reading him; Watson... ok, if I read too many stories in a row I want to throttle Watson because surely he can't be that obtuse all the time?  But he's a big teddy bear and someone needs to play the straight man to Holmes' brilliance. [PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge: A banned book.]

[phyllis2779 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read these short stories a long time ago. But Sherlock Holmes never ages and I wanted a keeper copy. I'm disposing of the paper copy.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Prior to this, the only Sherlock Holmes I had attempted to read was "The Hound of the Baskervilles" which I started at least twice but never finished. I've enjoyed the PBS series "Sherlock" and a friend mentioned that some of the events in that corresponded with what she'd read in the stories/novels. So when this one came up as free on Amazon, I downloaded it and decided I'd give it a try. I enjoyed the stories, but I don't follow the clues that Holmes sees/hears as he investigates--so his reveal is always a bit of a surprise to me.

[rayski_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of short stories as told by Dr Watson of his cases with Sherlock Holmes. Watson (author Doyle) isn't afraid to demonstrate Holmes' personality tics and general moral faults, while admiring Holmes' ability to find a needle in a haystack through keen observation and precise deduction. Holmes is CSI before there was CSI and does it without the tools of today's TV shows. Holmes listens to his interviewees in great detail, is quick to observe the littles things (her left hand was more worn than her right with that crease in her dress she therefore was spending great deal of time sewing) and is able to connect all the dots and even add the missing dots. Entertaining and very easy to read, leave and pickup because each story is only an hour or so read.

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

I previously read A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four and found them a little underwhelming. With this book though the game really is afoot. I've read a lot of short stories so I'm a bit fussy and these are some of the best.

[jessica_reads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book included 12 adventures titled:
1. A Scandal in Bohemia
2. The Red-Headed League
3. A Case of Identity
4. The Boscombe Valley Mystery
5. The Five Orange Pips
6. The Man with the Twisted Lip
7. The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
8. The Adventure of the Speckled Band
9. The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
10. The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
11. The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
12. The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

I loved these. It was awesome to read the mystery to which Sherlock needed to solve and see his mannerisms. Then out of absolutely nothing it seemed he had solved it! I loved how the story included through Sherlock on how he solved cases. Noticing the little things was mostly how he did it and I found myself trying to use those same tricks as best I could from reading to figure things out. It was a fun and awesome read.