The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Modern Library Classics) [Paperback]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author), John Berendt (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Modern Library Classics | Publication Date: April 9, 2002

From “A Scandal in Bohemia,” in which Sherlock Holmes is famously outwitted by a woman, the captivating Irene Adler, to “The Five Orange Pips,” in which the master detective is pitted against the Ku Klux Klan, to “The Final Problem,” in which Holmes and his archenemy, Professor Moriarty, face each other in a showdown at the Reichenbach Falls, the stories that appear in The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes bear witness to the flowering of author Arthur Conan Doyle’s genius. “The plain fact,” the celebrated mystery writer Vincent Starrett asserted, “is that Sherlock Holmes is still a more commanding figure in the world than most of the warriors and statesmen in whose present existence we are invited to believe.”

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

From ?A Scandal in Bohemia,? in which Sherlock Holmes is famously outwitted by a woman, the captivating Irene Adler, to ?The Five Orange Pips,? in which the master detective is pitted against the Ku Klux Klan, to ?The Final Problem,? in which Holmes and his archenemy, Professor Moriarty, face each other in a showdown at the Reichenbach Falls, the stories that appear in The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes bear witness to the flowering of author Arthur Conan Doyle?s genius. ?The plain fact,? the celebrated mystery writer Vincent Starrett asserted, ?is that Sherlock Holmes is still a more commanding figure in the world than most of the warriors and statesmen in whose present existence we are invited to believe.?

About the Author

John Berendt is the author of the bestselling Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. He lives in New York City.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library (April 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375760024
• ISBN-13: 978-0375760020
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.2 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction and footnotes make for excellent edition, February 22, 2002

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES are here collected into a single volume in this Penguin edition. Two compediums of short stories published after the detective's introduction in the novels A STUDY IN SCARLET and THE SIGN OF FOUR, these are concise bits that are just as good a first exposure to Holmes as the novels.

Because the cases of Sherlock Holmes, dutifully chronicled by his companion Dr. Watson, may not appeal to everyone, I won't focus here on reviewing the stories themselves, as it is the features of this particular edition that are of note.

Iain Pears' introduction is quite enlightening, showing the tendency of Arthur Conan Doyle to make the troubles in Holmes' stories come from England's colonies, which is strange considering Conan Doyle's support of equality and respect for all peoples. Pears' also discusses the change in the style of the Holmes stories, from the rational youth of Conan Doyle to the latter days of his life when he was interested in spiritualism and mysticism.

There are footnotes to each story, compiled by Ed Glinert. An expert on literature set in London, Glinert explains the geographical settings of the Holmes stories, and defines anachronistic terms that are no longer use. He also points out the mistakes Arthur Conan Doyle frequently made in his stories, which are often quite amusing (Watson's wife calling him by the wrong name, contradicting timelines, etc).

Because of the illuminating introduction and the helpful footnotes, I'd recommend over any others this edition of THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sherlock holmes: a great book by any standard, January 28, 2007

By 

sir arthur conan doyle "doyle" (do you really need, to know) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a captivating set of over 20 stories of the 56 Sherlock Holmes stories ever written, described from the point of view of Watson, Sherlock Holmes's assistant, living up, if not surpassing, the expectations set by the age-old classic. Each story has a captivating plot, yet all different enough that it leaves you reading and re-reading key parts, trying to figure it out before Sherlock Holmes reveals the answer. I admit, I am yet to reliably put the clues together. As I have found, a large age group enjoys this book, making it a pleasure to share with family. Inside the story, there are plots filled with gentlemen, businesspeople, servants, witnesses, beggars, masked trespassers, and more, that unusually for a mystery book, all have the same likelihood of possibly having a hand in the crime. With stories that show weakness in character, like my personal favorite, (in which it turns out that the people who bring Sherlock there happen to be the murderers themselves!) brings a realistic image of the people involved, calling out to the reader, as if to say, "yes, you are here. This is what has been happening," and, from the moment you begin reading, put you in their shoes.
Occasionally, the plot is not truly revealed, such as in A Scandal in Bohemia, when the suspect escapes before questioning can occur, and the story ends in a question, as to whether or not the villainess escaped permanently, or if her story has just begun. Best set for the advanced reader, I would not classify it as a "light read", and is best read in small pieces, thanks to not only the magnitude of the book, but by the nature of a late 1800's mystery novel. Thanks to wikipedia, I have heard that in 1964, the Sherlock Holmes books were, selling second best in the world, second only to the bible. Sherlock Holmes is one of the most influential mysteries of the 1900's, and is, over-all, a true pleasure, and something I feel everyone should read at some point in their lives.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still The Best!!, December 27, 2004

By 

C. L Wilson (Elmhurst, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Modern Library Classics) (Paperback)

Who can say more about Sherlock Homes? Except that he still remains one of the most fascinating characters in the annals of fiction (with the possible exception of "The Sea Wolf" by Jack London). And his latest portrayer, Jeremy Brett, in the PBS series, is just dead-on. He is a joy to watch after you've read the real thing. Why Watson is as old as he is is a mystery, however, as in Doyle's stories he is quite a young man, being at most no more than thirty-five, and in most of the tales, married, and living apart from Holmes. My book had 612 pages, and a page-turner til the last. Especially great to read over the holidays when time is at a premium, and no story is very long. Easy to pick up and put down. The stories are not in the least dated, and if you think that, you are sorely mistaken. A good mystery is a good mystery, in any century. No serious reader should be without Holmes in his collection.