Customer Reviews

The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes

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If you're a Holmes fan, this book will make a great addition to your collection: it reproduces the original illustrations created by Sydney Paget for the stories in Strand Magazine. (But it's not the "complete" Sherlock Holmes -- some of the stories were published elsewhere.) Paget was originally a fashion illustrator, hired by mistake for his brother Walter who specialized in adventure stories -- but the Holmes tales brought out the best in Sydney. While some of the pictures are merely dutiful scene-setting, others are exciting enhancements of the story (cf. the Hound of the Baskervilles!). In any case, the pictures are a good corrective for the cartoonish Holmes and Watson depicted in dozens of Hollywood epics: they're a pair of active, well-dressed young men, not the scarecrow and his doddering sidekick. (The TV series with Jeremy Brett got this right, although it made a botch of some of the plots.) And I enjoyed the glimpses they give you into the world of Victorian society -- the interiors of elegant living rooms and hansom cabs, ladies' at-home dresses, tea-trays and decanters. At this price, you can't afford to pass it up!

Sherlock Holmes is one enduring character, written with the analytical reader in mind, with Conan Doyle presenting the logic and the reasoning as detailed as the story itself.

This particular edition, is the perfect one. Comfortably large size, easy on the eyes, hardbound is elegant and somehow I found it very easy to position it anyways I wanted, whether I was sitting upright with the book on the desk, or when in travel with the book on my lap, lying on my side with the book on the left. I thought this is important to mention , now ofcourse to the content..

The higlight of this edition is the illustration collection by Sydney Paget, as they appeared when it was first published. It is significant to read the stories with Sydney Paget's illustrations, since Sydney Paget practically defined the way Sherlock Holmes appeared. though Conan Doyle's descriptins can lead one to visualize Holmes, it was Sydney who set it on paper. and the fact that he was working along with Conan Doyle, brings in the authenticity and approval of the visual representation of the stories. Sydney Paget ofcourse is a master illustrator, with fascinating black and white illustrations capturing all the drama in the stories.

The book contains,
37 short stories and a complete novel from The Strand Magazine. With all 356 original illustrations by Sidney Paget.

Stories included are
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, published in The Strand between July, 1891 and December, 1892 (12 stories);
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Published in The Strand as additional episodes between December, 1892 and November, 1893 (12 stories);
The Hound of the Baskervilles, published in The Strand between August, 1901 and April, 1902; and
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, published in The Strand between October, 1903 and January, 1905 (13 stories).

The first Sherlock Holmes book I ever read was given to me as a gift for my thirteenth birthday. It was a collection of the short stories, with a wonderful leather trim and gold leafing, and I thought it was fantastic. I read the first story, and was instantly hooked. Within a few days, I was disappointed with my wonderful new book because it was incomplete. I had devoured all of the selected stories, and was ready for more.

Shortly thereafter, I purchased what purported to be the 'only complete Sherlock Holmes available', compiled by Christopher Morley. This became my favourite book. But, alas, neither of these volumes was illustrated.

The original stories, which appeared in The Strand magazine, were illustrated, by the great illustrator Sidney Paget. Actually, careful research (which Holmes himself would insist upon) will reveal that Paget was not the first illustrator; however, it is not able to be determined conclusively how many artists preceding Paget. It is know that the first publication of A Study in Scarlet, in which Holmes and Watson are first introduced, was illustrated by on D.H. Friston. These illustrations would appall the Holmesian set today.

The next edition after the barely-received Beeton's Christmas Annual edition, was in book form, and apparently illustrated by Arthur Conan Doyle's father, Charles.

The next illustration was in The Sign of Four, appearing in Lippincott's Magazine, which showed a scene in India, but did not have one of Holmes.

The classic ideas of Holmes (in a visual sense) did not thus solidify until the popular series of short stories in The Strand, illustrated by Paget, beginning with the story A Scandal in Bohemia, in which Holmes is actually out-foxed by THE woman, but still manages a satisfactory ending to the case, and (particularly his illustrations of the serialised Hounds of the Baskervilles) Paget's illustrations have become the standard image.

This volume contains all the short stories (56 of them) and the novels (4). (At least, this is the official canon -- there are other proto-stories by Conan Doyle, and dozens of tribute stories written by other authors.) Hundreds of illustrations accompany the text. Perhaps Paget drew his image of Holmes based upon the actor William Gillette, who made a career out of portraying the Baker Street detective on stage in London and New York. Charlie Chaplain got one of his early starts in entertainment by playing the page attendant to Holmes opposite Gillette.

From the beginning introduction of Holmes and Watson to Holmes' gentle retirement to beekeepping on the southern coast of England, this book contains all the essential stories (none of the apocryphal, anecdotal, or tribute-written pieces are contained here). Holmes was often thought to be a real person, and Sherlockians the world over still search for 'evidence' to prove that he was. During his 'lifetime', the post office for the Baker Street area regularly received mail addressed to Holmes or Watson at 221B Baker Street. While such an address does not (and did not during the late Victorian era) exist, there is a business on the site that would be 221B, and they have dedicated a desk to Holmes, and strive to answer mail received in the great detective's name.

Perhaps the two elements that made Holmes and Watson the world-renowned figures that they became are, first, the dominance of the British Empire globally at the time Conan Doyle was writing, which made English things sought-after, admired, and to be emulated, and secondly, the introduction of a method of detection hitherto unknown, both in the annals of detective stories (save perhaps in a proto-form in Poe and a few other obscure pieces of dubious literary merit) and in real life.

Holmesian tales became required reading in the training of police and detectives in many parts of the world. It is still recommended even when it is not required.

Holmes permeates other literature and venues as well. When Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation looks for images of Holmes, he is being guided by the descriptions in the stories as well as by the illustrations in The Strand. When the BBC produced Jeremy Brett's rendering of Holmes, the same holds true. When Basil Rathbone's films were cast, these illustrations and stories were uppermost in the directors' minds.

So, pull some tobacco from your persian slipper, stoke your pipe, scratch out a tune on your violin, and re-enter the gas-lit world of the foggy London, where danger is afoot and one detective can always save the day.

Obviously, I bought this book to read firsthand the tales of Sherlock Holmes. It does have the serialized short stories of Sherlock Holmes that were printed in "The Strand". In fact, the smears and smudges that were in the original magazine are also reproduced. This fact annoyed me at first, but added authenticity to the book. Also all illustrations that are necessary to solving various cases are also included in this book.

But, it is not the 'complete' canon of Sherlock Holmes, though. It has what was printed in "The Strand", which is: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, & "The Hound of the Baskervilles" as they were originally presented. But, it is missing: His Last Bow, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, "A Study in Scarlet", "The Sign of the Four", & "The Valley of Fear". These texts are missing (for a good reason), because there were not printed in "The Strand".

Just fair warning, there are still more Sherlock Holmes mysteries out there...

Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes / 0-7858-1325-X

This collection contains the following stories from the following collections:

ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
- Scandal in Bohemia
- Red-Headed League
- Case of Identity
- Boscombe Valley Mystery
- Five Orange Pips
- Man with the Twisted Lip
- Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
- Adventure of the Speckled Band
- Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
- Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
- Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
- Adventure of the Copper Beeches

MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
- Adventure of the Silver Blaze
- Adventure of the Cardboard Box
- Adventure of the Yellow Face
- Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk
- Adventure of the "Gloria Scott"
- Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual
- Adventure of the Reigate Squires
- Adventure of the Crooked Man
- Adventure of the Resident Patient
- Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
- Adventure of the Naval Treaty
- Adventure of the Final Problem

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
- Adventure of the Empty House
- Adventure of the Norwood Builder
- Adventure of the Dancing Men
- Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
- Adventure of the Priory School
- Adventure of Black Peter
- Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
- Adventure of the Six Napoleons
- Adventure of the Three Students
- Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
- Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
- Adventure of the Abbey Grange
- Adventure of the Second Stain

This is a very extensive collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, although the collection is not comprehensive - the stories contained in "The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes" are missing, and "A Study in Scarlet" is absent as well. The illustrations are quite good, and occur at a frequency of about once a page, and add a great deal to the narrative. I highly recommend this collection if you have not been exposed to Sherlock Holmes or if you are looking to consolidate your collection in a single, tightly-bound, illustrated volume.

~ Ana Mardoll

Anyone who is a fan of Old Holmes will not need a review to tell them that they ought to read Holmes in its entirety but would rather hear about the quality of the volume. This one is top notch. The original illustrations help the reader to read Holmes as the original readers did--with these marvelous illustrations and typeface. This has all been carefully preserved by the publisher to give it a kind of retro panache so rarely found in modern typesetting. Solid hard backing and glossy dust jacket round out this definitive volume both in form and substance. If you have any old ratty, tattered, sun-faded copies of Holmes laying around--pitch 'em and get this one.

If you love reading; If you love suspense, drama, mystery, action, comedy and Sherlock Holmes (I do) this book is PERFECT for you. When I got this book I could not stop reading it. It is absolutely addictive. And when I finished, I read it again! I will read/watch anything that pertains to the great master and his ever so present sidekick Dr. Watson. Just when you think you know, you really don't know. Why try to guess. This book will throw you for a loop over and over. You will laugh, you will be thrilled and amazed. This is the definitive Sherlock Holmes compilation. One right after the other. If you finish this book in less than a week, just remember I told you so. Arthur Conan Doyle was a true master at his craft and he never lets you down, even in his shortest of stories. And the Baskervilles of the Hounds, a wonderful read. Okay, no further. I do not wish to spoil anything for you. Now go read this book.

Enjoy :)

A happy Sherlock Holmes Fan...

I have always had a gravitation to the Sherlock Holmes stories, even more so because Data from Star Trek had a fascination with him too. I really got into Sherlock when my older sister needed to get a special book for some class at a local university library. While waiting around I decided to look him up. Deep in the dark caverns of the library I pulled out one of his books... dusted it off and started reading "A Study in Scarlet"... I was hooked. I wanted to know more about him. I got this exact book when I was in high school. Remember Crown Books? My mom asked me if I wanted anything from there, I chose this book... it cost $20 back then!

Here you can get it for $9!!! If you calculate for inflation... say $30-$40? This book is a steal!! Out of all the books I wanted as a kid... this was it. This is as close to seeing the original prints you can get. The illustrations are fabulous and iconic. Almost as good as stepping through the holodeck! :)

Mind you this does not contain "A Study in Scarlet" The story of how Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson met. It was written before he became popular through The Strand. That is an incredibly fascinating story that tv and film makers should explore someday, I have a feeling they touch upon it in the upcoming movie. If you want a really comprehensive collection, this is not it, but is a treasure for the die-hard fan.

Some folks like Bond, but I like Holmes. I think the whole point of Holmes existence is to show us how unobservant we are of the world that's around us. If we simply paid attention to things, we could all be like Holmes. But alas, we do not.

There are some great stories in this collection, but I'm particularly fond of the Adventure of the Norwood Builder because it strongly emphasizes the statement I've made above. I also like the Mycoft Holmes story, not because of the violent adventure, but because Mycroft's character is just as fascinating as the character of Holmes. Talk about a gifted family.

Doyle might be in my opinion the greatest writer of all time. Not only does he do an amazing job establishing character, he also constructs some of the most well-thought-out plots you'll find anywhere. And there's such hilarity in his stories too!

The illustrations are amazing enough to do justice to the stories as well. I lost this book in a flood, but I think if I ever want to go back to Holmes, no other book but this will do. I'm sure the pictures play a part in this conviction.

This book contains some of the greatest mystery stories the world has ever known. Throughout the book, through the eyes of Holmes' friend and assistant Watson, who recalls the things he sees and hears while in his friends company. This book also features illustrations that create a further interest in the story itself. Doyle shows his genious by leading the reader throughout each story (while successfully hooking them) and providing them with all the necessary clues to solve it. Of course none of it ever ties up in your mind which further compells you to read on faster and faster. When always at the very end, you see how Sherlock's genious (kindly provided by Doyle's genious) ties everything together very effectively by using the famous deducted theory which was concocted by Doyle and is used in every single Sherlock Holmes novel/story. This is a fabulous book and it will make you thirst for more. This is not a book to pass up!