The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes III (Classic Fiction) (Vol 3) [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD)

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author), David Timson (Narrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-Four short stories of mystery and intrigue by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are performed radio theater style by the St. Charles Players: "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," "A Scandal in Bohemia," and "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot." The narration is acceptable, although some characters sound flat and their British accent is too obviously forced. However, this detracts little from the overall entertainment value of the stories. The overall aural quality could be improved; a slight hissing can be heard throughout the narration. Though at times Holmes comes across as haughty, listeners become caught up in learning how he ingeniously solves the cases using clues that Watson, the other investigators, and most listeners miss. Fine for individual or group listening, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes could be used for entertainment or for a unit on the mystery genre in English classes. The lack of strong female characters in these stories may warrant including alternate classic mysteries with strong women, such as Simon Brett's Mrs. Pargeter, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Heron Carvic's Miss Seeton, or Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax. A nice feature of this package is that each short story is completed with one cassette. Unless you have a great demand for classic mysteries, this audiobook is an additional purchase.
Sarah Smith, Harrison Community Library, MI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
These deluxe Oxford editions offer the exploits of Holmes and Watson the red carpet treatment they truly deserve. Along with the full text, each volume contains a scholarly introduction, illustrations, and other assorted extras. All public and academic libraries should have the full canon of Holmes's cases.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks; Unabridged edition (March 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9626341912
• ISBN-13: 978-9626341919
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,648,088 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holmes and Watson -- The Neverending Adventures, February 10, 2001

By	George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Great Illustrated Classics) (School & Library Binding)

Did you know that Holmes never, ever said "Elementary, my dear Watson" in any of the sixty stories Arthur Conan Doyle wrote?

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes were initially published in "The Strand" magazine as a series of 24 short stories. These stories saw publication between 1891 and 1893. When they were published in book form, the first twelve were published as "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and the last twelve were called "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes." Today, when we speak of the original "Adventures," we usually refer to the first twelve Holmes short stories. These twelve stories include some of the best of Holmes: "The Speckled Band," "The Red Headed League," "A Scandal in Bohemia." Doyle continued his Holmes saga with other collections of short stories: "The Return of Sherlock Holmes," "Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes," "His Last Bow," and finally "The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes." Almost every Holmes short story bears the title "The Adventure of . . ." One of my favorite Holmes stories is "The Problem of Thor Bridge." Not only is it a very good yarn, it is a "Problem" and not an "Adventure!" Although Conan Doyle ran out of Holmes stories, the public did not run out of its appetite for new Holmes stories, and production of pastiches continues to this day.

To me, the most satisfying way to relive the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, both original and pastiche adventures, is through the medium of audiotaped radio plays. There are at least four collections of adventures currently available. "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," a publication of BBC shows starring Clive Merrison, reprises the original twelve adventures. This is probably the best radio collection of adventures. National Public Radio has published four "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" consisting of four one hour productions starring various actors as Holmes. The quality is uneven. "Smithsonian Historical Performances: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" has twelve stories, four of which are original. Edith Meiser wrote the pastiches, and John Stanley starred as a rather disagreeable Holmes. Some stories are very good; others are woeful. Simon and Schuster publishes a series of six "New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." Each collection has eight Holmes stories. Of the pastiches, these are the best. Nigel Bruce stars as a loveable, bumbling Watson, and Basil Rathbone portrays the archetypical Holmes. Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green wrote the scripts and did a very good job. Holmesaholics will also want to listen to "More New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," published by the Brilliance Corporation, and starring Tom Conway as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson. These stories are on the whole better than the Smithsonian Historical Performances, but not as good as the Rathbone/Bruce "New Adventures." They also have the drawback of being published as individual cassettes. The avid collector can run to some expense getting all of these.

Holmes survived Conan Doyle's attempt on his life at the Reichenbach Falls; he has survived his creator 80 years without showing any signs of loss of vitality. The latest (and quite enjoyable) addition to the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the BBC Television series starring Jeremy Brett.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Classic Literature, March 28, 2000

By	Mike (San Ramon, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Library Binding)

This is a faithful reprinting of the greatest mystery book(s) ever written. It is well written, powerful, captivating, and puts the Hardy Boys to shame. Holmes solves mysteries in a believable (if difficult) fashion that never fails to grip someone from start to finish. The stories are so well written, in fact, that when Sherlock Holmes "died" fans responded by rioting in the streets of London. The Queen insisted that Conan Doyle bring back his famous character, and so here he is. While we might not be willing to riot in the streets if Holmes died today, we can still feel loyalty towards the famous character, and the legacy that Conan Doyle left behind in these books.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holmes stuns mystery lovers and sci fi fans alike!, November 19, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Classic Crime) (Paperback)

Are you ready to accompany the greatest detective in history on some of his most memorable adventures? Then this book is for you! Each of these stories are wonderfully put together, each with a more exciting and unexpected outcome. I have read them time and again, and am always newly surprised at Holmes's genius and reasoning abilities.

Are you still hesitant on whether or not to read "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?" Well, I personally am not much of a mystery fan. In fact, some of my favorite books are "Watership Down," "The Hobbit," "A Wrinkle in Time" series, and "The Lost Years of Merlin" books. I also know that mystery books are either awful, by. But Sherlock Holmes and his cases have set the highest of standards for mysteries, which very few others have even come close to surpassing.

Through this great collection, I have come to greatly admire both Holmes's and Doyle's brilliance over and over again. No matter what genre you enjoy reading, this is a book for you!