Complete Sherlock Holmes: Arthur Conan Doyle (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Editions) Hardcover – 15 Mar. 2018

This book is simply vast, all the Sherlock Holmes stories (one reviewer has found one omited). It has a handsome leather cover, and the paper is high quality, silky to the touch, all 1077 pages of it, and a xvi page introduction giving some of the history of the publication and its reception over the years. All for less than £20.00!Except for The Hound of the Baskervilles I had not read a Holmes mystery since I accidentally dropped my paperback copy of a Penguin collection of short stories out of a train at a station somewhere in one of the Welsh valleys in 1959 , so it has been virtually a new read. And, wisely or not, I am basing my review on the first 225 pages.There is always a feeling of loss when a mystery has been solved, but the solving and the atmosphere of the stories still grip the imagination. The stories are not great literature, but the style is at least literate, and unlike much great literature they can be readily understood. The writing is actually vivid and atmospheric, and much better written than the Agatha Christie stories, where the characters are wooden and the style not memorable. I warm towards the characters, they are certainly credible , although some of the plots are not. They are an enjoyable read, and should be read for fun!Some of the incidental details reveal some interesting social history. Cocaine was legal, and heavily used by Holmes, much to Watson's concern, although the visit to an opium den in Limehouse did not mean he inhaled. He smoked an enormous quantity of shag. I also noted that both Holmes and Watson quite legally carried pistols when they considered them necessary. When travelling by train to Ross (presumably Ross on Wye) there was no Severn Tunnel, they travelled through Gloucester, and there were no restaurant cars, the trains stopped at Swindon for passengers to take lunch. It was remarkable that the mistress of a substantial household , expecting the two men to stay overnight, we read "a large and comfortable double-bedded room had been placed at our disposal." This was not thought to be remarkable, nor were any adverse conclusions drawn about the arrangements.The main characters are, as one would expect, chivalrous, but their opinion of women would not be regarded as acceptable today, for example , on page 220, Holmes responds to a woman's argument in a way we would regard as patronising: " I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner." What I have found remarkable, having seen so many Holmes films on television that when I read Holmes I automatically see Jeremy Brett, is that none of the films mention Watson's wife. She first appears in the second of the longer stories, and is subsequently referred to as "my wife". She is , of course, wholly in sympathy with Watson's support of Holmes's work.I look forward to reading the next 47 stories, and would happily recommend this collection.

I decided to treat myself for my birthday by purchasing this complete Holmes box set. The item arrived today and I am really pleased with it. I envisiged cd's in platic sleeves, lots of them! I couldn't have been further from the truth.This is a well presented box set, in sturdy packaging. On the back of the box is a list of all the plays, divided into 16 parts. For example; 'The Cardboard Box' is in Part 12, His Last Bow Vol.1. Open the box (a flip over lid) and each cd case is numbered 1 to 16 along the spine with the volume it belongs to, so locating an individual episode is easy.Each case,made from robust card, contains 4 cd's and are the size of a single case. They all have the art work on the front and fold out once to reveal a brief description of each play, opening again to present the cd's. The only quibble I can think of is that there is no cast listing for each indidual play.The contents are as follows...The 4 Novels...-A Study in Scarlet-The Sign of the Four-The Hound of the Baskervilles-The Valley of Fear-The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (12 cases)-The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (12 cases)-The Return of Sherlock Holmes (12 cases)-His Last Bow (8 cases)-The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (12 cases)The price makes this a special purchase but any Sherlock Holmes fan would treasure such a wonderful adaption of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work. Merrison and Wiliams are perfect as Holmes and Watson. Add an appearance by other great actors (Brian Blessed springs to mind), Bert Coules' dramatisation skills and this box set is pure gold! I will take year after year of pleasure listening and revisting these brilliant plays. A SOUND investment :)

Very good collection of stories, I just love sherlock holmes books and this is one of the best, lots of different stories all under one cover,very happy with this purchase.