Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (Wordsworth Collection)

by Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Book Overview

Step into the mind of the legendary detective with The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. Solve intricate mysteries alongside Holmes and Watson in this gripping collection. Featuring... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1853260703
• Release Date: November 1995
• Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.7" x 0.9" x 4.9"

Customer Reviews

Neglected Collection

Case Book of Sherlock Holmes / 0-425-04822-5 This collection contains the following short stories: - The Adventure of the Illustrious Client - The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier - The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone - The Adventure of the Three Gables - The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire - The Adventure of the Three Garridebs - The Problem of Thor Bridge - The Adventure of the Creeping Man - The Adventure of the Lion's Mane - The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger - The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place - The Adventure of the Retired Colourman This much-neglected collection is often inexplicably left out of Sherlock Holmes anthologies despite the high quality of the cases herein. The Sussex Vampire case, in particular, is especially good and concerns a client who fears that his wife may have vampiric inclinations. Of course, with Holmes on the case, the answer soon becomes clear and is both more and less simple than originally believed. I suspect, in fact, that the disinclination to include this volume in most anthologies does not reflect the quality of the stories, but rather reflects their rarity and the belief that Holmes fans only want the stories they have already been exposed to. If you love Holmes even a little bit, check out this collection and lose yourself in the wonder world that is Sherlock Holmes. ~ Ana Mardoll

Sherlock's Swan Song

"The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes" was Doyle's last collection of short stories on the great detective. The stories may not have been uniformly as good as the earlier Holmes stories, and some of the plots may have been derivative, but they still entertain."The Three Garridebs" rehashed the plot of "The Red Headed League". "The Creeping Man" turned in a creepy tale whose premise has been disproved by later science. "The Veiled Lodger" was not even a mystery.The rest of the stories were much better. "The Blanched Soldier" presented a conundrum which Holmes solved without visiting the scene. "The Sussex Vampire" had a perfectly natural explanation. "The Lion's Mane" involved violent death, but was there a crime? Holmes worked for an unnamed "Illustrious Client", but you should be able to figure out who it was. We meet Holmes' page, Billy, for the first and last time in "The Mazarin Stone". We meet international intrigue in "Shoscombe Old Place" and an arrogant murderer in "The Retired Colourman". My favorite story of the lot is "The Problem of Thor Bridge", where Holmes assists a young lady of murder in the face of almost overwhelming evidence of guilt.The BBC production of "The Case Book" was done in three packets of two cassettes, each containing two stories from "The Case Book". Clive Merrison once again turns in a virtuoso performance as Holmes, and Michael Williams portrays a far more capable Watson than Nigel Bruce ever imagined.Bert Coules and Vincent McInerney took more liberties with the plotlines in this collection than they did in any of their other treatments of the Holmes saga. They write Billy out of "The Mazarin Stone" and replace her with Mrs. Hudson, who participates more actively in the solution of the case than she ever did in any of Doyle's writings. In fact, Doyle's story occupies only about 10 minutes of the production, with 20 minutes of leadup in which Lord Cantlemere serves as Holmes' chief suspect. The changes consist of additions which make the story more enjoyable without altering Doyle's original plot. The same cannot be said for their treatment of "The Three Gables". Langdale Pike, a minor character in Doyle's original rendition, becomes a major actor. Pike assists Holmes in the ruination of the villainess. This constitutes a major change from Doyle's original plot, in which Holmes allows the villainess to escape upon payment of "punitive damages". In "The Sussex Vampire" they manage to work in a few references to Bram Stoker's "Dracula", but don't otherwise tamper too much with the plot.If you like Holmes, mysteries, or radio plays; you'll like this collection.

First rate, though a tad different, Holmes' stories

Here we are again with the omniscient Holmes and incredulous Watson exploring mysteries as inscrutable as ever before. These stories are, as a previous reviewer has noted, on the darker side of things, no doubt as a resullt of WWI, in which Doyle lost his son. One even takes place, for the most part, in America, of all places!-There's always this comfortable, almost fairy tale sense in all of the Holmes' stories of this magic Victorian nightworld which Holmes and Watson float above in their upper middle class ease, and which we know (except in one story not in this book) that all will be well with the two friends in the end. Even when we know we are being duped, as when cigar ashes or some other peculiar evidence appears and Holmes announces "Surely you've read my monograph on the subject," and proceeds to expound upon their significance to the case, we are still pleased, like an opium smoker taking another drag from his pipe and drifting back to Xanadu. Like all Holmes' stories, these are bound to keep you turning the pages, as well as to enchant you thus.-Doyle's stories are so enchanting, in fact, that in the most recent issue of the New York Review of Books it is revealed that most Taiwanese believed that they were true and that London was a cobblestoned city perpetually inundated in fog!-A very nice compilation, indeed, with all the original drawings from The Strand.

A classically entertaining book

This collection, the final in the Sherlock Holmes series, is often thought of as being inferior to the others in the series. This is not so. It's true that the mysteries themselves are not quite as diabolically clever as the best of Holmes, but by any other standard they are outstanding. In addition, the stories are marked by a more realistic and darker psychological portrayal of the villains. Doyle's writing is as good in these stories as anywhere else. These stories contain some of the wittiest repartee by Holmes and Watson, with Holmes at his most sarcastic. As an added bonus, the collection contains the only two stories narrated by Holmes himself (and he turns out to be a very good writer!) This book is a must for mystery fans and general readers alike. Don't make the mistake of thinking that because these stories are "classics," they are going to be stodgy reading, or that you have to be a Holmes fan to enjoy them. "The Case Book" is still one of the most entertaining books ever written. Perfect for airplane or beach!WARNING!!: DO NOT READ THE EARLIEST REVIEW OF THIS BOOK POSTED BELOW (DATED 1/22/98) UNTIL YOU READ THE BOOK. THE CONTRIBUTOR THOUGHTLESSLY GIVES AWAY THE ENDINGS OF MANY STORIES AND WILL SPOIL YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THEM.

This book is adventurous and can catch any readers eye!

I am 10 years old and have read many books and this is one of my favorites. The Hound of the Baskervilles is my favorite story. Please encourage anyone to read this case book of Sherlock Holmes. I'm sure everyone will enjoy a cunning Sherlock Holmes and a humorous Dr. Watson.