Sherlock Holmes

[E65Ross]

Having watched and somewhat enjoyed the BBC series "Sherlock" I've managed to grab a complete copy of the Sherlock Holmes book(s?) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; are they any good? I go through phases with reading, I may go almost a year without reading any books then I'll read several all within a couple of months.

I generally like classic novels and I'm a big Charles Dickens fan

Many thanks for any of your thoughts

[silverthorn2151]

They are fantastic. They can transport you back in time. No hidden meanings, no academic symbolism, just bloody good stories.

They are short stories for the most part. I prefer these to the longer works. Hound of the Baskervilles is oft quoted as an example of Sherlock Holmes but I regard that as a story of Watson for the most part.

Enjoy them. The format lets you dip in and out as it suits you.

[probedb]

I've been reading them. I've always enjoyed the adaptations with Jeremy Brett so I thought I'd finally read the books

[E65Ross]

I finished the 1st one. Didn't realise how short they were, only about 7 chapters each so you could happily read one in a day if you wanted, easily.

Enjoyed it and it's quite easy reading too

[Ace-T]

They are on my desert island books list. Utterly brilliant.

[soad]

Sherlock Holmes and his right hand man Dr Watson. Hard to think of a pair of fictional detectives who are better known.

[JohnnyJones]

Conan Doyle wrote stacks of short stories beside the Holmes ones, they are brilliant. I have a collection which came from my grandfather which I read to this day if the mood takes me.

[gforceg]

I love the Holmes stories and have a couple of compendium books which are perfect to dip in and out of. I think the only other Conan Doyle I've read is The Tragedy of the Korosko.

[Ace-T]

JohnnyJones said:

Conan Doyle wrote stacks of short stories beside the Holmes ones, they are brilliant. I have a collection which came from my grandfather which I read to this day if the mood takes me.

That is just brilliant!

My wonderful OH has just bought volumes 1, 2 and 3 of the Strand Magazine. Published in the 1890's as a 6 month job lot of the magazine, they are lovely old books and the second volume has 'A Scandal in Bohemia', the start of the publishing of the Holmes stories in the magazine.

He did look for Beeton's Christmas Annual but it had somewhat more zeros on the end than the £20 he paid for each of the volumes he got for me!

[waterjoke]

It's brilliant! I was fascinated by this book, but I have never watched the TV series. I prefer reading books.