The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes [Paperback]

A REVIEW OF `THE COMPLETE SHERLOCK HOLMES' BY SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

Anyone who has travelled on a London Underground train though Baker Street Station will have spotted the iconic profile of Sherlock Holmes on the tiled walls. Who could mistake the deerstalker-donned head, the aquiline nose and the pipe? As an image, Holmes has transcended his literary beginnings. Indeed, to the vast majority, he is perhaps most closely identified with his many post-Conan Doyle incarnations. For the older generations, Holmes will always be Basil Rathbone. Some may picture Jeremy Brett in the more recent ITV television series. In the past few years alone, Holmes has been successfully reinvented in Guy Ritchie's eponymous movie, as well as being reborn as a 21st century detective in the acclaimed BBC series, `Sherlock'. It seems that, in one form or another, we can't get enough of the great consulting detective over a century and a quarter after he first appeared. However, with each re-vamping, there is the danger that the public will lose touch with the REAL Sherlock Holmes of his author's imagination.

I am writing this review having literally just finished reading the entire original Sherlock Homes `canon': 56 short stories and 4 long stories or novels. For those who might consider the Conan Doyle works to be outdated and not worth trying, the fact is that in this weighty volume, there are some of the most creative and exciting mystery, detective, murder and action stories ever to hit the printing presses. Indeed, it is the quality of the original product which explains why the characters of Holmes and his sidekick, Dr John Watson, continue to fascinate and enthuse movie directors and television executives.

With any `complete' collection of writings, there are those who will dive in and devour the whole lot in one marathon read. If that suits your taste, fine. I have plodded through the stories in their published volume format (9 in total) over many years, and have found this more leisurely approach to best showcase the character and author. After all, the stories were actually published over a 40 year period, including a lengthy hiatus, when it was (wrongly) believed that Holmes has met his end having fallen into the chasm at Reichenbach Falls.

The aim of this review is to simply whet the appetite. Those looking for a deep-and-meaningful insight into Sherlock Holmes should peruse one of the many websites devoted to the great detective. So let's look at the 4 novels first. Easily the most famous is `The Hound Of The Baskervilles' (1901-02). However, the remaining three, `A Study In Scarlet' (1887), `The Sign Of [The] Four' (1890) and `The Valley Of Fear' (1914-15) are all fine mystery novels in their own right. Unlike `Baskervilles', which follows a more linear narrative path, the others set Holmes and Watson on the trail of crimes and murders which have their origins in different times and locations. Thus, the stories are split between Holmes' detecting and the explanation, which is told almost as a separate tale. Of the trio, to my mind, `The Valley Of Fear' is the strongest in structure and genuine surprise. For those not tempted to indulge in the complete works, it is a brilliant murder mystery in its own right.

Nevertheless, it is arguably the short stories in which Baker Street's Finest best shows off his talents. The 56 short tales are contained within 5 volumes. Purists cite the first two, The `Adventures' (1891-92) and `Memoirs' (1892-93) as the best. These precede Holmes' waterfall antics and contain some fantastic stories. Some have argued that he was never quite the same in The `Return' (1903-04), `His Last Bow' (1908-1913 and 1917) and The `Casebook' (1921-27). However, despite the fact that the overall consistency of the yarns declines in the later volumes, and some repetition sets in, there is nothing like the dip in form which marred Agatha Christie's last few Poirot novels.

Conan Doyle certainly bowed out gracefully with Holmes, leaving his readers with an insatiable appetite for more. In fact, an internet browse for Sherlock Holmes books will generate a plethora of titles written by other authors. By failing to fatally end his detective's antics, Conan Doyle left the door open for countless `Further Adventures'. Just see what's out there!

However, whilst imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it's impossible to top the originals. In this hefty tome, Conan Doyle has left an embarrassment of riches that will surely continue to enthral and delight readers for generations to come. One of the greatest Sherlock Holmes myths is that his catchphrase was, "Elementary, my dear Watson." I cannot recall having read this actual line in any of his original adventures. However, the more authentic catchphrase, offers a far better insight into what awaits the uninitiated reader: "The game is afoot!"

Barty's Score: 10/10

This book makes a great gift, as it's a nicely bound hardback edition. It is also convenient to have the entire Holmes canon to hand in a single volume. I was rather disappointed to find that it was unillustrated though, and find the print slightly on the small side. It's also not a book for reading in bed, or carrying on the tube! Armchair / fireside reading only!

I love detective stories and I watched most of different Sherlock Holmes tv series, but never read the book before. I must say that the stories are a lot better than on tv and cinema. They are brilliant and to be able to have all in one book is even better. Thanks to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for writing and thanks to Penguin for publishing them all together.