Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

[Connavar]

I have just recently read the Lost World and The Poison Belt and loved them. They are simply so easy to read that the story just flows in a way that I haven't often seen with modern writers.

I am thinking about getting into the Sherlock Holmes stories (I read some many, many years ago - long forgotten) and was wondering if there is any particular reading order I should go with?

When its about Sherlock Holmes really the only way you can choose to read in is publication order. Because there is not much chrono order to the stories. Its simple like some stories are set in 1887-1888 before Watson married and lived with Holmes or they are after he lived with Holmes.

The years the stories is set doesnt matter at all. Its about the work,the characters always. You get more by seeing which stories Doyle choose to publish in collections,novel form first. Some stories are weak in his eyes that he saved over 20 years for last Holmes collection.

 

[Vertigo]

Thanks for that JD, Clovis and Conn. I shall have to research the publication dates (probably all in Wiki). Problem is I would guess that many of the short stories may have been published more than once in different collections but I guess as you say it is probably not too critical.

 

[steve12553]

Thanks for that JD, Clovis and Conn. I shall have to research the publication dates (probably all in Wiki). Problem is I would guess that many of the short stories may have been published more than once in different collections but I guess as you say it is probably not too critical.

The Holmes collections are very specific. Aside from the four novels they are: the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; The Return of Sherlock Holmes; The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes; The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes; and His Last Bow. Read A Study in Scarlet followed by the first two colections. After that it really doesn't matter. The last story in Adventures and the first in The Return need to be read in order.
The other three novels can basically be read any time without causing confusion. Also most of the collections (except His Last Bow ) are in public domain and available as ebooks on Project Gutenburg for free. The stories from His Last Bow are available separately but not as a collection.

 

[Connavar]

The Holmes collections are very specific. Aside from the four novels they are: the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; The Return of Sherlock Holmes; The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes; The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes; and His Last Bow. Read A Study in Scarlet followed by the first two colections. After that it really doesn't matter. The last story in Adventures and the first in The Return need to be read in order.
The other three novels can basically be read any time without causing confusion. Also most of the collections (except His Last Bow ) are in public domain and available as ebooks on Project Gutenburg for free. The stories from His Last Bow are available separately but not as a collection.

Yeah its easy being Holmes fan when you can read the specific publication order for the collections that Doyle himself choosed the realese the stories.

Im guessing you mean you are suppose to read the last story in Memoirs before Return of Sherlock Holmes. You cant jump from Adventures to Return collection.

The rest of the collections, novels arent really important which order you read.

 

[j d worthington]

I see Conn beat me to it. Yes, the order I see them in, generally, is: Study in Scarlet/Sign of Four, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Valley of Fear, His Last Bow, and The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, and there is a slight development of characters (mostly secondary characters) within the stories from the first four volumes; whilst "The Final Problem" in Memoirs should be followed with "The Adventure of the Empty House" in Return... though Doyle published Hound of the Baskervilles between those two collections, as I recall....

 

[Extollager]

Could I ask that folks post the titles of some of their favorite Sherlock stories other than these?

• "A Scandal in Bohemia"
• "The Adventure of the Red-Headed League"
• "A Case of Identity"
• "The Boscombe Valley Mystery"
• "The Five Orange Pips"
• "The Man with the Twisted Lip"
• "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"
• "The Adventure of the Speckled Band"
• "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb"
• "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor"
• "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet"
• "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches"

A Study in Scarlet
The Sign of (the) Four
The Hound of the Baskervilles


In short, I'm asking about stories that Doyle wrote after he decided Sherlock hadn't died at Reichenbach Falls.

 

[Connavar]

Could I ask that folks post the titles of some of their favorite Sherlock stories other than these?

• "A Scandal in Bohemia"
• "The Adventure of the Red-Headed League"
• "A Case of Identity"
• "The Boscombe Valley Mystery"
• "The Five Orange Pips"
• "The Man with the Twisted Lip"
• "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"
• "The Adventure of the Speckled Band"
• "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb"
• "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor"
• "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet"
• "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches"

A Study in Scarlet
The Sign of (the) Four
The Hound of the Baskervilles


In short, I'm asking about stories that Doyle wrote after he decided Sherlock hadn't died at Reichenbach Falls.

You are forgetting Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes collection that is after Adventures collection. Its in Memoirs story he dies.

How much have you read ? All the collections,novels or up to certain collection like me who just finished Memoirs collection ?

My top ten i have to think about. It would have 3-4 stories from memories and 3-4 stories from Adventures plus Study,Sign of Four.

I have read so far: Study,Sign of Four, Adventures,Memoirs. Publication order stories from 1887-1893. So my top ten would change after i have read all 5 collections, 4 novels.

 

[Extollager]

Connavar reminds me that it's after the Memoirs that Sherlock Holmes "died," not the Adventures, so to my list in message #46 above, everyone, please add these:

• "Silver Blaze"
• "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" (this story is in His Last Bow in American editions of the canon)
• "The Adventure of the Yellow Face"
• "The Stockbroker's Clerk"
• "The Gloria Scott"
• "The Musgrave Ritual"
• "The Adventure of the Reigate Squire"
• "The Adventure of the Crooked Man"
• "The Resident Patient"
• "The Greek Interpreter"
• "The Naval Treaty"
• "The Final Problem"

My question is: aside from the stories listed in message #46 and in this message, which are the best Sherlock Holmes stories? Which are the best stories in

The Return of Sherlock Holmes
The Valley of Fear
His Last Bow
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

Connavar asked, "How much have you read ? All the collections,novels or up to certain collection like me who just finished Memoirs collection ?"

I didn't start tracking my reading very well till I was 18. I think that I had read all 56 stories and four novels by then, but it would be so long ago, if so, that to read some of those stories again would be like reading them for the first time. Since my initial reading of everything (if I did read everything), I've reread many of the short stories and all of the novels. I think the fourth novel, The Valley of Fear, is not regarded as being as good as the first three, but at my household we had a special reason for being interested in it: the main story is set in the Pennsylvania coal country where my wife grew up. When I read it to her, she brought to the experience of Doyle's book quite a lot of knowledge of the Molly Maguires.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Maguires

 

[steve12553]

I see Conn beat me to it. Yes, the order I see them in, generally, is: Study in Scarlet/Sign of Four, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Valley of Fear, His Last Bow, and The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, and there is a slight development of characters (mostly secondary characters) within the stories from the first four volumes; whilst "The Final Problem" in Memoirs should be followed with "The Adventure of the Empty House" in Return... though Doyle published Hound of the Baskervilles between those two collections, as I recall....

I just realized that my chronology followed the Granda TV order rather than Doyle's order. The fabulous Jeremy Britt series placed the Final Problem in Adventures along with a few other cases of dramatic license. I've both watched the complete series and read the books in the last year (and I'm a little bit over 21). My apologies, I stand corrected.

 

[Connavar]

I just realized that my chronology followed the Granda TV order rather than Doyle's order. The fabulous Jeremy Britt series placed the Final Problem in Adventures along with a few other cases of dramatic license. I've both watched the complete series and read the books in the last year (and I'm a little bit over 21). My apologies, I stand corrected.

Speaking about the fabulous Jeremy Brett series i read the last few days somes stories like " The Resident Patient", "The Final Problem" that i had first seen in that tv show. I was surprised how loyal the tv writer/creators was faithful to Doyle. The short stories, the tv eps was almost word by word the same. The writing style of Doyle, Watson being narrator, more involved than the bystander of the show made it different.

I just dont like how in the first few collection stories Watson are in his 30s and not in his 40s while the tv actor played him was in his 50 from the start. Brett is excused in that he could look in his 40s despite he was older and he was ideal Holmes no matter his age.

Dont want to start tv talks because there is tv thread but i thought it was interesting the similarities and the differences between the short stories, tv eps.