The Sherlock Holmes Collection (8 vols.)

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Publisher:

Faithlife

, 2015

Overview

How many times did Sherlock Holmes utter the phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson” in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s renowned stories? The answer is a surprising zero.

Get to know the real Sherlock Holmes with these eight volumes, filled with classic mystery tales. A professional physician, Arthur Conan Doyle initially conceived of Sherlock Holmes during writing sessions between patients. Sherlock’s signature deductive reasoning soon found an insatiable readership. And though Doyle tried desperately to “kill off” Holmes so that he could pursue other literary pursuits, public outcry demanded the detective return to life, which he did, after an eight-year hiatus, in The Adventure of the Empty House.

Featuring this story and more, these four novels and four volumes of short stories cover Sherlock Holmes’ exploits from Doyle’s first book, A Study in Scarlet, to the final chapters of literature’s most famous detective in His Last Bow. The works in this collection are essential for all Sherlock enthusiasts and literary students.

In the Logos editions, these volumes are enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Be sure to check out the Select Works of Charles Dickens (7 vols.).

Key Features

• Contains over 2,800 pages of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes adventures
• Includes all four novels and four volumes of short stories involving Sherlock Holmes
• Provides foundational texts of the crime fiction genre

Praise for the Print Editions

Sherlock Holmes is the very foundation stone of the edifice that is crime fiction.

—The Times

[Holmes] is probably the only literary creation since the creations of Dickens which has really passed into the life and language of the people.

—G.K. Chesterton, author, Orthodoxy

Doyle’s modesty of language conceals a profound tolerance of the human complexity. . . . No wonder, then, if the pairing of Holmes and Watson has triggered more imitators than any other duo in literature.

—John Le Carré, author, The Constant Gardener

Arthur Conan Doyle is unique in . . . ushering in a genre of writing that, while imitated and expanded, has never been surpassed.

—Stephen Fry, author, Making History

Perhaps the greatest of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries is this: that when we talk of him we invariably fall into the fancy of his existence.

—T.S. Eliot, winner, Nobel Prize in Literature

Product Details

• Title: The Sherlock Holmes Collection
• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Volumes: 8
• Pages: 2,801
• Resource Type: Literature
• Topic: Fiction

A Study in Scarlet

• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Publisher: Ward, Lock and Co. Limited
• Publication Date: 1890
• Pages: 112

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Find out where it all began. A Study in Scarlet was written in 1886 and first published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, a paperback magazine in England, in 1887. It was, at the time, not very popular. Doyle’s new characters, detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend and chronicler, Dr. John Watson, were introduced for the first time. They later became two of the most famous characters in literature. In this volume, Holmes and Watson investigate the murder of a twisted corpse with no wounds. They meet the buffoonish inspectors from Scotland Yard, Lestrade and Gregson, with whom they interact in future cases. A Study in Scarlet is also notable for being the first work of detective fiction to incorporate the magnifying glass as an investigative tool.

The Sign of the Four and Other Stories

• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Publisher: P.F. Collier & Son
• Publication Date: 1900
• Pages: 584

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Following A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of the Four was published in the February 1890 edition of Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. As with the first novel, A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of the Four was not particularly successful upon its release. In this story set in 1888, Holmes and Watson must unravel a complex plot involving the East India Company, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a stolen treasure, a secret pact among four convicts, and two corrupt prison guards. It fleshes out Holmes’ drug habit and introduces Watson’s future wife, Mary Morstan.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Publisher: A.L. Burt Company
• Publication Date: 1920
• Pages: 342

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of early short stories, previously published in The Strand Magazine in 1891–1892. These stories introduce the character of Irene Adler and many others. In general, the short stories deal with issues of social injustice. Holmes is portrayed as offering a new, fairer sense of justice. These stories were the first to achieve commercial success, enabling Arthur Conan Doyle to devote more time to his writing.

Contents:

• “A Scandal in Bohemia”
• “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”

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Publisher: George Newnes, Limited
• Publication Date: 1894
• Pages: 300

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 11 short stories that were previously published in The Strand Magazine in 1892–1893. Included in this collection is one of the most famous Sherlock Holmes stories, “The Final Problem,” in which Doyle “killed” Holmes. Several of the stories are told from Holmes’ own point of view rather than from Watson as chronicler.

Contents:

• “Silver Blaze”
• “The Yellow Face”
• “The Stockbroker’s Clerk”
• “The ‘Gloria Scott’”
• “The Musgrave Ritual”
• “The Reigate Squires”
• “The Crooked Man”
• “The Resident Patient”
• “The Greek Interpreter”
• “The Naval Treaty”
• “The Final Problem”

The Hound of the Baskervilles

• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Publisher: George Newnes, Limited
• Publication Date: 1902
• Pages: 404

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Hound of the Baskervilles was originally published serially in The Strand Magazine in 1901–1902. In the third of four Holmes novels, Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on the grounds of his country house, Baskerville Hall. The cause is initially ascribed to a heart attack. But fearing for the safety of Sir Henry Baskerville, who is Sir Charles’s nephew and only known heir, Dr. James Mortimer travels to London and asks Holmes for help in figuring out the case. Holmes and Watson investigate the case and must fight against a seemingly supernatural hound that has been haunting the Baskerville family for generations.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Publisher: McClure, Phillips & Co.
• Publication Date: 1907
• Pages: 406

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 13 short stories that were previously published in The Strand Magazine in 1903–1904. These stories bring back to life the world’s most famous detective after his fatal encounter with his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. When Holmes’ devoted fans refused to allow Doyle to kill their beloved sleuth, the author complied and delivered more stories which explained to the public, and the astonished Watson, Holmes miraculous escape from death and accounts for his lengthy absence.

Contents:

• “The Adventure of the Empty House”
• “The Adventure of the Norwood Builder”
• “The Adventure of the Dancing Men”
• “The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist”
• “The Adventure of the Priory School”
• “The Adventure of Black Peter”
• “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton”
• “The Adventure of the Six Napoleans”
• “The Adventure of the Three Students”
• “The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez”
• “The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter”
• “The Adventure of the Abbey Grange”
• “The Adventure of the Second Stain”

The Valley of Fear

• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Publisher: A.L. Burt Company
• Publication Date: 1914
• Pages: 329

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Valley of Fear was previously published serially in The Strand Magazine in 1914–1915. In the final full-length Sherlock Holmes novel, the detective solves the murder of Douglas—a rich and locally popular gentleman—who had lived for years in the ancient, moated Birlstone Manor House. With no obvious motive or suspect, Holmes and Watson solve this baffling murder mystery that left behind a trail of bewildering clues: raincoats, dumbbells, and a missing wedding ring.

His Last Bow: A Reminiscence of Sherlock Holmes

• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Publisher: George H. Doran Company
• Publication Date: 1917
• Pages: 324

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

His Last Bow: The Reminiscence of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of eight short stories that were previously published between 1908–1917. The collection was originally called Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes and did not contain the short story His Last Bow, which appeared after the fourth and last novel, The Valley of Fear, was published. This volume concludes with Watson’s statement explaining that Sherlock Holmes has retired, and forbids Watson from publishing any more stories.

Contents:

• “The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge”
• “The Adventure of the Cardboard Box”
• “The Adventure of the Red Circle”
• “The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans”
• “The Adventure of the Dying Detective”
• “The Adventure of Lady Frances Carfax”
• “The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot”
• “His Last Bow”

About Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was a Scottish writer and physician best known for his fiction featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where he began writing short stories. In between patient appointments, he would write fiction. After the death of his first wife, Louise Hawkins, with whom he had a son and a daughter, he went on to marry Jean Leckie, with whom he had two sons and a daughter.

Doyle was a prolific writer whose works include fiction, plays, romances, poetry, nonfiction, academic articles, and historical novels. Beyond Sherlock Holmes, he is also known for writing the fictional adventures of Professor Challenger and for popularizing the mystery of the Mary Celeste.