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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

The Complete Sherlock Holmes



Sometimes  in my regular reading habits I wander off into the classics.  It might have been a long time since I’d read a certain book.  Perhaps The Count of Monte Cristo.  Or an author whose work I’d passed by at a younger age. Think Jane Austin. Maybe a famous person of whom I’d read many biographies and history but wanted something in his or her own words.  Julius Caesars The Gallic Wars came to mind.  Then, quite recently,  I was scanning my ereader (Nook) for bargains and there was The Complete Sherlock Holmes for two dollars.  Not one to pass up a bargain, I took it.  Yes, I’d already read it in fulfillment of Mrs. Himmelbachs 12th grade English “outside reading” requirement. Was it as good as I fondly remembered all those years ago? I intended to find out…..

 From his first appearance in A Study in Scarlett , via his most famous adventures – The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Speckled Band – to his final appearances in the very short stories making up The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, his deductions never fail to bring a smile and that aha moment.

We see Victorian life brought to life in every story. Conan Doyle provides the clever villains & flustered clients flitting in and about  to create a portrait of fascinating characters. They are the heart and soul of each and every tale. And then most of all there is Holmes.    He is one of the most interesting characters ever written. It’s all there. The odd habits mixing with the brilliant deductions.  The quirky humor and single mindedness.   It  adds  up to a personality like none other and yet not fake nor seemingly contrived.   To top it off it’s all very well-written.    Elementary dear reader. Elementary.   I even remembered some of the "solutions" from long ago. Not too bad for a guy who can’t remember where he put his reading glasses half the time…...:)

13 comments:

NCmountainwoman said...

I have the complete Sherlock Holmes in hard cover that I bought many years ago. I still love to read a story from it now and then.

Far Side of Fifty said...

I have never read it...but it sounds delightful! Hello to Mrs TB:)

L. D. said...

My wife is an avid reader and I am sure she has read them all. I now see all the older movies that they make of his work as well as now some of the newer ones that are inspired by his work.

amanda said...

I've never read Sherlock Holmes, nor ever heard any feedback or a review from someone who has.. So I really appreciate this!

We were down in your neck of the woods to pick up our newest family member a couple of Saturdays ago. It had been 8 years since we'd visited, and I was reminded in full force how beautiful that part of our state is in the prime of a good summer.

Valerie said...

I could definitely read this. I was always a Sherlock Holmes fan but time goes by and I've forgotten most. Wish I could pick up such a bargain.

Blogoratti said...

Must be a delightful read, always nice to read classics. Greetings!

Anonymous said...

I know a truck driver who came here from Romania. He's very tightly wired and has fascist tendencies. He grew up under Communism, a word he uses as a synonym for "bad" or "sucks." He's discovered the Sherlock Holmes books in audiobook form and is listening to them one by one. He doesn't like to have his listening interrupted. Now I know why. Thanks.

Arkansas Patti said...

Two dollars?? What a deal. You will have a lot of great reading there. I do remember The Hound of the Baskervilles but that is about all. Guess that means I could read him again and it would be fresh. I'll look for a deal like you got.

Sally Wessely said...

How cool that you remembered. I'm with you on the reading glasses. That is why I have a pair in nearly every room. This works until I carry them off to another room and promptly lose them.

susan said...

My husband and I both re-read them again recently. You're right, they are wonderful as are the works of Dickens, Twain, Kipling and Jack London among so many others.

btw: Did you ever hear this one?

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson decide to go on a camping trip. After dinner and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night, and go to sleep.

Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend.

"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."

Watson replied, "I see millions of stars."

"What does that tell you?"

Watson pondered for a minute.

"Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets."
"Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo."
"Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three."
"Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant."
"Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow."
"What does it tell you, Holmes?"

Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke: "Watson, you idiot. Someone has stolen our tent!"

Ien in the Kootenays said...

Thanks for the reminder. I just picked up the TV show "Sherlock" in Netflix, it would be good to visit the original. There is much to be said for filling in gaps in one's knowledge of the classics and even revisiting them. The new stuff is impossible to keep up with anyway. Then there is the pleasure in seeing a classic one has read with the fresh eyes of age. The first time I read Middlemarch in my twenties it was all about the love relationships. The second time at 68 it was about power and politics. To my shame I have never read The Count of Monte Christo. Yet. I am not dead yet and it will be fall soon. Thanks for the incentive!

Montanagirl said...

I've seen the Count of Monte Cristo movie several times. Love it!

Sue said...

Sounds like a delightful read. I can't believe I've never read them!

It's always fun to reread things YEARS later---sometimes our memories of the book are spot on, and other times........hmmmmm, not so good.
Have a wonderful week