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Summary: CLIVE MERRISON IS AUDIO'S GREATEST SHERLOCK HOLMES!
Review: "Who is the finest Holmes on audio tape, my dear Watson?"
The query burst forth explosively and unexpectedly from the great detective, who cast a quizzical glance in my direction as a plume of acrid smoke lazily curled its way around the noble Roman head of the genius, who was stretched languidly on Mrs. Hudson's much abused and tobacco-stained couch.
I looked up from the volume of Conrad I had been vainly attempting to peruse. It had been a dull and boring blustery London winter's afternoon at Baker Street, and Holmes -- whose neurasthenic personality was more finely-tuned than my own -- had succumbed to an indulgence in the detested seven-percent solution of cocaine that I always resisted with the full force of my medical prejudices. But, alas, even the charms of Holmes' violinistic scrapings had failed to force a focus of his attentions, so he had undertaken to torment his faithful biographer.
"Dash it, my dear fellow, I was rather engrossed in the dark exploits of that fellow Kurtz. But I suppose you won't let me rest until I provide you with some diversion."
Holmes snorted with satisfaction.
"Well, then, let me summarize the dramatis personae.
"Basil Rathbone is the quintessential -- shall we say -- traditional Holmes. His urbanity and good humor have, however, always seemed to me to be somewhat at odds with the crabbed and egotistical side of the character in Doyle's original. And that damnable Nigel Bruce -- "
Holmes interrupted, "Damnably silly Bruce indeed may be, but surely he IS lovable, Watson!"
"Yes, a charming foolish and blustery British bumbler to be sure. But not an accurate portrayal of the wise and stable individual whom Sir Arthur intended his good Doctor and Holmes' amanuensis to be. And the Simon & Schuster audiotapes of the old 1940's radio programs -- technically adept though the transfers may be -- occasionally include some monumentally jejune pastiches written by Dennis Green and Anthony Boucher. Pass me the gasogene, my good fellow."
Holmes obligingly handed over the instrument, and I refreshed the effervescence of my drink. "Rathbone's successor, when he retired from the radio series to persue other dramatic ventures, was the rather insignificant Tom Conway, whose stiff and unyielding Holmes portrayal is crisp to the point of militaristic caricature. One finds, at the very least, that the occasional scripts of Edith Mizer rise to greater heights of verisimilitude than the Green/Boucher collaborations, though the audio reproduction of the Brilliance Corporation tapes is slightly inferior to the best of the Simon & Schuster transfers of the Rathbone broadcasts.
"In recent years, the outpouring of Holmes dramatic recreations has proffered a BBC radio series from 1955 starring the formidable Sir John Gielgud, in nevertheless rather tepid abbreviations of the more famous Holmes stories, albeit enlivened by the engaging and intelligent Watson of Ralph Richardson, and the glutinous Moriarty of the liquid-voiced Orson Welles.
"Individual readings by Ben Kingsley and Robert Hardy are, of course, notable for their elegance and fidelity to the urtext. And a reasonably-effective dramatization of several stories by the smooth yet somewhat attenuated Roy Marsden can offer at least some pleasure to the Compleat Sherlockian.
"Yet, somehow, all of these renditions have left one somewhat unsatisfied, like the start of a busy day unaccompanied by the necessary fortification of a hearty breakfast of kipper."
Holmes chuckled appreciatively, a wry smile playing at the edges of his ordinarily very set and severe mouth. "What about Merrison, then, my dear Doctor?"
"Ah, yes, I was about to conclude with this estimable artiste. Assuredly, Clive Merrison has finally captured the essence of the protean character, bristling with Holmes' unpredictable energy, his obnoxious self-assurance, his cunningness, and his daring.
"The very pitch of Merrison's voice, his urgent delivery, and his sharp, sardonic tone and manner, all bespeak the finely-etched personality of the world's greatest problem-solver and sleuth.
"Add the sober and respectful rendering of Watson by Michael Williams, the BBC's uncanny stereophonic ambient effects and production values, and Bantam/Dell's excellent technical duplication, and one has the quintessential audio evocation and reproduction of the Baker Street experience!"
"Hear, hear!" laughed Holmes heartily. "My dear Watson, you speak as a true believer and an enthusiastic connoisseur." Expelling a voluminous burst of tobacco smoke from the Meerschaum held between his teeth, Holmes reached for the Persian slipper to fortify his smoking instrument with fresh fuel.
"But for my shilling, Watson, these tatterdemalion documents you so effusively praise, all suffer from a surfeit of vulgarity and rhodomantade, and substitute the sensational and commonplace for the genuine values of scientific instruction that the good Dr. Doyle no doubt truly intended to bequeath to us."
"My dear Holmes!" I protested. "Surely the public -- and I include myself in the vast multitudes of humanity that are not cursed with your somewhat detestible arrogance -- are entitled to a bit of entertainment to provide flavor and piquancy to their instruction..."
I would have continued my rebuttal at length, but a heavy step was heard outside the door to our apartments.
"Hush, Watson!" interrupted Holmes peremptorily. "Surely, that is the determined approach of our good friend Inspector Lestrade. To judge from the evidence of his spirited approach, a certain urgency in his mission is indicated. I beg you postpone your peroration: if I am not altogether mistaken, my good Doctor, the GAME SOON MAY BE AFOOT!"
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Summary: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Review: A mysterious photograph. A disappearing company. A man with two identities. All this and more in the book, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This book includes puzzling mysteries such as The Case of Identity, in which a husband suddenly disappears, and A Scandal in Bohemia, in which a king tries to steal a photo, but needs Sherlock Holmes' help. This book is suitable for all people ages 10 to adult. It's puzzling and complex, yet adventuresome and amusing, able to catch all readers' eyes. Unfortunately, the book does have some boring parts, but its captivating stories and perplexing mysteries more than make up for this. Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes team up together once again and form what may be one of the best detective book yet, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
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Summary: Wonderful Collection
Review: Absent of any quality. Throughly disappointing. All the Naxos Sherlock series is without ANY redeeming value
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Summary: Cheesy
Review: Absent of any quality. Throughly disappointing. All the Naxos Sherlock series is without ANY redeeming value
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Summary: Holmes: Man and Machine
Review: All through Conan Doyle's stories we are given, through Watson, insights into Holmes's peculiar character. The cool, analytical reasoner - immune to all distracting emotions. But this is contrasted to Holmes's sense of decency and underlying humanity. His vices which are revealed throughout his adventures seem unimportant when you look at the ultimate aim of his powers - the search for justice.
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Summary: The best of the Sherlock Holmes short story collections!
Review: Although he also wrote several novels featuring the world's greatest fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, it was especially in his short stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle perfected the Holmes formula. And of the five collections of Holmes short stories (about a dozen in each collection), "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (published in 1892) was the first and is easily the most popular and best of the five. It contains all except one of the five all-time most popular short stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon (A Scandal in Bohemia, The Red-headed League, The Blue Carbuncle, and The Speckled Band), as well as some other gems like The Five Orange Pips. For newcomers to Holmes, this there is no better place to start than with the dozen stories that comprise "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". And for long-time fans, these are old favorites worth reading again and again.
Here's a list of the stories in this collection (with the better stories marked with stars):
***A Scandal in Bohemia, 1891 - The very first and one of the top five Sherlock Holmes short stories. After some brilliant detective work involving disguises and acting, Holmes is outwitted by the woman Irene Adler in his quest to help the hereditary king of Bohemia regain a scandalous photograph from her.
***The Red-headed League, 1891 - Generally regarded as all-time second best Sherlock Holmes story, this bizarre tale features a pawnbroker who is paid money to join the mysterious Red-Headed League and copy out Encyclopedia Britannica, as part of an ingenious scheme to rob a bank.
A Case of Identity, 1891 - Holmes solves the mystery of Mary Sutherland's fiance who disappears on the morning of his wedding, unmasking it as scheme hatched by her greedy step-father.
The Boscombe Valley Mystery, 1891 - Charles McCarthy's son seems the obvious murderer of his father after a violent quarrel, so it is up to Holmes to show that the murder has its real roots in the Australian past of the dead man and his landlord.
**The Five Orange Pips, 1891 - One of Doyle's personal favorites, this tale recounts the death of two men, both preceded by the arrival of five mysterious orange pips. In one of his few failures, Holmes connects the events to the Ku Klux Klan, but not soon enough to prevent another death.
*The Man with the Twisted Lip, 1891 - A baffling mystery about Mr. Neville St. Clair who disappears from a room into thin air, and a professional beggar who is the suspected murderer.
***The Blue Carbuncle, 1892 - Another favorite all-time top 5 Holmes story, as Holmes unravels how a blue diamond ended up inside the goose intended for Mr. Henry Baker's Christmas dinner.
***The Speckled Band, 1892 - Universally regarded as the most popular short story in the Sherlock Holmes canon, and easily one of the more suspenseful and chilling. The engaged Helen Stoner is terrified when she hears the same strange whistling that preceded the death of her twin sister in a locked bedroom shortly before her wedding. Her step-father Dr. Grimesby Roylott, a evil and greedy man with a passion for exotic pets like his cheetah and baboon, is the suspected villain - but how could he do it? The only clue are the mysterious words of Helen's dying sister about "speckled band"...
The Engineer's Thumb, 1892 - Victor Hatherley, a hydraulic engineer, is offered a lucrative contract to go to a secret location at night to fix a fuller's earth press, but why does he lose his thumb and nearly his life in the process? As Holmes says to the engineer about the missing thumb: "Indirectly it may be of value, you know; you have only to put it into words to gain the reputation of being excellent company for the remainder of your existence."
The Noble Bachelor, 1892 - When Lord St. Simon's new American wife goes missing shortly after their wedding, it is up to Holmes to find both her and the reason for her disappearance,
The Beryl Coronet - Expensive jewels are mysteriously damaged in the home of a wealthy banker, his ill-reputed son the prime suspect.
The Copper Beeches, 1892 - Violet Hunter is paid an exorbitant sum to be a governness at a house called The Copper Beeches. Her employment includes some strange stipulations, such as cutting her hair short and wearing a particular blue dress - but why?
- GODLY GADFLY
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Summary: Holmes stuns mystery lovers and sci fi fans alike!
Review: Are you ready to accompany the greatest detective in history on some of his most memorable adventures? Then this book is for you! Each of these stories are wonderfully put together, each with a more exciting and unexpected outcome. I have read them time and again, and am always newly surprised at Holmes's genius and reasoning abilities.
Are you still hesitant on whether or not to read "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?" Well, I personally am not much of a mystery fan. In fact, some of my favorite books are "Watership Down," "The Hobbit," "A Wrinkle in Time" series, and "The Lost Years of Merlin" books. I also know that mystery books are either awful, by. But Sherlock Holmes and his cases have set the highest of standards for mysteries, which very few others have even come close to surpassing.
Through this great collection, I have come to greatly admire both Holmes's and Doyle's brilliance over and over again. No matter what genre you enjoy reading, this is a book for you!
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Summary: If your looking for action and adventure read this book
Review: Dear peers, My opinion is that the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is one of the best book I have ever read.Sherlock Holmes is a good book because it challenges your knowledge. The plot are full of mystery and action.As I read the book, I could not put it down because I felt that I was Sherlock solving the case. Sherlock was one of the best in his time peroid. This information can be found at Conan Doyle's website. The author was known for his intelligence and ways of solving mysteries. For an example in the Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes Mr. Waston said "you are the best". He was admired all over Scotland. He always wanted a mystery to challenge his intelligence. before the person even knew what they would say he knew. He never told them, he would just wait and try to catch them in the act. Some people say Sherlock is nosey and rude. For an example he didn't listen to the man when he asked him what his daughter was doing in his office. Another example he went into someone basement because he was sure the criminals were making a tunnel to rob the city bank. Sometimes when he lies, the lies are to help other people from imbarassment.for example in the case of the star spangled banner. He said that the man got bit by his pet snake when he was playing with it. Sherlock figured the girl had been through enough and If he was to tell her it would make her depreesed and imbarass if someone should ask her about the incident. If you are in to mystery and adventure then The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes is the book for you. Your'e not be able to put the book down after you start to read it. You should not judge a book by it's cover: It may look oldfashion but the stories are great even in modern times.
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Summary: Holmes and Watson -- The Neverending Adventures
Review: Did you know that Holmes never, ever said "Elementary, my dear Watson" in any of the sixty stories Arthur Conan Doyle wrote?
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes were initially published in "The Strand" magazine as a series of 24 short stories. These stories saw publication between 1891 and 1893. When they were published in book form, the first twelve were published as "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and the last twelve were called "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes." Today, when we speak of the original "Adventures," we usually refer to the first twelve Holmes short stories. These twelve stories include some of the best of Holmes: "The Speckled Band," "The Red Headed League," "A Scandal in Bohemia." Doyle continued his Holmes saga with other collections of short stories: "The Return of Sherlock Holmes," "Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes," "His Last Bow," and finally "The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes." Almost every Holmes short story bears the title "The Adventure of . . ." One of my favorite Holmes stories is "The Problem of Thor Bridge." Not only is it a very good yarn, it is a "Problem" and not an "Adventure!" Although Conan Doyle ran out of Holmes stories, the public did not run out of its appetite for new Holmes stories, and production of pastiches continues to this day.
To me, the most satisfying way to relive the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, both original and pastiche adventures, is through the medium of audiotaped radio plays. There are at least four collections of adventures currently available. "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," a publication of BBC shows starring Clive Merrison, reprises the original twelve adventures. This is probably the best radio collection of adventures. National Public Radio has published four "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" consisting of four one hour productions starring various actors as Holmes. The quality is uneven. "Smithsonian Historical Performances: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" has twelve stories, four of which are original. Edith Meiser wrote the pastiches, and John Stanley starred as a rather disagreeable Holmes. Some stories are very good; others are woeful. Simon and Schuster publishes a series of six "New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." Each collection has eight Holmes stories. Of the pastiches, these are the best. Nigel Bruce stars as a loveable, bumbling Watson, and Basil Rathbone portrays the archetypical Holmes. Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green wrote the scripts and did a very good job. Holmesaholics will also want to listen to "More New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," published by the Brilliance Corporation, and starring Tom Conway as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson. These stories are on the whole better than the Smithsonian Historical Performances, but not as good as the Rathbone/Bruce "New Adventures." They also have the drawback of being published as individual cassettes. The avid collector can run to some expense getting all of these.
Holmes survived Conan Doyle's attempt on his life at the Reichenbach Falls; he has survived his creator 80 years without showing any signs of loss of vitality. The latest (and quite enjoyable) addition to the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the BBC Television series starring Jeremy Brett.
