Sherlock Holmes (9)

Ranks 9th on The Fictional 100

Safe Shopping Options     "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Lithograph of William Gillette starring in his drama "Sherlock Holmes," 1900. (Library of Congress)

The following books and films will introduce you to Sherlock Holmes, who said these words in Conan Doyle's The Sign of Four. To order a book or film, or for more information, follow the title links under each category to Amazon.com, then return home to browse other characters.

• Books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Complete Holmes Collections
• Useful References
• Some Notable Films
• Suggested Graphic Works

Books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four. Berkeley Books, 1994.
  • Originally published in 1887, A Study in Scarlet introduced Holmes to the world, and Holmes and Watson to each other. The Sign of Four was one of the cases that showed Holmes's deductive powers to their best advantage.
    
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Berkeley Books, 1994.
  • The first, and perhaps best, of the Holmes story collections. Includes "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Red-Headed League," "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," and others.
    
• The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Oxford, 1994.
  • Includes "The Resident Patient," "The Greek Interpreter," and two cases from his youth, "The 'Gloria Scott'" and "The Musgrave Ritual." This volume concludes spectacularly with Holmes seemingly fatal confrontation with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls.
    
• The Hound of the Baskervilles. Berkeley Books, 1993.
  • The master detective's most famous case, chasing down the "Hound of Hell" on the moors.
    
• The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Oxford, 1994.
  • Holmes reappears and Watson faints in "The Adventure of the Empty House." Also wonderful are "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" and "The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist."
    
• The Valley of Fear. Oxford, 1994.
  • The fourth of the Holmes novels, set in an eerie Sussex manor house.
    
• His Last Bow. Oxford, 1994.
  • In his last case, Holmes turns from detective to spy on the eve of World War I. This book also includes "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" and others.

Complete Sherlock Holmes Collections

• The Annotated Sherlock Holmes (William S. Baring-Gould, Ed.). Clarkson & Potter, 1967.
  • This hefty volume is out of print, but still the best single source for Holmes fans. Beautifully designed, its comprehensive articles, notes, illustrations, film photos, maps, and bibliography enhance the Sherlockian experience each time one dips into its treasures. A 1992 reprint edition is also out of print, but remainders are still available. The original slipcased edition is worth searching for.
    
• Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories (Vol. 1). Bantam Classic, 1986.
• Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories (Vol. 2). Bantam Classic, 1986.
  • The complete Holmes is portable in this 2-vol. paperback set.
• The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories (2 Vol. Set) (Leslie S. Klinger, Ed.; John LeCarre, Intro.). W. W. Norton, 2004.
  • Klinger won an Edgar award (Mystery Writers of America, Best Critical/Biographical Work) for his achievement in this two-volume set.
• The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Novels (A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Valley of Fear) (Leslie S. Klinger, Ed.). W. W. Norton, 2005.

Useful references on the Holmes canon

• Bunson, Matthew E. Encyclopedia Sherlockiana: The Complete A-to-Z Guide to the World of the Great Detective. Macmillan, 1994.
  
• Park, Orlando. The Sherlock Holmes Encyclopedia. Citadel Press, 1990.
  • A handy paperback reference, smaller than Bunson's, but full of arcane facts about the cases, characters, and clues.
    
• Starrett, Vincent. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Haskell House, 1970.
  • Reprint of Starrett's 1933 gem, the most renowned of the Holmes "biographies." (An inexpensive paperback reprint published by Otto Penzler, 1993, is no longer available, unfortunately.)

Some Notable Films

• Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series [12 DVD set]. Starring Jeremy Brett, David Burke, Edward Hardwicke. MPI Home Entertainment, 2007.
  • If any single actor captured Holmes on screen, it was Jeremy Brett in this ambitious Granada television series which first aired in the 1980s and 1990s. Brett dedicated himself to a faithful portrayal of Holmes and only his early death prevented him from realizing his goal of putting the full Holmes canon on film. Yet the riches he left in these episodes are enough, and the place anyone new to Sherlock Holmes adaptations should start. Burke and Hardwicke make rather different Dr. Watsons, but both turn in superb, intelligent performances.
• The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection [5 DVD set]. Starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce. MPI Home Entertainment, 2006.
  • For many moviegoers, Basil Rathbone was, and still remains, their idea of the quintessential Holmes, and deservedly so. He consistently honored the character by his inspired portrayals, whether in Conan Doyle's work such as The Hound of the Baskervilles or in new Holmesian adventures, such as Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror, set in wartime England midcentury. This set collects 14 of Rathbone's films.
• Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) [DVD]. Starring Nicolas Rowe, Alan Cox. Paramount, 2009.
  • This imaginative film gives us a teenage Holmes, just beginning to harness his powers of deduction, in the midst of weird happenings at his boarding school.

Suggested Graphic Works

• The Hound of the Baskervilles (Illustrated Classics): A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel (adapted by Ian Edginton from the original novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; illus. by I. N. J. Culbard). Sterling, 2009.
  • Well-produced, sturdy paperback showcases Culbard's stylish full-color art and Conan Doyle's story and text, nicely adapted by Edginton, even preserving the chapter titles.
• A Study in Scarlet (Illustrated Classics): A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel (adapted by Ian Edginton from the original novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; illus. by I. N. J. Culbard). Sterling, 2010.
  • The team of Culbard and Edginton tackle another classic Conan Doyle novel.
• Sherlock Holmes: The Painful Predicament of Alice Faulkner (written and illus. by Bret M. Herholz; based upon the 1899 play "Sherlock Holmes" by William Gillette; gray tones by Rory Shapiro). Alterna, 2009.
  • Herholz's elongated, Gorey-esque figures deftly create the air of mystery and suspicion in this delightful evocation of the play written by actor William Gillette, to enable him to become Sherlock Holmes on stage.
• Sherlock Holmes Paper Dolls by Tom Tierney. Dover, 2009.
  • Don't miss this amazing book by artist Tom Tierney--it is much more than a set of paper dolls with interchangeable clothes! To be sure, it has a stunning array of costumes and disguises for Holmes, and equally suitable garb for Watson, LeStrade, Moriarty, Mrs. Hudson, and Irene Adler, but the ingenious highlight of the book is the inclusion of 60 interchangeable heads--giving us rare drawings of 30 Holmes-Watson duos on stage and film from 1899 to 2010!

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