The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Ever since I discovered Sherlock Holmes back in December, I can’t seem to get enough of him! I haven’t been reading the stories in any particular order, as I began with the Adventures and Memoirs of Holmes (together in one volume), went back to A Study in Scarlet, where Holmes was first introduced, and finally came to this last collection of short stories that Conan Doyle published about Holmes a few years before his death.

I found that this particular collection had a completely different feel to it, especially compared to the Adventures and the Memoirs. Part of this can be explained by Conan Doyle’s experimentation with different narrative voices, as unlike the previous collections I read, the entirety of this collection was not narrated by Watson. A few were recounted by Holmes, and one was in the third person omniscient voice. While it was really interesting to read the unfolding mystery from Holmes’s perspective, it definitely gave a completely different feel to the stories (particularly because, unlike Watson, Holmes always knows what’s going on, and has to be careful not to reveal everything from the outset!).

But more than the different narrative style, I found that overall these stories seemed both more dark, and less like adventures. It seems a bit silly to remark that the Adventures has a more, well, adventurous, feel to it than the Case-Book, but that’s really the best way to describe it. Even though eleven out of the twelve stories are titled “adventures” rather than “problems”, they read more like puzzles to be solved. I’m not sure if I felt this way because I’m becoming accustomed to Holmes’s problem-solving style, or if they’re really objectively more like puzzles. I’m not sure how to determine this.

In any case, I still found the stories extremely enjoyable, but would again recommend starting your aquaintance with Sherlock Holmes by reading the Adventures or the Memoirs rather than the Case-Book or A Study in Scarlet.

The ideas of my friend Watson, though limited, are exceedingly pertinacious. For a long time he has worried me to write an experience of my own. Perhaps I have rather invited this persecution, since I have often had occasion to point out to him how superficial are his own accounts and to accuse him of pandering to popular taste instead of confining himself rigidly to fact and figures. “Try it yourself, Holmes!” he has retorted, and I am compelled to admit that, having taken my pen in my hand, I do begin to realise that the matter must be presented in such a way as may interest the reader.

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

This time I decided to follow up a fantastic read with a complete change of pace: a leap into the criminal underworld of Victorian London, as navigated by none other than Sherlock Holmes.

I became addicted to Sherlock Holmes stories during exam period last semester when I picked up a copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes and read them when I should have been writing my final essay of the term. I decided on A Study in Scarlet next, because it’s actually the first Sherlock Holmes book, and explains how Holmes and Watson meet.

I’m not going to get into the plot, mostly because I would just spoil it, but also because I find that if you try and explain Sherlock Holmes stories, they come off as ridiculous and far-fetched (which they are) without getting across their charm and humour.

After reading this book, which at 130 pages is much longer than the stories in the book I read, I’ve concluded that I prefer the shorter stories. This one felt a bit dragged out, and as the first book I felt that Holmes wasn’t quite the character I’ve come to love. The major failing of this book though was that there was about 40 pages of back story that didn’t involve Holmes at all! Really, I read the stories for Holmes’s hilarious antics so this section of the novel was mostly wasted on me.

My overall recommendation is to begin with Conan Doyle’s shorter Holmes fiction, and to save A Study in Scarlet for when Holmes has already won you over.

I gathered up some scattered ash from the floor. It was dark in colour and flaky — such an ash as is only made by a Trichinopoly. I have made a special study of cigar ashes — in fact, I have written a monograph upon the subject. I flatter myself that I can distinguish at a glance the ash of any known brand either of cigar or of tobacco.

And finally, a question: Where did the image of Sherlock Holmes in a deerstalker come from? He isn’t described as wearing such a hat in any of the stories I’ve read so far.