The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1

By: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

First appearing in print in 1890, the character of Sherlock Holmes has now become synonymous worldwide with the concept of a super sleuth. His creator, Conan Doyle, imbued his detective hero with intellectual power, acute observational abilities, a penchant for deductive reasoning and a highly educated use of forensic skills. Indeed, Doyle created the first fictional private detective who used what we now recognize as modern scientific investigative techniques.

Doyle ended up writing four novels and 56 short stories featuring Holmes and his companion, Dr. Watson. All but four are told in the first person by Watson, two by Holmes, and two are written in the third person. Together, this series of beautifully written Victorian literature has sold more copies than any other books in the English language, with the exceptions of the Bible and Shakespeare.

Volume 1 in this series consists of two novels, A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four, followed by a collection of short stories entitled The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Public Domain (P)2009 Audio Connoisseur

Great Stories

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. These are great old detective stories. What's not to like? ;-)

Which character ??? as performed by Charlton Griffin ??? was your favorite?

Holmes' intent, direct manner of speaking surprised me at first, but perfectly fit his character.

Any additional comments?

I have loved Holmes since I was a kid, and hearing these stories again is just fabulous.

Entertaining

Overall, very well done. Some of the short stories are more compelling than others but enjoyable nonetheless.

Catching up on the classics.

It bothers me that I have made it to 40 without reading Sherlock Holmes -- and I love detective stories! So, when I saw this on sale, I snapped it up. I thoroughly enjoy both the story and the narrator.

The decision to read this - Elementary!

I don't think there is a way to over state the fact that the collective works of Sherlock Holmes have had a HUGE impact on literature. Many of the plots could be transplanted to New York City and appear on an episode of the TV Show 'Law and Order' - it is not a cliche to say that these stories are timeless. Primarily written as short stories and published as such, the short format is mastered by these works. I cannot find anything I would change or improve about these stories - they are a must read!

Great Performance but Disappointed in Holmes

I love listening to this on my hour drive to and from work but sometimes I get frustrated in Holmes himself. For years he was supposed to be the best detective so I finally got the book on audio.

In "A Study in Scarlet" he points out several times how "You can tell the height of a man by his stride" yet he also indicates you can tell if a man will take longer strides when walking fast. So is a long stride the stride of a tall man or the stride of a medium man walking fast? Sherlock never needs to answer this as no one brings it up.

Another comment about his stride theory. He states that the man was tall from his stride outside the house then he confirms it based on the strides inside the house. Once captured the killer admitted that he was helping the soon to be victim inside the house as the gentleman was drunk. If you are helping someone you are not using your natural stride.

In then ext book Holmes says he never guesses yet he also says, after telling Watson how he came to a conclusion, that most of the people behave one way (I forgot he exact thing). He calls it deducing I call it a fracking guess. He is almost ALWAYS guessing at things based on how it is most likely to happen.

I do love the performance though. Mr Griffin is not reading you the stories he is telling them to you.

Excellent!

I loved the first volume of Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories. This is a series that I had never attempted before now. I am very happy to say that they are delightful and highly entertaining. Mr Griffin is an excellent narrator and truly brought Holmes and Watson to life! I would only say one thing bothered me was his interpretation of the female characters in which they all seemed to be the same generic "female" voice. However, I quickly overlooked this and let the sheer joy of these stories wash over me. I am excited to listen to the other two volumes!

Excellent stories and performance

I really enjoyed these stories. I find Sherlock Holmes to be a more robust and fully formed character in the actual stories than from my impressions from movies or TV. The mysteries are interesting and usually the twists are unpredictable.

Great collection

Story in Scarlett, the engineers thumb, the Bankers son and stollen Corner knob, the indian serpent killer,... great stories.

mouth watering

The only problem I have with this series is that I am awaiting the next episode with impatience! I bought this after much comparing, I wanted a voice I could enjoy, one who could do a variety of voices, and a series that didn't end up costing a lot, as I intend to own every story. This is value for money, and worth the wait. The only improvement possible is a multiple cast, but I chose cost over that.
Well done! and thanks for getting back to me - there will be three volumes when finished, and the second is ready and due to be offered for download any time now.

NOT complete

These Volumes are misleading in that they do NOT comprise the "Complete" stories. It lacks "The Valley of Fear", the collection of "His Last Bow", and the collection of "The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes". Where are these missing stories, and why are buyers being mislead?