Why it’s essential
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s sharp-witted detective Sherlock Holmes is, without a doubt, the most well-known fictional crime solver of all time, and he still influences the mystery genre to this day.
Featured in the 20 Best Mystery Audiobooks to Entertain Your Inner Sleuth.
What is Sherlock Holmes about?
Sherlock Holmes is a collection of novels and short stories following the eponymous Holmes, a detective whose peculiar methods are justified by his stellar record as Britain’s greatest investigator.
Editor’s review
Sherlock Holmes is, without a doubt, a character who transcends his series. While the majority of people I know have not read a single one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic stories, they all have a clear picture of Sherlock Holmes in their mind. The pipe, hat, and long overcoat are just what people think of when they hear the word "detective." Despite the fact that general knowledge of Holmes doesn’t go far beyond the phrase, "Elementary, my dear Watson," there is so much more to this character than meets the eye.
My relationship to this series began in middle school, when I spent six months as an exchange student in Switzerland. During that time, I was living in an Italian-speaking home and going to a school where nobody spoke any English. This was amazing for language and cultural immersion but was, at times, exhausting and frustrating. My one bit of English companionship came in the form of the Sherlock Holmes omnibus, a dusty old edition featuring all of Holmes’s classic capers that I found in the school’s library. This book became something like a security blanket or stuffed animal to me; I took it everywhere I went, slowly making my way through the thick tome.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created his character in 1887 and would write four novels and 56 short stories starring Holmes and his sidekick, Watson. This large body of work is full of classics, with some of my favorites being "A Scandal in Bohemia," The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Valley of Fear, and A Study in Scarlet. The audiobook version, like the one I read, is a comprehensive anthology of every published Holmes adventure, with the added bonus of Stephen Fry’s absolute spot-on voice work. Doyle wrote Sherlock Holmes mysteries between 1886 and 1927, and over those 41 years, the character underwent subtle but relevant growth. Holmes may seem like a static character at first, but the man is plagued by a number of traumas and character flaws that he addresses over time.
While it is fun to aspire to be the shrewd detective while reading a Sherlock Holmes caper, the calculating crime solver would be nothing without his trusty sidekick, John Watson. While intelligent and ambitious like Holmes, Watson is a far more relatable character. He is often used as an earpiece for Holmes to explain his genius deductions to the reader. Despite his lower status in the duo, Watson is far more passionate and empathetic than his boss, acting like a "normal human" might in most scenarios.
I have not revisited the grim world of Sherlock Holmes in many years, yet I still retain many of his best lessons. I always check behind the door when I enter a new room, and aspects of deductive reasoning are still applied when I need to solve a complex problem. Yes, most people have not actually read any Sherlock Holmes, but I contend that there is much to be gained from cracking open one of his stories. As the man himself once said, "Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last."
Did you know?
Sherlock Holmes was originally going to be called Sherrinford, but his name was later altered to Sherlock, perhaps after a popular cricket player.
A Study In Scarlet, Conan Doyle's debut starring Holmes, was a commercial flop. It was rejected by a number of publications before being featured in Beeton’s Christmas Annual.
According to IMDB, the character Sherlock Holmes has been featured in 226 films, making him the single most filmed human character of all time. When it comes to non-humans, he is just barely edged out by Dracula, who boasts 239 film appearances.
What listeners said
"Fry's love for the material is clear. He narrates with an actor's skill and a fan's enthusiasm. The introductions add a welcome personal note, revealing what Arthur Conan Doyle's work has meant to the narrator. I still admire the Jacobi readings, but Stephen Fry's performance, in my opinion, is even better!" -Carole, Audible listener
"I cannot say enough good things about Stephen Fry's narration of these Sherlock Holmes classics. His accents are wonderful (even those of the Americans) and his timing is perfect. The introductions (by Fry) are extremely interesting and entertaining, as well. Absolutely the best purchase so far this year. Thank you for bringing this to us, Unabridged Audio and Audible!" -McFitz, Audible listener
"If you love the Sherlock Holmes canon and appreciate great voice acting, do not hesitate, this is for you. If you have never gotten around to reading or listening to Doyle's stories of the original dynamic duo, what an amazing introduction this would be." -Russ, Audible listener
"What could be better than Sherlock Holmes read by one of the greatest and most gifted entertainers of our century? I love this and can't speak enough on what an absolute treasure this is to own ... and you can't find a better deal! Thank you Audible!!!" -Terra, Audible listener
Quotes from Sherlock Holmes
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
"I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained."
"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact."
"Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence."
"Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius."
Adaptations
Sherlock Holmes has been adapted numerous times for film, the stage, and television. Following are a few notable screen adaptations:
1914, Universal released A Study In Scarlet, starring Francis Ford as Holmes with a script by Grace Cunard.
1916, Harry Arthur Saintsbury, who had played Holmes on stage hundreds of times in Gillette's play, reprised the role in the 1916 film The Valley of Fear.
1922, John Barrymore played the detective in a movie entitled Sherlock Holmes, with Roland Young as Watson and William Powell in his first screen appearance.
1970, Holmes is portrayed by Rober Stephens in the film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.
In 1985, a film about Sherlock Holmes's early adventures as a child, called Young Sherlock Holmes, released.
1988, in Without a Clue, Michael Caine starred as Sherlock Holmes, with Ben Kingsley as Doctor Watson.
2009, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law portray Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively, in the film Sherlock Holmes.
2015, Ian McKellen played a 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes in Mr. Holmes.
About the author
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859 and died in 1930. Within those years was crowded a variety of activity and creative work that made him an international figure and inspired the French to give him the epithet "the good giant." He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, where the methods of diagnosis of one of the professors provided the idea for the methods of deduction used by Sherlock Holmes. His greatest achievement was, of course, his creation of Sherlock Holmes, who soon attained international status and constantly distracted him from his other work—at one point, Conan Doyle killed off the detective but was obliged by public protest to restore him to life.
About the performer
Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He first came to prominence as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995) and Jeeves and Wooster (1990–1993). He also starred in the sketch series Alfresco (1983–1984) alongside Laurie, Emma Thompson, and Robbie Coltrane, and in Blackadder (1986–1989) alongside Rowan Atkinson. Since 2011, he has served as president of the mental health charity Mind.
