Sherlock Holmes

By: Arthur Conan Doyle, Stephen Fry - introductions

Narrated by: Stephen Fry

Length: 62 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

"...it was reading the Sherlock Holmes stories as a boy that first turned me on to the power of writing and storytelling." (Stephen Fry)

Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the complete works of Sherlock Holmes - four novels and five collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated nine insightful, intimate and deeply personal introductions to each title.

Stephen Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, comedian, television presenter, film director and all round national treasure. He is the acclaimed narrator of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and most recently recorded The Tales of Max Carrados for Audible Studios - a performance that earned Fry the accolade of "quite irresistible" from the Washington Post. Stephen has contributed columns and articles to newspapers and magazines, appears frequently on radio and has written four novels and three volumes of autobiography.

Part 1
Chapter 1: Opening Credits and Introduction to A Study in Scarlet
Chapters 2-15: A Study in Scarlet
Chapter 16: Introduction to The Sign of Four
Chapters 17-21: The Sign of Four, Part 1
Part 2
Chapters 1-7: The Sign of Four, Part 2
Chapter 8: Introduction to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Chapters 9-21: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Part 1
Part 3
Chapter 1: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Part 2
Chapter 2: Introduction to The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Chapters 3-14: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Chapter 15: Introduction to The Hound of the Baskervilles
Chapters 16-21: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 1
Part 4
Chapters 1-9: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 2
Chapter 10: Introduction to The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Chapters 11-21: The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Part 1
Part 5
Chapters 1-2: The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Part 2
Chapter 3: Introduction to The Valley of Fear
Chapters 4-18: The Valley of Fear
Chapter 19: Introduction to His Last Bow
Chapters 20-21: His Last Bow, Part 1
Part 6
Chapters 1-7: His Last Bow, Part 2 and Closing Credits

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2017 Stephen Fry (introductions); original text public domain. (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Critic Reviews

"The pairing of Fry and Holmes is a bit of a marriage made in heaven...In the Holmes books, he reads just under a thousand pages in his wonderfully even and infallibly intelligent voice, touching the characters deftly...[H]e finds a variety of accents and tones for the many foreigners Holmes encounters; his American accents are lightly done, without attempting, for example, a Utah accent in 'A Study in Scarlet'.... Fry's triumph is in striking and maintaining exactly the right tone for the narrations, all, with a handful of exceptions, in the comfortable, slightly pompous voice of Dr. James Watson, Boswell to the great man's Johnson. Fry's Holmes is sharp-witted and mercurial, though not especially idiosyncratic: quite right, as he is merely being reported by deal old Watson. But Fry's skill in phrasing and articulation over the whole 60-plus hours is beyond praise.... Every consonant in place, every phrase perfectly shaped and filled with sense. There are other complete recorded Holmeses...but none that sustains the course so buoyantly, and none with the added pleasure of the readers' pithy commentary on each book." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Sherlock Holmes. Narrated by Stephen Fry. Need I say more? Honestly though, what a perfect way to get away from it all while you're cooking dinner, commuting, or tidying up this weekend." (Buzzfeed)

"Having already narrated one of the world's best-selling book series in the form of Harry Potter, Stephen Fry has returned to the recording booth to take on another hugely popular series." (BBC)  

 "It doesn't get much more British than Stephen Fry talking about Sherlock." (Mashable)

"Sherlock Holmes is the unfading literary icon - as beloved and as relevant as he was over 120 years ago. To celebrate his currency, Audible has released Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection; Arthur Conan Doyle's complete adventures of the famed detective, as narrated by lifelong fan Stephen Fry, including nine personal introductions exclusive to Audible." (The Independent)  

Chapter Guide!

I noticed that many have talked about the chapters being in the wrong order... I have just made a chapter guide for myself before I continue listening and will copy/paste it below in case anyone finds it helpful. I really enjoy listening to these books but wanted to make the navigation a bit easier!
Note: "Chapter" refers to the audible "chapters" button, not to Stephen Fry saying "chapter 1, chapter 2, etc).

Sherlock Holmes Audible Part/Chapter Guide:
Part One:
Chapter 1: Foreword to A Study in Scarlet
Chapters 2-15: A Study in Scarlet
Chapters 16-28: The Sign of Four

Part Two:
Chapter 1: Foreword to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Chapters 2-4: A Scandal in Bohemia
Chapter 5: The Adventure of The Red-Headed League
Chapter 6: A Case of Identity
Chapter 7: The Boscombe Valley Mystery
Chapter 8: The Five Orange Pips
Chapter 9: The Man with the Twisted Lip
Chapter 10: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
Chapter 11: The Adventure of the Speckled Band
Chapter 12: The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb
Chapter 13: The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
Chapter 14: The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
Chapter 15: The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

Part Three:
Chapter 1: Foreword to The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Chapter 2: Silver Blaze
Chapter 3: The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
Chapter 4: The Adventure of the Yellow Face
Chapter 5: The Adventure of the The Stock-Broker's Clerk
Chapter 6: The Adventure of “The Gloria Scott”
Chapter 7: The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual
Chapter 8: The Adventure of the Reigate Squire
Chapter 9: The Adventure of the Crooked Man
Chapter 10: The Adventure of the Resident Patient
Chapter 11: The Adventure of the Greek Interpretor
Chapter 12: The Adventure of the Naval Treaty
Chapter 13: The Final Problem

Part Four:
Foreword to The Hound of the Baskervilles
Chapters 2-16: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Chapter 17: Foreword to The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Chapter 18: The Adventure of the Empty House
Chapter 19: The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
Chapter 20: The Adventure of the Dancing Men
Chapter 21: The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
Chapter 22: The Adventure of the Priory School

Part Five:
Chapter 1: The Adventure of Black Peter (Continuation of The Return of Sherlock Holmes stories)
Chapter 2: The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
Chapter 3: The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
Chapter 4: The Adventure of the Three Students
Chapter 5: The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
Chapter 6: The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
Chapter 7: The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
Chapter 8: The Adventure of the Second Stain
Foreword to The Valley of Fear
Chapters 10-16: The Valley of Fear Part 1

Part Six:
Chapters 1-7: The Valley of Fear Part 2
Chapter 8: The Valley of Fear Epilogue
Chapter 9: Foreword to His Last Bow
Chapter 10: Preface to His Last Bow
Chapter 11: The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge–The Singular Experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles
Chapter 12: The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge–The Tiger of San Pedro
Chapter 13: The Adventure of the Red Circle
Chapter 14: The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
Chapter 15: The Adventure of the Dying Detective
Chapter 16: The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax
Chapter 17: The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot
Chapter 18: His Last Bow

263 of 267 people found this review helpful

The chapters are not in order!

I agree with another reviewer's headline: The chapters are not in order! Part 2 (file 2) Chapters 1 -7 should be The Sign of Four, Part 2 (part 2 of the story). It's not there. I didn't get to hear all of The Sign of Four. The manufacturer has to re-organize the audiobook, and then make sure the PDF file matches. POSITIVE COMMENT: The performance is fantastic.

176 of 186 people found this review helpful

An Incredible Experince

Any additional comments?

I had purchased some time ago " The Complete Sherlock Holmes: The Heirloom Collection "Narrated By Simon Vance a favorite actor since I discovered his narration of the Stieg Larsson Trilogy "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" being book 1. I enjoyed the Stories and narration and listened the complete edition. It was wonderful. When I recently discovered a new "S. Holmes" audio book edition narrated by Stephen Fry whose work I admire greatly, I was tempted to purchase the stories all over again. I was also very much interested to hear Stephen Fry's commentaries on each of the wonderful stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. It proved to be one of my better audio book decisions. I rediscovered Holmes and was swept away by this superb edition, narrated by an actor with a lifelong appreciation of the Holmes characters and work. Now you can have a visit at Baker St. and sit at Watson side. Thank you to Mr. Fry for this exceptional effort. - P.S. to Audible I would very much like to purchase Mr. Fry's reading of the entire Harry Potter series even though I own the Jim Dale version...with all due respect to Mr.Dale

164 of 174 people found this review helpful

Love Fry, but Where is the Case Book?

What did you like best about Sherlock Holmes? What did you like least?

This is an amazing collection, but it was billed as being the complete works, and it is not. This collection is missing an entire book of short stories. Don't bill this as the complete works, if it is not.

168 of 180 people found this review helpful

Hardly Definitive. Great nonetheless

To be noted at the top. As several people have pointed out this is not actually a DEFINITIVE edition nor is it complete. It is missing at least 12 short stories collected as the Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, most likely because the provider of the content was unwilling to deal with the copyright issues still held up in the US. It also does not contain the semicannonical Lost Special.

If this does not bother you it is an excellent deal with lots of content excellently read by Stephen Fry with additional introductions by same.

81 of 87 people found this review helpful

Not in order!!!!!

Any additional comments?

When I downloaded, the book shows as several books on my Kindle. They are not numbered and are in the wrong order. This happened when I got the collection several years ago with a different narrator. I can't tell what's what or where it goes. I'm a purist and want to listen in order. :(

19 of 20 people found this review helpful

Totally Delicious

Could there be a better bargain? Nearly 63 hours of Sherlock Holmes read by Stephen Fry - this is an Arthur Conan Doyle fan's dream, and I, for one, could not resist!

My Audible library already contains the complete canon read by the great Derek Jacobi. My family owns the BBC DVD collection starring Jeremy Brett, and we are enthralled by the modern interpretations of Benedict Cumberbatch and the TV series "Elementary".

So, Holmes is not new to me. Yet the past few days have found me immersed in this new reading by Stephen Fry, and I have been with delight pulled into the tales of 221B Baker Street in Victorian England all over again.

Granted these classic stories can be dated. The listener/reader sometimes cringes at the prejudices and stereotypes of the past. Yet there's a reason this character goes on and on, bringing something to every generation and in each interpretation.

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!

If you, like me, are an old fan, then I don't think you'll regret investing in yet another visit with Sherlock Holmes guided by the wonderful talent and voice of Stephen Fry. If, for whatever reason, you and/or your family have not read or heard the original tales, please consider experiencing them together - perhaps during car trips or before bedtime. Hours and hours of good, old-fashioned storytelling - a credit could not be better spent.

Thank you, Stephen Fry! Thank you Audible!

168 of 184 people found this review helpful

The chapters are not in order!

Any additional comments?

The book was split into several parts for easier download, but it was spilt horribly. I ended up with a book that wasn't in order, i hoped it would be in chronological order, and more importantly parts of it were missing and I had the hounds of baskerville twice. Once in part 3 the other in part 5.

108 of 119 people found this review helpful

What is the correct order to listen?

Would you listen to Sherlock Holmes again? Why?

Great listening experience, but chapters not in orders and hard to sort it out... To the publisher: Please suggest the order as a remedy!

17 of 18 people found this review helpful

Great book/reading ruined by Amazon's navigation

Any audiobook that is a series of short stories should at the very least have the title of a story in the navigation. This is obviously Amazon's fault but it's a big one. If I want to find any particular story I have to go through each chapter and hope it's the right one.

The series of stories are of course fantastic and Stephen Fry does them justice.

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

Sherlock stories and Stephen Fry!!!! Win-Win!

Would you consider the audio edition of Sherlock Holmes to be better than the print version?

Yes, but is because I am a huge Stephen Fry fan and so he just made the stories of Sherlock Holmes better. They are still great in print but audios are always great.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sherlock Holmes?

That would be hard to pinpoint since it was 62 hours of Sherlock at once, but his arrogance always makes me chuckle.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

There are already many films of this character. It would be hard to come up with a tagline.

Any additional comments?

I have always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes, read the stories, watched the movies and TV shows and this is just one more reading to put on my list. I l really loved the audio, though I had to take it in small spurts because it's 62 hours and that is a lot of listening.

I would recommend it to any Holmes fan because well...Stephen Fry!!!! ;)