Arthur Conan Doyle Books

I was reccomended to listen to this performance by fellow Sherlockians -- They said that Mr Davies of One Voice Recordings could almost achieve the impossible by creating full cast theatre with his own voice --- You will be amazed and stunned as well as I was after you hear this incredible work...

As an avid admirer of the Great Detective, I have been collecting and listening to the various dramatic readings of the Sherlock Holmes stories, including such great voices as Basil Rathbone, Robert Hardy, Edward Hardwicke and David Timson, for more than thirty years now.
David Davies, however, in his latest issue, "Four from the Canon", has taken the art of dramatic interpretation to a whole new level. It is hard to believe that one man can become so many different characters, and to do it so convincingly. His character changes are so smooth and flawless that his readings often sound more like a full cast performance. David is not new at reading Sherlock and his previous efforts are all among the very best as well. So, whether you are a true Sherlockian or just enjoy a good mystery, David's latest rendering from the Canon is not to be missed. One would only hope he would go on and complete all sixty of the Holmes stories

The Whole Story's edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles is an excellent way to read the novel without first being familiar with Victorian English society. The original text of the novel is reprinted in full, without annotative numbers or footnotes to distract from the story. All historical pictures, anecdotes, and information are to be found in the margins, complete with smaller, bold text. This allows the reader to read the original novel without interruption, read the novel while glancing to the margins for additional historical tidbits, or just peruse the history separately.

The pictures and anecdotes are simply presented, interesting, and relevant to the section of the story in which they appear. This would be a great edition of the story for use in a combined British Lit/British History class or any literature class where students might not have the background knowledge necessary to fully imagine this wonderful text in their minds.

The greatest drawback for the book is the use of new illustrations by artist Nicollet. Nicollet's artwork comes across more like political cartoons than true representations of the characters. Holmes's perpetually bored expression, horrid green suits, and thin to the point of illness frame are distracting, but it is the droopy eyed, loose jowled and much older Watson who is truly misleading. Nicollet obviously gave in to the movies of the 30s to 50s which cast Watson as the much older idiot, rather than the apparently attractive gentleman presented in the original texts. I would have much preferred for Nicollet to depend on Sidney Paget for inspiration, or simply to see Paget's originals presented. The book draws so much on real history and historic allusion that it's a shame to so misrepresent the main characters in the original illustrations.

Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes adventure of a spectral hound from hell gets a fresh treatment in this Viking book, part of their 'Whole Story' series.

In an attempt to make 'Hound of the Baskervilles' accessible to new readers, Viking has taken the original text and supplemented it with fresh illustrations of Holmes, Watson, Henry Baskerville and action scenes from the novel along with period and contemporary photos and diagrams. The photos and diagrams - which depict London scenes, English landscapes, etc. - come with extended captions. The illustrations of Holmes, et al. feature an appropriate quote from the text. Much of the illustrative material is in color. The overall product is quite an attractive, appealing piece.

This Viking edition, copyrighted 2004, was originally published in France in 2002. The book's illustrator, Nicollet by name, certainly created a distinctive look for Holmes and Watson, which is where I have a problem. In several illustrations Nicollet's Holmes is an impossibly thin caricature of a person, a study in awkwardness. Watson, in turn, comes across as a dullard in several Nicollet illustrations.

In any case, this is an interesting, visually appealing reimagining of Doyle's novel. It should appeal to young and old readers alike!

After his apparent death at the hands of Professor Moriarty, Doyle brought Holmes back for another installment of short stories (only because of public outcry, however). "The Adventure of The Empty House" is the first adventure that the newly returned Holmes embarks on, and it is one of the best. The way Doyle explains his survival actually seems real, not the usual cheap and cliched "surivival of the hero" stuff. Other good short stories in this collection include "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" and "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter".

So everyone thought he was dead, murdered at the hands of Professor Moriarty. Not so of course (although Conan Doyle had intended to cease writing about Holmes - but a public outcry forced him to reconsider). In this highly affordable collection Holmes and Watson continue to pit their highly developed intellect against the not so refined minds of the criminal underworld - although Holmes does give them due credit for their duplicity. The only problem I find with Conan Doyle's writing is that it is a bit lacking in decent female characterisation - rather a sign of the times than a fault in his writing however.

This book is a wonderful guide for a Sherlock Holmes reader.
The contents of the book are 1.Who's who 2.Plots of stories 3.A sampler of quotations 4.Mr.Holmes and Dr.Watson 5.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
One of the remarkable part is who's who. You can find anybody who is quoted in the series, even the smallest role player. The writers have carefully selected and classified the quotations as well. You can glance upon the storylines to remember what that episode was about in plots of stories.The writers Michael and Mollie Hardwick had done a great job. Definetely a book worth buying.

Michael and Mollie Hardwick's indispensable and affectionate "Sherlock Holmes Companion" gathers together all the various elements in the stories to provide a unique reference source. Included is a comprehensive Who's Who of characters, a concise summary of the plot of each story, detailed biographies of both Holmes and Watson, an anthology of their often witty aphorisms, and an essay on the author's life and relation to his immortal and much-loved characters.

232 pages long, a great reference book to dip into to refresh your memory of a case or character.

When a frightened and desperate young woman enters Sherlock Holmes' sitting room, he refuses to dismiss her fears. Two years ago, Miss Helen Stoner's sister Julia had died under mysterious circumstances, after having heard a mysterious whistling in the night. And now, just when she is soon to be married, Helen is hearing the same whistling! Miss Stoner's step-father is a brute and a scoundrel, but is he up to something even more sinister? The game is indeed afoot!

First published in Strand Magazine in February, 1892, this is a fun and exciting Holmesian mystery. As the story unfolds, it quickly becomes clear who the villain of the story is, but what is he doing and how? Also, there are a few mistakes made with the story (there is no such thing as a Indian swamp adder, and cheetahs are not native to India), but A.C. Doyle was not writing serious non-fiction but a ripping good detective yarn.

Overall, I found this to be a great Sherlock Holmes story, one that is a great addition to the canon. I loved this book, and highly recommend it!

These were the strange last words spoken by Helen Stoner's twin sister Julia as she lay, collapsed and dying, just two weeks before her wedding. Helen has approached Sherlock Holmes because her stepfather, Grimesby Roylott, owner of a decrepit old manse, has moved her into her sister's room just a month before her own wedding, saying her own room needs "repairs." Now some of the strange, night-time events which mystified her sister just before her death are occurring again. Strange, low whistles occurring around 3:00 a.m., Roylott's baboon and cheetah prowling freely in the dark, a band of gypsies camping on the property, and mysterious clangings have left Helen terrified.

The appearance of Roylott at Holmes's Baker Street residence, where he threatens Holmes physically and bends a fire poker in half to show his strength, make Holmes even more determined to help Helen to protect herself from this maniac. After Watson and Holmes gain admittance to Helen's quarters one night, they make additional observations--a bell pull which is not attached to any wiring, a new ventilator, a sound like a steam valve, and a bed that is anchored to the floor. How could all these weird observations be related "the speckled band"?

As always, the melodrama of events is set into sharp relief by Holmes's rational deductions. Doyle's well known ability to build suspense by capitalizing on the fears of his characters (and his readers), his use of vivid dialogue, his imaginative descriptions, and the quick pace of the action make this story compelling reading. The real mystery is not who killed Julia Stoner (and threatens Helen), but how the murder took place, and in this respect "Speckled Band" is one of Doyle's most elaborately constructed and most fascinating stories. Reputed to have been Doyle's own favorite story, it is the only mystery which Doyle himself adapted successfully for the stage. n Mary Whipple

This book was full of interesting info, I already new a good deal of it, but it was still fun to read. There are a few mistakes, but nothing major, and it doesn't make it harder to read. frankly the most enjoyable thing about it is the critical approach to all the stories. At first I was shocked by the manner in which the stories are treated, but then I realized it was a much more interesting read than if it simply proclaimed each story and novel a work of genius. I was especially pleased with the author's dismissal of Irene Adler as unworthy of Holmes' admiration, mainly because I agree. I recommend having read the whole cannon before reading this, and to be familiar with some of the more well-known Sherlockian scholars.

If anyone has an interest in the character of Sherlock Holmes beyond the stories and pastiches, this book is for you. This book provides great background information on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a chronology of the life of Doyle and the "life" of Holmes and Watson, plus plenty of full-color pictures, and even info on the many different portrayals of Holmes on stage and TV, from William Gillette to Jeremy Brett.

I won't bother reviewing Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes stories, which feature one of the most popular and enduring characters in the world.

Since most readers are at least a little familiar with the work, I'll focus on the package. This collection showcases 12 of the better Holmes stories, and, like many other collections, it begins with "A Scandal in Bohemia." Strangely, the editors have chosen to end with "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches." This goes against the grain of most collections, which finish with "The Final Adventure." I would call that a bad editing choice.

The introduction by Mr. Lowndes is a brief, serviceable and well-written overview of how Sherlock Holmes came to be a cultural phenomenon.

There are certainly better collections out there, but this will serve well as an introduction to the character in some of his finer moments.

The Game's afoot again as David Timson narrates the second volume of The Adventures. He reads with verve, alacrity, joy and understanding. His vocal character stylizations are a delight for both the uninitiated in the genre and the seasoned Sherlockian campaigner.

This was the first sentence ever spoken by Holmes, and we could all use it as well, when describing this collection. This is another review by one of the kids of "love my kids". Holmes has always been a joy to read, the action well placed, the humor meshing cleanly with the drama, and the cases truly challenging. You will not see most of the answers coming, so if you like that kinda thing, this book is not for you. I agree with the other guy who's review is above mine, in that reading it in spurts is a good idea.

Listening to David Timson read these stories provides a delightful respite during a busy day. He handles the characters well, so it is easy to follow the dialog in the stories. I also enjoy the inclusion of classical music at the beginning of each story as well as between some of the scenes.

This well-bound hardcover book is a medium brown color without the dust jacket, and has gold lettering on the spine. There's also a lightly embossed picture of the front cover on the hardcover.

The inside pages are made of high quality paper, and there are about 11 illustrations throughout the book, including the front cover.

The illustrations are printed in color on glossy paper, and are not the original illustrations. They look like oil paintings, mostly of the characters in the book, and the faces have an intentionally "blotchy" but artistic look to them, in higher contrast than portraits meant to capture real life.

The print looks to be about medium height (say, 10-12 point) printed without columns on each page. Each page has a fairly wide margin -- almost like a textbook designed to allow the student to take notes.

At a few points in the book there are footnotes that describe words that may not be understandable to the modern reader. For example, in The Man with the Twisted Lip, there is a footnote to the phrase "mouseline de soie". The footnote clarifies that this means "silk muslin".

The book's weight and size makes it comfortable to hold and carry around with you if need be.

If you're looking for a book that captures the feel of the Strand magazine, along with the original illustrations, this is not the book for you.

But if you'd like a good quality book with a modern feel, I think you'll be very happy with this edition's construction.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes contains some of the best stories in the collection such as the Red Headed League, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Five Orange Pips, The Man with the Twisted Lip, The Blue Carbuncle, and The Speckled Band. There are 12 stories in all, as well as an Afterward that describes the growing popularity of the stories as well as some parallels between the author, Arthur C. Doyle and John Watson.

Given the quality of the stories, I think the beginner or the veteran Holmes enthusiast will enjoy reading this book, and will think it money well spent for its entertainment value.

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes is a must read for all fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and, indeed, all mystery fans. While these stories are not the most famous of Holmes' cases (The Red Headed League, The Hound of the Baskervilles, etc.) there is still plenty of the standard Sherlock Holmes fare. Holmes and his trusty companion, Dr. Watson, take on an assortment of 12 cases with such titles as The Illustrious Client, The Marazin Stone and The Retired Coloured Man. While most of these cases involve a crime of some sort, a few ( Thor Bridge and The Blanched Soldier) tell of human tragedy and display both Holmes acute reasoning powers and his compassion.

There is no much more than needs be said. The stories are short enough (average of 15-20 pages) to be read in a single setting. I personally read one a day while having lunch and found this method to be an enjoyable addition to my mid-day meal.

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes contains stories by Doyle that are set later, after the turn of the century, and are probably not quite as strong as the rest of the collection.

There is still the fun of The Sussex Vampire to be found, and the finger on the side of the nose style of The Illustrious Client to enjoy, and Holmes is still Holmes.

Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 01 The Adventure of the Illustrious Client - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 02 The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 03 The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 04 The Adventure of the Three Gables - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 05 The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 06 The Adventure of the Three Garridebs - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 07 The Problem of Thor Bridge - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 08 The Adventure of the Creeping Man - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 09 The Adventure of the Lion's Mane - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 10 The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 11 The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place - Arthur Conan Doyle
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes : 12 The Adventure of the Retired Colourman - Arthur Conan Doyle


Royal client, good girl, bad baron.

4 out of 5


Watsonless, with rare skin condition.

4 out of 5


Crown jewel walkabout play.

3.5 out of 5


Crooks so dumb, Holmes blackmails them.

3.5 out of 5


Sussex, Scooby Doo style.

3.5 out of 5


Family tree forensics.

3.5 out of 5


Senator in triangle.

3.5 out of 5


Dogs don't like drug-addled monkey men.

4 out of 5


Watsonless retired detective's investigations have an aquatic angle.

3.5 out of 5


Cowardly strongmen, hungry lion, unhappy wife.

3.5 out of 5


Desperate horseracers.

3.5 out of 5


Art dealer punishes adultery.

3.5 out of 5

Although he also wrote several novels featuring the world's greatest fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, it was especially in his short stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle perfected the Holmes formula. "The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes" (published in 1926) is the last of the five collections of Holmes short stories. Like most of the other collections, it features a dozen of these short stories, which on the whole are inferior to his previous efforts. Perhaps the most outstanding contribution here is The Three Garridebs, although The Sussex Vampire, Thor Bridge and Shoscombe Old Place are also worth reading. This is certainly a collection that Holmes fans will not want to miss, but new readers should begin with the more solid and consistent introductory collection "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes".

Here's a list of the stories in this collection (with the better stories marked with stars):

1. The Illustrious Client, 1924 - Holmes is hired to prevent the murderer Baron Gruner's imminent marriage to Violet de Merville, which he does by stealing his lust diary with the assistance of Miss Kitty Winter, Guner's angry former lover.
2. The Blanched Soldier, 1926 - A unique first person account, as Holmes helps James M. Dodd find his friend Godfrey Emsworth, who is being hidden by his family (due to his leprosy).
3. The Mazarin Stone, 1921 - For once a story narrated in the third person, Holmes is hired by the government to recapture the stolen Crown diamond, which he does by some trickery in his apartment with the thieves Count Sylvius and Sam Merton.
4. The Three Gables, 1926 - Holmes ignores the threats of hired ruffians like Barney Stockdale to unravel the mystery of a bizarre robbery of some papers from Mary Maberley's son Douglas, by connecting the theft to his former lover Isadora Klein.
5. *The Sussex Vampire, 1924 - Robert Ferguson's Peruvian wife has been caught sucking her baby's blood like a vampire, but Holmes shows that the real villain is a poisonous and jealous sibling. A clever story!
6. **The Three Garridebs, 1924 - Nathan Garrideb is told by John Garrideb that if they can find a third Garrideb they will inherit millions. Holmes uncovers it as a scheme by the infamous Killer Evans to recover money from the dead forger Rodger Prescott.
7. *Thor Bridge, 1922 - Neil Gibson's wife is jealous of her husband's affection for the governess Grace Dunbar, and when Dunbar is accused of murdering Gibson's wife it is up to Holmes to exonerate her by uncovering a clever suicide.
8. The Creeping Man, 1923 - Why does Professor Presbury's dog suddenly attack him, and why is he seen creeping along hallways on all fours and climbing up the walls of his mansion? Holmes finds out that it is a result of his quest for eternal youth.
9. The Lion's Mane, 1926 - When Fizroy McPherson is found half-dead near a beach with multiple apparent whip-lashings, Ian Murdoch seems the natural suspect. Another first person account, as Holmes unravels the case and explains his dying words "Lion's Mane" only when Murdoch himself nearly becomes a victim in a similar manner.
10. The Veiled Lodger, 1927 - The deductions of Holmes are virtually absent, as Mrs Merrilow's lodger Mrs Ronder explains why she hides her face as a result of an incident involving her husband, a lover and a circus lion.
11. *Shoscombe Old Place, 1927 - Consulted by head trainer John Mason, Holmes must get to the bottom of the bizarre behavioural changes of Sir Robert Norberton, who has bet everything on his horse winning the Derby, and his sister.
12. The Retired Colourman, 1926 - When Josiah Amberley's wife apparently vanishes with his fortune and her lover Dr. Ray Ernest, Holmes is the one who uncovers a clever murder.
-GODLY GADFLY

WIth the possible exception of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary (which at least comes with its own magnifying glass), I've never found a book impossible to read -- until now. The Wordsworth edition shrinks down (WAY down) what appear to be the original pages as printed in Strand magazine. Yes, it has an aura of 19th century authenticity to it, but with even with good reading glasses on and a good night light, I could barely make out the words. After struggling with one page for five minutes, I threw the book away.

It's no secret that by this point Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle was bored with Sherlock Holmes and wished to let him go forever but the public kept hounding him and he only wrote them out of obligation. The lack of inspiration shows and the stories seem generic.

A few of them are not even told from Watson's perspective, with one being a rather odd third-person story and two being told by Holmes himself. Perhaps the constant narration by Watson is what led to so many movies casting Conan-Doyle lookalikes to play him as a bumbling fool who does no more than follow Holmes around. Or maybe Conan-Doyle was just trying to experiment by not sticking to formula. But Watson is missed in the story 'The Lion's Mane', in which there isn't even any damn crime committed. And there's not even any mystery in the 'Veiled Lodger' story. It was 19 pages of pointlessness!

Don't get me wrong, there are couple of good stories, such as 'The Blanched Soldier' and the one with the wife who commits suicide (the name of that story escapes me). But 'The Case of the Sussex Vampire' and 'The Creeping Gentlemen' have intriquing set-ups but lame endings. And in the case of the latter, just down-right far-fetched and ill-fitting in the Holmes universe.

I think the main problem with most of these is that the never really go anywhere. Literally. Holmes seems to solve them without even leaving his office. Come on! Let's go out and have an adventure rather than staying in and doing work!

By this point Holmes was past his prime. And any discriminating fan will realise this.

As far as Sherlock Holmes anthologies goes, this one is not good. It starts fine, and ends fine, it is just all the stories in the middle that aren't very good, and several are subpar.

As a centennial celebration I am sure some people getting this would be disappointed in several of the stories for not being faithful at all to the style.


New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 01 The Infernal Machine - John Lutz
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 02 The Final Toast - Stuart M. Kaminsky
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 03 The Phantom Chamber - Gary Alan Ruse
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 04 The Return of the Speckled Band - Edward D. Hoch
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 05 The Adventure of the Unique Holmes - Jon L. Breen
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 06 Sherlock Holmes and The Woman - Michael Harrison
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 07 The Shadows on the Lawn - Barry Jones
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 08 The Adventure of the Gowanus Abduction - Joyce Harrington
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 09 Dr. and Mrs. Watson at Home - Loren D. Estleman
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 10 The Two Footmen - Michael Gilbert
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 11 Sherlock Holmes and the Muffin - Dorothy B. Hughes
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 12 The Curious Computer - Peter Lovesey
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 13 The Adventure of the Persistent Marksman - Lillian de la Torre
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 14 The House That Jack Built - Edward Wellen
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : 15 The Doctor's Case - Stephen King


Conspiracy and murder surrounding a new Gatling gun.

3.5 out of 5


Execution method changing, and a trap for Holmes.

3.5 out of 5


Relatives and ghost scams.

2.5 out of 5


Stoke Moran serpentess is a black widow.

3.5 out of 5


Acting for the Great Detective.

2.5 out of 5


Who was that Irene Adler?

2.5 out of 5


Death impersonation, and for a sick boy.

3 out of 5


Ancestral Adler adventures.

3 out of 5


Domestic farce.

1.5 out of 5


Servant villains.

2.5 out of 5


A charismatic intelligent young servant, some jewellery, and a passel of young ruffians.

3.5 out of 5


Strippers and police machine intelligence.

3 out of 5


Any shot will do, to get rid of him. If you are dodgy, don't invite Sherlock over, either.

3 out of 5


A mental battle for Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty and Riddler style.

3.5 out of 5


Watson works one out ahead of the master, but they have to decide what to do with the criminals.

3.5 out of 5




2.5 out of 5

There are many collections of Sherlock Holmes stories written after Conan Doyle closed the canon of the official 56 short stories and 4 novels. Conan Doyle had disdain for his character sometimes (he thought that attention to Holmes distracted from his more serious work), but he also had regard and affection for him at times, and in the end remained his creator. Many of these stories have kept more or less to the spirit of Holmes and Watson in the originals, but few match the canonical grace (of course, this can be said of some of the stories Conan Doyle penned himself).

There are some well-known names here (Stephen King gets top billing, but other names such as John Gardner and Michael Harrison, a well-known Sherlockian scholar and writer, also bear repeating). Some of these stories take their inspiration from canonical happenings and sidelines, while others go further afield and involve Holmes and Watson in new situations.

For example, Harrison's story is entitled 'Sherlock Holmes and "The" Woman', a clear reference to Irene Adler of 'A Scandal in Bohemia' fame. In this story we find out that both Adler and her Bohemian counterpart in the mystery are in fact different people than original presented. It makes for a mystery within a mystery, and a nice twist.

Stephen King's contribution was reportedly done on a wager, and involves Dr. Watson solving a case first, perhaps the only time Watson solves a case rather than Holmes (albeit other non-canonical stories pick up on this same theme). In this story, we learn that Watson outlives Holmes by forty years or so; of course, die-hard fans see Holmes as immortal, so one has to accept the idea of Holmes' death. What a curious pairing of options...

This collection was produced to celebrate the centennial of the 'birth' of Holmes, stories of whom were first published in 1887; this book was first published in 1987. It includes, in addition to the sixteen new stories, a poem by Mollie Hardwick, which includes the lines

Were a time-restoring charter
Granted by grace of Heaven,
Who would not this tired age barter
For a night of 'eighty-seven,
When, as fog through pane and curtain
Softly grey comes creeping in,
Wise - immortal - strange and certain -
Sherlock plays his violin.

Holmes' violin, a recurring element in the canon, features in stories here. There is much familiar from the setting of 221B Baker Street, the same London and the same Victorian Age. This is a worthy collection of honour and hommage to one of the stellar figures in modern mystery.

The game is afoot.

Recently, I have read many of the "new" collections with Sherlock Holmes as the main character. While all have been enjoyable reading, this seems to be one of the best volumes available in that the stories have preserved the role of the main characters in their familiar habitats but with original plots. While not uninteresting, the collections which have involved Holmes with historical incidents or those told from another perspective other than Watson's or attempts to implant a new theme or agenda have not been as satisfying.

I love anything about Holmes and Watson. These were well written stories that I truly enjoyed reading. It took me back to when I read all of Doyle's stories about Holmes and Watson. I recommend it highly.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's acquired disdain for his own renowned detective creation is legendary, and `tis said that when William Gillette wired him with the question, "May I marry Holmes?" (to a female character), Conan Doyle brusquely replied, "You may marry him or murder him or do what you like with him."

But one must draw the line somewhere. And notwithstanding Mollie Hardwick's excellent paean to the legend of Sherlock Holmes at the head of this collection of short stories, I wonder whether even Conan Doyle could have stomached some of these literary assaults upon it.

In "Sherlock Holmes and the Muffin", Dorothy Hughes presents us with a feminist Holmes and Watson who look forward to the day when women become doctors and scientists. Another swig of Women 100 Proof and Ms. Hughes would have had them lobbying from their 19th century perches for abortion on demand, free daycare, and a chocolate bar in the glove compartment of every SUV, a bottle of prozac in the pocket of every power suit.

And even THIS atrocity barely holds its own, as an atrocity, against the contemporary setting of Joyce Harrington's "The Adventure of the Gowanus Abduction", in which a delicate hippie-type Watson plays second fiddle to a ferocious liberated female Holmes - not only as "her" assistant but as "her " lover. Indeed, the story winds up with a broad hint of a rendezvous in the bedroom, but I think that this Watson will couple with this Holmes about as successfully as Tchaikovsky did with Antonina Milyukova.

This book also has its share of short stories that do considerably more justice to the Sherlockian tradition, and the best of these are Barry Jones's "The Shadows on the Lawn", Edward D. Hoch's "The Return of the Speckled Band", and Stuart Kaminsky's "The Final Toast". The Jones story, in particular, is very chilling.

But John Lutz's "The Infernal Machine" also deserves credit for craft and subtlety. The threat of an international conflagration and the new concept of the "horseless carriage" are crucial to the resolution of this story, and there's a passage in it where a young inventor asserts that in ten years, everyone in England will drive a horseless carriage. "Everyone?" Watson asks. "Come now!"

Holmes laughs and says, "Not you, Watson, not you, I'd wager."

How many readers realize that Lutz is paying homage to the last story in the Conan Doyle concordance, "His Last Bow", set on the eve of the first World War, in which Watson does indeed drive an automobile, in the guise of a chauffeur? Not many, I'd wager.

It must have taken a lot of commendable restraint for Lutz to simply rely on his readers' perspicacity and to resist the sore temptation of finding a way to directly point to the Conan Doyle story.

For that matter, Malcom Bell, the villain in the Kaminsky story, may be based upon Dr. Joseph Bell, one of Conan Doyle's medical instructors, who is said to have been the chief inspiration for Conan Doyle's creation of Sherlock Holmes.

Stephen King's contribution might be the cleverest, if not the best written. He apparently wrote his own Sherlock Holmes story in response to a challenge from the editors, but King's normal writing style doesn't quite click with the sober Watsonian chronicling presented by Conan Doyle.

And King is usually a good researcher, but this skill fails him on at least two occasions. He presents us with several images from the Victorian Era that Conan Doyle withheld from delicate sensibilities, including orphans losing all the teeth out of their jaws in sulphur factories by the age of ten and cruel boys in the East End teasing starving dogs with food held out of reach.

But the authentic Sherlock Holmes, having learned that Jory Hull was a painter and having deduced that he had no need of monetary support from his cruel father, would have further deduced - without asking Lestrade - that Jory probably gained his independence by painting professionally.

And the authentic Holmes, as Watson says in the Conan Doyle classic, "A Study in Scarlet", has a good practical knowledge of British law. Stephen King is surely wrong to have Holmes ask Lestrade what sort of treatment the murder suspects might expect to receive under it.

Still, we must be grateful to King for bringing to our attention the one case in the lexicon where Watson actually solves the mystery before Holmes does - and yes, it happens in a plausible manner. As Loren Estleman has pointed out, Holmes's brilliance wouldn't be appreciated by us as much if it were not for the buffer provided by the savvy but unremarkable earnestness of Watson`s narrative. We admire Holmes, but we empathize more with his Boswell, and it's wonderful to learn of a case in which Watson has his moment in the sunlight.

This collection has its share of the good, the bad, the ugly, and the just plain silly (Peter Lovesey`s "The Curious Computer"). The reader is advised to judge each story on its own merits. Don't be too impressed with Dame Jean Conan Doyle's endorsement of the volume as a whole. But do ask, as another renowned English author once did, "What's in a name?"

Arthur and George is a fictional recreation of the great injustice done to George Edalji, a half-Indian solicitor who is accused of slaughtering farm animals. George is tried, convicted and sent to jail, where he spends three years engaged in menial activities and reading books. When he is released, he begins a campaign to clear his name, which includes writing a letter to the famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the world's most popular literary detective, Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur takes up the fight, throwing himself into the cause of clearing George's name.

Barnes is a skilled wordsmith. He carries the story along with ease, never saturating the text with flashy word choices or overly elaborate metaphors. The beginning of the novel, which is structured rather heavily around a series of disjointed chapters alternately titled 'Arthur' and 'George', focus on the upbringing and maturity of the two main characters. Barnes' writing serves these chapters well, as the quiet, mannered sentences ease us into what we expect will be a provoking, interesting and historically accurate portrayal of a forgotten period of Britain's past.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. There are early signs of difficulty in the novel as a whole. 'Arthur' goes on to become Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a tremendously popular author for his time, and one whose main creation - Sherlock Holmes - has well and truly resonated in the mind of his readers and continues to resonate in our current period. And yet, his literary development is left largely alone, we are told he has published books and is gaining fame and success, but that is all. This leads us to believe that Arthur's life is a charmed one, one of little hardship or difficulty.

So be it. That is easy enough to swallow, if we are to believe that Arthur is the great saviour of George's life. But George, too, is unattractive. He is a quiet, withdrawn young man, but beyond that we know very little. There is never an extensive examination of his psyche, which would allow us to understand the person he is and sympathise with his eventual downfall. Instead, we learn very little about him, and come to agree with the police that he is odd, a queer fellow who is difficult to root for.

So we have, approaching 100 pages into the novel, an unsympathetic character about to be placed into a situation designed to tug at our heartstrings, and an equally unappealing main character about to rescue him and save the day. But, again, Barnes shies away from creating a sense of dramatic urgency by waxing eloquently over Arthur's wife's illness, and his subsequent affair with a much younger woman, Jean. Because Arthur is not a wholly sympathetic character, is it difficult to care much for his marital difficulties. Fortunately for Arthur, these difficulties are only those of time, as his wife seems fairly content to plod along with consumption until she passes away.

The major problem with the story that is being told is that it is not a story. It is a recreation of something that actually occurred, and as with most things in life, there are no neat endings or beginnings. But, because we are reading a novel, it is expected that there will be some semblance of dramatic impact, particularly when Barnes struggles his best to convey an upcoming major event or revelation for a character. George is eventually proclaimed innocent of wrong-doing, but it is a stale, grey sort of innocence - the government was not interested in justice so much as saving face. Were it a Hollywood style production, there would be a grand magnanimous display of righteous justice for all, but because we are dealing with actualities and not fantasy, there is nothing for the reader but dissatisfaction.

The novel is constructed around the artifice of Arthur and George actually having a relationship. They don't, they share nine months together, and even then, it is in a purely professional sense. Arthur is not overly affected by it, though George, perhaps to move the story to its inevitable conclusion, is. There are tantalising hints of a great story between two men who made an important step towards free and great justice for all, but these hints never materialise. We are left with a limping, struggling novel that is pulled ahead only by the confidence of Barnes' words, not the positive qualities of his protagonists.

Having completed the works of many an author chronologically, I have always admired successive maturity amidst those promissory. Julian Barnes is an exception. Each of his novels is an experimentation with the limits to which the definitions of 'fiction' and 'novel' can be stretched. From the uncanny literary critic that he was in 'Flaubert's Parrot', to the ambitious scale of 'A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters' - time and again, his works have defied classification and 'Arthur and George' is no exception.

A thoroughly researched, intensely moving and earnestly brilliant novel, Barnes takes us through the distinct early lives of one of the most famous novelist who ever lived and an aspiring young lawyer, whose father is a Parisee; then slowly and eerily brings forth the inexcusable racial prejudices highly prevalent in England those days; intertwines the lives of these two men, and richly illustrates how their lives are permanently altered thereafter.

Barnes is very subtle as he assiduously changes his narrative in each of the four parts of the novels, and is undoubtedly clever in hijacking the reader into the minds of the character. You cannot but sympathise with Edalji (Ay-dl-jee); you will be proud of Sir Arthur, you'll feel sorry for Touie, and understand the position of the lovely Jean. He'll even leave you feel intelligent some times, when the novel takes on the form of one of Holmes' adventure - for example, Sharp initially tells George, 'you're not the right sort', a phrase which is often repeated in the abusive letters (which are authentic, by the way) he receives.

It takes an extraordinary writer to turn a historical account into a novel, where the characters are sculptured with delicate care, that at the end of the intense ride, one finds his novel complete. Except Barnes chose to include the fourth and rather unnecessary part of the novel, which neither informs much about the characters whom we come to love by the end of the third part nor adds much to the strength of the narrative. The reader is bewildered at the irrationality of the distinction that is supposed to exist between the rational and the spiritual - Barnes concludes on neither side, as usual, he is predictably unpredictable in leaving an open question.

Being the extremely readable, lucid historical fiction that it is and having been exquisitely packaged, it certainly demands a wide readership, and certainly deserved its Booker nomination.

I was lucky enough to be given an advanced reader's copy of Julian Barnes' latest novel by a friend of mine. And my interest was captured, completely, from page one. The story is a true one- George Edalji is charged with and convicted of the brutal maiming of farm animals in Staffordshire. He spends three years in jail, and then finds that it is impossible for him to pick up his former life with such a conviction over his head. He writes to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, hoping that the creator of such a fine detective as Sherlock Holmes can help prove his innocence. And thus begins their relationship together.

However, George Edalji and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle don't meet until more than halfway through the book, and even then, they only see each other about three times.

Barnes' genius, then, lies in the rest of the story. It is obvious from the beginning why this book was short-listed for the Booker Prize. Barnes develops his characters from childhood onwards. We learn about Edalji's horrible eyesight, his relationship with his parents and his sister Maud. We learn about Doyle's annoyance with Sherlock Holmes, his relationship with his mother, and his wife, and Jean Leckie. We learn about each of their quirks and traits. And after learning about these two separately, and drawing our own conclusions, Barnes allows the two characters to meet, and allows us to learn about their conclusions of each other.

We learn about racial prejudice (though Edalji refuses to believe he was racially profiled- he staunchly calls himself an Englishman). We learn about the legal system prevalent in England at the time, and how the court of appeals came to be. We learn about spiritualism and attend a seance. We see Doyle's guilt for being in love with a woman that is not his wife, and Edalji's hope that the justice system he so believes in will see his obvious innocence. We learn so much about two extraordinary men, and the people who touched their lives. All told in a masterful, immediate narrative tone that catches your interest and holds it for 400 pages.

This was my first book of the new year, and it is one that I already know will make it onto my list of Best Books of 2006, and probably onto the list of books that stays with you long after you finish reading them. Highly, highly recommended.

As with all Julian Barnes's novels, the writing is crisp, intelligent and beautifully paced. Also present is Barnes's particular fondness for looking at real life texts and putting a fictional squint on them to convey a fascinating story or set of ideas. However, whereas in books such as Flaubert's Parrot and A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters approach the past from oblique angles - a biography of Flaubert created from quirky fragments of the man's life, history recreated from a woodworm's viewpoint - Arthur and George displays none of this creative quirkiness. What you get is a plodding, carefully told detective story about a young Parsee man, George Edalji, who is wrongly accused of a series of animal mutilations in a sleepy Staffordshire village. Arthur Conan Doyle, the world famous author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, hears of his case and rushes in to ensure justice is done. The novel is padded out with nice but ultimately boring vignettes into the life of Arthur Conan Doyle and George Edalji. Barnes has obviously done extensive research into the life of Conan Doyle and the Great Wyrley outrages, but loving and painstaking hours spent creating what you feel is a convincing portrayal of a real life character does not guarantee that you are producing a figure of great fictional merit. There are long digressions into Conan Doyle's anxieties with his mistress Jean Touie and his growing love of the occult, adn long streams of dialogue that serve merely structural, not dramatic effect. It is not one of Barnes's greatest efforts. It was raptuously received by the critics in Britain, and made the Booker Prize shortlist but it failed to impress the judges. For really original and stylistically dazzling fiction, I would look elsewhere.

George Edalji grows up as the son of a Parsee church minister and a Scottish mother in rural 19th century England. After school he becomes a solicitor and starts a modest practice of his own in Birmingham. Every morning he takes the train from his parent's house to his work and every evening he walks for a little over an hour, before doing some more work and turning in early. He feels utterly English, but most people see only his brown skin and consider him an outsider. When he starts to receive threatening letters and strange objects (dead birds, an unknown key) he considers it a prank, but when he reports it to the police they turn the whole story upside down and claim that he writes the threats himself. When somebody starts mutilating horses the police even claims that George has done this, arrests him after which he is convicted to 7 years in prison. After 3 years he is released without explanation, but he cannot resume his work as solicitor unless he is rehabilitated.

In parallel to this story there is the story of Arthur Conan Doyle, the "inventor" of Sherlock Holmes: an energetic man, good at sports, with a full social and family life and more or less the opposite of George. When Arthur's first wife dies of TB, he finally has the chance to marry his long-term best friend, but somehow he becomes depressed. Until he learns of the case of George Edalji. He decides to investigate the case himself, kicks some behinds and finally manages to get George at least partially rehabilitated. And in the meantime he regains his sanity and is capable to pick up his life

The amazing thing is that this is actually a true story: George Edalji was the "English Dreyfuss" and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did take an interest in his case. It is amazing to read how prejudice governed all the actions of the police, how a slightly strange, but perfectly harmless individual with a firm belief in English law and justice was completely wronged and ended up spending part of his life in prison on some ridiculous charges. I wondered whether George has Asperger syndrome (a form of autism): his reactions are certainly strangely flat and withdrawn, he does not really seem to understand social interactions and regularity is extremely important for him.

The fact that it never becomes really clear "who did it" is unsatisfying, but life can be unsatisfactory and since this story is based on facts rather than fiction, that's the way it is. All in all a very thorough piece of work and research by Julian Barnes.