Product Description

The four classic novels of Sherlock Holmes available in a new slipcased edition.

The publication of Leslie S. Klinger's brilliant new annotations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 short stories in 2004 created a Holmes sensation. Here, in this eagerly awaited third volume, Klinger reassembles Doyle's four seminal novels in their original order, with over 1,000 new notes, 350 illustrations and period photographs, and tantalizing new Sherlockian theories. Inside, readers will find:

• A Study in Scarlet (1887)—a tale of murder and revenge that tells of Holmes and Dr. Watson's first meeting;
• The Sign of Four (1889)—a cinematic tale of lost treasure;
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901)—hailed as the greatest mystery novel of all time; and
• The Valley of Fear (1914)—a fresh murder scene that leads Holmes to solve a long-forgotten mystery.

Whether as a stand-alone volume or as a companion to the boxed short stories, this classic work illuminates the timeless genius of Conan Doyle for an entirely new generation. Slipcased hardcover; two-color text; 300 illustrations.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #75884 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 992 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Eminent attorney and Sherlockian Klinger completes the daunting mission he began with 2004's two volumes examining the original 56 short stories to feature the great detective with this robust third book containing the four Holmes novels. All the gifts that netted Klinger an Edgar Award for best critical/biographical work are again in evidence: clear definitions of obscure terms, pithy discussions of some of the issues that have puzzled and delighted Holmes fans for generations (where exactly was Watson wounded?) and lucid essays (which legend inspired The Hound of the Baskervilles?). Klinger manages the difficult feat of appealing both to those new to the world of Sherlockian scholarship and to those who can quote the stories like gospel. Ample use of illustrations, some from the novels' original appearances, adds to the enjoyment. A must-have for any serious mystery fan, this edition will stand as the benchmark for generations to come.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
A feast for any fans of the greatest detective who ever stalked the earth. -- Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air

About the Author
Leslie S. Klinger, member of the Baker Street Irregulars, is considered one of the foremost Holmes authorities in the world. He lives in Los Angeles.

---

Customer Reviews

The Conclusion Of A Brilliant Commentary
This one volume box edition compliments last year's two volume collection of the 56 short stories published by Arthur Conan Doyle. In nearly a thousand pages, the third volume contains the four Sherlock Holmes novels. There are many solid editions of these novels, but if the reader is looking for explanations of the background and history of the Victorian age in which these stories are set, then this edition is for you.

This large oversize book contains annotations that are placed alongside the text for easy reference plus many of the original illustations by Sidney Paget and period photos. Mr. Klinger's working assumption is that these stories and novels concerning Sherlock Holmes are historically true. This leads to some hysterical explanations of the many contradictory statements present throughtout these three volumes (Mr. Doyle evidently never went back to earlier writings to make them consistent).

If the reader should procure all three volumes together on Amazon, they are half of the $200 list price. These prices are a steal for nearly 3,000 pages of a beautiful edition of this quality (think of the Library of America publications) which will last a lifetime. All three books are more comprehensive than the two volume set by William Baring-Gould (1968) and less bulky than the nine volume edition from Oxford University Press. Mr. Klinger's annotations are clear, concise and well-informed by his considerable research of the world of Sherlock Holmes. This is an edition that the reader will return to again and again on a cold winter's night.

Another Excellent Volume

With this 3rd volume brings end to a project started in 2004 when the 1st & 2nd volumes of Holmes short stories reached both book stores and reading public.

All volumes are boxed with slip cases, and I have never had a better set of books on my shelves. As with the first two volumes, the text is printed on the left-hand side of the page in black, with the annotations in red printed on the right-hand side. A plentitude of pictures/illustrations to the time of Holmes, gives the reader an historical feel of this era. In addition, the pen & ink of Sidney Paget we have come associate with Holmes and Watson are here also.


As with the forerunner two, this volume is one most Sherlock Holmes fans will want on their library shelves. I started reading volume 3 the day it arrived. For those of us who have read the Holmes stories for years these annotated copies, such as these three, are not only a necessity but they are books from which most readers can still learn much. For most of us no matter how much we know of Holmes there always seems to be more we can learn. And if you enjoy Holmes, these are the best books to come on the market in the last 40 years, bar none.

Be sure to check out the first two volumes also. You may need all three if you are a Sherlock Holmes fan. However, you may want to take note that these 3 volumes are oversized and have some weight to them.

I highly recommend all three.

Semper Fi.

great holiday gift for Holmes fans
Last year's perfect holiday gift for the mystery readers were the Holmes 56 short stories with illustrations and notes that provided incredible insight into the author and the great detective. Leslie Klinger, who pulled off the miracle of Christmas 2004, does it again for 2005. This time the Holmes scholar provides illustrations (some came with the original novels) and astute footnotes and more to the four Holmes novels (SEE A STUDY IN SCARLET, THE SIGN OF FOUR, THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, and THE VALLEY OF FEAR). As with the shorts, besides having the novels (this reviewer read the last one for the first time recently) the tome contains anecdotes and definitions to Victorian era terms and lively Holmesian debates and treatise on related subjects. The third stand alone homage to Mr. Doyle is the holiday present of this year and not just for the Baker Street Irregulars.

Harriet Klausner