11 h 47 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 11 h 47 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A missing bridegroom, a stolen jewel, a whistle in the night: what does Sherlock Holmes see that everyone else misses?
At 221B Baker Street, ordinary people bring extraordinary troubles to Sherlock Holmes. A strange offer of work or a frightening sound becomes a puzzle that demands close attention. His friend Doctor John Watson follows the cases and tells each story, sharing his uncertainty as Holmes begins to reason.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s twelve detective stories each stand alone. Meet Irene Adler in A Scandal in Bohemia, follow Mary Sutherland into A Case of Identity, and enter a dark London opium den in The Man with the Twisted Lip. Beneath disguises and deception, Holmes searches for what others overlook.
What you’ll discover
- Clues in plain sight Watch Holmes turn close observation into clear reasoning when the obvious explanation falls short.
- Watson at your side Share a loyal friend’s puzzlement, then his delight as Holmes explains what he sees.
- A worthy match Meet Irene Adler, the singer whose photograph frightens a king and whose resourcefulness challenges Holmes.
- Trouble behind ordinary doors Follow clients whose missing loved ones and peculiar job offers bring them to Baker Street.
- Reason against fear Explore cases where careful looking challenges fear, exposes fraud, and brings hidden facts into view.
Who will love it
For readers who love puzzles, quick stories and clear reasoning, and anyone eager to meet the original Holmes through Watson's accounts of strange troubles and ingenious deductions.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Holmes sees what others only look at
- Ordinary people bring strange troubles to Baker Street
- London hides its secrets behind disguise
- Danger comes close in the last four cases
- Reason stands against fear and fraud
- Watson's voice and a pattern that never tires
Who’s who
- Sherlock HolmesA consulting detective in Baker Street who solves puzzles by close observation and logic, and who is bored when no problem tests his mind.
- Doctor John WatsonHolmes's friend and housemate, a former army doctor, who goes with him on cases and writes them down for the public.
- Irene AdlerAn American singer who holds a photograph that frightens a king, and who proves a worthy match for Holmes.
- Helen StonerA young woman who lives with her stepfather at Stoke Moran and comes to Holmes in fear after her sister's death.
- Inspector LestradeA Scotland Yard detective who works some cases alongside Holmes and often prefers the obvious explanation.
- Violet HunterA sensible governess who receives a well-paid but peculiar offer of work and asks Holmes whether she should accept it.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 11 h 47 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Conan Doyle · 1892
A king fears a photograph, and Sherlock Holmes follows the clues into a contest with Irene Adler.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a book of twelve detective stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The tales first appeared one by one in The Strand Magazine in London in 1891 and 1892, and were gathered into a book in 1892.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Holmes sees what others only look at
The book opens with A Scandal in Bohemia. Watson tells us that to Holmes one woman is always the woman, and her name is Irene Adler. A tall man in a mask arrives at Baker Street and says he is a count, but Holmes soon names him as the King of Bohemia. The king fears that a photograph of himself with Irene Adler, an American singer, will ruin his planned marriage, and he asks Holmes to get it back.
Before the king even speaks, Doyle shows us the method. Holmes looks at Watson and tells him that he has gained weight and that his servant has been careless with the boots. Watson is amazed, and Holmes explains each step from small marks and habits. Then he asks how many steps lead up from the hall to their room. Watson has climbed them hundreds of times and cannot say, while Holmes knows there are seventeen.
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What is The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes about?
It is a book of twelve short detective stories. In each, a client brings a puzzling problem to Sherlock Holmes in London, and Holmes and his friend Doctor Watson work out the truth through observation and logic.
Do I have to read the Sherlock Holmes stories in order?
No. Each story is complete and can be read alone. The book does follow a set order, and A Scandal in Bohemia is a natural place to begin, but you can pick any case.
Who tells the Sherlock Holmes stories?
Doctor John Watson, Holmes's friend and housemate, tells them in the first person. Because he sees the cases as a friend and a doctor, the reader follows the clues with him and enjoys Holmes's explanations.
The author
Arthur Conan Doyle
1859–1930 · British detective novelist
Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician born in Edinburgh in 1859. He practised medicine in England and wrote novels, short stories and histories. His Sherlock Holmes stories began with A Study in Scarlet in 1887. He also wrote The Lost World in 1912. He died in Crowborough, England, in 1930.
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