Audiobook · read by volunteers
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)
Read by David Jaquay, Zachary Brewster-Geisz, Kristine Bekere, Gesine, J A Carter, Robin Cotter, Mary Anderson, Martin Clifton, rdmagpie, TBOL3 · 11 chapters · 8 h 34
About the book
A famous racehorse disappears on the eve of a great race, and its trainer is found dead on the moor. A husband follows his wife to a cottage where a strange face watches from the window. A stockbroker’s clerk is offered a job that makes no sense. In each case, Sherlock Holmes listens, observes, and finds the thread that unravels the mystery.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes brings together eleven of the great detective’s cases as told by his friend and companion, Dr. Watson. Here are some of the most celebrated adventures, from “Silver Blaze” to “The Final Problem”, in which Holmes faces his greatest enemy.
Eleven chapters, nearly nine hours. A wonderful listen for anyone who loves the fog, the gaslight and the pleasures of a perfectly turned deduction.
Introduction
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a Scottish physician and writer who created Sherlock Holmes, the brilliant London-based detective who first appeared in print in 1887, in the novel A Study in Scarlet. Holmes quickly became a sensation, particularly when the short stories began to appear in The Strand Magazine from 1891. Doyle also wrote historical novels, science fiction, and works on spiritualism, but he is remembered above all for his detective.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes appeared in book form in 1893 and 1894 and collects stories that had originally appeared in the Strand. It includes several of the best-known cases, such as “Silver Blaze”, “The Yellow Face”, “The Crooked Man” and “The Naval Treaty”. The collection closes with “The Final Problem”, in which Doyle, tired of his hero, sent him to apparent death at the Reichenbach Falls. Public protest was so strong that he later brought Holmes back.
What makes the stories so enduring is the combination of puzzle and character. Holmes’s method of observation and inference, and the warm friendship between him and Watson, who narrates, give the tales their particular charm. They offer a picture of Victorian London, its fogs and cabs, that has shaped how we imagine the period.
This recording has eleven chapters, each devoted to a single story, and runs for about eight and a half hours, read by LibriVox volunteers. It is perfect for evening listening, and a good introduction for those who have never read Holmes.
Public domain
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died in 1930: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text