About book The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Vol 2 (2004)
“Someday, the true story may be told.”These were Sherlock Holmes’ last words as written on page 737 of Sherlock Holmes Complete Novels and Stories Volume 2, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I have now reached the end of my journey. A first, I must say, on my part reading a canon.The whole experience was a bit bumpy but nevertheless amazing and educational. I would have finished this volume in a week or two, but there’s a part of me which wanted to prolong the ride. I know I can always read Sir Doyle’s works anytime. It’s just that on my part, it was pretty tough to let go. I may be overreacting, I don’t know, but that’s how it is. During the days I was absorbed reading Sherlock Holmes’ stories, adventures, case-books, memoirs, whatever you call it, I even experienced seeing him in my dreams. I’m not exactly sure how the story went in my dream, all I know is that I saw him there. Sherlock Holmes visited me in my dreams. Isn’t that sweet?I’ve read a lot of novels and have been acquainted with a couple of male characters but it was only Sherlock Holmes who blew me away. Well, unlike other characters and heroes, he is the only one, by far, who had the luxury to pour himself onto his readers. Imagine with those four novels and 56 short stories (divided in Volumes 1 and 2), readers and fans like me, can truly have the opportunity to know him on a deeper level and have a clear picture of him as if he really exists in real life.I couldn’t be more grateful to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for bringing the greatest detective ever in our lives, in my life specifically. He has been beyond generous on his descriptions of Sherlock Holmes in every story. And what a genius he is for coming up with such amazing adventures! It was, in general, a pleasant experience and an educational trip. To Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Not only have you made my 24th year of existence more colourful and bright, but you have also proven to me, that great minds never once forget the Creator that is behind it.To Dr John Watson, it has been very selfless of you to show your loyalty and obedience to Sherlock Holmes even if some things are beyond your understanding and even if it meant welcoming danger upon saying ‘yes’ to your bestfriend. Sir Doyle, yet again showed in you that we are all capable of meeting and maintaining a close tie with at least one person for the rest of our years on earth. And that even the most successful person needs someone to turn to in times of tears and much more in times of laughter.Lastly, to Mr Sherlock Holmes, I apologise for using the prefix due to you just now. I wanted my narration of you in my previous writings to be casual as I feel that I can express more using only ‘Sherlock’ or ‘Holmes’ or ‘Sherlock Holmes.’ This time around, I am addressing you as Mr Sherlock Holmes as a sign of respect and yeah, love, for the character and person that you are in these carefully crafted adventures. You have showed that all men have a soft spot and it takes time before one can truly see that. You have also showed that some people even behind those cold masks are capable of showing emotions. You have taught me that small details, which are oftentimes considered unimportant can also be as vital as the big ones. You are a perfect example, a model to me of someone who can exhibit composure amidst chaos and have proven that patience is definitely a virtue that we humans must all possess. Above all, you have shown regards to a Supreme Being. You are one of the few fictional characters who have successfully instilled in my mind that this life is not our own. Hence, we should take care of it with all our powers.Thanks to you all.This isn’t a heart-breaking goodbye. Best to put it as my first goodbye for I am certain that I will be with you all again in due time.‘Til next time my dearest SH. <3*a friend told me that the best way to get over this great book (as I don’t want to really feel sad) is to read a new one right away. And that’s what I’m going to do now.
I have taken the time to plough through the remainder of volume 2. Many of the stories have been superbly recreated in the famed ITV series starring Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke. I found myself visualizing the stories with exactly those characters in mind. Only one story caused any consternation. The Adventure of the Three Gables is a masterful story, but it is marred by the obvious "racist" descriptions used to describe the encounters between Sherlock Holmes and the black boxer, Steve Dixie. Dixie is described as a "savage" and is made to speak in a Southern black patois, even resorting to calling the detective "Masser Holmes". Although it is an unnamed police inspector who speaks the "n-word," it is Holmes who pointedly refers to Dixie's "wooly head" and calls him "[b]lack Steve."What I found distasteful, cause it does not seem in character with the great detective, is Holmes's own actions and words. In short, he does not behave gentlemanly. He refers to the boxer cum paid enforcer only by his first name, and pointedly does not invite him to take a seat. All of these actions can be understood and justified to some degree that he has been threatened and attacked by Dixie. But then Holmes makes a distrusting remark toward Dixie; and not the one time, he does it twice. During their first encounter Holmes does not invite Dixie to sit down because, he says, "I don't like the smell of you." A strange remark indeed; and it gets worse. After meeting with Mrs. Maberly, Dixie and Holmes meet again. Holmes reaches toward a pocket, and Dixie asks if the detective is looking for his gun. "No, for my scent bottle," he replies. When describing Dixie to Watson, Holmes remarks, "he is a harmless fellow, a great muscular, foolish, blustering baby" who is "easily cowed." Although a product of his time, when such things were often said about black people, I would have expected much better from the great detective.
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Sherlock HolmesThe Complete Novels and StoriesVolume IISince his first appearance in Beeton�_�_��s Christmas Annual in 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle�_�_��s Sherlock Holmes has been one of the most beloved fictional characters ever created. Now, in two paperback volumes, Bantam presents all fifty-six short stories and four novels featuring Conan Doyle�_�_��s classic hero--a truly complete collection of Sherlock Holmes�_�_��s adventures in crime!Volume II begins with The Hound of the Baskervilles, a haunting novel of murder on eerie Grimpen Moor, which has rightly earned its reputation as the finest murder mystery ever written. The Valley of Fear matches Holmes against his archenemy, the master of imaginative crime, Professor Moriarty. In addition, the loyal Dr. Watson has faithfully recorded Holmes�_�_��s feats of extraordinary detection in such famous cases as the thrilling The Adventure of the Red Circle and the twelve baffling adventures from The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle�_�_��s incomparable tales bring to life a Victorian England of horse-drawn cabs, fogs, and the famous lodgings at 221B Baker Street, where for more than forty years Sherlock Holmes earned his undisputed reputation as the greatest fictional detective of all time.
—Kai Palchikoff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td2Zjd... Preview Sherlock Holmes 2 Downey-Law film. http://annetoronto1.blogspot.ca/2013/... #2 Reviewhttp://aneyespy.blogspot.ca/2011/12/s... #1 Review http://aneyespy.blogspot.ca/2011/12/d... Cumberbatch-Freeman ReviewThis humorous, dangerous, very British 2010 BBC UK version updated with internet and mobile phones revived my interest in Doyle's classic Victorian murder mysteries promoting early forensics and deductive solutions. Surprisingly, old and new Watson (Freeman) are both injured veterans of Kandahar, Afghanistan. The city of London is still an old character. Cumberbatch has a lighter, less swoopy tadara interpretation than Jeremy Brett, and not caught in explosions like Downey. Study in Pink is loosely based on Study in Scarlet (view spoiler)[ having a choice of pills, placebo or poison, and a hack-cab driver hiding in plain sight (hide spoiler)]
—An Odd1
The Holmes canon is one of my lifetime favorites. I read and re-read my thick compilation of the stories and novels many times as a child. This was my first return to them since then. In the meantime, I grew up (some), and wrote a few books. Being a writer, I take a different view on the stories now than I did then. I also have a different perspective, having learned a bit about Doyle himself and his disdain for this work. All of that enables me to see the tell-tale signs of rushed conclusions, sloppy writing (the wandering war wound of Watson, for instance) and repetitive plots. Nonetheless, I still came away very satisfied from my reading of this entire two-volume collection. I still very much love the characters. I still very much love Doyle's patient teaching of the methods of deduction and observation. I still very much love this peek into London's people, places and things of that era. Even with its shortcomings, this body of work is truly timeless, and remains highly recommended reading for all ages. PS - This annotated version adds so much to the reading experience, especially in an electronic edition where you can bounce quickly between the notes and the text. Obscure and obsolete words and phrases that I simply skipped over as a child are now quickly and easily explained.
—Douglas Hackney
