This is an item distinct from The Complete Sherlock Holmes already on my shelf. If you have not read all of Sherlock Holmes already, read the un-annotated version. That done, this is the place to turn if you want to know more about the great detective. It contains an amazing amount of added material, going far beyond the classic annotated edition from the mid-20th century. I really appreciate the detailed explanations of Victorian era terms with which I am unfamiliar (such as antimacassar), and possible explanations of the inconsistencies between some of the stories. There are some details I could do without, and I rebel against some of the alternative theories casting Holmes or Mycroft in a bad light. But this is a great resource for anyone who wants to go beyond the surface of these great stories.

Finally. Finished.

The annotations are worth the price as a whole, totally. Despite the original writings being filled with racistic, nationalistic, anti-feministic and insane values, The Canon is still enjoyable, if one is able to see past these things. It's a brilliant collection, and I firmly recommend it. "The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes" is a bit dodgy as it's written at the very end of The Canon, when Conan Doyle basically wanted to stop writing about Holmes, which is very evident.

(Note: this review addresses editor Leslie S. Klinger's essays, annotations, and appendices rather than Doyle's works. For my reviews of the individual Holmes novels, please see my separate entry for each particular book.)

When I reviewed n  The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Novelsn, I said I'd save the bulk of my comments for this review, but I now find that I mostly said it all already. These two volumes have the same strengths and weaknesses as their companion: background, context, arcane Sherlockiana, and (alas) spoilers. I understand the theory that one doesn't pick up a book like this without having read the original, unannotated texts first, but to my mind the existence of annotations explaining certain obscure, outdated terms should put that notion to rest. Happily, as with the novel volume, this problem seems to fade the farther one gets, but that it exists at all is the sole reason for the lack of a fifth star.

It's a shame, too, because I'm otherwise blown away by the sheer depth and breadth of familiarity with the Holmes Canon Klinger puts on display here. I thoroughly enjoy his approach and tone, and if his digressions into "perpetuating the gentle fiction that Holmes and Watson really lived" generate the occasional eyeroll, they nonetheless betray an abiding love for the original material. Reading these New Annotated volumes doesn't just allow one to read the Holmes Canon, they also give the reader an appreciation of the Victorian era in London, the early years of crime detection and crime fiction, and just how much interest these tales have sparked over the last century and a half.

So, despite the spoilers, I think I'm ultimately happy to have read these books in this way rather than another. That these volumes include just about every illustration produced for the original publication of these stories adds immensely to their charm, and the overwhelming abundance of information in the annotations provides an education unto itself. I hope Klinger fully learned his spoiler lesson here, as I have an idea to read his n  The New Annotated Frankensteinn and n  The New Annotated Draculan at some point down the line. Regardless, I thank him for shepherding me on my first trip through the Canon, and I tip my hat to the incredible amount of time, work, and love he clearly put into it.

The short version: if you're a Holmes fan, you owe it to yourself to splurge for these editions.

The long version: This was my "project read" for 2016, and it very nearly didn't get done. My initial idea was that I'd read one short story every weekend, as there are 56 stories collected here, and I thought that at a leisurely pace of about one a weekend, I could get the whole thing done. Well, life intervened, and I ended up reading about one per day in the hectic last week of December, but I still had several exceedingly pleasant starts to my weekends, lounging like Holmes and Watson in a comfortable chair and considering the facts of the relevant cases. There are some weaker stories than others (especially in the Case-Book), but all things considered, the character and canon are unbelievably strong.

I remember visiting the countryside of England as a young boy with a ‎£3 version of "The Adventures" in my pocket (a copy that is still on my shelves today) and feeling that extreme satisfaction of logic and science triumphing over crime and violence - a feeling that I still exulted in reading them this year. Holmes was my unabashed hero in those days, and I still think he is one of the finest characters ever created. Re-reading these stories so much later, I really appreciated to a greater extent just how novel how much of this was: the early courts and police systems of Victorian England were extremely rudimentary, if they existed at all, and the idea of systemic, logical investigation and the tools needed to practice it feels revolutionary. As we continue to examine the justice system today, this served as a refreshing reminder that the legal system we have created was always imperfect, and there were certain stories that make you appreciate just how far we have come. That eternal search for a more perfect system is maybe the reason Holmes is the definitive detective.

This is certainly the definitive edition of these stories, which is why it garners five stars from me. I have not only re-affirmed my love for Conan Doyle, but found a new author to fawn over: Leslie S. Klinger! For those who may be unaware, this book plays by the "gentle fiction" that Holmes and Watson really lived, and that Conan Doyle was merely Watson's literary agent (who may have penned a few of the less-absorbing stories on his own). Only occasionally will the footnotes stray too far down this well-meaning avenue, into the realm of the absurd, but far more often they are invaluable, illuminating elements of the Victorian age that are meaningless to the modern reader, or providing greater context to the creeds and values the English citizenry of the period believed in. There's also a fair bit of "armchair detecting" that Klinger pulls in from the publications of the Baker Street Irregulars that are a hoot - there's a fair bit of criticism of Holmes' methods in some of these, and other intriguing possibilities for looking at the stories in a different light. Klinger has done a terrific job pulling all this together, in what I'm sure was a Herculean task. He has also annotated Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN, DRACULA, and some of the stories of Lovecraft, and I can't wait to explore those (and, in point of fact, have already bought the Lovecraft).

All told, an absolutely beautiful package that is well worth your pennies. I highly recommend sitting down with these to start your weekend.

Didn't QUITE finish before it had to go back. But definitely a must-read for any Holmesian. Probably a bit more humorous than the Baring-Gould version.

I found this treasure at the library. While, I will finish before its due date, I will purchase because of its value as a reference. The annotation format is 360 degree enrichment. Lots of great illustrations and social history gems that will make you a Baker Street aficionado. (I was lukewarm about the author until I discovered this volume)

I would love to find an annotation edition for all of the classics.

Stunning collection. A must have for any Sherlock Fan.

I don't actually own thes books, so I check them out of the library EVERY time I am home. They're pretty much the definitive Sherlock Holmes texts. Not only do they have notes on the historical details, but readers are also exposed to the wide variety of Sherlockian theories, ranging from analysis of the story-telling, contradicting details, and speculation regarding untold tales.

I learned so much about Sir Arthur Conan Dowle and Sherlock Holmes in a 1 credit course I took during my freshman year at Drexel. The professor really made the stories come alive for us and the class discussions were awesome.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

I wish that I had enjoyed reading these more. Some of the stories were really intriguing and clever and some were boring. I am glad that I have read them and will eventually get around to volume three of the set. But I definitely need a break.

i am giving 5 stars to the conan doyle stories-- not to this particular annotated collection. i read an annotated holmes once years ago that was much better than this. this version has an annoying conceit of pretending that "watson" actually wrote the stories and conan doyle was merely his literary agent. while many of the annotations supply some interesting information about items common to victorian england but obscure to the modern reader, the inanity of the notes' pretense of reality far outweighs their utility.