Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

This singular - to quote Victorian - book will tell Sherlock lovers everything you want to know about the world of Sherlock Holmes, from how many brothers Prof. Moriarty had (two, all named James) to exactly what happened to Dr Watson's bull dog, who mysteriously vanished after one tiny mention in "A Study in Scarlet"(theories include that the dog was not a dog but a pistol by name of "bull pup" or Watson had a pet weasel instead of a dog and was corrected by Sherlock, and was too embarrassed to evermention it again.)

Rating is actually 3.33

5 stars the novels: No fault there. Hound of Baskervilles has such an atmosphere to it, so lacking in today's fiction.

3 stars the illustrations: Docked two stars for film stills and crappy photos that detract from stories, specially from Hound of Baskervilles. These annotated volumes would have been served keeping to the classic illustrations, which are beautifully rendered here. Sadly Mr. Klinger has poor sense of aesthetics when it comes to books.

1 star for Klinger's mostly useless annotations that serve no purpose other than to entertain the idea that Sherlock is a historical character and create a big pile of unpalatable spaghetti mess when it comes to extricating what Watson wrote versus say Doyle. By the way this has been done before, so there was no need to retread what has already been done.

Wow, that guy is some Sherlock Holmes. That is what kept going through my head while reading this book. My head is dorky that way.
I am unusual- especially in this forum of avid readers- in only having discovered Sherlock Holmes in my late thirties, and I don't think the stories really need my recommendation. Since reading this edition with the four SH novels, I also have read the short stories, which are equally recommendable.
A bit about this edition. This annotated edition rather reminds me of publications of the Bible or Talmud with multiple commentaries. There are notes to explain uncommon or words; to connect story locations with those in real England, sometimes with photographs; and to resolve apparent contradictions with other Holmes books (Metzudas Tzion/Rashi; Daat Mikra; Tosfos). As a relatively unobsessed Holmes fan, I found the vocabulary notes quite helpful; not so much the rest, though the fact that one would prepare this kind of volume gives a sense of the passion people feel for these stories.

I expected too much from the book but it's a good book altogether.

You could not ask for a better annotated Sherlock Holmes than this series. In-depth and fascinating information.

The novels are a good as ever and the annotations really add some insight into both the author and the world.

A Study in Scarlet (4/5)

This novel describes Holmes and Watson's first meeting, with Watson being at first unsure what exactly his new roommate does for a living. The mystery itself wasn't one of my favorites; parts of it struck me as a bit contrived, and the long flashback that takes place in Utah and doesn't involve Holmes or Watson bored me a little.

The Sign of Four (5/5)

This is a really good one, if quite short. There's lots of exotic stuff (stolen treasure! a Pygmy who shoots poisoned darts!) and some great deducing by everyone's favorite detective.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (5/5)

My favorite of the Holmes novels. This one is still good even if you know how it ends, and offers some pleasantly shivery moments, what with spectral hounds howling on the moors and such.

The Valley of Fear (4/5)

I have mixed feelings about this one. In a lot of ways it seems like a short story that was padded out with a flashback (much like A Study in Scarlet), and I found the end a bit depressing and dissatisfying. On the other hand, the interaction between Holmes and Watson at the beginning of the novel is wonderful, with Holmes coming off as almost playful in his teasing of Watson.

I am currently reading these four novellas in this new annotated volume, which is a revelation and highly recommended. Below is my basic review of these four novella-length stories.

A Study in Scarlet, is actually two stories woven into one. In the first, Holmes and Watson meet for the first time, and one of the greatest working relationships in all of fiction begins. Watson recounts a case of murder where a body was found in a slum in Brixton, with the word "RACHE" carved above the body. The second story takes place in America, in a Mormon community, and features an appearance by Brigham Young. In the final pages, the connection between the two stories is finally revealed.

The Sign of Four is many people's favorite Sherlock Holmes story, and with good reason. Even though it is the shortest of the four, its plot is one of the most complex. It involves a pact among four escaped convicts, military service in India, a cruel husband, and a stolen treasure. It is also the first time that Holme's drug use comes into play.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of Conan Doyle's best-known stories, partly for its spooky setting on the moors, partly for the unearthly howling hound, but mostly for the interaction among the finely drawn characters: a rich man in love with the sister of a naturalist, a doctor, the servants, a dangerous killer, and, of course, Watson and Holmes. For much of this story, Watson carries the day as the protector of Henry Baskerville, the only remaining heir to the Baskerville name and fortune.

In the final novel, The Valley of Fear, once again a series of adventures take place in America. The protagonists are based upon a real group, the Molly Maguires, a group of militant union organizers in the coal fields of Pennsylvania. There is the death of one man, who is falsely assumed to be someone else. The second man's story takes up most of the second half of the tale.

These annotated editions have some really great, interesting information in them, BUT... I cannot recommend them for a first time reading through the Sherlock Holmes stories. If you're already a die hard fan, looking for additional information, or you are (unlike me) able to ignore all those little numbers indicating notes in the text, you'll probably enjoy these. But if it's your first read of Holmes, I'd suggest starting with an un-annotated edition.

This volume contains the 4 Sherlock Holmes novels and a huge number of annotations. If you were ever curious about how close to reality certain scenes of A Study in Scarlet were to reality, the annotations address this and many other bits of trivia. If, like me, you liked the Holmes novels as a child and want to revisit them, I would recommend the annotated versions as they add an additional layer of arcana to the canon.

Chock full of Holmes-y goodness.

Have read all of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and probably others as well, just never bothered to put them in to amazon or goodreads, so dates wrong. Some KU some paperback some hardback some collections.