The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories

By: Otto Penzler - editor

Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith, Mark Bramhall, Gildart Jackson, Bruce Mann, Peter Altschuler, Matt Waterson, Steve West, Karen White, Katherine Kellgren

The biggest collection of Sherlock Holmes stories ever assembled!

Arguably no other character in history has been so enduringly popular as Sherlock Holmes. Ever since his first appearance, in Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1887 novella A Study in Scarlet, readers have loved reading about him almost as much as writers have loved writing about him.

Here, Otto Penzler collects eighty-three wonderful stories about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, published over a span of more than a hundred years. Featuring pitch-perfect cases by acclaimed modern-day Sherlockians Leslie S. Klinger, Laurie R. King, Lyndsay Faye and Daniel Stashower; pastiches by literary luminaries both classic (P. G. Wodehouse, Dorothy B. Hughes, Kingsley Amis) and current (Anne Perry, Stephen King, Colin Dexter); and parodies by Conan Doyle’s contemporaries A. A. Milne, James M. Barrie, and O. Henry, not to mention genre-bending cases by science-fiction greats Poul Anderson and Michael Moorcock.

No matter if your favorite Holmes is Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Robert Downey, Jr., or Benedict Cumberbatch, whether you are a lifelong fan or only recently acquainted with the Great Detective, readers of all ages are sure to enjoy The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories.

Including
- Over a century’s worth of cases
- Appearances by those other great detectives Hercule Poirot and C. Auguste Dupin
- 15 Edgar Award–winning authors and 5 Mystery Writers of America Grand Masters
- Stories by Laurie R. King, Colin Dexter, Anthony Burgess, Anne Perry, Stephen King, P.G. Wodehouse, Kingsley Amis, and many, many more.

Critic reviews

“Catnip for Sherlock Holmes fans. . . . The list of who hasn’t weighed in on the World’s Greatest Detective has become much shorter than the roll of those who have. . . .
The question must be asked: Did we need another one? Yes. And Otto Penzler’s Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories is that book. . . . For those who love the cranky inhabitant at 221B, and for those who appreciate good writing about him, and especially for those who can’t get enough of other 'takes' on him.”
—The Seattle Times

“Hours upon hours of entertainment for both new fans and Baker Street Irregulars alike.”
—Paste

“The perfect gift for the Holmes fan who has everything but the 'Herlock Shomes At It Again' parody written by Anonymous in 1916.”
—The Free-Lance Star (Fredericksburg)

“A landmark volume. . . . Essential. . . . Easily the largest collection of Sherlockiana tales ever published. It merits celebration on that basis alone, as a bibliographic event of gargantuan proportions. . . . Show[s] the profound effect Holmes and Watson have had on popular culture and on other writers of crime fiction.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“The breadth of this anthology, which spans over a century and includes everything from straight pastiches and parodies to fully developed whodunits, is but one of its virtues. . . . The variety of approaches is an eloquent testament to Conan Doyle’s genius in creating such an iconic character. . . . Perhaps Penzler’s most significant contribution is rescuing from undeserved obscurity talented writers who have captured the Watsonian narrative voice and combined it with brilliant deductions and mesmerizing plots. . . . This volume is a must for all fans of the great detective.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review)

“Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 60 stories about Holmes, and more than 6,000 have been penned by other authors since. This collection gathers the best of those stories from Holmes admirers. . . . The pieces are separated into categories, which makes choosing a story more fun for the reader. . . . A must-have for all libraries. This is the only book of its kind to collect so many pastiches dedicated to Holmes, 83 total. Fans of the fictional detective will find great joy in this tome.”
—Library Journal (starred review)

Overall a good collection

Overall a good collection of stories. Some better than others. I would suggest listening for a bit then bypass the ones that you don’t find interesting.

Enjoyed every moment!

Loved the narration. Loved the variety of stories. I find the diverse stories involving the adventures of Holmes and Watson fascinating. Even the short parodies are interesting. I may be biased as I seem to love all things Sherlock. The narration by Nicholas Guy Smith was excellent. Smart is the new sexy. An excellent addition to anyone's collection.

the Big Book of sherlock Holmes stories

The lists of so many authors becomes confusing after a while. The stories are well written and true to sherlock' s character. Take leisurely time when being leisurely.

Loved it!!!!

I am not a Sherlockian, however I have listened to all of the original Sherlock Holmes stories, and most anything else Sherlock Holmes that I can find. Some are great, some are odd, and some terrible. As long as you are not expecting the original Sherlock stories, this collection is fantastic. I appreciate the time it must have taken to put this together. Some of the stories are fantastic, and some of the parodies are really funny. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, and wish I wasn't done listening to it. I will listen to it again sometime in the future.

A few of these tales are very excellent Holmes pastiches,

and a few more are quite good, and worthy of my time. However--and the editor warns of this--there are an equal number of embarrassingly poor stories that were aparently meant to be funny or satirical, most of which I found to be neither. And then, as expected, there are all the rest--the majority in my opinion--which fall between the two extremes. These were usually fun, at least, and oft enjoyable, even if not up the the higher standard.