Sherlock Holmes Complete Works (1-4)

Author: Conan Doyle
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-11-01
Features: A timeless classic of world literature! This book is one you must read at least once in your lifetime, whether you are twenty, thirty, fifty, or seventy. From 1928 to 1929, the short and long stories of Sherlock Holmes were published in the UK, all centered around the character of Holmes, and were compiled into The Complete Sherlock Holmes. This illustrated edition of The Complete Sherlock Holmes is translated from the 1998 edition by Wordsworth Editions Ltd., Cumberland House. This edition was first published in 1989 and is a simulated version edited in the chronological order of the stories originally serialized in The Strand Magazine, accompanied by over 500 exquisite illustrations published during the serialization. The edition was deeply loved by readers and was reprinted for three consecutive years after its publication. By 1997, it was reprinted again, and it was reprinted twice in 1998. All the illustrations in this book are by the famous British illustrator Sidney Paget (1860-1908). Paget began illustrating the Sherlock Holmes stories serialized in The Strand Magazine in 1891 and was one of the earliest illustrators to draw Holmes, as well as one of the most famous. Most of the later illustrators of the Sherlock Holmes stories were imitators of him. Based on the description of Dr. Watson of Holmes in A Study in Scarlet and using his own brother Walter (1863-1935), a renowned illustrator whose include the illustrations for Robinson Crusoe in the early 1890s, as a model, he created this iconic figure with a stag hunter's hat, which brought Holmes to life in the readers' imagination. His illustrations made the readers' vision of Holmes concrete, although Conan Doyle once complained that the painter had not made Holmes handsome enough in his novel. However, in the following century, the actors who played Holmes in the films were deeply influenced by his illustrations, and even directors prioritized the actor's resemblance to the Holmes in Paget's illustrations over their acting skills. The reason our translation has fewer errors and is more fluent is first and foremost due to the multiple translations of this book already existing in China's publishing industry. It is precisely because of them that we were able to avoid the mistakes made by predecessors and not repeat the detours they took, allowing us to build upon their foundation and achieve even greater heights. We also provide The World of Sherlock Holmes (The Behind-the-Scenes Life of a Great Detective and the Background of the Novels), allowing you to delve into the world of "Sherlock Holmes." Since Arthur Conan Doyle introduced the unparalleled detective—Sherlock Holmes to the world over a hundred years ago, Holmes has remained as popular as ever, captivating generations of readers with his timeless charm. Conan Doyle used Holmes's meticulous reasoning to tell his stories, and his works defined and changed the way crime novelists handled detective stories. The British novelist W. Somerset Maugham said, "Compared to The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle, no detective novel has ever enjoyed such great reputation." The Complete Sherlock Holmes includes 4 long stories and 56 short stories. The first long story, A Study in Scarlet, was completed in 1886 when Conan Doyle was 27 years old and published the following year in Beeton's Christmas Annual, where it was well-received. The second long story, The Sign of Four, was published in both the UK and the US in 1893. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes includes 12 short stories, written and published intermittently between 1891 and 1892, by which time Conan Doyle had become a renowned writer in Britain. The Hound of the Baskervilles, the fourth long story, was completed in 1894 and includes 11 short stories. In The Final Problem, published in 1893, Conan Doyle had Holmes die, causing a sensation among readers. Over 20,000 subscribers canceled their subscriptions to The Strand Magazine, and even his mother protested. In 1903, at the age of 44, Conan Doyle finally had Holmes return cleverly in The Empty House and completed 12 more short stories, compiling them into The Return of Sherlock Holmes, which was finished when he was 56 in 1905. His Last Bow, published in 1917, includes 8 short stories. Due to its strong connection to the social background of the time, it was extremely popular upon release, with many readers believing the stories were based on real events. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes was his last work, consisting of 12 short stories, published in 1927. After that, Conan Doyle "arranged" for Holmes to "retire to the countryside in southern England and devote himself to beekeeping."