Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection

By: Arthur Conan Doyle, Stephen Fry - introductions

Narrated by: Stephen Fry

"Fry's Holmes is crisp and high-handed, his Watson enthusiastic and bemused, and the rest of the narration colorful without being mannered. Have fun. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award." (AudioFile magazine)

"...it was reading the Sherlock Holmes stories as a boy that first turned me on to the power of writing and storytelling." (Stephen Fry)

Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled millions of fans. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the complete works of Sherlock Holmes. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated nine insightful and personal introductions to each title.

Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, comedian, film director and all round national treasure. He is the acclaimed narrator of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and recently recorded The Tales of Max Carrados - which earned Fry the accolade of "quite irresistible" from the Washington Post.

©2017 Stephen Fry (introductions); original text public domain. (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Critic reviews

"The pairing of Fry and Holmes is a bit of a marriage made in heaven...In the Holmes books, he reads just under a thousand pages in his wonderfully even and infallibly intelligent voice, touching the characters deftly...[H]e finds a variety of accents and tones for the many foreigners Holmes encounters; his American accents are lightly done, without attempting, for example, a Utah accent in 'A Study in Scarlet'.... Fry's triumph is in striking and maintaining exactly the right tone for the narrations, all, with a handful of exceptions, in the comfortable, slightly pompous voice of Dr. James Watson, Boswell to the great man's Johnson. Fry's Holmes is sharp-witted and mercurial, though not especially idiosyncratic: quite right, as he is merely being reported by deal old Watson. But Fry's skill in phrasing and articulation over the whole 60-plus hours is beyond praise.... Every consonant in place, every phrase perfectly shaped and filled with sense. There are other complete recorded Holmeses...but none that sustains the course so buoyantly, and none with the added pleasure of the readers' pithy commentary on each book." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Sherlock Holmes. Narrated by Stephen Fry. Need I say more? Honestly though, what a perfect way to get away from it all while you're cooking dinner, commuting, or tidying up this weekend." (Buzzfeed)

"Having already narrated one of the world's best-selling book series in the form of Harry Potter, Stephen Fry has returned to the recording booth to take on another hugely popular series." (BBC)

"It doesn't get much more British than Stephen Fry talking about Sherlock." (Mashable)

"Sherlock Holmes is the unfading literary icon - as beloved and as relevant as he was over 120 years ago. To celebrate his currency, Audible has released Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection; Arthur Conan Doyle's complete adventures of the famed detective, as narrated by lifelong fan Stephen Fry, including nine personal introductions exclusive to Audible." (The Independent)

New chapter titles named

Love how this audiobook has named each chapter like in a regular book. No more guessing which chapters to pick just by number, now it’s clearly titled. It’s especially useful because of the length of this audiobook. Stephen Fry is an excellent narrator. I enjoy his informative introductions.

What is the correct order to listen?

Would you listen to Sherlock Holmes again? Why?

Great listening experience, but chapters not in orders and hard to sort it out... To the publisher: Please suggest the order as a remedy!

Absolutely the best! Yet no Casebook of SH

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Stephen Fry's introductions are exceptional! They add to the classic stories. The edition makes no bold claim of completeness. But I'm disappointed Casebook isn't included. Many other editions available on Audible including the Heirloom edition and many lesser editions are complete. Maybe a separate edition with Stephen narrating it is in our future!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sherlock but the entire interaction between characters and the plots.

Which scene was your favorite?

I can't pick just one.

Was Sherlock Holmes worth the listening time?

Absolutely. To be honest I'm early into this edition. But have read and listened to numerous renditions over the years. Stephen Fry is wonderful for this work and the many others he has narrated with much skill.

Any additional comments?

Is it worth it despite the nitpicking? ABSOLUTELY!!!! It is the best out there and there have been many audio form collections.

Not in order!!!!!

Any additional comments?

When I downloaded, the book shows as several books on my Kindle. They are not numbered and are in the wrong order. This happened when I got the collection several years ago with a different narrator. I can't tell what's what or where it goes. I'm a purist and want to listen in order. :(

Awesome

Where does Sherlock Holmes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This audiobook is defiantly one of the best I've listened to - Stephen Fry is an amazing narrator and the story is oviously amazing

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes - I've heard the stories before but never on audiobook, I'm a huge fan!!!

Have you listened to any of Stephen Fry’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will be searching for more in the future.

Repeated stories

First Stephen Fry is great! I love his personal introductions. The content is amazing as ever and Doyle was a genius. Just know that this edition repeats the last volume, about 20 tracks twice.

Amazing Stories Expertly Read

This compilation is one heck of a bargain for one credit. Excellent forwards by Stephen Fry that explain the history of the stories and the personal impact on him make this more than just a great repackaging of the classics, but add some personal flavor it it. His reading provoked true emotion more than once, and I was nearly brought to tears when Fry seemed to get choked up while concluding a particularly tragic story involving Moriarty.

The story evolves and takes on a life of its own. You can really believe that Watson is a real person reporting on someone who really exists. His humanity and geniality plays off Holmes' slightly odd nature very well. They are different stories, in that, you are not quite as concerned with who the perpetrator is (you can almost never guess that ahead of time) but what the clues Holmes finds use of are.

One minor complaint is that the stories do get a little stale after the Hound of the Baskervilles. It is clear that Doyle is no longer writing for the love of it, but simply to placate his public and cash in on the significant amount of money that Holmes is worth.Not to say that the stories are bad, but, personally, I did not enjoy them as much after that point.

This is an excellent read for anyone, and the fact that they are broken up into such short stories (often not more than an hour in length each) you can easily get through an entire story in a single sitting. A great book for anyone who loves mystery, adventure, or Victorian Literature in general.

It doesn't get any better than this!

Stephen Fry reading the Sherlock Holmes stories by Doyle? Buying this was a no-brainer. Yeah, everything is here with the exception of The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, but let's face it: those stories are inferior to the rest of the canon. The stories are suburb, and the reading is marvelous. Plus you get introductions by Fry, an added bonus!

Absolutely Fantastic

If you could sum up Sherlock Holmes in three words, what would they be?

My dear Watson

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sherlock Holmes?

Irene Adler

What about Stephen Fry’s performance did you like?

If you've never listened to Stephen Fry narrate a book, you've been listening to the wrong audiobooks.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Actually, the forwards presented by Fry. Gives personal experience with this iconic series

Any additional comments?

This collection has a bit for everyone and is a must-have. And with over 44 hours of content, you get more than enough for your money.

It's Elementary.. You must give this a listen

I have always loved Sherlock Homes stories. To this point I had never read any of the works. My only experience was BBC TV series and Movies with others takes on the beloved Sherlock Holmes characters. Stephan Fry does such an outstanding job of breathing life into Arthur Conan Doyle's work. I have only gotten half way through the stories and am looking forward to every word remaining. I have seen many works by Stephan Fry, but am so very pleased, and impressed with his telling of this story. If I had the honor of meeting Mr Fry today. I would thank him for his passion in sharing his love of the Sherlock Home stories. This is one of my top 10 favorite books in my audible library, and I currently have several hundred books in my library.