posted on 14 Jan 2016

The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes : original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and annotated by Leslie S. Klinger

 

 

 

 

 

This superb two volume slipcase edition of all the Sherlock Holmes short stories proves that there was an original incarnation of the famous detective that was at least as exciting as the Cumberbatch remodel. The set was produced to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the appearance of the first story and has been annotated in an informative and scholarly way by Leslie S. Klinger who specialises in this kind of work having also annotated Dracula and H.P.Lovecraft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to the Holmes stories there is an engaging introductory essay by John Le Carre and a lavish set of illustrations by the original Holmes artist, Sidney Paget. Paget's illustrations first appeared in The Strand magazine that serialised the Holmes stories and they have been supplemented by an interesting selection of contemporary photographs that add atmosphere to the already powerful stories.

Klinger has also provided a pen portrait of Conan Doyle and some imaginative biographies of both Holmes and Watson. There is also a digest of Sherlock Holmes Societies across the globe and a guide to the various websites that have been created to celebrate the great detective.

Published in the USA in 2004 by Norton there are two versions of the slipcase - this one with two volumes of short stories and a second one containing three volumes and which includes the longer Holmes novels. If you are looking to buy, individual volumes are available on the internet for a little under £20 and the two volume slipcase for about £50.

Terry Potter

January 2016