Conan Doyle had long tired of Sherlock Holmes and his adventures, finally killing him off with the idea of moving on to "higher minded" literary pursuits. But the reading public was outraged! They demanded more Holmes. The public stormed the offices of Strand Magazine demonstrating and picketing the offices while wearing black mourning armbands. Later came the circulating petitions and, finally, the cancellation of more than 20,000 Strand Magazine subscriptions. It was the final straw.
After much discussion with his publishers and finally weakening by the offers of outrageous sums of money ($45,000 for 13 stories by Collier's Magazine alone in 1903 dollars), Doyle finally relented and brought ol' Sherlock back from his watery grave after his mortal fall from Reichenbach Falls, along with his arch nemesis - Professor Moriarty. Hence, the title - The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
This book is the collection of adventures as serialized by Collier's Magazine in 1903. The illustrations for the "Return" were done by the famous American illustrator, Frederic Dorr Steele. The artistic approach is quite different from the Strand's Sidney Paget, who illustrated the original 24 Holmes adventures. This was an American interpretation. History tells us that Mr. Steele used the famous American stage actor of Sherlock Holmes, William Gillette, for his illustrations despite their never having actually met.
If you want to collect the adventures of Sherlock Holmes there are only two (out of print) editions to consider. The first is The Complete Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes printed by Bramhall House * New York 1976. It is a Facsimile of the original 24 stories from the Strand Magazine as illustrated by Sidney Paget. But it is the wonderful Victorian cover art that makes this edition without equal!
The Return of Sherlock Holmes is an excellent 1987 edition by The Mysterious Press * New York. Its American illustrations are more "modern" and different from Paget's work, and is the only other edition to consider if you are looking for the best and most complete collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. They are both easily found on the net and purchased used for $5.95 and $7.50 respectively through Amazon.com.
I have looked at dozens if not hundreds of editions about Sherlock Holmes over the years, but these two editions are without question the most desirable copies. I possess twenty-two Holmes books in my private library. These two are my most prized.
BTW. Sherlock Holmes has often been quoted saying "Elementary my dear Watson", where upon he promptly explains the crime's solution to a sometimes bewildered Dr. Watson. Fact is, Holmes never uttered that precise and worn phrase in any of the Doyle stories.
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Top reviews from other countries
Francisco Miguel Torres Blázquez
versión kindle parece una traducción automática
Reviewed in Spain on June 18, 2020
