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Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection

Written by: Stephen Fry - introductions, Arthur Conan Doyle
Narrated by: Stephen Fry
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Publisher's Summary

Now updated to include Chapter Name Information, so you can easily find your favourite story or novel

Winner of Audible's 2017 Members' Choice Award

"...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 and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the complete works of Sherlock Holmes - four novels and five collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated nine insightful, intimate and deeply personal introductions to each title.

Stephen Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, comedian, television presenter, film director and all round national treasure. He is the acclaimed narrator of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter audiobooks and most recently recorded The Tales of Max Carrados for Audible Studios. Stephen has contributed columns and articles to newspapers and magazines, appears frequently on radio and has written four novels and three volumes of autobiography.

Part 1
Chapter 1: Opening Credits and Introduction to A Study in Scarlet
Chapters 2-15: A Study in Scarlet
Chapter 16: Introduction to The Sign of Four
Chapters 17-21: The Sign of Four, Part 1
Part 2
Chapters 1-7: The Sign of Four, Part 2
Chapter 8: Introduction to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Chapters 9-21: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Part 1
Part 3
Chapter 1: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Part 2
Chapter 2: Introduction to The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Chapters 3-14: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Chapter 15: Introduction to The Hound of the Baskervilles
Chapters 16-21: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 1
Part 4
Chapters 1-9: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 2
Chapter 10: Introduction to The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Chapters 11-21: The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Part 1
Part 5
Chapters 1-2: The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Part 2
Chapter 3: Introduction to The Valley of Fear
Chapters 4-18: The Valley of Fear
Chapter 19: Introduction to His Last Bow
Chapters 20-21: His Last Bow, Part 1
Part 6
Chapters 1-7: His Last Bow, Part 2
Chapter 8: Introduction to The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
Chapters 9-20: The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes and Closing Credits

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

What the critics say

"The pairing of Fry and Holmes is a bit of a marriage made in heaven...." (New York Times)

"[Fry] gets into character with his habitual genius..." (The Times)


"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)


"If you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes, Stephen Fry, or the simple pleasure of the audiobook, today's your lucky day. Audible have unveiled a brand new reading of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's entire Sherlock Holmes catalogue, all performed by Fry's dulcet tones." (Evening Standard)


"If you've ever listened to the Harry Potter audiobooks, you'll know that Stephen Fry is responsible for the cosy and eternally reassuring voice that plays out during the recording of J.K Rowling's iconic books. Now, he's turned his talents to a brand new reading of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's entire Sherlock Holmes catalogue - and the thought of it has already got us clambering to pull up a comfy armchair in front of a roaring fire." (Metro)


"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)

What listeners say about Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection

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An Elementary Purchase

... though Holmes never says once in the canon 'Elementary, my dear Watson', but I digress.

The Holmes stories are timeless, and thus easy to recommend to anyone; some of the novels may be a bit hard to get into for some- I'm thinking here of the lengthy backstory of the criminal included in the end of A Study in Scarlet particularly, though The Sign of Four and The Valley of Fear each in their turn also have lengthy, if more readable, backstories of their respective villains- but generally speaking, they're as interesting and readable now as they were when Conan Doyle wrote them. They're less a series of typical 'mysteries', but are more truly a series of 'adventures', as Watson puts it: there are plenty of conundrums to be sure and there is usually some problem posed to Holmes that he needs to solve, but they're not always of the 'whodunit' or 'howdunit' variety. In two stories he deals with threats of blackmail made to someone, another he attempts to stop a jaded woman from marrying a scoundrel, in several there's less investigation and more action, and then there are plenty of whimsical stories where merely something bizarre happens, and the whole of the story is spent in finding out the wherefore and why. Even by today's standards the stories never feel 'typical', mix things up a good deal, and are compulsively readable; they're not really 'mysterious' and tax your brain as you try to figure out a killer's identity as you would in a Christie novel, but the Holmes stories draw you in and seldom fail to engage and entertain. Thus I would recommend them to absolutely anyone and everyone, bar none.

As for whether a potential purchaser should buy this version of the Holmes canon with readings by Stephen Fry or the Simon Vance ones... well firstly, if you enjoy the Holmes stories already I'd genuinely recommend getting both, as they both have their strengths. If you're new to the stories however and just want to get into one version, here's my recommendation:

If you want an engaging, dramatic read, Fry's your man. He's got a real talent for putting emotion and personality into every character he reads, making them feel unique and distinct from another, and generally helping the characters leap off the page. This is especially nice, given that a majority of the time Watson is narrating the stories in 1st person, and thus the added inflection to his readings is wonderful.

If you want to ease into the stories however, and want to relax with them as you would a nice cup of tea, go with Simon Vance's readings. His harmonious voice draws you into the setting particularly, makes it come to life in your mind, and eases you into the story like you would ease into a cozy armchair. While I couldn't call the rest of the characters' readings more than passable compared to Fry, he does a great job with Holmes' and Watson particularly, which really is the important thing.

So yeah; go with Fry for flair, and Vance for a relaxing read. You can't go wrong with either :)

#Audible1

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68 people found this helpful

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Stephen Fry is a master

Stephen Fry's personal love for Sherlock Holmes comes through in his masterful reading of this collection. An absolute delight filled with well acted voices, regional dialects and accents. Don't be surprised it you start listening again from the beginning as soon as you reach the end.

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15 people found this helpful

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Sherlock Holmes is excellent, but read by Stephen Fry makes it unbelievably awesome!

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories about everyone’s favorite fictional detective are amazing on their own. No dispute there.
However, these stories being given life by Stephen Fry’s breathtakingly amazing storytelling capabilities makes them an absolute must read (or listen, in this case).
Never have I ever been so immersed into stories as I was under Mr. Fry’s narration. There might as well have been an entire soundtrack of mood modifying music being his voice.
Absolute marvel is this collection of classics read by the eloquent Stephen Fry!
You will definitely be missing a masterpiece if you do not own Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection.

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simply fantastic!

Stephen Fry is brilliant as narrator. The stories come alive as he tells them with such enthusiasm!

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7 people found this helpful

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  • Nes
  • 2018-01-09

I absolutely amazing!!!

I love Sherlock Holmes and love Stephan Fry so this audio book was quite the treat. very enthralling. I highly recommend this audio book!

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Excellent!

I absolutely love this! It is by far my favourite book I have listened to. Stephen Fry is a marvel narrator and gives the impression of different speakers without sounding distracting or taking away from the stories. I particularly enjoy the introductions to the different sections. It imparts a personal flavor to the Sherlock Holmes stories that I believe make them more enjoyable to hear from him. I have listened and relistened to this numerous times and I know I will enjoy hearing it again in the future.

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great stories

really enjoyed the whole series lots of material. felt sad when finished but also like I accomplished something significant.

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What fun, and how wonderful Mr Fry’s performance

I can’t believe I listened to the whole 6 parts of the series in just a few weeks. Such great escapism. And I greatly enjoyed Mr Fry’s comments about Sir A. C. Doyle, and the circumstances in which he wrote these wonderful adventures. Sherlock Holmes is truly eternal.

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3 people found this helpful

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Stephen Fry + Sherlock = awesome

This was one of the first audiobooks I have ever purchased and I was not disappointed. I got it originally for the simple reason that it is very long and I like Stephen Fry. It has transformed into my trusty fallback, my old faithful, something I can listen to in small pieces or huge swaths of time. I can't say enough good things about Stephen, his voice is pleasant, he seamlessly alters his voice for each character even if it's ever so slight. The stories themselves are wonderful and I enjoy the glimpses of life in the Victorian era. My favorite stories would probably be "the sign of four" or "the valley of fear".

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Rough around old fashioned edges but fantastic

The time period these were written in can have some jarring differences from today, and the stories become very formulaic... However, I'd still argue these are well written, the stories are delightfully self contained, and even though I don't find them "edge of my seat" suspenseful, I find the suspense pleasant, stimulating, and enjoyable. The payoffs were worthwhile across the board, even if they weren't always satisfying (read: not always what you may have hoped for or wanted). Stephen Fry does a fairly great job of narrating these stories, and I have to admit his personifications of the various characters were typically distinct enough to not cause disorientation and gave the performances a lot of depth and "character".
As a personal preference, I wasn't crazy about his forewords, but other than that, I have very few complaints and many words of praise.

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