Audio: A Study in Scarlet

Audio: A Study in Scarlet
by Arthur Conan Doyle

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About Book

Amazon.com
Arthur Conan Doyle's Study in Scarlet is the first published story involving the legendary Sherlock Holmes, arguably the world's best-known detective, and the first narrative by Holmes's Boswell, the unassuming Dr. Watson, a military surgeon lately returned from the Afghan War. Watson needs a flat-mate and a diversion. Holmes needs a foil. And thus a great literary collaboration begins.

Watson and Holmes move to a now-famous address, 221B Baker Street, where Watson is introduced to Holmes's eccentricities as well as his uncanny ability to deduce information about his fellow beings. Somewhat shaken by Holmes's egotism, Watson is nonetheless dazzled by his seemingly magical ability to provide detailed information about a man glimpsed once under the streetlamp across the road.

Then murder. Facing a deserted house, a twisted corpse with no wounds, a mysterious phrase drawn in blood on the wall, and the buffoons of Scotland Yard--Lestrade and Gregson--Holmes measures, observes, picks up a pinch of this and a pinch of that, and generally baffles his faithful Watson. Later, Holmes explains: "In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backward.... There are few people who, if you told them a result, would be able to evolve from their own inner consciousness what the steps were which led up to that result." Holmes is in that elite group.

Conan Doyle quickly learned that it was Holmes's deductions that were of most interest to his readers. The lengthy flashback, while a convention of popular fiction, simply distracted from readers' real focus. It is when Holmes and Watson gather before the coal fire and Holmes sums up the deductions that led him to the successful apprehension of the criminal that we are most captivated. Subsequent Holmes stories--The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes--rightly plunge the twosome directly into the middle of a baffling crime, piling mystery upon mystery until Holmes's denouement once more leaves the dazzled Watson murmuring, "You are wonderful, Holmes!" Generations of readers agree. --Barbara Schlieper

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-12-In the first of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Dr. Watson, discharged from military service after suffering wounds, is at loose ends until a chance encounter leads him to take rooms with Sherlock Holmes. When Watson is drawn into the investigation of a bizarre murder in which Holmes is involved, he is unaware that it is the beginning of the most famous partnership in the history of criminal detection.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This is the first story Conan Doyle wrote about his famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. In this short novel, Dr. Watson is presented to Holmes as a potential Baker Street roommate. Holmes utters the immortal line, "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive," and the adventures begin. A Study in Scarlet introduces and fleshes out the characters of Holmes and Watson, while initiating readers to the world's first consulting detective. Valuable to Sherlockians as the beginning of an ageless saga, this novel is also an interesting mystery. It allows Holmes a chance to outwit Scotland Yard, and readers get to see how he resolves the mysterious murder at Lauriston Gardens. Frederick Davidson gives a correctly British narration to this Baker Street adventure. Sure to be a hit with mystery readers; recommended for all public libraries.
-Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Join Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on their very first case together! A Study in Scarlet recounts their first meeting, as well as Watson's initial impressions of the Great Detective's unusual traits and habits.

The Sherlock Holmes stories have inspired a vast body of literature dedicated to the proposition that the Great Detective was not a mere work of fiction, but an actual historical person. Since the 1920s these “writings about The Writings” have contributed fascinating new insights into the stories, enhancing the pleasure of reading them. The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library, which will eventually number nine volumes, puts the entire history of this “Higher Criticism” at your fingertips! Each illustrated volume is bursting with scholarly annotations and features a sturdy, smythe-sewn soft cover binding.

From the Publisher
This book is in Electronic Paperback Format. If you view this book on any of the computer systems below, it will look like a book. Simple to run, no program to install. Just put the CD in your CDROM drive and start reading. The simple easy to use interface is child tested at pre-school levels.

Windows 3.11, Windows/95, Windows/98, OS/2 and MacIntosh and Linux with Windows Emulation.

Includes Quiet Vision's Dynamic Index. the abilty to build a index for any set of characters or words.

Inside Flap Copy
In the first of all the Sherlock Holmes stories, Dr. John Watson, discharged from military service after suffering severe wounds, is at a loose end until a chance encounter leads him to take rooms with a remarkable young man. The arrogant, irracible Sherlock Holmes is a master chemist, a talented musician and an expert on all aspects of crime. And when Watson is drawn into the investigation of a bizarre murder in which Holmes is involved, he is unaware that it is the beginning of the most famous partnership in the history of criminal detection.

Here is where it all began for England's super sleuth and his faithful sidekick--and fans of the intrepid inspector won't be disappointed by this exciting new dramatization. Produced by the world's foremost creators of radio entertainment and boasting a first-rate cast and stirring music and sound effects, this exclusive BBC production brings Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's eerie tale of murder and revenge to life.

From the Back Cover
“[Holmes] is probably the only literary creation since the creations of Dickens which has really passed into the life and language of the people.”—G. K. Chesterton

About the Author
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was born in Edinburgh and studied medicine. He began writing while he waited for his practice to grow and, with 1887's A Study in Scarlet, created one of the most famous literary characters of all time. He was a volunteer physician in the Boer War and wrote a book on spiritualism. Three more volumes of his fiction are forthcoming from Penguin Classics.

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