Sherlock Holmes: Which titles to read first?

[songsparrow]

All of you Sherlock Holmes fans out there, please tell me in what order should a person new to Sherlock Holmes read the stories?  In the order they were originally published?  Or in a different order?  Thanks!

[Ellie]

Oh, go ahead and read them in the order published, although they aren't strictly chronological. That is, they *are* chronological, but you don't necessarily notice the timeline, except for the whole part where Holmes supposedly dies...but I don't want to do any spoilers...

[tammyw]

What is the best age to start with Sherlock?

[dragonflyer]

I agree.  Just read them in the order published.

[Ellie]

What is the best age to start with Sherlock?

 

I'm thinking 10ish, and if the dc like it, keep going. If not, wait awhile. I think I was 12 or 13 when I started? That was a long time ago, lol.

[wintermom]

I didn't know that there was a particular order. I have two volumes of stories and I just read through them as they appeared in the volumes. I think that "A Study in Scarlet" was the first story.

[Guest mmh20619]

wintermom is right - A Study in Scarlet is the first story. It's also one of 4 novels (there are 56 short stories). None of the novels is particularly long. And Scarlet (besides including the famous meeting of Holmes and Watson) includes a very American mystery. The story begins in London but then goes back in time to a Mormon settlement out west.... Some school districts near where I live (MD) banned it for anti-Mormon bias, but I have Mormon friends who thought it was fine / didn't get excited. They don't come across as wonderful in the book, but it's a work of fiction - and A Conan Doyle was using contemporary sources, which were largely anti-Mormom.

 

My son read Scarlet first. He was 8 at the time and understood it just fine. He's loved all the Holmes stories and novels. It's really neat to watch kids fall in love with the stories.

 

If you want to start with short stories, he recommends The Speckled Band, The Musgrave Ritual, The Five Orange Pips, The Adventure of the Dancing Men, The Redheaded League. 

 

If your child gets into it, too, Dover publications makes a great Sherlock Holmes activity book. The child has to use their detective skills to solve various puzzles. Some of them are very clever and fun.

 

Yes, we are big Holmes fans. :-)

-Mary

[tammyw]

Okay weird, this is the book I have (that I purchased last year):

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140271453X/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

It starts with A Scandal in Bohemia. I don't even see A Study in Scarlet in this book at all. ETA: I think this book is just a collection of the short stories?

 

Is there a better book we should start with?

 

 

[Guest mmh20619]

What you bought is just fine.

 

The short stories were originally published in The Strand magazine. Then they were collected under different titles - The Adventures of SH, The Memoirs of SH, The Return of SH, and The Casebook of SH. Not in that particular order. :-)

 

So the collection you bought at amazon is just a combo of two of those collections. 

 

Honestly, most of the SH stories are great. Your collection is a perfect way to start. It really isn't necessary to read Scarlet first.

 

My only caveat is to read The Final Problem before you read The Empty House.  :-)