In this new season of Adventures in Compliance, host Tom Fox takes a deep dive into the Sherlock Holmes collection The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is final set of twelve Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle first published in the Strand Magazine between October 1921 and April 1927.
In the 1920’s Conan Doyle once again returned to his great creation for 12 more stories (and final) which were first published in The Strand, and then published collectively as The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes in 1927. To some, they suggest a new narrative style, as 9 are told by Watson as the reader would expect, but one is narrated in the third person, and two by Holmes himself. Watson is at pains in the opening narrative to “Thor Bridge” to explain the change: ‘In some [cases] I was myself concerned and can speak as an eye-witness, while in others I was either not present or played so small a part that they could only be told as by a third person.’ … Conan Doyle’s struggle to ring the changes on what had become for him a tired formula reflected his personal literary journey.
Three stories of the collection are not narrated by Dr. Watson, unlike most Sherlock Holmes stories. “The Mazarin Stone” is narrated in the third person, since it was adapted from a stage play in which Watson hardly appeared. “The Blanched Soldier” and “The Lion’s Mane” are both narrated by Holmes himself, the latter being set after his retirement This collection marks the final appearances of Sherlock Holmes and contains some of the more peculiar and dark stories in the series.
Sherlock Holmes and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes – Story List
- The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
- The Problem of Thor Bridge
- The Adventure of the Creeping Man
- The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire
- The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
- The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
- The Adventure of the Three Gables
- The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
- The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane
- The Adventure of the Retired Colourman
- The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger
- The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place
In this episode, host Tom Fox provides an overview of the collection, details about its publication, and highlights the impact of Conan Doyle’s personal life on his work. Over the next 12 episodes, we will explore ethical and compliance lessons from Holmes’ stories.
Resources:
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes FAQ by Dave Thompson
For an audio/video version of the Compliance Kids book, Speaking Up is AWESOME, contact Tom Fox.
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