Curated collection

The complete Sherlock Holmes

All nine books of the Holmes canon, four novels and five story collections, in the order they were published. One complete LibriVox recording of each, read by a single narrator wherever a good one exists, so a book keeps one voice from its first chapter to its last.

A website-only collection: these nine recordings are not grouped together in the player's Explore tab, but each one opens in the player from its Listen link.

9 free audiobooks, about 68 hours

  1. Study in Scarlet

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Why it is here The first Holmes story, 1887. Laurie Anne Walden reads all fourteen chapters alone, including the long Utah flashback that surprises first-time readers. The most downloaded complete recording of the novel.

    A Study in Scarlet, a short novel published in 1887, was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes story. At the beginning of the book, Dr. Watson meets the detective for the first time and we ride along with them to the scene of a murder. The crime baffles the Scotland Yard detectives, but of course Holmes solves it easily.

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    In the second half of the story, the scene shifts to Utah as we learn the murderer's history. The action returns to London in the last two chapters. In his first adventure, Holmes demonstrates many of the traits for which he later became well known: meticulous study of a crime scene, brilliant deductive reasoning, aptitude for chemistry and music, and the somewhat annoying habit of withholding crucial facts from Watson (and consequently the reader) until the conclusion of the case. (Summary by Laurie Anne Walden)

    • 4 h 14 min
    • 14 sections
    • English
    • Published 1887
    • Read by Laurie Anne Walden

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  2. Sign of the Four

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Why it is here The second novel, 1890: a stolen treasure, the Agra pact and Watson's romance. Robin Cotter reads all twelve chapters; the most downloaded recording of the book.

    When a young lady approaches Sherlock Holmes looking for help in finding out what happened to her father when he disappeared 10 years earlier, both Holmes and Watson are sent on a mission involving stolen treasure, service in colonial India and a secret pact among four ex-convicts. (Summary by Robin Cotter)

    • 4 h 17 min
    • 12 sections
    • English
    • Published 1890
    • Read by Robin Cotter

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  3. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (version 3)

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Why it is here The twelve stories of 1892, from A Scandal in Bohemia to The Copper Beeches, read throughout by Mark F. Smith. Chosen over the group recording for a single voice across the volume.

    Dr. Watson chronicles here some of the more interesting detective cases that he and his good friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, have encountered during their association. We see the cases unfold as he does, scratch our heads as does he while the evidence is collected, and then marvel at the impeccable observations, remarkable insight, and doggedness which Holmes displays as he teases apart the tangled clues.

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    Packaged as twelve distinct cases, by the end of this book your own senses of observation and deductive reasoning should be improved. It's easy to see why this book became a model for detective yarns! (Summary by Mark F. Smith)

    • 11 h 15 min
    • 12 sections
    • English
    • Published 1892
    • Read by Mark F. Smith

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  4. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Version 3)

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Why it is here The eleven stories of 1894, ending with The Final Problem at the Reichenbach Falls. David Clarke reads them all; The Naval Treaty is in two parts. The Cardboard Box, left out of the British Memoirs, appears in His Last Bow below.

    This is the second book of short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle concerning the adventures of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his side kick Dr Watson. It contains 12 stories published in The Strand as further episodes of the Adventures between December 1892 and December 1893 with original illustrations by Sidney Paget. - Summary by David Clarke

    • 8 h 53 min
    • 12 sections
    • English
    • Published 1893
    • Read by David Clarke

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  5. Hound of the Baskervilles

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Why it is here The Dartmoor novel of 1902, read in full by Laurie Anne Walden, the same narrator as A Study in Scarlet. Among several good solo versions this is the most downloaded.

    What really killed Sir Charles Baskerville? Is his nephew, Sir Henry, in danger from the legendary family curse, a gigantic black hound? Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are on the case in this classic mystery, set on lonely Dartmoor in Devonshire.

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    Neolithic ruins, a perilous quagmire, eerie sounds in the night, and (of course) fog all add to the fun, with an escaped convict thrown in for good measure. (Summary by Laurie Anne Walden)

    • 5 h 53 min
    • 15 sections
    • English
    • Published 1901
    • Read by Laurie Anne Walden

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  6. Return of Sherlock Holmes (Version 3)

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Why it is here Holmes returns in The Empty House and twelve more cases from 1905. David Clarke reads all thirteen stories; The Priory School is in two parts.

    The book was first published in February 1905 by McClure, Phillips & Co. (New York) then on March 7, 1905 by Georges Newnes, Ltd. (London) and was the first Holmes collection since 1893, when Holmes had "died" in The Final Problem. Having published The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1901–1902 (setting it before Holmes' death) Doyle came under intense pressure to revive his famous character.

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    The first story is set in 1894 and has Holmes returning in London and explaining the period from 1891–94, a period called "The Great Hiatus" by Sherlockian enthusiasts. Also of note is Watson's statement in the last story of the cycle that Holmes has retired, and forbids him to publish any more stories. - Summary by Wikipedia

    Summary adapted from Wikipedia, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

    • 11 h 51 min
    • 14 sections
    • English
    • Published 1905
    • Read by David Clarke

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  7. Valley of Fear (Version 3)

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Why it is here The last novel, 1915, with Moriarty's shadow over an English manor and a long American second part. David Clarke reads all fourteen chapters and the short epilogue, which follows the last chapter within the final section. The most downloaded recording of the book.

    Receiving a mysterious cypher message from a Fred Porlock, apparent agent of the infamous Professor Moriarty, Holmes and Watson set about deciphering the message, taking them into the mysterious murder of John Douglas. The connection between the murder and the message from Porlock creates the basis for this new Sherlock mystery, the last novel written by Doyle featuring the famous detective. - Summary by David Clarke

    • 6 h 6 min
    • 14 sections
    • English
    • Published 1914
    • Read by David Clarke

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  8. His Last Bow (version 3)

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Why it is here Eight stories published in 1917, from Wisteria Lodge to the wartime title story, read throughout by David Clarke. The collection's short preface is not recorded.

    His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of previously published Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, including the titular short story, "His Last Bow. The War Service of Sherlock Holmes" (1917). The collection's first US edition adjusts the anthology's subtitle to Some Later Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes.

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    All editions contain a brief preface, by "John H. Watson, M.D.", that assures readers that as of the date of publication (1917), Holmes is long retired from his profession of detective but is still alive and well, albeit suffering from a touch of rheumatism. - Summary by David Clarke

    • 7 h 10 min
    • 10 sections
    • English
    • Published 1917
    • Read by David Clarke

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  9. Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Why it is here The final twelve stories, 1927, including two told by Holmes himself. Thomas A. Copeland reads the preface and all twelve; the only complete single-narrator recording of the volume on LibriVox.

    This final volume of detective stories was Doyle’s effort to put his most famous creation behind him at long last. It includes a variety of tales, from widely separated periods in the protagonist’s life, including his retirement, stories told from various points of view: Watson’s, Holmes’s, and an omniscient narrator’s.

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    Most, of course, illustrate the detective’s famous “deduction,” but not all; some of his successes call upon resources of character which we rarely associate with him. He demonstrates compassion and empathy, and more than once he laughs. His attitude toward Dr. Watson, although occasionally brusque, includes kindness, affection, and professional respect, revealing a deep and complex friendship that endears both men to the reader. (Summary by T. A. Copeland).

    • 8 h 27 min
    • 13 sections
    • English
    • Published 1927
    • Read by Thomas A. Copeland

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