I won't bother reviewing Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes stories, which feature one of the most popular and enduring characters in the world.

Since most readers are at least a little familiar with the work, I'll focus on the package. This collection showcases 12 of the better Holmes stories, and, like many other collections, it begins with "A Scandal in Bohemia." Strangely, the editors have chosen to end with "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches." This goes against the grain of most collections, which finish with "The Final Adventure." I would call that a bad editing choice.

The introduction by Mr. Lowndes is a brief, serviceable and well-written overview of how Sherlock Holmes came to be a cultural phenomenon.

There are certainly better collections out there, but this will serve well as an introduction to the character in some of his finer moments.

Very neatly typeset stories in a hardcover format. What more could a Holmes fan ask for? A little tough to find a new copy. I bought a used one in mint condition. A nice addition to your SH collection

The Game's afoot again as David Timson narrates the second volume of The Adventures. He reads with verve, alacrity, joy and understanding. His vocal character stylizations are a delight for both the uninitiated in the genre and the seasoned Sherlockian campaigner.

This was the first sentence ever spoken by Holmes, and we could all use it as well, when describing this collection. This is another review by one of the kids of "love my kids". Holmes has always been a joy to read, the action well placed, the humor meshing cleanly with the drama, and the cases truly challenging. You will not see most of the answers coming, so if you like that kinda thing, this book is not for you. I agree with the other guy who's review is above mine, in that reading it in spurts is a good idea.

This well-bound hardcover book is a medium brown color without the dust jacket, and has gold lettering on the spine. There's also a lightly embossed picture of the front cover on the hardcover.

The inside pages are made of high quality paper, and there are about 11 illustrations throughout the book, including the front cover.

The illustrations are printed in color on glossy paper, and are not the original illustrations. They look like oil paintings, mostly of the characters in the book, and the faces have an intentionally "blotchy" but artistic look to them, in higher contrast than portraits meant to capture real life.

The print looks to be about medium height (say, 10-12 point) printed without columns on each page. Each page has a fairly wide margin -- almost like a textbook designed to allow the student to take notes.

At a few points in the book there are footnotes that describe words that may not be understandable to the modern reader. For example, in The Man with the Twisted Lip, there is a footnote to the phrase "mouseline de soie". The footnote clarifies that this means "silk muslin".

The book's weight and size makes it comfortable to hold and carry around with you if need be.

If you're looking for a book that captures the feel of the Strand magazine, along with the original illustrations, this is not the book for you.

But if you'd like a good quality book with a modern feel, I think you'll be very happy with this edition's construction.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes contains some of the best stories in the collection such as the Red Headed League, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Five Orange Pips, The Man with the Twisted Lip, The Blue Carbuncle, and The Speckled Band. There are 12 stories in all, as well as an Afterward that describes the growing popularity of the stories as well as some parallels between the author, Arthur C. Doyle and John Watson.

Given the quality of the stories, I think the beginner or the veteran Holmes enthusiast will enjoy reading this book, and will think it money well spent for its entertainment value.