Average customer rating:
- Sadly disappointing
- Arthur May Have Been the Celebrity, but This Book Belongs to George
- Oh, Arthur -- We Wish We Knew You Better...
- mystery and prejudice
- Philip Spires's review of Arthur and George by Julian Barnes
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Arthur and George
Julian Barnes
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Barnes, Julian | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1400097037
Release Date: 2007-01-09 |
Amazon.com
A real tour de force from masterful author Julian Barnes is Arthur & George, which was short-listed for the 2005 Man Booker Prize. Late-Victorian Britain is brought to vivid life in the true story of the intersection of two lives: one an internationally famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the other, an obscure country lawyer, George Edalji, son of a Parsi Midlands vicar and a Scottish mother. They start out very differently. Arthur pursues a career in medicine before he discovers that he is really a writer; George, on his way to becoming a lawyer--near-sighted, timid and friendless--is victimized by locals because he is easy to scapegoat--a half-Indian in lily-white Great Wyrley.
The victimization of George takes the form of nasty letters, the theft of a school key, and finally, the accusation that he has mutilated animals. Meanwhile, Arthur is becoming more and more famous for creating Sherlock Holmes, whom he tries to kill off once and is forced to resurrect because of his fans' outcry. He marries, fathers two children and then, when his wife is invalided by consumption, falls madly in love for the first time with Jean Leckie.
The novel's style is smoothly revelatory. We slowly come to realize that George is half-Indian, that Arthur is the famous Doyle, that the woman he loves, chastely, is not his wife and, sadly, that George will not prevail over the forces ranged against him.
When George, desperate to resume his law career after imprisonment, sends Arthur the sad chronicle of his history, Arthur sees immediately that he could not be guilty and sets out to clear his name. This case of George's lifts Arthur from the slough of despond into which he has sunk after his wife, Touie, dies. He is guilt-ridden, constantly wondering if he was attentive enough, if she could possibly have known about Jean. Realizing the immense injustice George has suffered, he is shaken out of lethargy and, in Holmesian fashion, sets out to solve the case.
Julian Barnes is a gifted writer of enormous accomplishment. This novel is thoroughly engrossing, filled with Barnes's trademark themes of identity and love, longing and loss, and ultimately, an examination of man's inhumanity to man. --Valerie Ryan
Book Description
As boys, George, the son of a Midlands vicar, and Arthur, living in shabby genteel Edinburgh, find themselves in a vast and complex world at the heart of the British Empire. Years later—one struggling with his identity in a world hostile to his ancestry, the other creating the world’s most famous detective while in love with a woman who is not his wife–their fates become inextricably connected.
In Arthur & George, Julian Barnes explores the grand tapestry of late-Victorian Britain to create his most intriguing and engrossing novel yet.
Customer Reviews:
Sadly disappointing.......2007-09-23
Julian Barnes is a wonderful writer but, sadly, this novel does not use his gifts to his advantage. Had it been by another author, I'd have put it down for good about a third of the way through. It was only my previous experience w/ Barnes's work that kept me plowing ahead.
The plotline has been recited in many other reviews; suffice it to say that Barnes did a lot of research -- probably too much for him to turn away from this work in midstream, which he should have. The novel is disjointed, too long, plodding, and lacking in a satisfying ending. Rather than "Arthur and George," read something else by Barnes.
Arthur May Have Been the Celebrity, but This Book Belongs to George.......2007-09-13
This fascinating piece of historical fiction documents the intersection of the lives of Arthur Conan Doyle and George Edalji. The author, in alternating passages, relates the stories of each as they grow up. Arthur with his precise mind and daring imagination becomes the renowned author of the Sherlock Holmes stories. George, a shy and unimaginative child of mixed ethnicity, is bullied and abused until he is finally convicted of a crime he did not commit. His case comes to Arthur's attention and gives new life to the man who is grieving over the death of his wife and his inability to commit to the woman he truly loves. They each have a dramatic effect on the other's life and their real-life encounter led to the establishment of the appeals process in the court system.
However, the strength of this book lies in the telling of their individual lives from young boy to the final years. George, in particular, will pull at your heart strings as he struggles with finding his identity in a hostile England. His unusual childhood, his unjust imprisonment, and his fight to reclaim his life as a member of the legal profession will open the reader's mind to the damage racism can do and how lives can be shattered because of bigotry.
Filled with well-researched scenes from the life of the famous Conan Doyle and poignant, heartbreaking moments from the life of the much lesser-known but equally real George Edalji, this book offers a penetrating look at the imperfect world that was 19th century England.
Oh, Arthur -- We Wish We Knew You Better..........2007-09-09
Arthur and George is a fascinating account of two very different men -- one famous, one not, whose lives crossed only briefly for a memorable historic mystery. Julian Barnes has resurrected an episode out of the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who acted as a real-life detective once or twice in his life, and created a very interesting look at life in turn-of-the-century England. George Edalji, victim of an obvious case of racism and injustice, calls upon Sir Arthur to clear his name. Conan Doyle, reeling from the death of his first wife and his guilt over loving another woman, leaps into the case with enthusiasm ... to mixed results.
Spanning the life times of both men, Julian Barnes has taken on a monumental task, and sometimes I felt as if I was standing outside a house with my nose pressed against the glass, wanting a closer look at the lives of these two men passing so quickly in front of me. Especially in the case of Conan Doyle, I felt I didn't know him at all in the first half of the book, and he only came alive to me as a real man when he met Jean Leckie. Perhaps this was the author's intention, but up until that point I felt that George Edalji was the strongest character in the book, with Conan Doyle only a shadow.
mystery and prejudice .......2007-08-09
Interesting book with Arthur Conan Doyle, inventor of Sherlock Holmes, as the protaganist. George is unjustly imprisoned, released with a blemish on his record which Doyle tries to remove.
Philip Spires's review of Arthur and George by Julian Barnes.......2007-08-07
George Edalji (that's Ay-dal-ji, by the way, since Parsee names are always stressed on the first syllable) is the son of a Staffordshire vicar of Indian origin and his Scottish wife. George is thus a half-caste, to use the language of his late-Victorian and Edwardian age. He's a diligent, if not too distinguished a scholar. He is uninterested in sport, is of small stature and doesn't see too well. He sleeps with his father behind a locked door, is in bed by 9:30, becomes a small town solicitor who develops an interest in train timetables and, by way of outlandish diversion, publishes a traveller's guide to railway law.
Arthur Conan Doyle (later Sir Arthur) is born in Edinburgh, completes medical school and generally accomplishes whatever task he sets himself, including becoming a world famous writer. Despite the fact that he kills off his creation, the detective Sherlock Holmes, ostensibly to devote time to tasks of greater gravity, popular demand insists that he raise the character from the dead. He does this and proceeds to generate even greater success than before. He marries happily twice and pursues and interest in spiritualism, amongst other good causes.
Perhaps because of who they are, the Edalji family become the butt of the campaign of poison pen letters. When they complain, all they accomplish is the focusing of further unwanted attentions on themselves. When a series of ripping attacks on animals remains unsolved, George, somehow, becomes the prime suspect. Convinced of his villainy, police, judicial system, expert witnesses, jury and press see him convicted of the crime and sent down for seven years. Good conduct sees him released after three.
Sir Arthur wishes to do good and takes up George Edalji's case. He researches the facts, analyses the possibilities, tracks down neighbours and officials who have been involved. He creates an alternative explanation of events and presents it to officialdom, seeking a pardon and compensation for George, who by this time has transferred to London to start a new life. The two men meet and the incongruity of their assumed expectations of life are as irreconcilable as they are irrelevant to their joint focus on George's case. After official review, however, the Home Office Committee eventually concludes in an ambiguous manner. Edalji was convicted of the crime and the conviction is declared unsound; but crucially he is not declared innocent. He is therefore found not guilty but then not innocent either and so not worthy of compensation. When, years later, Sir Arthur dies and his associates stage a spiritualist gathering in his honour in the Royal Albert Hall, George is invited and attends, complete with binoculars lest he miss a detail of the proceedings. The illusion of the event draws him in and at one stage he feels himself to be the centre of attention, only to find that it is a near miss. Most of the detail refers to himself and his father, but the reality then points to another who is immediately identified.
But, paradoxically, the quiet George Edalji and his Parsee (not Hindoo) father, Shapurji, were always the centre of attention simply by being who they were. Even Sir Arthur, the son's eventual champion, states this in one of his letters when he writes that it was perhaps inevitable that a dark-skinned clergyman taking a station in central England would attract other's attention of a kind that would seek to undermine him, vilify him and attempt to oust him. The message is clear, that to be different from an assumed norm is to invite hatred, envy, discrimination and eventually ignominy. It is presented as a universal assumption, an unwritten element of common sense. Thus, as an intruder, the usual rules of justice will never pertain, a reality alluded to late in the book when George, scanning the Albert Memorial with his binoculars, discovers a statuesque embodiment of the concept of justice that is not wearing a blindfold.
What is eventually so disturbing about Arthur and George, however, is the realisation that both characters are outsiders. George is set apart from his Staffordshire peers by his skin colour and perceived race. Arthur, however, lives no humdrum life. He attends private schools, qualifies as a doctor and then becomes an international celebrity by virtue of his writing. He takes up minority causes and identifies with them but, despite his obvious separateness from mainstream society, in his case his position is never interpreted as a threat or a handicap, obviously because the separateness of privilege has a different currency from the separateness of even relative poverty.
Now an enduring memory of my own school history lessons was a textbook reproduction of a mid-Victorian cartoon of the universal pyramid of creation. It had God at the apex, immediately in touch via the saints with the Empress of India and then, layered beneath in widening courses were the gentry and aristocracy, the members of government and civil service, the professional classes and merchants. The working classes could perhaps temporarily ignore their poverty in the solace offered by knowing that they are a cut above members of all other races who, themselves, were just one up from the apes. It was not many more layers down to the low animals, most of which slithered or crawled. Arthur and George ostensibly tells us much about racism and racial discrimination in a society that was portrayed as the apex of a worldwide empire, a heavenly focus for aspiration. It also tells us about the power of presumption and has much to say very quietly and by suggestion about social class and its ability, especially in Britain, to legitimise difference as originality or eccentricity in some areas, differences which elsewhere would be threats.
Philip Spires
Author of "Mission"
Book Description
Updated and enhanced, FRAUD EXAMINATION will help you learn to identify, detect, investigate, and prevent financial fraud. Studying is made easy with expanded end-of-chapter materials and updated appendices. Learn about different types of fraud, including tax fraud, e-business fraud, and consumer fraud. Finally, coverage of fraud detection, investigating theft and concealment, and fraudulent tax reporting activities provide unique insight into fraud in the modern world.
Customer Reviews:
Student friendly and well-written.......2007-05-11
This book is a very thorough and well-written introduction to the field of fraud examination. Authors' lucid and easy-to-read style with plenty of fraud story examples is helpful to digest complex concepts such as financial statement frauds and e-commerce frauds. Chapter sizes are carefully kept small. Quizzes and case studies are also well-thought out.
Some reviews on Amazon don't do this book a justice. Overall a comprehensive text book in the area of Fraud examination. For curious and interested in this field, I also recommend Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports, Second Edition.
Great book for students in accounting........2007-02-19
As soon as I started reading this book, I had no problems keeping up with the assigned readings in my class. The examples of what people will do to decieve others and themselves are gut wrenching, but give a true picture of what people do. This book has made me consider specializing in fraud.
Disapproval.......2007-01-04
I found this to be one of the most poorly written texts I've ever read. It is very redundant and full of grammatical errors. It's as if two or three authors wrote the same material in their own respective words and bound it together to form one book. This same amount of material could have been covered in a comprehensive essay as opposed to a poorly written 18 chapter text book.
Not Conan.......2004-06-24
W. Steve Albrecht is the author of the book.
Chad O. Albrecht is the contributing editor.
Contrary to Amazon's listing, Conan Albrecht is not listed in the book as an author or editor.
Book Description
The four classic novels of Sherlock Holmes available in a new slipcased edition.
The publication of Leslie S. Klinger's brilliant new annotations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 short stories in 2004 created a Holmes sensation. Here, in this eagerly awaited third volume, Klinger reassembles Doyle's four seminal novels in their original order, with over 1,000 new notes, 350 illustrations and period photographs, and tantalizing new Sherlockian theories. Inside, readers will find:
• A Study in Scarlet (1887)—a tale of murder and revenge that tells of Holmes and Dr. Watson's first meeting;
• The Sign of Four (1889)—a cinematic tale of lost treasure;
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901)—hailed as the greatest mystery novel of all time; and
• The Valley of Fear (1914)—a fresh murder scene that leads Holmes to solve a long-forgotten mystery.
Whether as a stand-alone volume or as a companion to the boxed short stories, this classic work illuminates the timeless genius of Conan Doyle for an entirely new generation. Slipcased hardcover; two-color text; 300 illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting facts pertaining to the Sherlock Holmes novels.......2007-08-10
Having been brought up on the edge of Dartmoor,in Devonshire, SW England,where the Hounds of the Baskervilles story was located I found the annotations to that novel to be very interesting and, more importantly, factual even to the minor details that were mentioned.
I have no doubts whatsoever that the facts connected to the other three novels are just as accurate.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any Sherlockian.
A BEAUTIFUL EDITION ~~~to place beside The Short Stories.......2007-07-16
This volume completes this edition of The Annotated Sherlock Holmes. What a beautiful set of books to ponder they are!
Myself, as with many of you, have "grown up" or "lived" with the great sleuth for many years, and it is, of course, for us, wonderful to open this beautiful volume, containing the four complete novels, lovingly annotated in the margins with tons of observations, thoughts, etc., on the great man and his times, and also, of course, on his great nemesis, Moriatry. It's just wonderful to sit comfortably and re-read, ponder, and think about this great character, his creator, and perhaps just smile upon doing so.
This great set of four of the greatest detective stories, along with the two volume companion with the 56 short stories, truly does belong on the shelves of anyone who likes both great writing, and also great detective stories, especially about the "Great" Holmes, whom you'll read over and over and over, enjoying them just as much the 12th time as the first!
Do yourself a Great Favor, and add this wonderful volume to your library...You Won't Be Sorry! ~operabruin
The four novels - in all their annotated glory!.......2007-06-27
This volume is a companion to the two-book set that covers the 56 short stories. Mr. Klinger has done an outstanding job of annotating and describing enough details in each novel to delight the casual reader or the devoted Holmes fan. Most Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts consider their annotated edition of the canon to be the centerpiece of their Holmes library. If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes, you will love this edition.
sherlock holmes novels.......2006-11-06
the stories are wonderful. the 100th anniversary editions are all charming. the re pore between Holmes and Watson is the definition of a true friend. the methodology of Holmes as alway is fascinating.
Great Book -- Get It.......2006-01-20
I first read the Sherlock Holmes stories in high school. Then in grad school (1967) came the two volume 'The Annotated Sherlock Holmes' by William S. Baring-Gould (sadly available now only used). Down through the years I guess I've re-read it every decade or so. Now Mr. Klinger has come out with 'The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes.' I didn't think that it was possible to improve on the Baring-Gould book, but Mr. Klinger has done so.
Besides Baring-Gould, there have been several other writers who have produced books on Holmes. Mr. Klinger seems to have researched them all and summarized their views, particularily where differences exist. For instance, the date that 'The Sign of the Four' took place is fairly important to Sherlockians. Mr. Klinger gives the dates calculated by sixteen different books.
Also added in this edition is a large number of drawings and photographs. Some of these come from the Strand Magazine and date back to the publication of the original story in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Some photographs come from the various movies including my favorites with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Others come from book covers, movie posters.
Conclusion: Great Book. If you've done the Sherlock stories without an annotated version, you're in for a real treat. If you have an earlier annotated version, you need this one to complete the set.
Book Description
In his hugely influential and tempestuous career, Robert E. Howard created the genre that came to be known as sword and sorcery–and brought to life one of fantasy’s boldest and most enduring figures: Conan the Cimmerian–reaver, slayer, barbarian, king.
This lavishly illustrated volume gathers together three of Howard’s longest and most famous Conan stories–two of them printed for the first time directly from Howard’s typescript–along with a collection of the author’s previously unpublished and rarely seen outlines, notes, and drafts. Longtime fans and new readers alike will agree that The Bloody Crown of Conan merits a place of honor on every fantasy lover’s bookshelf.
THE PEOPLE OF THE BLACK CIRCLE
Amid the towering crags of Vendhya, in the shadowy citadel of the Black Circle, Yasmina of the golden throne seeks vengeance against the Black Seers. Her only ally is also her most formidable enemy–Conan, the outlaw chief.
THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON
Toppled from the throne of Aquilonia by the evil machinations of an undead wizard, Conan must find the fabled jewel known as the Heart of Ahriman to reclaim his crown . . . and save his life.
A WITCH SHALL BE BORN
A malevolent witch of evil beauty. An enslaved queen. A kingdom in the iron grip of ruthless mercenaries. And Conan, who plots deadly vengeance against the human wolf who left him in the desert to die.
Download Description
In his hugely influential and tempestuous career, Robert E. Howard created the genre that came to be known as sword and sorcery—and brought to life one of fantasy’s boldest and most enduring figures: Conan the Cimmerian–reaver, slayer, barbarian, king.
This lavishly illustrated volume gathers together three of Howard’s longest and most famous Conan stories—two of them printed for the first time directly from Howard’s typescript—along with a collection of the author’s previously unpublished and rarely seen outlines, notes, and drafts. Longtime fans and new readers alike will agree that The Bloody Crown of Conan merits a place of honor on every fantasy lover’s bookshelf.
THE PEOPLE OF THE BLACK CIRCLE
Amid the towering crags of Vendhya, in the shadowy citadel of the Black Circle, Yasmina of the golden throne seeks vengeance against the Black Seers. Her only ally is also her most formidable enemy—Conan, the outlaw chief.
THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON
Toppled from the throne of Aquilonia by the evil machinations of an undead wizard, Conan must find the fabled jewel known as the Heart of Ahriman to reclaim his crown…and save his life.
A WITCH SHALL BE BORN
A malevolent witch of evil beauty. An enslaved queen. A kingdom in the iron grip of ruthless mercenaries. And Conan, who plots deadly vengeance against the human wolf who left him in the desert to die.
Customer Reviews:
The Bloody Crown of Conan.......2007-08-13
I've been a Conan fan for over 25 years. The insights alone were worth the purchase price. Excellent!
Super Reader.......2007-08-02
The second of a series of books from this particular publisher, this contains three longer stories, including the novel length Hour of the Dragon. Here you have The People of the Black Circle, The Hour of the Dragon, and A Witch Shall be Born:
Bloody Crown of Conan : The People of the Black Circle - Robert E. Howard
Bloody Crown of Conan : The Hour of the Dragon - Robert E. Howard
Bloody Crown of Conan : A Witch Shall be Born - Robert E. Howard
Conan is again in a leadership position, and seven of his lieutenants have been captured and are under sentence of death. He goes to see what he can do about it. In a flash, he makes off with their leader, the Devi. She is not all he has to worry about, as spies, plots and the wizardry of the Black Seers will all hinder him, not to mention the odd small army, along with the Devi herself.
4.5 out of 5
The novel length Conan work. An aging Conan is now in a position of responsibility, being King of Aquilonia.
His reign is threatened by a very powerful sorcerer, whom Conan is unable to stop by mundane means, and must take himself off hunting for a mystic artifact.
Having done this, there is some wizard smiting to be done.
Top notch work.
5 out of 5
A bad problem to have - how do you tell which of two women is the very evil twin. Luckily, our favorite barbarian is a very pragmatic man. Excellent and evocative, this story.
4.5 out of 5
A Must Have Robert E. Howard.......2007-04-13
When these stories were published Conan and his world had developed fully over many stories, and the Hyborean age and its political structures had become intricate and vast. From the plotting of Yasmina in "The People of the Black Circle" to the entertwining plot and subplots of "A Witch Shall Be Born," dark intrigue and the moves and countermoves of individuals and factions are central themes. "The Hour of the Dragon" is an especially impressive work, both in imagination and sharacter developement as well as the fact that it is the only full length Conan novel written by Conan's creator. The "Utitled Draft" on Page 315 is a particularly interesting read, in which Howard gets somewhat more graphic than usual. But the character developement in this particular "unfinished" piece is exemplar, and the story is unique among the three books in this series in that it's the only one that doesn't star or at least co-star. In fact Conan is only mentioned as the protagonists campanion in the past, and the famous barbarian does not appear in an actual "scene" until the last page of the story.
Howard was one of the earliest writers in the fantasy genre, and probably the inventor of its "sword and sorcery" sub-genre, and this is an important tomb for any fan of fantasy.
I have all three in this series, and after having to sift through so much Robert Jordon, L. Sprague D. Camp, and other fanfiction writers and being dissatisfied with previous compilation editions that tried to edit Howard into chronological order, I am glad to now have an original Robert E. Howard compilation in the order that the stories were written. The caliber of the work contained inside these books is jaw-dropping. Not only was howard incredibly imaginative and skilled impressively in submersing the reader's attention, but he also seems to have had an uncanny knowledge of certain things about man's prehistoric past that we are only discovering now to be true in the realm of archeology and science. The only problem with this series is that Del Rey skimped big-time on the glue.
J. Lyon Layden
The Other Side of Yore
The Real Deal...Accept No Substitutes.......2007-02-16
After years of Howard's Conan "canon" that was rewritten, bastardized and embellished by other hack writers, the real, original Howard texts have been restored and they are indeed a revelation. Howard's writing is rich and evocative. You imagine the barbaric past vividly. If your only exposure to Conan is the watered-down movie version, you owe it to yourself to go back to the source of it all, the real Conan, the real deal.
Genius.......2006-06-26
Nothing in the Conan saga that is written by anyone else compares to Howard's masterwork. While the pulp novels by a slew of Conan writers to come after Howard are enjoyable to read, the original stories are far and away the best. It's interesting to see how much of Conan's personality and other aspects of the character were left out by later writers, whether by lack of understanding or lack of skill. Conan as a beserk warrior appears more readily in the original works than in later stories by other authors. And Conan at his most berserk, with the mighty pen of Robert E. Howard guiding his sword, is simply riveting.
Book Description
“FOR HEADLONG, NONSTOP ADVENTURE AND FOR VIVID, EVEN FLORID, SCENERY, NO ONE EVEN COMES CLOSE TO HOWARD.”
–Harry Turtledove
In a meteoric career that covered only a dozen years, Robert E. Howard defined the sword-and-sorcery genre. In doing so, he brought to life the archetypal adventurer known to millions around the world as Conan the barbarian.
Witness, then, Howard at his finest, and Conan at his most savage, in the latest volume featuring the collected works of Robert E. Howard, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Greg Manchess. Prepared directly from the earliest known versions–often Howard’s own manuscripts–are such sword-and-sorcery classics as “The Servants of Bit-Yakin” (formerly published as “Jewels of Gwahlur”), “Beyond the Black River,” “The Black Stranger,” “Man-Eaters of Zamboula” (formerly published as “Shadows in Zamboula”), and, perhaps his most famous adventure of all, “Red Nails.”
The Conquering Sword of Conan includes never-before-published outlines, notes, and story drafts, plus a new introduction, personal correspondence, and the revealing essay “Hyborian Genesis”–which chronicles the history of the creation of the Conan series. Truly, this is heroic fantasy at its finest.
Download Description
“FOR HEADLONG, NONSTOP ADVENTURE AND FOR VIVID, EVEN FLORID, SCENERY, NO ONE EVEN COMES CLOSE TO HOWARD.”
–Harry Turtledove
In a meteoric career that covered only a dozen years, Robert E. Howard defined the sword-and-sorcery genre. In doing so, he brought to life the archetypal adventurer known to millions around the world as Conan the barbarian.
Witness, then, Howard at his finest, and Conan at his most savage, in the latest volume featuring the collected works of Robert E. Howard, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Greg Manchess. Prepared directly from the earliest known versions–often Howard’s own manuscripts–are such sword-and-sorcery classics as “The Servants of Bit-Yakin” (formerly published as “Jewels of Gwahlur”), “Beyond the Black River,” “The Black Stranger,” “Man-Eaters of Zamboula” (formerly published as “Shadows in Zamboula”), and, perhaps his most famous adventure of all, “Red Nails.”
The Conquering Sword of Conan includes never-before-published outlines, notes, and story drafts, plus a new introduction, personal correspondence, and the revealing essay “Hyborian Genesis”–which chronicles the history of the creation of the Conan series. Truly, this is heroic fantasy at its finest.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-02
Conquering Sword of Conan : Red Nails - Robert E. Howard
Conquering Sword of Conan : The Black Stranger - Robert E. Howard
Conquering Sword of Conan : Beyond the Black River - Robert E. Howard
Conquering Sword of Conan : Queen of the Black Coast - Robert E. Howard
Conquering Sword of Conan : Jewels of Gwahlur - Robert E. Howard
Download Conan - Red Nails
Conan is travelling, finds a dead woman, and then encounters Valeria of the Red Brotherhood. After trading some insults, they have the misfortune to stumble across a dragon.
Then they have fun in an abandoned city full of crazed warriors, two evil leering royals, and a third undeed type one. Capture, slayage, all the great stuff in this tale of a fantastic partnership.
5 out of 5
A tale of three brigands, that starts slow, and then rip-roars along. With multiple pirates, you know there has to be a treasure map. This time, to the Treasure of Tranicos.
Add in a mystical demon warrior, a bunch of raiding Picts, a couple of sieges, three pirates that can't trust each other, a beautiful woman, and Conan, and all hell will break loose.
4 out of 5
Conan is working around a fort on the border of Aquilonia, when many tribes of Picts, united by the wizard Zogar Sag, combine to attack.
Conan takes out a scouting party to see what goes on, but they are ambushed, and most captured and killed, except one man, that he rescues. The wizard summons beasts by virtue of the powers of an old god, whom Conan is familiar with. With the help of an old dog, Slasher, Conan and his companion try and get the settlers to safety, while the fort is overrun.
Zogar Sag makes a mistake when he sends a fleshly avatar to try and destroy Conan. The barbarian kills the avatar, which destroys the wizard, and the Pictish invasion is over.
4.5 out of 5
One of the classic Conan stories. The barbarian goes a-reavin', and finds another of the rare women that can match him. Belit has fire, and presence, and command, but again, it does not end well. Highly recommended.
4.5 out of 5
To quote Mr. Howard - "Conan was basically a direct-actionist. Such subtlety as he possessed had been acquired through contact with the more devious races."
For military reasons, Conan has to get the Teeth of Gwahlur from their hiding place in a mystic castle before his political and military opposition.
He decides he can get the girl Muriela to run the same scam she tried on him, on some others. The only problem is that the real goddess Yelaya shows up! Then it is time to scarper, sharpish.
4.5 out of 5
In other words, a top notch selection of Conan adventuring.
Robert's Final Realization of Conan!.......2007-05-11
The Servants of Bit-Yakin- In exemplary Wierd Tales Robert E. style, this one starts with Conan almost inexplicably scaling the side wall of an ancient city in a place we've never heard of. The barbarian has come to this place through information gleaned on adventures that Robert never told us about, as though the author had some Hyborean Silmarillion stashed somewhere that the recyclers have never found.
It's an excellent story that may have equal claim to several genres; horror, fantasy, sword and sorcery, and maybe even prehistoric fiction. Howard had an uncanny knowledge of those days when ice age species still survived in remote places, and had incredible insight into theorizing what it must have been like in the days when civilization vied with barbarism. What's interesting to me is that we're finding out these days that civilization is alot older than we think, but in Howard's day anything older than 3000 BC was considered prehistoric. Conan's era was around 9000 BC, with embellishments from many other eras in different places where civilization was replacing barbarism. Certainly, we now know, there would have been ancient deserted structures at this time, maybe even with remnants of antedeluvian archaic homo sapien living therein. Certainly Jericho had walls before Conan's time, and both cro-magnon and the southeast asian hominid dubbed "the hobbit" lived at least up until 10,000 BC. But how did Howard know it? How did his imagination describe so vividly and personally how life must have been in those brutal and barbaric times?
Beyond The Black River- WOW! This is probably Howard's most memorable Conan tale, told from the perspective of a hardy and valiant but lesser man who's lot in life is to travel and fight with Conan for a spell. Through this frontiersman's eyes, we understand Conan as a character perhaps better than we ever have before. The illustration of the Balthas's last charge, dog at side, flashes in my mind when I think of this tale.
"He was a man," said Conan "I drink to his shade, and to the shade of the dog, who knew no fear."
The Black Stranger is a pirate tale and frontier yarn that is among Howard's most developed plot structures, characterization, and writing skill.
The Man-Eaters of Zamboula melds fantasy and horror like only Robert E. can, a wicked tale of treachery and ancient necromancy.
Red Nails is definitely one of the greatest of the Conan stories. Again Howard shows uncanny preternatural knowledge, with an ancient city very much like some of the stranger ones excavated in the middle east, and a realistic dragon more like Megalania Prisca than Saphira and her influences.
In the appendix, Wolves Beyond the Border is a special rare treat.
Enjoy and enjoy again the genious of Robert E!
J. Lyon Layden
The Other Side of Yore
Greatness doesn't fade with time.......2007-05-07
I have been reading the works of Robert E. Howard for half a century and in all that time never has his prose failed to amaze me in it's richness, its intensity, and it's unfailing ability to take me from the world around me to the worlds that Howard created with such unfailing verve and passion.
In this series of books we at last can read Howard unpolluted by the editorial persversion of those who wished to make a better time frame for the stories, or who thought the readers of heroic fantasy were not capable of ignoring such inanities as a misspelled word, or a small glitch in the temporal continuity of a characters life, or a kingdoms identity.
I won't bore the reader here with a rehashing of Howard's brief but prodigiously creative life. Nor will I rave about the fact the he single handedly created a whole genre. I will simply say, as an author, as an artist, as an image maker, I have yet in my now long life and as an officianado of the so called sword and sorcery genre, ever seen his equal. Not Burroughs, nor Kline nor Leiber, not Bradbury, nor any other author that I have discovered in my unending search for great fantasy reading materials has ever created prose that with such pure and unimpeded energy throws the reader into a fictional environ so alive with the sights, sounds, smells and the beingness of worlds that existed in one mind. Howard's unique ability to put you into his worlds always raises the unanswerable question; if he had lived to a more mature age, would he have grown and expanded his incredible gift to write works of greater depth and meaning? Well, that question will only be answered when all of us who live on this plane, and those worthy of it, meet Howard on the Eylisian fields, amongst the other mighty warriors who did walk this world. I have no doubt that if the gods are just, that somewhere in that realm across the river styx there lives a warrior who once wote those tales, and who now, with all those other warriors who conquered and created empires, fights battles each day, and with the coming dawn, all those who were slain on that field the day before awake to grog and a linsome lass to prepare them to fight that glorious and unending contest once again. There I think you will find him, forever what he was, a warrior, filled with a lust for life and adventure. Look to the front of the lines and there you will find him with sword and buckler hewing and roaring his joy of life.
a brilliant finale for Howard's greatest character.......2007-04-22
After years of execrable garbage foisted on us by L Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter, and others (though some of the pastiches by other authors than these are decent), we finally get Conan as R. E. Howard envisioned him. Lacking the softer, milder imitation work of the aforementioned writers, this final volume in Wandering Star/Del Rey's reverent reissue of Howard's original work is a brilliant tour de force. All of the stories here range from passable (Servants of Bit-Yakin, Man-eaters of Zamboula) to great (Beyond the Black River, The Black Stranger) to outstanding (Red Nails, of course). Red Nails--the last story Howard wrote about Conan--is my favorite of them all. In the story, Conan is lustful of the voluptuous Valeria but adherent enough to a code of honor not to force himself on her. (Yes, she does finally give in to his advances.) More than the brilliant interpersonal relationship between the two leads though is the theme of death and decay surrounding the city of Xuchotl (an obvious stand-in for Howard's own home in the year before his untimely death). Both Conan and Valeria come to vivid life on page and drag the reader into Howard's fictional universe by sheer force of will. Howard's writing is full-throttle all the way to the bloody (and surprising) climax. What a way for the Dark Barbarian to exit the stage! As for the other stories, they all have their merits as much as Red Nails, some more so than others. What shines through each though is Howard's clear writing and dark, visceral vision of his savage world. Coupled with all this are drafts of some of the stories, an outline of the history of the writing of the Hyborian Age tales, and the letter Howard wrote to fans Miller and Clark detailing some previously unknown things about Conan. While Howard probably would never have written about Conan again even had he lived, what we have from him is brilliant and worth reading over and over. Thanks to Howard and his publishers for bringing the iconic Barbarian to life for us.
Powerful.......2006-12-25
I always loved the arnold movie and though it was great. But, the Books put the movie to shame. Arnold and the movie producers should be ashamed of the travesty that they created and the treatment of howards work.
Howard was AMAZING! he brings worlds to life, You are right there with Conan, you want to put a sword in your hand and go pillaging
Book Description
“Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities . . . there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars. . . . Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand . . . to tread
the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.”
Conan is one of the greatest fictional heroes ever created–a swordsman who cuts a swath across the lands of the Hyborian Age, facing powerful sorcerers, deadly creatures, and ruthless armies of thieves and reavers.
In a meteoric career that spanned a mere twelve years before his tragic suicide, Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be called sword and sorcery. Collected in this volume, profusely illustrated by artist Mark Schultz, are Howard’s first thirteen Conan stories, appearing in their original versions–in some cases for the first time in more than seventy years–and in the order Howard wrote them. Along with classics of dark fantasy like “The Tower of the Elephant” and swashbuckling adventure like “Queen of the Black Coast,” The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian contains a wealth of material never before published in the United States, including the first submitted draft of Conan’s debut, “Phoenix on the Sword,” Howard’s synopses for “The Scarlet Citadel” and “Black Colossus,” and a map of Conan’s world drawn by the author himself.
Here are timeless tales featuring Conan the raw and dangerous youth, Conan the daring thief, Conan the swashbuckling pirate, and Conan the commander of armies. Here, too, is an unparalleled glimpse into the mind of a genius whose bold storytelling style has been imitated by many, yet equaled by none.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
comprehensive writings of howard?.......2007-08-26
After comparing some of my old conan novel titles with the titles found int he 3 books of this series - there are some titles that I couldn't find in this 3 series of books. It is true that Sprague de. camp might have written some of these titles (one of the books doesn't make the author of the writing quite clear int he case of "drums of tumbalku", and possibly others). But I'm not sure since one reviewer stated that there were unfinished short stories. So they could be here. anyway, here is a listing of stories that I couldn't find in these books under the same or different titles (my conan collection is not complete btw, although I do own a lot of conan books):
drums of tumbalku
the hall of the dead
rogues in the house
the hand of nergal
the bloodstained god
the snout in the dark
hawks over shem
the road of eagles
wolves beyond the border
black tears
the flame knife
As I said, my collection is not comprehensive, so there may be other books that have stories written by Robert Howard (the master), that may not be listed in these books. But then again, since I don't have these 3 books and can only go by what people write in these reviews, then I can't say for sure. Nor am I sure abou the "short stories" and what title, if any, were given to them.
I haven't read conan in years. But from my memory, I think I liked most authors. No author was able to capture the magic of Robert Howard's writings. The closest that came close was maybe Robert Jordan (he even made the same type of spelling mistakes that robert howard made). But no author was able to capture the subconscious imagery which people could identify with, which may have made these writings so famous and endearing int he first place. For example, the giant collossus banging at the door (reminiscent of the angry dad trying to knock down the door), or the demonic woman - sucking the life force out of men and turning them into stone (possibly an analogy of the emotional vampirism of some women).
The only author who I think that did not write anything that resembled Conan was "Steve Perry". The style of writing is so different from that of other Conan books, that I simply did not recognize it as Conan (women were respected, people were too friendly, Conan was a talkative person, you had tons of weird creatures all over the place like it was a smurf village, etc etc).
And yes, people may complain about Sprague de Camp, and even Lin Carter. But it has to be remembered that these were devoted fans and researchers. Without them, the Conan revival might have never happened.
Super Reader.......2007-08-02
A very nice packaging of quite a lot of the Conan stories, and the Hyborian Age guide, as well as a few other bits and pieces. This includes : 01 The Phoenix on the Sword02 The Frost-Giant's Daughter03 The God in the Bowl04 The Tower of the Elephant05 The Scarlet Citadel06 Queen of the Black Coast07 Black Colossus08 Shadows in the Moonlight09 The Slithering Shadow10 The Pool of the Black One 11 The Vale of Lost Women12 The Devil in Iron13 The Phoenix on the SwordKing Conan is bored. Politics and statecraft and maps, and all that stuff.In a dream, a man magically enhances his sword, and that certainly comes in handy later when the odd traitor and demon relieves the tedium of the ruling class.3.5 out of 5 Conan meets a very pale woman after fighting a battle in the frozen north. She is haughty, and arrogant, and summons a couple of her brothers to fight Conan. Giant men they might be, but the Cimmerian grabs them, and then grabs the girl.4 out of 5Conan is indulging in a bit of thievery and is busted by the local constabulary, right near a dead body. Conan proclaims his innocence, which they find hard to believe, but are not going to fight him over it.3 out of 5Conan is in thieving mode here. In a tavern, he is asking the assembled crowd of nogoodniks why no-one has stolen a famous jewel from this tower.3.5 out of 5King Conan's army of Aquilonians has been smashed by a far superior force, led by a wizard. Conan refuses to sign over his kingdom, and the wizard throws him in a dungeon.4.5 out of 5One of the classic Conan stories. The barbarian goes a-reavin', and finds another of the rare women that can match him.4.5 out of 5Princess Yasmeela is visited by the sorceror Natokh, in an unearthly appartion. Terrified, she consults the oracle of Mitra, who tells her to make the first man she sees head of her armies.4 out of 5Conan comes across an Hyrkanian battle leader who has slaughtered the mercenaries he was with. He slays him and allows a girl the dead man had captured to come with him.4 out of 5Conan and the woman with him find a strange city in the desert, after attacks and problems, they finally come across two weird inhabitants, a man and a woman :"..I am Thalis the Stygian," she replied. "Are you mad, to come here?"4 out of 5 Conan has escaped an island where he was in trouble, and swum out to a nearby ship, boosting himself over the side and inviting himself onto the crew.4 out of 5Conan is war chief of the Bamulas, and the story is told from the point of view of an Ophirean woman that is a captive of the group he is leading.3.5 out of 5Conan, working as a hetman of the Free Peoples is on the trail of a girl he had met in camp. He comes across an odd, dreamlike area, but soon encounters yet another giant defender, but this one even he cannot kill.4 out of 5King Conan is bored. Politics and statecraft and maps, and all that stuff.3.5 out of 5
Great stories; terrible artwork.......2007-07-19
Wonderful compilation marred by absolutely horrid artwork. This guy draws Conan like a Ken Doll! How I long for the old Frank Frazetta covers that used to bless the cover of Conan books.
Swords, magic and confusion........2007-06-02
Conan the Cimmerian turned out to be a much better book than I foresaw. A series of short stories, placed in the order of their creation, they really do show us a cross-slice of Conan's life. Young thief, assassin, pirate, noble and King, he was everything you could think of.
The setting is loose and wild. Robert E. Howard refused to pin anything down with too many details or solid facts which gives him a lot of room to play with. Also, while there is magic it is treated was respect and no little fear. Seems only the bad guys use it, so it can't be used by Conan to get out of problems and traps. He has to use his brains and his brawn. Fully illustrated and with tons of extras in the forms of maps and material never before published, this is a great find.
Great Role-Playing prep for the Conan MMOG.......2007-05-20
If you plan on playing the massively multiplayer Conan game and you don't know much about the setting which ranges from jungles to plains to mountains to seas, or the pantheon of gods and the cults that worship them, or the diverse political associations of the secondary characters, or what the original Conan was really like, then this is an outstanding introduction to the rich, compelling fantasy world and the complex hero who adventured in it.
For example I was surprised to learn of all the different 'careers' that Conan had including king, mercenary, thief, and even pirate.
Howard's storytelling style is great and, like the quests in the game, the stories themselves vary, from large scale strategic battles to tales of supernatural intrigue where Conan is on his own.
If you want to get a feel for the 'backstory' of the game world and have a richer deeper gameplay experience, I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
A cause for international celebration—the most important Sherlock Holmes publication in four decades.
This monumental edition promises to be the most important new contribution to Sherlock Holmes literature since William Baring-Gould's 1967 classic work. In this boxed set, Leslie Klinger, a leading world authority, reassembles Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 classic short stories in the order in which they appeared in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century book editions. Inside, readers will find a cornucopia of insights: beginners will benefit from Klinger's insightful biographies of Holmes, Watson, and Conan Doyle; history lovers will revel in the wealth of Victorian literary and cultural details; Sherlockian fanatics will puzzle over tantalizing new theories; art lovers will thrill to the 700-plus illustrations, which make this the most lavishly illustrated edition of the Holmes tales ever produced. The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes illuminates the timeless genius of Arthur Conan Doyle for an entirely new generation of readers. 700+ illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
The Best Annotated Holmes Collection Available.......2007-08-14
Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories are widely available in numerous editions, but this one stands out for three reasons. First, there is a superb introudction of over 60 pages ("The World of Sherlock Holmes"); second, there are numerous original illustrations, photographs of the scenes of the stories, and so on; third, and most important, the annotations--which are extensive--include both real facts about the Victorian world that one needs to know to understand the stories *and* "Sherlockiana".
For example, when, in "the Adventure of the Beryl Coronet", a mysterious nobleman asks a banker for "a trifling sum" of 50,000 pounds, the modern reader might shrug--surely 50,000 pounds *is* indeed a "trifling sum" for a rich nobleman?--until one realizes, as the annotations say, that it would be over $6,000,000 today. The annotators do an excellent job with such factoids: less and some of the stories' references would remain obscure; more and they would become pedantic.
What really sets it apart, however, are the "Sherlockian" annotations, which pretend "A. C. Doyle" was Watson's pen name and that the stories describe real events--and makes up theories to explain apparent contradictions or omissions. For example, in "The Man with the Twisted Lip", Watson's wife calls him "James" (instead of "John"). Why? The obvious answer--Doyle made a slip--is, of course, not allowed by the rules of the Sherlockian "game". The annotators give three pages to summarising the numerous theories Sherlockians offered--from claiming "James" was Watson's middle name, to claims it was her lover's name (thus also "discovering" Waton's middle name, and/or explaining why he seems to have left his wife).
Even if you have no interest at all in such intellectual games, the photographs and illustrations, the historical introduction, and the factual annotations alone more than justify a "five stars" rating. If you *are* interested in Shelockiana, these books are more than that--they're an instant classic, sure to be the "standard edition" of Sherlock fans for years to come.
conan doyle changed police procedure from beating todeduction .......2007-08-10
Conanan Doylechanged police from bribers of low life to rat on others or to beat confessions from poorly educated or low intelligence souls tothose who sought to know the facts.The facts came from evidence of all sorts, witnesses,debris on the scene, or from the area or arena of suspects o those involved. The courts the\n rejected evidence that was tainted.This included statements from tortured or possibly tortured persons that was not corrobrated by tangible evidence. So today we have a system that is closer to trying to get the truth than getting a conviction. This enables those who can manipulate it to beat the justice sytem in the short term. The safety valve is that those who tend to break the law do so again until getting caught.
BEAUTIFUL! ~~An HONOR to Doyle, and to HOLMES!.......2007-07-16
Well, to start, I see that I am the 25th person to review this double volume of these marvelous stories in this wonderful edition.
It is so wonderful to sit down in my big old wing-back chair, especially on a rainy day or evening, and re-read these fabulous stories again, some for perhaps the 6th or 7th time, others the 3rd or 4th. And, the highlight, of course, is to ponder the notations in the margins of these wonderfully crafted and beautifully presented books.
Next time you feel like doing something "Nice" for yourself, why not treat yourself to this beautiful, and so much fun to revisit, set of the Sherlock Holmes Short Stories! You will never regret it...they always seem to be like old forgotten friends each time you come back to them. ~operabruin
(PS: Do not forget the Novels, also part of this edition in their own volume.)
Masterful.......2006-08-18
I cannot add to the kudos bestowed by virtually every review of this 2 volume delight.
A warning: Check the "Adventure of the Priory School" for missing footnotes. The numbers appear in the margins but the (red type) prose is missing! Someone goofed seriously at the printer's shop. This may not be a major catastrophe (perhaps it is an intentional mystery created by the author), but it's like buying a new car with a dimple in the hood: you know it's there (or, in this instance, it isn't there!) If you are affected by this lack of annotation, return the volumes to Amazon, write a letter to the publisher (Norton) and get restitution, by George!
Excellent production, could have been bound better.......2006-07-23
Rather than repeat the reviews of the previous authors, I'd like to make two points related to the production of the book:
The book should have been stitched rather than gummed at the spine. I can almost foresee my grandson many years hence trying to read Grandpa's favorite book that was willed to him, only to have the spine break. A book of enduring value must have a stitched spine. OTOH looks like it has been printed on acid-free paper, which is a good thing.
How I wish there was a CD-ROM edition. The book is unbelievably bulky. That is fine for someone's study or library. If there was a CD-ROM based edition, people short on space, or those who travel on public transport could enjoy the author's work more conveniently (e.g. by reading on their laptop).
Unfortunately Amazon does not ship this book free. But some of its competitors do. It pays to shop around.
Amazon.com
This volume, authorized by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate, contains all 4 full-length novels and all 56 short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes. At over a thousand pages, the weighty tome is a perfect gift for budding amateur sleuths, and it is an ideal companion for a long stay on a desert island (or a leisurely trip through the English countryside). As the reader wades past the tense introductions of A Study in Scarlet and moves towards such classic tales as The Hound of the Baskervilles, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," and "The Final Problem," she is sure to draw her own conclusions about Holmes's veiled past and his quirky relationship with his "Boswell," Watson. Doyle never revealed much about Holmes's early life, but the joy of reading the complete Holmes is assembling the trivia of each story into something like a portrait of the detective and his creator. By the end of the long journey through London and across Europe (with a long stopover at Reichenbach Falls), one is apt to have found a friend for life. --Patrick O'Kelley
Book Description
Over one hundred years have passed since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle intoduced his inimitable sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, to the world--and his popularity has never waned. This oversized commemorative volume contains the entire canon of Holmes adventures, both before and after his creator's attempt to dispatch him in print. Just as the character, Holmes, prevails and defies even death, these detective stories featuring him and Dr. Watson have withstood more than the test of time: they defined and changed the way modern crime writers approached detective fiction.
Download Description
This omnibus faithfully chronicles all the sixty cases of Sherlock Holmes by his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The famous Baker Street detective has captured the hearts and imagination of both the young and old, generation after generation. Now, by popular demand, this precious, complete collection of Sherlock Holmes cases is available to his fans in ebook format! The individual titles in this volume by the publisher are also available: A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, the Return of Sherlock Holmes, the Hound of the Baskervilles, the Valley of Fear, His Last Bow and the Case Book of Sherlock Holmes.
Customer Reviews:
Complete Sherlock Holmes.......2007-06-14
This entire book is amazing. A very good product!!
For a fan of the detective genre, buying this collection is a no brainer.......2007-03-13
Whether you've read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories or not, at only 10 bucks this collection is a must own for any fans of detective fiction.
This edition is highly usable and highly readable - it's cheap, and it's also compact and easy to read. Breaking it into two reasonably small paperbacks makes it very convenient to take with you on a trip, for example. It's also an easy, convenient way to get all four novels and all the short stories. Sure it isn't a pretty hardcover edition that will look good on the bookshelf - this edition is meant to be read.
If you're already a fan of Holmes and are debating whether to buy this collection, I'd highly recommend it. If you're not already a fan but like detective fiction in general, you may as well shell out the measly 10 bucks for one of the original (and still one of the best, in my opinion) examples of the genre.
Great edition........2007-01-05
I really like the book from the inside out. Sturdy with an excellent binding, printed using easily readable font, and contains a nice touch of antiquity with the slightly torn pages on the side. Looks exactly like the first volume, though the background color of the pictures on the cover, side, and back is red and not blue.
For this kind of money it is a real bargain and I recommend it for anyone who wishes to venture into the magnificent world of Sherlock Holmes.
Question.......2006-12-29
Why is it that one of the user reviews says it ends with THE FINAL PROBLEM? If they are in order that should not be the case. Sherlock Holmes returns later. (THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE) Is it defenetly the complete collection?
Short Review.......2006-08-28
This book includes really all four novels and many stories about Sherlock Holmes. If you are interested in having all this in one book, buy this book and you won't be ever regret.
Book Description
When the internationally famous barbarian hero returned to comics, with an all-new fresh start by award-winning writer Kurt Busiek (JLA/Avengers, Astro City) and dynamic artists Cary Nord, Thomas Yeates, and Dave Stewart, the result was instant sell-outs and multiple printings to keep up with the demand. Now Conan's earliest adventures are collected in a handsome 192-page collection. Catch all the action and savagery as he wars with the murderous Vanir, meets the Frost Giant's Daughter, and is taken as a slave by the ancient sorcerers of Hyperborea! This top-selling new series faithfully expands on original author Robert E. Howard's literary creation.
Customer Reviews:
Graphic SF Reader.......2007-08-02
The stories here are ok--they should be, as one of them is a straight Howard take.
However, I have a big problem with the artwork. The painted, somewhat pastel at times indistinct style makes Conan look like an eyeless kobold at times, and at others like big-eyed wild madmen all over the place. Non-inked fuzzy style looks crappy, to me.
Growing up with Barry Windsor-Smith this is a change much for the worse.
I won't be reading any more of this with the same art style.
Great magazine!!.......2007-05-14
This could not be better! The drawings are fantastic! Storyline is very good, great characters. Brutally fantastic! You should have this in your comic collection, it will be worth to have it.
Awesome art and a great read.......2007-03-12
This is one of the few comics books that I enjoy to read not just for the great art but also the amazing story. Very well written book, it moves at a nice pace, lots of action and it's not afraid to pull any punches; it definitely caters to an adult audience.
The art by Cary Nord is fantastic, this book doesn't disappoint at any level.
Another great Conan .......2006-07-03
This is a compilation of various of Conans adventures when he was young. Great reading
Conan's Code.......2006-06-12
Conan is more than just the muscle bound barbarian that only thinks of women and riches, which I think is the opinion many who have not actually read a Conan book believe. He has a sense of honor and loyalty to his friends, even those he just met. Granted, he does get to indulge in the pleasures of life, but only after great suffering. He is a man that wants to have his food, drink and women and be left alone. But when the times come that he needs to step up, he will, and you'll regret waking the barbarian within.
Book Description
Sherlock Holmes
The Complete Novels and Stories
Volume I
Since his first appearance in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes has been one of the most beloved fictional characters ever created. Now, in two paperback volumes, Bantam presents all fifty-six short stories and four novels featuring Conan Doyle’s classic hero--a truly complete collection of Sherlock Holmes’s adventures in crime!
Volume I includes the early novel
A Study in Scarlet, which introduced the eccentric genius of Sherlock Holmes to the world. This baffling murder mystery, with the cryptic word Rache written in blood, first brought Holmes together with Dr. John Watson. Next,
The Sign of Four presents Holmes’s famous “seven percent solution” and the strange puzzle of Mary Morstan in the quintessential locked-room mystery.
Also included are Holmes’s feats of extraordinary detection in such famous cases as the chilling
“ The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” the baffling riddle of
“The Musgrave Ritual,” and the ingeniously plotted
“The Five Orange Pips,” tales that bring to life a Victorian England of horse-drawn cabs, fogs, and the famous lodgings at 221B Baker Street, where Sherlock Holmes earned his undisputed reputation as the greatest fictional detective of all time.
Customer Reviews:
One of my favorite writers!.......2007-08-19
There's not much left to say about this literary classic. It's great to have all of the stories and novels put together, in the order that they were published--there are references here and there to things that happened in previous stories. Of course, you don't have to read everything in order, but its worth it all the same.
Some of my all-time favorite stories in this volume of the collection are "The Red-Headed League," and "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." Also worth a read are the short novels A Study In Scarlet, The Sign of Four, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. They illustrate Doyle's (and Holmes's) mastery of the art of observation. As Holmes says in a story in the second volume, "I see as much as you, but I notice what I see." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of my all-time favorite authors; this collection is highly recommended.
Bravo on Baker Street!.......2007-05-18
This book offered some of the lesser known writings of Doyle, as well as, some of the better known stories like "The Sign of Four". My only gripe was that the font was bit small and I was feeling like a detective myself holding a magnifying glass just to make out the words.
Arthur Conan Doyle captures my interest with each little detail and surprise that awaits our true Bohenian Detective and his companion Watson. The dialogue is always fluid and natural. And the stories are so involving. I recommend anyone hoping to become a writer someday to tackle Doyle's works headon. You'll be better for it.
Sherlock Holmes.......2006-06-26
If you a Sherlock Holmes fan this is a great book to read. I like this Volume that I order Volume II to read this summer.
Wow.......2005-12-11
Immerse yourself in foggy 19th century London, following the steps of intrepid detective Sherlock Holmes. This volume will give you a very thorough introduction to the official "canon" of Sherlockian lore. Recommended reading.
My all-time favorite.......2005-12-01
I have the whole collection of the Sherlock Holmes, and they are my all-time favorite books. There was never a better character, stories, or anything. I personally think that the reason many people think they start out slowly is because you have to understand the basic facts or you'll be puzzled when he's in the middle of the "big deal." They start out calm and get more and more exciting, so by the time the climax comes, you're almost nuts to read it all and find out what was going on! Anyways, this is the FIRST book I would buy for my fiction library.
Books:
- Asterix and the Laurel Wreath (Asterix)
- Astronomy Today (5th Edition)
- Blizzard of the Blue Moon (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Issue 2
- Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Hope, Healing and Forgiveness (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
- Complete Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the body Thief)
- Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest
- Dragon Blood (The Hurog Duology, Book 2)
- Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies: Psychology & Chinese Medicine (Revised Edition)
- Dragon Sea: A True Tale of Treasure, Archeology, and Greed off the Coast of Vietnam
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Woody Allen on Woody Allen
- Star Wars Omnibus: X-Wing Rogue Squadron, Vol. 1
- Designing with Kanji: Japanese Character Motifs for Surface, Skin & Spirit
- How to Be Happy All the Time
- My Traitor's Heart: A South African Exile Returns to Face His Country, His Tribe, and His Conscience
- Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Protocols
- Nuremberg Diary
- History in Their Blood: The Indian Portraits of Nicholas De Grandmaison
- Hands-On Life Science Activities for Grades K - 8
- HERALDS OF EMPIRE BEING THE STORY OF ONE RAMSAY STANHOPE, LIEUTENANT TO PIERRE RADISSON IN THE NORTH
