The 12 Best Sherlock Holmes Adventures - chosen by Arthur Conan Doyle himself in 1927.

Well, here’s a compilation of Sir Arthur’s favourite dozen Sherlock Holmes stories out of the 56.* I thought it worth putting these stories together in one audio file, just in case anyone wants to power through the ‘best ones’.

Timestamps
0:00 The Speckled Band
57:32 The Red-Headed League
1:49:50 The Dancing Men
2:48:28 The Final Problem
3:33:25 A Scandal in Bohemia
4:23:44 The Empty House
5:18:14 The Five Orange Pips
6:03:06 The Second Stain
7:05:01 The Devil’s Foot
8:11:53 The Priory School
9:24:51 The Musgrave Ritual
10:08:17 The Reigate Squire

It was in March 1927, as the book version of ‘The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes’ was about to go to press, that the Strand came up with a readers’ competition. Sir Arthur himself would select the very best of the Holmes tales, and whoever then guessed the author’s list “most nearly” would win the £100 prize. 

“It is as a little test of the opinion of the public that I inaugurate the small competition announced here,” Conan Doyle wrote. “I have drawn up a list of the twelve short stories contained in the four published volumes (excluding The Case-book) which I consider to be the best, and I should like to know to what extent my choice agrees with that of Strand readers. I have left my list in a sealed envelope with the Editor of the Strand.”

In June 1927, the Editor plucked open the envelope to reveal the list, and helpfully for posterity (is that us?) Doyle had also written down the process he went through to whittle down the list. Here is part of it:

“When this competition was first mooted I went into it in a most light hearted way, thinking that it would be the easiest thing in the world to pick out the twelve best of the Holmes stories. In practice I found that I had engaged myself in a serious task. In the first place I had to read the stories myself with some care. ‘Steep, steep, weary work,’ as the Scottish landlady remarked.

"I am now faced with some forty odd candidates to be weighed against each other. There are certainly some few an echo of which has come to me from all parts of the world, and I think this is the final proof of merit of some sort. There is the grim SPOILER story, “The Speckled Band.” That, I am sure, will be on every list. Next to that in popular favour and in my own esteem I would place “The Red-Headed League” and “The Dancing Men,” on account in each case of the originality of the plot. Then we could hardly leave out the story which deals with the only foe who ever really extended Holmes, and which deceived the public (and Watson) into the erroneous inference of his death. Also, I think the first story should go in, as it opened the path for the others, and as it has more female interest than is usual. Finally, I think the story which essays the difficult task of explaining away the alleged death of Holmes, and which also introduces such a villain as Colonel Sebastian Moran, should have a place. This puts “The Final Problem,” “A Scandal in Bohemia,” and “The Empty House” upon our list, and we have got our first half-dozen..."

And so he goes on... until:

"It is proverbially a mistake for a judge to give his reasons, but I have analysed mine if only to show any competitors that I really have taken some trouble in the matter.

The list is therefore as follows:
1. The Speckled Band (1892)
2. The Red-Headed League (1891)
3. The Dancing Men (1903)
4. The Final Problem (1893)
5. A Scandal in Bohemia (1891)
6. The Empty House (1903)
7. The Five Orange Pips (1891)
8. The Second Stain (1904)
9. The Devil’s Foot (1910)
10. The Priory School (1904)
11. The Musgrave Ritual (1893)
12. The Reigate Squire (1893)"

As usual this video/audio is read by Greg Wagland for Magpie Audio.

I recorded the earliest of these stories in a chilly pantry/studio somewhere on the Suffolk coast. Please feel free to leave comments about your favourite stories. As you know I was much struck by The Veiled Lodger!

Cheers!

*Although ACD didn't include the Case-book stories in this list, as it hadn't been published as a book at this point.. So this list of 12 is really out of 44 or so, including His Last Bow stories.