Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" Stories: 5 Reasons to Read Them

I read my very first Sherlock story while I was briefly living in Romania. It was one of the only books that I found written in English, and I remember thinking to myself at the time, "Why didn't anyone ever tell me that these stories were so good?" That's why I thought I would write this article, to give you some reasons to go pick up one or more of these stories and check them out. I don't want to see this classic literary figure lose steam and disappear in the age of the cell phone and the computer. But be warned, reading them can become an addictive habit, and once you get started, you just may end up with the full collection and quite an affinity for history's most famous sleuth.

Reason #1: There's a new Sherlock Holmes movie coming out, directed by Guy Ritchie and co-starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. (There's also a rumored Judd Apatow version staring Will Ferrell possibly in the works.) Who knows if it will be any good or not? But one thing's for sure, the English have a lasting love for this literary figure. In fact, so does most of the world, as he pops up frequently in all kinds of films and television shows and has for many years now. A character with that type of popularity is someone worth reading up on, fictional or not. Also, movies are far more entertaining when you know about their source material. Seeing a Sherlock Holmes movie without reading any of the stories is like going to a concert where you don't know the words to any of the songs. It's not nearly as fun.

SIDEBAR: The best Sherlock Holmes film is, in my opinion, "Without a Clue" starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley. It's not entirely loyal to the source material, as it's a comedy. But it's a real gem. The character of Dr. Moriarty also appeared on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" a handful of times. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was featured in the blink-and-you've missed it, "Shanghai Knights". There's the "Great Mouse Detective" which is a disguised version of a Sherlock Holmes story for kids...and an adorable one at that. There was a tremendously successful film series starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes during the 1940's that are worth renting. There have also been several excellent BBC versions of various stories. Gene Wilder even took a shot at the story by casting himself in, "Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother" , a movie which he himself wrote and produced. I could go on and on...but I think you get the point.

Sherlock Holmes has staying power and mass appeal, therefore there's a high likelihood you'll be entertained. As people who partake of media, we're less likely to put our movies to the test before watching them in the same way that we do our books before reading them. Because they only cost us a couple of hours. If a movie flops, no big deal. If we hate a book, we feel robbed of time. So we often need to know that we're not taking a risk picking up a book that will waste hours of our lives. So rest assured, you have my guarantee that these books are a good investment for your time. Because, among other reasons...

Reason #2 They're educational. Not in the boring way either. You will find that you are accidentally learning as you read. Holmes is known for his deductive reasoning skills, and you may find that you adopt them yourself and start applying them in daily life. So it's like learning without the work. You've learned by accident by listening to the way that the cases are solved. In my case, I found that even as I read along, the further I got into the stories, the more likely I was to solve them before their ending. You may even want to keep track of the ones you figure out yourself as you read. Who needs "Brain Age" when you've got Sherlock Holmes to help keep you sharp?

Reason #3 You may develop a surprising affinity for British culture or historical fiction. The best thing about the Sherlock Holmes stories is that they can take you to a time and place that is entirely unlike our own. There's talk of tea and pipe tobacco, gas lights and horse-drawn carriages and lots of other romantic notions about days long since passed. There's some extra appeal to those of us who are American, because some of the concepts are so foreign. There are British terms used, British names, and lots of journeys to country sides and manors. The same romantic view that you can get about France by watching the glamorized animated, "Beauty and the Beast" can be felt toward England when reading Sherlock stories. (Or watching Richard Curtis movies.) Does it give you an entirely historically accurate picture? No. But it can get you interested in things that you never thought you'd care about at all. People think that fiction is all fluff, but it can lead you to new discoveries. It has the same general effect of picking up a National Geographic magazine. Is it entertaining? Of course! But it's still good for you. Like PBS or red wine. People who enjoy westerns may understand that appeal to reading about or watching stories from a different time. It has an escapist quality that you can't find in modern film or fiction.

Reason #4 They're suspenseful. Yes, they're set in the late 1800's and early 1900's, but they're still all about murder and intrigue. The way some of them are written can be downright creepy as well. Ever been reading a book and had that sudden realization that you were actually getting scared? (Think of the famous Friends episode where Joey tells Rachel to read, "The Shining".) These stories can do that to you. They're not all tea and crumpets just because they're set in the past. In fact, I wouldn't recommend them to children or people who don't like gore. Not every story has violence, but most of them do. Many of them feature suspenseful chase scenes, fight scenes, races against time, and menacing villains. Just because something is aged or foreign to you doesn't make it boring.

Reason #5 Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, like any good characters, are very interesting people. They have flaws, Holmes himself has a nasty addictive habit. But they also have a unique friendship and some lovable qualities.

Those are just five reasons why you should start reading Sherlock Holmes stories. But there are many more, and I guarantee that you'll find your own as you start to read them yourself. Some are adventures, all are mysteries, but none of them disappoint. A good place to start would be with some of the shorter stories from, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". Good luck, and I hope that you'll find 221b Baker Street to be nice and homey. Watch out for the fog...you never what lurks therein.