There is a huge choice of audiobooks for the Sherlock Holmes fan to pick from. These include full cast dramatized versions, the classic 'Golden Age of Radio' recordings, narrations by skilled actors and a range of free recordings made by enthusiasts. At the heart of every audio version of the Sherlock Holmes stories is, of course, the great man's voice.
Sherlock Holmes Audiobooks
In audio versions of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, listeners are reliant on the narrator's or actor's voice to conjure up the essence of the great detective. In film, stage or television props, such as the deerstalker hat, calabash pipe and Inverness cape, can be used to create a visual image of Holmes (although interestingly, the deerstalker hat and cape are not mentioned in the stories). In audio, the listener absorbs the atmosphere and subtleties of the story through the voice and sounds. The character of Sherlock Holmes is complex, he is given to mood swings, highly strung and often caught up in a world that is inaccessible to others. Displaying these subtleties through audio recordings is so much more challenging than simply donning a deer stalker and letting visual preconceptions of the character take over.
Types of Sherlock Holmes Audiobooks
Sherlock Holmes audiobooks fall into two categories. There are full cast performances which are often recordings of radio plays which feature well known actors. The second category is narrated readings of Arthur Conan Doyle's books. Both types of audiobook offer something different:
Full Cast Performances
Radio performances of the Sherlock Holmes stories started in the 'golden age of radio' and remain popular today. While many of these performances moved away from Conan Doyle's stories, perhaps by changing the setting or the characters, others remain true to the Doyle's original plots. Some of the original radio recordings are available today in audiobook format.
One of the most popular audio performances of the Sherlock Holmes stories featured the pairing of Clive Merrison as Sherlock Holmes and Michael Williams as Doctor John Watson. The BBC started recording the stories in 1989 and in 1998 was the first production company to record the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. For many listeners, Clive Merrison is Sherlock Holmes, with his voice perfectly portraying the key characteristics of the Victorian detective. Michael Williams is a wonderful Doctor Watson and a great balance to the sometimes exuberant Holmes.
Classic dramatized recordings available in audiobook format include those featuring John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Orson Welles. This stellar cast recorded A Baker's Dozen which features twelve of the most popular Sherlock Holmes stories. Recordings in audiobook format featuring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are also available from Simon and Schuster (simonsays.com). This pairing for many people represents the classic Holmes and Watson characterizations.
Narrated Stories
Many of the narrated audiobooks are recorded and published professionally whereas others are being made available by enthusiastic volunteers. All the Sherlock Holmes stories, for instance, are available in mp3 and iTunes audiobook format. Professionally produced audio recordings are also widely available with the books narrated by famous names such as Christopher Lee, Micheal York and Edward Hardwicke. Each of these actors has played Holmes or Watson in film or television productions, giving them an additional insight into the characters.
The original stories are now in the public domain and this means that they are freely available for people to read and record. There are many free recordings of the Sherlock Holmes stories available and these are often recorded by volunteer narrators. These can be found in websites such as Librivox.
Further Information:
The Sherlock Holmes stories are available from audiobook retailers. Some of the specialist recordings can be found at stores such as:
- BBC World Wide - selection of recordings of the Sherlock Holmes stories
- Nolstagia Town - a range of classic recordings
Further reading - Arthur Conan Doyle - A Life in Letters book review.
Kate Pullen - Kate Pullen is a freelance writer specializing in arts and crafts , and is an accomplished craftsperson. As well as being a designer / ...
