Is 'HotB' the one where Watson wants to know why Holmes is painting the front door yellow, and is told "Lemon entry my dear Watson" ?

:o couldn't resist.

dear god, i may break my groaner on that one.

you can get a free audio version from librivox : http://librivox.org/the-hound-of-the...r-conan-doyle/ in fact they've got quite a large selection of Conan Doyle's works available (among other things). i don't know whether the reader is any good, though.

Did anyone else find it a bit disturbing how Watson and Sir Charles so readily chose to not inform the authorities about Selden after not being able to capture him themselves? Regardless of how the information came to them and the opinions of the Barrymores, I would have thought that just the possibility of such a violent criminal commiting another act would lead Watson to notify them regardless of his 'intent' to leave the country.

-MJ

I wanted to add, I didn't make the connection between Holmes and House, that was fascinating to learn that. I have only just started watching that show as they've been playing reruns a lot in recent weeks.

It's a great show.

I thought the whole thing with Selden was weird too. They didn't really give a reason for it.

Yes good point. Before I read any of these books I had always got that impression, that he was a side kick or scribe. But, now that I have read this stuff (still reading AOSH and more) I find that Watson is intelligent and thoughtful. He is certainly a friend and confidant to Holmes. He makes a good sounding board. Although you would think he, as a Dr., would be more forceful in getting Holmes, his friend off the cocaine.

I never knew that Watson was a real medical Dr. He had a practice and a wife. Although his wife doesn't really enter into the stories thus far except in the case where he met her. I am having a ball reading the omnibus. Harry... thanks so much for your excellent work on it.

BOb

Holmes and Watson quite frequently take the law into their own hands. In the very first stroy, they are aobut to give a stolen treasure to the daughter of the man who stole it, even British Law would have returned it to the rightful owner. Fortunately, the treasure was lost, but it sort of sets the tone. Conan Doyle had a sort of "I'm an aristocrat, so I make my own laws" way of looking a the world.

Yes. I realize this. But, Laine was so impressed with the dramitization aspects it sounded most interesting. My wife has some credits at Audible she may not be able to use by the end of her membership year. So, maybe I will have her get this for me.

Has anyone listened to any of the public domain versions of this? Any good?

BOb

(BTW: I am also wanting to see A Passage to India movie. I like to see how the characters are portrayed in a movie after I have read the book.)

This wasn't the first time Holmes has found out the culprit and not turned him in. He makes his own judgment calls based on how circumstances and how he sees it and their motivations in his own mind.

BOb

Ahh, but technically he wasn't the culprit, and Holmes didn't make the decision.

Yes true. But, I think perhaps Watson was emulating Holmes in this book. So, the motivations for his decision were based on those past experiences.

BOb

I think I skipped on that myself, in fact Holmes did make that decision as well, and independently of Watson and Sir Charles' decisions. As he was his neighbor for a time. Though I am still more surprised at Watson then Holmes.

-MJ

Interesting point. Combine that with the whole aristocratic thing...

mjh215- Good point as well. I wonder what his reasoning was as well. Maybe to help cover that he was hiding in the woods?

The whole Selden sub-plot is clearly there as a "red herring" to deceive the reader into perhaps suspecting Barrymore and his wife as being in some way involved with the death of Sir Charles.

Yet, in the first chapter, Holmes ridicules Watson's bumbling attempts to deduce anything from a walking stick.

"When I said that you stimulated me I meant, to be frank, that in noting your fallacies I was occasionally guided towards the truth."