I have a question about 2 Sherlock Holmes books

[Rouge One]

I have 2 ebooks and I am trying to figure is the best one to keep and what the difference is between :

1. British Mystery Megapack Volume 5 - The Sherlock Holmes Collection: 4 Novels and 43 short stories + extras (Illustrated).

2. Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate Collection (Illustrated)

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Rouge One

I have 2 ebooks and I am trying to figure is the best one to keep and what the difference is between :

1. British Mystery Megapack Volume 5 - The Sherlock Holmes Collection: 4 Novels and 43 short stories + extras (Illustrated).

2. Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate Collection (Illustrated)

If you have both ebooks, keep both.

You didn't provide links to the books you mentioned, so I couldn't check them. But Sherlock Holmes is in the public domain. Complete collections of all the Conan Doyle Holmes stories and novels are widely available for free.

Here is a list of all four novels, all five story collections and the fifty-six stories in those five collections. If either of your ebooks has all of these, then you are good. (I'm assuming you are just looking for the original Arthur Conan Doyle works and not all the endless follow-ups by other writers.)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

If you have both ebooks, keep both.

You didn't provide links to the books you mentioned, so I couldn't check them. But Sherlock Holmes is in the public domain.

Mostly, that is. That's certainly true in countries with a "life + 70" copyright term, but the final book of SH short stories, "The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes", is not in the public domain in the US.

[Rouge One]

But I don’t want to keep both if I don’t have to and here is the links:
Ultimate Collection: https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holm...ate+collection

Megapack Volume 5: https://www.amazon.com/British-Myste...herlock+Holmes

[SleepyBob]

It looks like they have the same books and stories. File size is very similar. I would open each up to a random page and see if there is a noticeable difference in formatting or proofreading, otherwise I think it's a coin flip.

[HarryT]

They probably both come from the PG versions, which contain literally thousands of errors. I would humbly suggest that the OP try my "Sherlock Holmes Omnibus" from our very own MR library, which has been (very!) thoroughly proofread.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Mostly, that is... "The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes", is not in the public domain in the US.

I guess I never noticed as in both paper and e-book form, I have the Bantam Complete Sherlock Holmes, volumes 1 and 2. The Bantam Classics are usually public domain books.

[HarryT]

I'm moving this thread to the "Reading Recommendations" forum, where it's a better fit.

[Larla]

Since the "ultimate" collection doesn't include the last book of short stories, I wonder what they will name the collection that has them all. Remind me, what is greater than ultimate?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Larla

Since the "ultimate" collection doesn't include the last book of short stories, I wonder what they will name the collection that has them all. Remind me, what is greater than ultimate?

I would say "Complete Collection" is better than "Ultimate Collection" as complete means there's nothing missing. Ultimate doesn't mean it's complete.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Rouge One

But I don’t want to keep both if I don’t have to and here is the links:
Ultimate Collection: https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holm...ate+collection

Megapack Volume 5: https://www.amazon.com/British-Myste...herlock+Holmes

I'm sorry, but you must keep both!

We'll be checking on you!










Just joking.

[kansaskyle]

Originally Posted by HarryT

They probably both come from the PG versions, which contain literally thousands of errors. I would humbly suggest that the OP try my "Sherlock Holmes Omnibus" from our very own MR library, which has been (very!) thoroughly proofread.

Thanks HarryT. I pulled down the epub version from the MR library.

Is there any recommended reading order?

[HarryT]

Please delete it, Kyle. I did tell you above that a complete Sherlock Holmes omnibus is not in the US public domain.

Thanks.

[kansaskyle]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Please delete it, Kyle. I did tell you above that a complete Sherlock Holmes omnibus is not in the US public domain.

Thanks.

Sorry, I glossed over that part about the final collection of short stories not being in the public domain in the US.

Is there a MR version that doesn't include the final collection of short stories?

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by kansaskyle

Thanks HarryT. I pulled down the epub version from the MR library.

Is there any recommended reading order?

Why not read them sequentially?

Holmes and Watson meet in A Study in Scarlet, so read that first.

The rest in sequential order (by publication) would be:

The Sign of the Four
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
His Last Bow
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes