This boxed set has two primers, a spelling book, and levels one through four. It does NOT contain levels five and above.

Great way to teach your children proper english, and the moral codes of yester years. I use for homeschooling my 4 children(4-10) in addition to there regular text books, and all are above average in reading and writing.

This book is good,but it's not great.It only contains 3 stories,which of have no Moriarity in them.I was kind of disappointed in this book,as it did'nt contain enough good stories in it.This book is great for kids,however.It's a good way to introduce kids to Sherlock Holmes.

This book is a great way to introduce children to Sherlock Holmes. It's easy to understand, and the pictures are superb! Will definatly keep their interest.

A compilation of the writing of Dorothy Sayers on Sherlock Holmes, and who should know more about mystery writing than Sayers? For those who enjoy scholarly writing and speculation on the character and cases of Holmes, this is first-rate stuff. The Lord Peter Whimsey / Holmes radio play is an interesting pastiche. At 66 pages, though, this is one thin book. Eight dollars sure doesn't go as far as it used to....

A collection of Sayers' scholarly writings on Sherlock Holmes, Sayers on Holmes belongs in the libraries of fans of both Sayers and Holmes. Some of the essays may be familiar through other collections, but no other book collects all of her Holmesian writings together, and the discerning reader can sense a keen mind at play with the intricacies of the Holmesian canon. The highlight of this book is the final selection wherein Lord Peter Wimsey, Sayers' famous detective creation, relates an episode from his childhood where he hires Holmes to find his lost pet cat. A delightful story, it captures a feeling of true whimsey (pardon the pun). Recommended.

So common has the Holmes pastiche become over the past 25 years that it almost forms its own literary genre, apart from mysteries and historical novels. Veteran stage, TV and screen actor Frankie Thomas wrote a number of Holmes novels in the mid-1980s, including GOLDEN BIRD, SACRED SWORD, TREASURE TRAIN and MASQUERADE MURDERS. The series of paperback originals was cut short when the US publisher went paws-up, so that a number of Frankie's novels were never published here, although they were issued in Germany, Israel and other spots overseas where there live many Holmes fans.

Now the "lost" novels are being published in the US for the first time, and here is the first of them, in which Holmes and Watson tackle a baffling case that first seems to turn on shady international finance, then on the whereabouts of four priceless oil paintings, the "Panamanian Girls".

If Frank's take on this genre is new to you, I might mention that Frank's Holmes, although quite true to Conan Doyle's original, is more like Doc Savage and The Shadow in relying heavily on a small core of highly specialized assistants--- in this novel, one of them is the legendary safe cracker Jimmy Valentine!

I found it to be compelling reading and the turn-of-the-century English color and locales seem authentic.

It's great to have these novels in print, and I hope the other "lost" episodes will soon follow. Highly recommended for fans of the World's First Consulting Detective.

Here's a new edition of one of the difficult-to- find Holmes novels written by Frank Thomas in the early 1980s. Holmes and Watson tackle a difficult and confusing case that first seems to turn on shady international finance, later on the theft of four priceless oil paintings. If Frank's take on Sherlock is new to you, I might mention that this Sherlock, while being very true to Conan Doyle's original, is more like Doc Savage and the Shadow in depending heavily on a small team of aides, each with a unique talent.

There are some bizarre glitches in the printing of this trade paperback, including a "footnote" that appears in the midst of the text on p. 7, but actually belongs in a later chapter, perhaps Ch.10. Chapter 15 is (for no reason) in a totally different font from the other chapters. And etc. Fortunately the story moves so well, and events are so continually surprising, that the typesetting peculiarities are not at all distracting.

It's great to have this book in print again, and I hope the other Thomas Holmes novels will soon follow. They belong on everyone's shelf of Holmes pastiches. Indeed, they deserve a special place of merit.

I thought that this was one of the best written pastiches that I have found (Greenwood certainly is second best)until it became so streched and so tired for the last third (the murder is revealed yet it takes countless, pointless pages to bring the story to conclusion, including wheeling out Holmes' "good friend" Sigmind Freud). I will try another just because the tone rang so true.

"One of the better efforts in the pastiche genre. The book is well plotted and well written. the story revolves around an American impresario's efforts to rebuild Shakespeare's Globe theatre and the attempts to foil his labors and destroy his dreams. The author - who is obviously well versed in both Shakespearean history and writings,weaves a variety of interesting and intriguing Shakespearean quotations into his plot,though which he adds to the mystery and enjoyment of his story. The climax is excellent. 'Whodunnit' is well masked until the 'final act' - both in the play and in the book. This is a good one for all Sherlockians."

John Gielgud as Holmes! Orson Welles as Moriarty! How could a Holmes lover resist buying this collection? I spent six pleasant hours reliving the Holmes saga. I went with Holmes and Watson from the foggy streets of London to the English countryside to the Reichenbach Falls where Holmes and Moriarty fought their last battle. Radio plays stimulate the mind to a a degree that television never can, and these stories served up mental stimulation of the first order. As good as "A Baker's Street Dozen" is, though, it doesn't quite measure up to the quality of the BBC series starring Clive Merrison as Holmes. Gielgud is undoubtedly the better actor, but Merrison is the better Holmes.

Despite the fact that Gielgud doesn't capture Holmes' energy as well as Merrison, "A Baker's Street Dozen" is superb listening. It would make an excellent addition to any mystery lover's audio library.

One minor quibble: I can't understand why they renamed three of the stories. "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" became "The Blackmailer;" "The Adventure of the Golden Pince Nez" became "The Yoxley Case;" and "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" became "Rare Disease." In each case, Conan Doyle's choice of titles was superior.

I am very pleased with "A Baker's Street Dozen." It is so wonderful to listen to these stories and let the power of your imagination create the scenes described by the many wonderful tales. The only flaw I would like to see the publishers correct is that the stories do not seem to follow a chronological order. The fifth tale, "The Final Problem," is an account of Sherlock Holmes' final adventure. However, you still have 7 more tales to go through! Place these stories in chronological order and you will have a flawless product.

...or at least, this is the first book I've found that talks specifically in chapters about infantry, artillery, etc. (I'm sure others exist, but my reading has been eclectic.)

I'm too much in awe of Keegan, and too poorly read in anything military *after* the 1500's, to attempt any real judgement on the scholarship here. (My credentials in military history are nonexistent; I'm just a reader.)

I can say, however, that whatever its faults, I've found this book to be a valuable resource. The organization helps greatly when you want to know about, oh, pikemen. It did seem a bit Eurocentric to me, and I would have liked to see more inclusion of non-European unit types and *their* development, at least in the pre-modern era. Nevertheless, I'm happy I own this book...and it's staying in my collection.

Concise and well researched one volume history of men in battle. Liberally enriched with excellent illustrations. Broken down into chapters detailing the evolution of infantry, artillery, etc. Also features chapters on the more ethereal nature of war, from how casualties have been treated {or disposed of} throughout the centuries to a mesmerizing collection of vignettes on personal experiences of war.

Definitely a worthwhile addition to anyone's military history library.

This is the second book I've read by this author. 'Strange Doings' is definitely different than Gracely's first book (Giant Rat of Sumatra), but still worth the read. I have to pretty much agree with everything said by the reviewer from Philadelphia who likewise rates this 4 stars. Let me just add that although this who-dun-it has, in fact, a relationship between morality and art, not everyone with blood on their hands turns out to be a Modernist. On a different note, it's nice to see this author branching out a bit: this story appears to be 2 to 3 times longer than his first book, and certainly strikes a contrast in content.

In "The Strange Doings of J. Leslie Ryder," Daniel Gracely unfolds a morality tale about the consequences of wrong or misguided actions. Sherlock Holmes encounters a former jewel-thief he had let go free in Conan-Doyle's "Blue Carbuncle." The thief, J. Leslie Ryder, had fled England for a South Sea Island, Gaugain-style. In Gracely's imaginative sequel, we see what unfolds from Ryder's abandonment of his family, as a result of Holmes's perhaps misjudged mercy. Gracely has a strong sense of morality, and his story unfolds in a tragic echo-chamber of ever-mounting ironies. There is a deep sense of the human toll left in the wake of capricious or self-serving choices.
Gracely draws his characters with real urgency and vividness. Some of the characters he introduces into Conan-Doyle's world seem to leap off the page, and live and breathe before us. There are also rich descriptive passages, full of pathos and suspense, and some quite humorous and playful moments.

Gracely also sets a lot of the action within the world of art, building the thesis that an artist's personal morality is expressed in the style and manner of his work.
Real events of the time in which the story is set-- within the world of art, and beyond-- are woven into the story in interesting ways, forming an intriguing interplay between Conan-Doyle's world of the near-omniscient detective, and real history.
All in all, "The Strange Doings of J. Leslie Ryder" is an absorbing read for a winter's night, and will hold your attention from the first page to the tense conclusion.

Be well aware that this is a "Tiny Tome" (I was glad I'd gotten my new bifocals). Content is about the length of a serious magazine article. It is, however, charmingly presented and an amusing fifteen-minute read. (The only thing Mr. Lipari is mistaken about is naming Basil Rathbone the ultimate screen Sherlock, when it's clearly Jeremy Brett. But, de gustibus ...)

I bought this book for my sister, who loves mysteries. It is great because you can take it anywhere with you and you'll read it over and over again.

This book contains three stories. The first is When The World Screamed. In this story the formidable Professor Challenger sets out to prove that the Earth itself is a gigantic creature swimming through space. The second story is The Disintegration Machine, wherein Professor Challenger has to deal with a foreign scientist who has created a machine of mass destruction.

And now for the unfortunate part: the bulk of this book is taken up by the third story, The Land of Mist. In this story, Edward Malone and subsequently Professor Challenger are introduced to Spiritualism. The story is long (about four times as long as the other two combined), and rambling. A.C. Doyle wrote this story as a polemic, and it makes very poor fiction indeed. If you don't need to read this story, then don't.

So, let me sum up by saying that the first two stories warrant 5 stars, and the last warrants one (or zero).

It's not often noted that Conan Doyle was one of the funniest writers ever. Many readers seem to miss the humor, if the largely clueless online reviews of "The Lost World" are any guide. Get that book first; it's Conan Doyle's masterpiece and one of the great books of the 20th century. Then try to get a copy of this one (it's out of print), containing three other stories about Professor Challenger. The title story, written at the end of the author's life, shows him at the height of his powers, right down to the magnificent final sentence.