Arthur Conan Doyle [RL 7 IL 7-12] A man is offered a senseless job and turns to Holmes to uncover his employers motives. Themes: appearance versus reality; power of observation. 60 pages. Tale Blazers.

Jabez Wilson can’t believe his luck. He can join the Redheaded League and earn money just because of his fiery red hair. But the league suddenly breaks up, and he loses the easy income. Wilson goes to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for answers. Can Holmes discover the truth behind this bizarre club?

Is Sherlock Holmes really as rational as he seems? He talks about the importance of reasoning and logic, but why then does he sometimes seem like a "strange Buddha"? On the other hand, why in The Sign of the Four does Watson smash a Buddha? What is going on in The Sign of the Four, that strange tale of Empire? What is going on in all the original sixty stories in "the canon"? In this study of the stories, Sheldon Goldfarb explores questions like these, from the significance of the eggs in "Thor Bridge" to the reason Watson keeps leaving Holmes for an insubstantial wife. What meanings lurk beneath the surface of these detective stories? Why is there an obsession with Napoleon in this story or an article on free trade in this other? Can we find answers to these questions? Perhaps. In any case, in this collection of essays (or "Musings") on each of the 60 stories, Dr. Goldfarb, an award-nominated mystery writer himself and the holder of a PhD in English literature, light-heartedly tries out a variety of perspectives, allowing readers to come to their own conclusions about such matters as the nature of the angel in "A Case of Identity" or the reason Holmes abandons his magnifying glass for binoculars in "Silver Blaze." Who brings binoculars to a horse race? Indeed.

A suspicious new member solicits the aid of Sherlock Holmes in uncovering the secret behind the Red-Headed League.

Sherlock Holmes, the world’s “only unofficial consulting detective”, was first introduced to readers in A Study in Scarlet published by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887.It was with the publication of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, however, that themastersleuth grew tremendously in popularity, later to become one of the most beloved literary characters of all time. In this book series, the short stories comprising The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes have been amusinglyillustrated using only Lego® brand minifigures and bricks. The illustrations recreate, through custom designed Lego models, the composition of the black and white drawings by Sidney Paget that accompanied the original publication of these adventures appearing in The Strand Magazine from July 1891 to June 1892.Paget’s iconic illustrations are largely responsible for the popular image of Sherlock Holmes, including his deerstalker cap and Inverness cape, details never mentioned in the writings of Conan Doyle. This uniquely illustrated collection, which features some of the most famous and enjoyable cases investigated by Sherlock Holmes and his devoted friend and biographer Dr. John H. Watson, including A Sandal in Bohemia andThe Red-Headed League, is sure to delight Lego enthusiasts, as well asfans of the Great Detective, both old and new. THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called on to investigate the bizarre proceedings of The Red-Headed League, a philanthropic society which promotes the interests of men with red hair by paying them handsomely to perform small tasks. Holmes soon realizes that The League is not as charitable as it appears but rather part of an ingenious criminal plot involving the fourth smartest man in London.

A mysterious package reveals a revolting surprise! When Miss Susan Cushing receives a package with gruesome contents, she cannot imagine who sent it. While Inspector Lestrade dismisses the package as a practical joke, Holmes fears the worst. Can Holmes and Watson discover the sender?

In general the stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes identify, and try to correct, social injustices. Holmes is portrayed as offering a new, fairer sense of justice. The stories were well received, and boosted the subscriptions figures of The Strand Magazine, prompting Doyle to be able to demand more money for his next set of stories. The first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia", includes the character of Irene Adler, who, despite being featured only within this one story by Doyle, is a prominent character in modern Sherlock Holmes adaptations, generally as a love interest for Holmes. Doyle included four of the twelve stories from this collection in his twelve favourite Sherlock Holmes stories, picking "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" as his overall favourite.