The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Part 1 of 24

Elizabeth Grace (0:00)

Hello, everyone. Before we begin tonight, I have an exciting new announcement to share with you. Since starting The Sleepy Bookshelf in 2021, we've been looking for new ways to help you sleep. Because we know how much you all love our Jane Austen seasons, I'm pleased to introduce The Sleepy Bookshelf, Just Jane, where we will read Austen's entire catalogue, one novel at a time. New episodes will release every Monday and Wednesday, so click the link at the bottom of the show notes to subscribe and follow along with the first season, Mansfield Park. I hope to see you there, to put down your worries from the day, and pick up a good Jane Austen book.

Before we get started tonight, I wanted to let you in on a little secret. For the best sleep, there's nothing better than The Sleepy Bookshelf's premium feed. You will have ad-free access to the entire catalogue so you don't have to listen to things like this, plus exclusive bonus stories in between our longer books. Follow the link in the show notes to learn more and start your seven-day free trial tonight.

Hello, it's Elizabeth, and I'm excited to share with you the newest show from Slammer Studios. It's called Sleepy History, and it's exactly what it sounds like—intriguing stories, people, mysteries, and events from history, delivered in a supremely calming atmosphere. Explore the legend of El Dorado, see what life was like for the Roman gladiators, uncover the myths and mysteries of Stonehenge. You'll find interesting but relaxing episodes like these on Sleepy History and the same great production quality you've come to know and love from The Sleepy Bookshelf. So check it out, and perhaps you'll have another way to get a good night's rest. Just search Sleepy History in your preferred podcast player.

Good evening, and welcome to The Sleepy Bookshelf, where we put down our worries from the day, and pick up a good big. I'm your host, Elizabeth, and I want to welcome you here tonight, as we are beginning The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

First published as a collection in 1892, these 12 stories follow the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes, and his loyal friend and companion, Dr. Watson, as they investigate some of Victorian London's most curious and intriguing mysteries. From unusual visitors arriving at Baker Street, to strange disappearances, secret schemes, and seemingly impossible crimes. Every adventure puts Holmes' extraordinary powers of observation to the test. Along the way, we'll encounter some of Conan Doyle's most memorable characters and cases, beginning tonight with A Scandal in Bohemia and the remarkable Irene Adler.

If this is your first visit to The Sleepy Bookshelf, don't worry if you drift off before I finish this part of the story. At the beginning of the next episode, I'll give you a thorough recap so you can rest easy without worrying about missing anything important. Keep in mind that all the books on this show are carefully selected and edited to help you fall asleep. We keep the heart of the story, the characters, the atmosphere and the key moments, but we soften anything that might feel too intense or unsettling, so you can always enjoy a calm, restful experience. That's what makes this The Sleepy Bookshelf.

Take a moment now to allow your body to become quiet and still.

Allow your shoulders to soften, your jaw to loosen, and your hands to rest comfortably wherever they fall.

Close your eyes and take a slow, easy breath.

Imagine the weight of the day gently leaving you, and let yourself sink a little more deeply into wherever you are resting.

There is nothing you need to think about and nowhere else you need to be.

Now, all you need to do is listen to the sound of my voice, as you drift into a peaceful sleep. And I'll turn to the opening pages of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

A Scandal in Bohemia.

To Sherlock Holmes, she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes, she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.

It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions and that one particularly were abhorrent to his cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen. But as a lover, he would have placed himself in a position.

He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a jibe and a sneer. They were admirable things for the observer, excellent for drawing the veil from men's motives and actions, but for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own, delicate and finely adjusted temperament, was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental results.