The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes: reading level, length and free edition

Name: The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle is a short stories in English. Our team rates it B1. It runs to 83,631 words with 7,434 different word forms, about 7–14 h of reading at 200 to 100 words per minute, and it is free from Project Gutenberg.

By the Readlang Mobile team (an independent app, not affiliated with readlang.com). Updated 31 October 2026.

Cover of The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Language: English
Level: B1
Form: short stories
Words: 83,631
Different word forms: 7,434
Forms for 95% / 98%: 3,565 / 5,762
Reading time: 7–14 h
Free edition: Project Gutenberg

"The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle is a collection of twelve short stories published between 1921 and 1927. This final set of Holmes mysteries marks the detective’s last adventures, featuring cases narrated by Watson, Holmes himself, and even a third-person perspective. Set against the changing world of the 1920s, these stories experiment with new narrative styles as Doyle returned one final time to his legendary creation, though some critics consider them a lesser entry in the Holmes canon.

Is The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes right for your level?

To recognise 95% of the running words in The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, you need its 3,565 most frequent word forms; for 98%, the share at which most readers manage a novel without a dictionary, 5,762. The median English B1 book in our table needs 702 forms for 95%, so by this measure the book is harder than most for its level: number 20 of 21, easiest first.

A word form is any spelling that appears in the text, so “walk” and “walked” count twice, and names count too. These numbers are a guide to how much vocabulary the book asks for, not a test. The level itself was set by hand by our team. Before you commit, read one page of the free edition and count the words you do not know: the one-page test takes two minutes.

Which words should you know before you start?

These are the words that The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes uses most often but that are not among the 2,000 most common word forms across all 309 English books in our library; the number is how many times each appears. Names of people and places are left out. Learning a handful of them first makes the opening chapters easier.

client 43
visitor 25
problem 21
morrow 21
pipe 21
tragedy 20
revolver 19
handed 18
examined 18
card 17
collection 16
reputation 15
appointment 15
suggest 15
crypt 15

How does it begin?

I fear that Mr. Sherlock Holmes may become like one of those popular tenors who, having outlived their time, are still tempted to make repeated farewell bows to their indulgent audiences. This must cease and he must go the way of all flesh, material or imaginary.

From the Project Gutenberg edition, which is in the public domain. If this paragraph already feels slow, try a book one level lower.

How long does it take to read?

Hours to read *The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes* (83,631 words) at four reading speeds.
Words	100 wpm	150 wpm	200 wpm	250 wpm
83,631	14 h	9.5 h	7 h	5.5 h

Learners reading a book at their level often manage 100 to 150 words per minute, and readers in their first language 200 to 250. Where these speeds come from, and a calculator for your own: How long does it take to read a book?

Where can you read it for free?

The free edition is Project Gutenberg eBook #69700. Project Gutenberg publishes books that are in the public domain in the United States, as EPUB, Kindle and plain text, free and without an account. Copyright terms differ by country: if you live outside the United States, check that the book is out of copyright where you are before you download it.

To read it with a translation over every word you tap, open it in Readlang Mobile on iPhone or iPad.