Because there is an excitement to seeing the interpretation someone else makes of the images that we create in our own head. We applaud or castigate them, but it makes us think about our own creativity.
I ADORE canon. One of the expensive books I bought when I could just barely afford it was the Annotated SH. The writing is brilliant and incredibly difficult to imitate. I’ve only seen one or two fan writers who can capture Doyle’s voice.
And there’s an inherent difference in the way people process information. For some, reading is best. For some, listening. And, for others, the visual excites. You obviously lean toward reading. I find reading/viewing about equal and keep falling asleep to listening.
I was very disappointed in Tom Baker’s Holmes. But he is still The Doctor.
OK, that's where we differ. It is exactly the fact that the images I make for myself when reading are generally not reflected adequately in the movie adaptions that I do not like (How dare they make it different from what I imagined! LOL)...
But I agree with you on Conan Doyle - The Complete Sherlock Holmes would be one of my top5 desert island choices...even though by now I've probably memorized it all ;)