"I leave it with you. It will be a great day when you bring us the news. It's just the last stroke that will bring them all to their knees."
- The Valley of Fear
Last weekend I had the tremendous good fortune to attend Sherlock Holmes Through Time and Place, a three day conference organized by the venerable Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota, Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections and the University of Minnesota. I'm saving all related #SHMN13 links plus my various reviews for posts later this week, but for now I'll say that the experience was an incredibly inspiring one, and I hope to channel some of that inspiration into Always1895.net.
Wessex Press, purveyors of finest Sherlockian products such as Klinger's (ed) Sherlock Homes Reference Library, Dahlinger's, et al. (eds), Sherlock Holmes, ACD and The Bookman and Bill Rabe's Voices From Baker Street (2 CDs) to name just a few, announced that September 12 - 14th, 2014 in Indianapolis, IN. Sherlockians should mark their calendars for From Gillette to Brett IV: Basil, Benedict and Beyond, a conference which will feature "rare Sherlockian films, vendors, and an all-star roster of distinguished speakers, presenters, and events. The conference will be held on the beautiful campus of Indiana University at the Indiana Memorial Union. We are thrilled to present exclusive, 75th Anniversary screenings of Basil Rathbone's The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) in the state-of-the-art IU Cinema." Read about From Gillette To Brett III for a taste of what you can expect. I've actually never attended one of Wessex Press' tri-annual FG2B conferences, but I've heard nothing but great things ("Gillette to Brett III Was Unforgettable!" - Dan Andriacco) and plan on being in attendance next September 2014.
[Basil vs Benedict - two men enter, one man leaves!] |
Leslie S. Klinger appears to have Cthulhuian powers over the Internet - and not just because this annotating fiend is currently working on The New Annotated HP Lovecraft - this week alone we found his tentacles reaching into at least three corners of the net. Known primarily for his superhuman annotation skills, the uncanny annotator announced that his New Annotated Sherlock Holmes Volume Vol. 1, originally published by Norton in 2010 as part of a three volume set will be out on Kindle August 26, 2013, as well as other formats to follow; and presumably the next two volumes to follow as well. You can pre-order a copy and have it sent straight to your device or find out more information at Amazon. When not making an edifying and amusing keynote address at the Sherlock Holmes Through Time and Place Saturday night banquet, Klinger was being interviewed by the University of Minnesota (click for video interview and text) on "Sherlock Holmes and the 'New Sherlockians'" where he discusses early Sherlockian scholarship, his relationship to the Robert Downey Jr films and BBC Sherlock and why he thinks both are good for the Canon and his views on the newest generation of Sherlockians; concluding in the case of the latter that the great edifice of Sherlockian culture will not be brought down in one fell swoop by Cumberbatch's cheekbones and that the future for Sherlock Holmes and the Canon is a bright one.
And if making the annotated Canon more accessible and predicting the heath and continuance of Sherlockian culture wasn't enough, Klinger's Free Sherlock project posted the following update regarding Klinger vs the Conan Doyle Estate: "ACD Estate now has until September 10, 2013 to respond to our Motion for Summary Judgment; our reply due by September 30, 2013. Court will rule by mail." Finally, don't forget his "Basic Holmes Library" (kind of a Shaw 100 Klinger-style) posted last week for burgeoning Sherlockians looking to get deeper into the Writings Upon the Writing. Someone get this man a drink!
And if making the annotated Canon more accessible and predicting the heath and continuance of Sherlockian culture wasn't enough, Klinger's Free Sherlock project posted the following update regarding Klinger vs the Conan Doyle Estate: "ACD Estate now has until September 10, 2013 to respond to our Motion for Summary Judgment; our reply due by September 30, 2013. Court will rule by mail." Finally, don't forget his "Basic Holmes Library" (kind of a Shaw 100 Klinger-style) posted last week for burgeoning Sherlockians looking to get deeper into the Writings Upon the Writing. Someone get this man a drink!
Addicted To Sherlock posted the first trailer (with English subtitles) of the hotly anticipated Russian Sherlock Holmes (2013).
At first glance, Igor Petrenko as Sherlock Holmes and Andrei Panin as Doctor John Watson seem to borrow rather heavily from the Robert Downey Jr. approach to the Great Detective: there's lots of gun play, 19th century fight clubs and Victorian-style dark Satanic-looking rituals. On the other hand, this 2013 Russian adaptation will clearly pay homage to the brilliant 1979-1986 Russian series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson choosing to show Holmes and Watson as young men and even including a boxing match between the two using the 221B sitting room as their boxing ring. Again, judging just from this trailer, the dialogue (as subtitled into English) seems very familiar (in a good way) and the Victorian setting, though garish at times, also appears gritty enough to pass as our beloved London of the Canon where "the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun-coloured houses." No word yet on when the new Russian Sherlock Holmes will officially air stateside, but at the very least it appears that we're in store for an above average set of adaptations-cum-pastiches.
At first glance, Igor Petrenko as Sherlock Holmes and Andrei Panin as Doctor John Watson seem to borrow rather heavily from the Robert Downey Jr. approach to the Great Detective: there's lots of gun play, 19th century fight clubs and Victorian-style dark Satanic-looking rituals. On the other hand, this 2013 Russian adaptation will clearly pay homage to the brilliant 1979-1986 Russian series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson choosing to show Holmes and Watson as young men and even including a boxing match between the two using the 221B sitting room as their boxing ring. Again, judging just from this trailer, the dialogue (as subtitled into English) seems very familiar (in a good way) and the Victorian setting, though garish at times, also appears gritty enough to pass as our beloved London of the Canon where "the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun-coloured houses." No word yet on when the new Russian Sherlock Holmes will officially air stateside, but at the very least it appears that we're in store for an above average set of adaptations-cum-pastiches.
[Russian Holmes waking up Russian Watson from the soon-to-be aired Russian Sherlock Holmes (2013).] |
Digital Spy posted the first BBC Sherlock 'trailer' for Season 3, and though it's not wildly revealing, I still got goosebumps even though I sometimes pretend that 'feels' are "abhorrent to my cold, precise but admirably balanced mind". The Digital Spy link also includes a link to an interview with your favorite trifecta of pain Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue and Mark Gatiss, who predictably (and thankfully) reveal absolutely nothing about Sherlock Season 3.
[We only have to wait until the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Fourteen...] |
The Baker Street Journal's Steve Rothman teased @BakerStJournal's followers with a preview of the Fall 2013 cover of the BSJ:
Autumn issue off to the printer today. Here's a glimpse of its glorious cover. Guess which story... pic.twitter.com/JkO1Hty52E— Baker Street Journal (@BakerStJournal) August 14, 2013
My response (paraphrasing a certain detective):
Fall13 @BakerStJournal cover meant 2 cause a healthy excitement among the train classes ie John Baesch & Guy Marriott pic.twitter.com/iowuITloR4
— Matt Laffey (@always1895) August 14, 2013
A reader guessed the cover was for BRUC and was correct, though a jet-lagged Mattias Bostrom suggested the the cover was for "that one about the train cormorant" and Mickey Fromkin posted my favorite answer: "Going apocryphal with "The Lost Special"?" Tim Johnson, a very welcome addition to the Twitterverse who now has a brand new shiny Twitter account post- #SHMN13, replied to my "healthy excitement" post with:
@always1895 @BakerStJournal Add me to the train classes. Grandpa J worked the Northern Pacific for 47 yrs and I have a model train layout.— Tim Johnson (@UMBookworm) August 14, 2013
There's no doubt that the above cover for the Autumn 2013 issue of the BSJ is meant to cause a healthy excitement among the train/transportation classes within the Sherlockian world, namely John Baesch, BSI ("The State and Merton County Railroad"), Guy Marriott, BSI ("The Hotel du Lourvre") and Tim Johnson, among others. If you don't already, I strongly suggest subscribing to the BSJ immediately so as not to miss out on all the Sherlockian fun!
John H. Watson Society is directing a Canonically intense scavenger hunt called The First Annual John H. Watson Canonical Treasure Hunt. In other JHWS news, Mr Dan Andriacco announced that his article entitled "Doctor Watson, Detective?" has been accepted for publication in the inaugural issue of The Watsonian the scholarly journal of the JHWS: "Aspiring one day to become a journal with a small portion of the greatness of the Baker Street Journal or The Sherlock Holmes Journal, The Watsonian concerns itself with Traditionalist and Revisionist articles concerning John H. Watson, M.D. The editorial policy of The Watsonian is to have no editorial policy. The journal is open-minded and receptive to thoughtful as well as amusing articles. As always, By-Laws 1 and 2 must be honoured and good taste must be, at all times, in evidence. Initially, the journal will not be juried, rather all publication acceptance will be at the discretion of the Chair, the Director of Publications and Editor-in-Chief, and the Directors, all acting as the Editorial Board." Exciting times!
[The Watsonian - journal of the JHWS.] |
Green Bay Press Gazette interviewed director Kimberly Senior who is currently putting the finishing touches on Ken Ludwig’s new Sherlockian-infused comedy whodunit "The Game’s Afoot."
Q. What have you learned about Gillette or Conan Doyle you didn’t know before rehearsals started? A. "I am so fascinated by individuals who borrow, and sometimes improve, the work of the original....William Gillette was an actor and playwright. He was the first person to adapt Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes to the stage and played the iconic detective in more than 1,300 performances worldwide. Gillette is a featured character in “The Game’s Afoot”.A special pre-show chat with author Henry Zecher, who wrote William Gillette, America’s Sherlock Holmes, is set for Aug. 28." (Thanks to Ray Wilcockson for the tip!)
[The famous William Gillette as Sherlock Holmes caricature by 'Spy' from Vanity Fair (1907).] |
Special and Rare on a Stick, the blog of 'The Man With the Greatest Job in the Universe' whom regular readers will recognize as Tim Johnson, curator of The Sherlock Holmes Collections at the University of Minnesota Library, shares his observations as a neophyte Twitter user: "I have no idea what finally triggered my conversion. Perhaps it was an unrealized need to be part of a larger conversation (or in this case a specific conversation connected with our Sherlock Holmes conference)." Regardless I, along with many other Sherlockian-minded Twitter users, very much welcome Mr Johnson to the never ending 140 character dialogue as he assumes the appropriate guise of @UMBookworm.
[Bookplate of John Bennett Shaw from the Sherlock Holmes Collection.] |
The Baker Street Babes in anticipation no doubt for BBC Sherlock Season 3 announcement that actor Lars Mikkelsen will play the role of the Master Blackmailer, released Episode 43: Charles Augustus Milverton Appreciation: "The worst man in London. The blackmailer. That guy from Jurassic Park that gets eaten by the shaky dinosaur thing. That douchebag. It’s Charles Augustus Milverton and we love to hate him. Join Babes Curly, Lyndsay, Melinda, Ardy, Maria, Taylor, and Amy as they discuss the case, the man himself, the adaptations, and the historical figure behind Milverton."
["Do you feel a creeping, shrinking sensation, Watson, when you stand before the serpents in the Zoo and see the slithery, gliding, venomous creatures, with their deadly eyes and wicked, flattened faces? Well, that's how Milverton impresses me. I've had to do with fifty murderers in my career, but the worst of them never gave me the repulsion which I have for this fellow." (CHAS)] |
Christopher Morley Literary Estate is just one of the many reasons Sherlockians should consider using Facebook if they have yet to make the plunge, or have registered but have yet to explore the popular social networking platform. Would 'Kit' have created a Facebook profile? Let's pretend he had a FB for a moment: just imagine what his friends page would look like (Edgar Smith, Vincent Starrett, Chris Cella...though I'm sure Alexander Woollcott's friend request would be left pending indefinitely) or his groups (The Three Hours For Lunch Club, Book-of-the-Month Club, Saturday Review of Literature, Grillparzer Sittenpolizei Verein, etc etc.) or his timeline (1934: birthday party for the Master at the Hotel Duane, 1936: 'friends' Edgar Smith, 1944: 'likes' Trilogy Dinner event, 1946: Adrian Conan Doyle 'unfriends' Morley, 1947: states there will never be another BSI dinner, 1948: comments with a ":(" on Smith's posting of a “committee-in-camera” BSI dinner, 1949: changes relationship status to BSI as 'It's complicated', etc.). Oh what could have been....
[Morley's latest profile picture on Faceook.] |
Bartitsu Club of NYC announced that their next training session will be this Sunday, August 18 at 11:30 am at The Society for Martial Arts Instruction (SFMAI) - RSVP on their Facebook. "A reporter and photographer from The Epoch Times will attend. They plan to run a feature story about Bartitsu. The Epoch Times is distributed in 35 countries in 21 languages, so it's a good opportunity to promote Bartitsu to an international audience." There's also a seminar on August 25th in New Jersey.
Sherlock Scion Links:
The Epilogues of Sherlock Holmes are having a meeting on August 31, 2013 and I strongly recommend that any Sherlockian, whether neophyte or experienced, who is within striking distance of Chatham, NJ think about attending. Meetings cost an extremely reasonable $10 ("I am a poor man." -PRIO).
ASH Wednesdays based out of NYC and open to all is the monthly, informal meeting of the storied Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, the oldest women's Sherlockian society in the world - though of course open to the males of the Sherlockian species as well. I've been attending ASH Wednesdays for a while now and if you're looking for a gentle first time Sherlockian meeting experience, you absolutely cannot go wrong with ASH. Meetings usually consist of 15 to 25 male and female, young and old, neophyte and experienced Sherlockians hanging out in the relaxed environs of a NYC Irish Pub. Discussion spans the Sherlockian world but often veers well outside Holmes-centric topics and ranges over literature, Star Trek (I'm looking at you Nick!), movies, cooking recipes, baseball (Go Cubs!), suggestions for surviving any number of apocalyptic scenarios, cats, cats, cats and anything and everything else that strikes our fancy. The next gathering is September 4, 2013.
* To find a Sherlockian event in your area, check out and bookmark one of the most useful Sherlock Holmes resources on the Internet: the SherlockianCalendar.com - maintained by the indomitable Ron Fish as well as Sue and Ben Vizoskie of The Three Garridebs of Westchester Country, NY.
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