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"I think that you will find all the main ones in the Press reports. I don't know that I can add anything which will help you. But if there is anything you would wish more light upon - well, I am here to give it." [THOR]



The premiere dates for BBC Sherlock Season 3 announced at last - and the fandom goes wild, the International Sherlock Holmes Exhibition opens, the arrival of John H. Watson Society's journal is imminent, Molly Carr's latest book searches for the real Dr. Watson, Baker Street Babes interview the creator of a series of Moriarty comics, a new play featuring not one but four Watsons is set to debut in NYC, what do Sherlock, mind-reading and General Gordon all have in common, is Sherlockian.net the GQ of the online Holmesian world, a new Sherlock Holmes website Hungarian-style, how Sherlockians in LA eat breakfast, Gillette to Brett IV dates announced and more in the latest Weekly Sherlock Links Compendium by Matt Laffey.


Sherlockology assured BBC Sherlock fans - completely rabid after two years of waiting for news of Sherlock’s post-Barts Fall - that they “can confirm any UK air dates you see for October or November [as] most definitely false.” Sometimes no news isn’t really good news nor does it really help when dealing with the obvious and acute PTSD afflicting fans of Sherlock Season 2. “The BBC cannot and will not schedule or announce any UK air dates until they have taken delivery of the completed run of three episodes, and even then the air date will only be set in stone around two to three weeks before broadcast. This is standard practice for any BBC programme…” 

But hark! It appears that the secret is out for Entertainment Weekly has revealed the premiere dates: 
Sherlock will return to PBS Masterpiece on Jan. 19 at 10 p.m. That means the show will air back-to-back for the first time with that other hugely popular and influential Brit import, Downton Abbey (which returns Jan. 5). This announcement caps nearly two years of rabid fan speculation about when the third season of the international sensation will premiere. This also marks first time the mystery-thriller’s U.S. air date has been announced before the BBC reveals its UK premiere date (the BBC has the “first window” rights to air the show, so UK fans can at least take heart in knowing they will almost certainly get season 3 sometime before Jan. 19).” 
In other BBC news: Steven Moffat, purveyor of all that is outrageously cruel, has finally admitted to plans for Season 4 (via Radio Times): 
'We had to inform the BBC that Martin and Benedict had commissioned a new series,' said Moffat. 'They signed themselves up. They both announced that they were carrying on - so that’s good. Benedict, at some red carpet event somewhere, said he was carrying on forever. Martin, at another one, said, “Yep, series four is happening”.'” 
One can almost hear the cry of joy and relief wash over the Internet once these two announcements became established fact.
[If hearing that BBC Sherlock Season 3 will finally air in early 2014 and that Season 4 is in the works wasn’t enough excitement for the BBC fandom to take in one week, Benedict Cumberbatch will appear on the cover of Time magazine at the end of October - just not the U.S. version.]

Sherlock Peoria, partially in reaction to all the BBC Sherlock hullabaloo, made a very interesting observation regarding the possible cause and effect related to the vocal dedication of the BBC fandom: 


Yes, Sherlock has fans so passionate that PBS actually acknowledges their existence and considers them in its decisions. You remember Sherlock fans? That oft-discounted-by-elder-Sherlockians group who were once seen as a fluffy flash-in-the-pan? Well, they just got us Sherlock months ahead of when we might have otherwise seen it. They did that. Not grumpy old me, bitching in my blog a few days ago. Not the gathered Baker Street Irregulars of New York, who will be meeting two days prior (and probably in transit home about the time it’s going to be showing). Not any other big name Sherlockian past or present you can name. The Sherlock fans did this. And they should take a well earned victory lap before sitting down to watch “The Empty Hearse” on January 19th. Good on you, ladies and (I know you’re out there!) gents.”



St Bartholomew Hospital in London (cf. picture above), scene of Sherlock’s ‘suicide’ at the end of BBC Sherlock Season 2…and monument of sorts to what Brad Keefauver speculates is the tremendous influence which the noisy yet dedicated BBC fandom seems to wield. Though I respect Mr Keefauver’s position in his essay, let us not forget the real and absolute significance of St Barts: "'Dr. Watson, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,' said Stamford, introducing us. 'How are you?' he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit. 'You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive…'” (STUD) And so the world would never be the same again.


[A still from the pretty much spoiler-free Sherlock Season 3 trailer released in late August of 2013. Click the above screenshot to watch what is to some 30 seconds of glorious bliss; and to others, 30 seconds of Moffat-sponsored frustration and torture.]

The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes premiered this month (October 10, 2013) at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) to rave reviews, leaving Sherlockians living beyond traveling distance of the OMSI no choice but to peruse the wealth of online photos of the exhibits with just a smidgen of envy and a giant dollop of anticipation, for soon the entire show will hit the road and begin a world tour that will hopefully bring the excellent looking 221B simulacrum and the rest to a museum near you! 

The Oregonian described how attendees have the opportunity to view original manuscripts, period artifacts and investigative tools along with a description of the exhibits that include “Doyle’s Study, an experimentation station, Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street, the 'Culture of Sherlock' collection and a mystery game with clues hidden within the museum.” For a taste of what opening night was like, check out this photo set featuring the organizers as well as various Sherlockian VIPs such as Jon Lellenberg and Richard Doyle, great-nephew of ACD and director of the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. business venture, along with scores of Sherlock enthusiasts, a handful dressed in their finest Victorian threads. 

The OMSI site offers a range of opportunities for visitors planning an excursion as well as information for schools considering organizing a field trip to the exhibit - which makes me kind of wish that I was in 6th grade and preparing for a visit to the world of Sherlock Holmes, an opportunity that is sure to have a life changing effect on more than a few precocious ‘pre-Sherlockians’ who are sure to look back at that magical day as the moment they caught the Sherlockian bug, permanently altering their lives forever. Finally, for a wonderfully thorough and intimate review of the entire show see this GeekDad post which features a plethora of wonderful photos of the various exhibits, close-ups of the artifacts, a shot of a page from the original manuscript of Hound of the Baskervilles (cf. Randall Stock's history of the Hound manuscript and why it was broken up at the time of its publication) and more. I'm sure I'll have opportunities to post more about this remarkable event as I count down the days until it arrives in NYC.
[221B, live and direct: Sherlock’s shelves and lab area. Photo by Jonathan H. Liu, who authored the GeekDad post.]

Dan Andriacco (aka "Dutch" to the John H Watson Society) revealed that Issue #1 of The Watsonian, journal of the fledgling yet ever growing JHWS, is set to appear in mailboxes around the world! My only concern is whether the reported 150 page (!) publication will fit in a standard sized mailbox. And if that wasn’t enough, Andriacco announced that the nascent group is sponsoring an International Canonical Treasure Hunt: the 
mega-quiz will consist of 200 questions requiring in-depth knowledge of the Canon and the printed scholarship of the last 75 years. It will be conducted over a one-month period sometime in 2014. As host society, the JHWS will invite teams from the Baker Street Irregulars, the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, the Société Sherlock Holmes de France, the Sherlock Holmes Society of India, the Toronto Bookmakers, the Sherlock Holmes Society of Japan, the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, and other international and U.S. scions who desire to field a crack team of Sherlockian/Watsonian scholars to compete for world honors.” 
As a member of the John H. Watson Society (where I’m known as "Baron"), I’m looking forward to receiving Issue #1 immensely as well as participating in the 2014 Canonical Treasure Hunt, along with watching and reporting on whatever else this intrepid group has up its tweeds. 
[I’ll be waiting patiently for the 150 pages of Watson-centric fun to begin.]

Molly Carr's newest release In Search of Dr Watson (MX, 2013) is now available in a revised, second edition version: 
…as much as possible about Doctor Watson. Radically different in style from her first two books, the investigation will nevertheless be of interest to students of military history, railways both Indian and British and of course all fans of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is a household name. But where would he be without his Biographer? Beavering away in Baker Street, unknown to everyone except Scotland Yard and a few luckless criminals. It is time to put the loyal and much put upon man, Dr. John H. Watson M.D., centre stage.” 
On a related note to the JHWS and Molly Carr (aka "Brenda"), two of her latest books were reviewed on Dr. Watson’s Library, a blog maintained by the JHWS which posts reviews and recommendations on books by its members: In Search of Doctor Watson and A Sherlock Holmes Who’s Who described as “for the Holmes fanatic who wants to know everything!” You can follow Ms .Carr on Twitter and Facebook.
[In Search of Dr Watson 2nd Edition is available from Amazon USABarnes and NobleAmazon UK and Waterstones. For elsewhere Book Depository who offer free delivery worldwide. In ebook format it is in KindleKoboNook and iBooks (iPad/iPhone).]

The Baker Street Babes Lyndsay, Melinda, and Sarah in Episode 46: Moriarty Returns! With Daniel Corey look at the latest incarnation of the Napoleon of Crime in a comic series that started in 2009. 
Moriarty is a supernatural/dark crime comic that flips the Sherlock Holmes universe on its head–James Moriarty, its sinister and conflicted star, is now the protagonist. Inspired in part by great Professor Moriartys including Laurence Olivier in The Seven Per Cent Solution and Daniel Davis in Star Trek: TNG, Corey set out to solve the mystery, who is Professor Moriarty, since ‘He’s mentioned here and there, but there’s only two stories that involve Professor Moriarty and he’s never actually onstage.’ Who is the Professor in the absence of Holmes, and will his criminal empire ever come to fruition?” 

Creator Daniel Corey, in an attempt to fund a third series consisting of four more issues, started a Kickstarter campaign where he hopes to raise 24K. Here’s a video of Corey explaining his plans for Moriarty Vol. 3:


If you’re interested in where the Moriarty series has been so far, check out these video summaries Moriarty Vol. 1: The Dark Chamber and Moriarty Vol, 2: The Lazarus Tree, or you can purchase the first to volumes in hardcover from Image Comics. The series reminds me a little of John Gardner's thought provoking 1970s trilogy of novels which delve into the history and psychology of Holmes' nemesis, painting the Napoleon of Crime in an almost sympathetic light. You can follow Daniel Corey's Moriarty Project on Facebook and Twitter.
[Cover for Moriarty Vol. 1: The Dark Chamber.]

The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence is a theater production premiering in NYC on November 15 and running through December 29, 2013. First off, just so there’s no confusion, the Watson of the Canon only makes up 1/4th of the ‘Watsons’ portrayed in The Watson Intelligence
Watson: trusty sidekick to Sherlock Holmes; loyal engineer who built Bell’s first telephone; unstoppable super-computer that became reigning Jeopardy! champ; amiable techno-dweeb who, in the present day, is just looking for love. These four constant companions become one in this brilliantly witty, time-jumping, loving tribute (and cautionary tale) dedicated to the people - and machines - upon which we all depend.” 
My first reaction to reading this description was “Wow” and my second reaction was “this could be amazing, or at the very least interesting.” Now I’m very curious to watch as actors portray John H. Watson, M.D., Late of the Army Medical Department, Thomas A. Watson (1854 - 1934), assistant to inventor Alexander Graham Bell, Watson the IBM computer capable of answering questions posed in natural language and a contemporary guy named Watson in a play that sounds like an extended meditation on our post-Industrial Western society - or might just be a zany romp consisting of four characters whose only point of convergence is the name “Watson”. Why can’t I get the image out of my head of Basil Rathbone's sidekick Nigel Bruce holding up a computer and quoting Zoolander: “Oh! The files are in the computer!” (smash goes the computer). Check out the play’s Facebook page and visit TicketCentral.com (use code WATPBE) to order tickets.

[I have absolutely no clue whether The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence will be a hit or miss, but it’s a chance to see our favorite one fixed point in a changing age pushed to his limits by finding himself in an Age that has changed multiple times over.]

Sidgwicks posted a fine promotional still (seen below) for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984), featuring a great shot of what could only be the “newly-framed picture of General Gordon" as mentioned by Holmes in "The Cardboard Box" - an image I had just been searching for a few days before in the hopes of, like Watson, using the likeness of Charles George Gordon (circa the ‘Pasha’ years) to not only decorate my wall (framed of course) but to act as a surefire catalyst for a chain of thoughts inevitably leading to “dwelling upon the sadness and horror and useless waste of life” war inevitably breeds, which was of course just part of the contents of Watson’s saturnine mood so adroitly discerned by Holmes during the first scene of “The Cardboard Box”. Sherlockians well-versed in some of the textual oddities of the Canon will of course recall that this memorable ‘mind-reading’ scene from CARD occurs again, almost line for line, in the “The Resident Patient.” For an explanation of why it is that both CARD and RESI include the exact same scene, see Leslie Klinger’s ‘The Textual Problem of “The Resident Patient”
[Promotional still for Granada’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984).]


Quick Sherlock Links:

Sherlockian.net is hands-down the most important Sherlock Holmes website in existence [Not to worry. We'll still allow Matt to write for us. - Ed.] and has been for many years. Created by longtime Sherlockian Chris RedmondBSI (“Billy”) - his investiture was inspired in part by his age at the time (he was just 16) - the site serves as the ultimate resource for Sherlockians, whether they’re collecting research for a journal article or neophyte Holmes enthusiasts delving for the first time into the world of Sherlock Holmes culture and scholarship. Which is why I’m thrilled beyond words to see my photo adorning the front page of Sherlockian.net! This picture was snapped by the wonderfully talented NYC Sherlockian and photographer Melinda Caric at a book release party for Lyndsay Faye's latest novel Seven For a Secret while I perused the Sherlockian Scholarship bookcase at the Mysterious Bookshop in downtown Manhattan. Unfortunately the edition of the book I’m holding Seventeen Steps to 221B, edited by James Edward Holroyd, was outside of my price range that evening but that never dampens the pure joy of holding a piece of biblio-Holmesian history. Check out Ms Caric’s complete Seven For a Secret Flickr set for the lowdown on the evenings’ literary debauchery, as well as further proof that Ms Faye’s genius extends well beyond the realm of historical fiction into that of the sartorial.

[Thank you for the honor Chris Redmond, and the wonderful photo Melinda Caric - oh yeah, and thanks to Lyndsay’s mixologist husband Gabe Lehner for keeping the book party attendees in good spirits.]

Sherlockian-Sherlock is a relatively new Sherlockian website started earlier this year by three intrepid Hungarians (though the site is in English). I stumbled on it while perusing Chris Redmond's recent updates to the 'Online Resources' section of Sherlockian.net. Initially drawn to the intriguing cadence of “Sherlockian Sherlock Dot Com” after further exploration it is quite the promising web destination for Holmes and ACD enthusiasts. The website's editors/creators - make no mistake, Sherlockian Sherlock is an actual website and not a blog or a Web 2.0-inspired creation - have a particular fascination with Sherlock Holmes art, the dispelling of common misbeliefs related to Holmes, actors who have donned the deerstalker and the science behind the Great Detective. I encourage you to add Sherlockian-Sherlock to your bookmarks posthaste.

Neatorama posted about a newly available Sherlock Holmes Pocket Notebook made-up of 64 pages with a very simple though elegant Sherlock design. Perfect for composing an outline for that Sherlock pastiche you’ve been meaning to write involving Holmes, the Wright Brothers, the Suez Canal and the First Pan-African Conference. Get to it!

[Just remember that if you author notes like “Meet me at the Yew Alley and come alone. PS Bring dog biscuits.” but then decide not to send it, be sure to throw it directly onto the fire so it burns opposed to letting it fall down into the grate where meddling detectives might come across it.]


Sherlockian Scion & Event Links:

The Sherlock Breakfast Club is a Los Angeles-based group of Holmes enthusiasts who meet irregularly for breakfast at Ye Olde King’s Head Pub in Santa Monica, CA. A discussion of a pre-assigned story is followed by a canonical quiz, where the victors win prizes, often from London. Time permitting they screen a Granada episode, usually corresponding to the story du jour. One of the leaders of the group, Bonnie MacBird whom I had the good fortune to meet this past August in MN at Sherlock Holmes Through Time and Place, stresses that the group is very inclusive and welcoming. There are Sherlockians of all stripes and ages, including many BBC Sherlock fans as well as Downey, Rathbone,Elementary, and those of the strictly canonical persuasion. “Everybody gets to express their Sherlockian love, and it’s all rooted in the Canon.” No doubt attendees depart assured that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! Their next event is November 9, 2013 at the ungodly hour of 9 am.

From Gillette To Brett IV: Basil, Benedict and Beyond is happening September 12 -14, 2014 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Put together by purveyors of the finest in Sherlockian publications, Wessex Press's the three day conference “will feature rare Sherlockian films, vendors, and an all-star roster of distinguished speakers, presenters, and events. We are thrilled to present exclusive, 75th Anniversary screenings of Basil Rathbone's The Hound of the Baskevilles (1939) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) in the state-of-the-art IU Cinema.” Mark your calendars.

[I can’t wait!]

* The Sherlockian Calendar is a Holmes-enthusiast’s best friend - visit and visit often. 

* If you have a Sherlock Holmes-related event or meeting you would like listed, or any news, gossip or announcements that might interest the readers of Always1895.net, please email Matt Laffey.

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