Celebrate World Radio Day with IHOSE

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> <b>“that strange wireless” [LAST]</b></h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nR0VB6TrwNmTN3e35vnSL3-Z-TUejVHJIXbjVLg9eUQ85aSU22oqQKjWiV6zCe5I7IHa4sbRBfBEE8sOxtZ0qA-dZRMwplcDgxkfIor4XT2wzArAM2Aa7eO4gp_Bzh1EcUY3_dqSdsBHixkZc6G7Pp2ijvWm33W8HxJANTAPyxlTYI32TTBKhlZ64AKV/s2796/IHOSE%20100%20header.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="2796" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nR0VB6TrwNmTN3e35vnSL3-Z-TUejVHJIXbjVLg9eUQ85aSU22oqQKjWiV6zCe5I7IHa4sbRBfBEE8sOxtZ0qA-dZRMwplcDgxkfIor4XT2wzArAM2Aa7eO4gp_Bzh1EcUY3_dqSdsBHixkZc6G7Pp2ijvWm33W8HxJANTAPyxlTYI32TTBKhlZ64AKV/w640-h328/IHOSE%20100%20header.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Radio came into the world concurrently with Sherlock Holmes, so it's natural to connect the two topics, particularly on World Radio Day.</div><div><br /></div><div>According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>,</div><blockquote><div>"The existence of radio waves was first proven by German physicist Heinrich Hertz on 11 November 1886. In the mid-1890s, building on techniques physicists were using to study electromagnetic waves, Italian physicist Guglielmo Marconi developed the first apparatus for long-distance radio communication, sending a wireless Morse Code message to a recipient over a kilometer away in 1895, and the first transatlantic signal on 12 December 1901."</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>In 2011, UNESCO Member States declared World Radio Day to be celebrated on February 13 and the United Nations General Assembly accepted it in 2012. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We first developed the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere podcast as Sherlockian talk radio in 2007, recognizing that Sherlockians have enjoyed audio content related to the great detective since at least the 1930s. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Meiser#Writing_career" target="_blank">Edith Meiser</a>, who was featured in the <a href="https://bakerstreetirregulars.com/2023/02/07/bsj-2022-christmas-annual/" target="_blank">2022 BSJ Christmas Annual</a>, wrote many scripts for <i>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i> on radio in the 1930s, including the very first episode that starred William Gillette.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meiser would later go on to write <i>The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i> for Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce from 1939 until 1943.</div><div><br /></div><div>In <a href="https://episodes.fm/258126625/episode/OGYwYmEyMjExZWFiMzQ5ZjdiNjM4ZDNmZjU5ODQ4OGM" target="_blank">Episode 122</a>, we discussed the collaboration between Rathbone and Bruce, which included spending time on their radio series:</div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-classification="other" data-dashlane-frameid="956" data-dashlane-rid="68136fa628a54003" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5450502/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/414851/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In <a href="https://episodes.fm/258126625/episode/NWY5ODQxMjdkZmJlNDcwZWE1ZWViYzBmMWM0ODBhZjA" target="_blank">Episode 136</a>, Ian Dickerson told us about the work that Leslie Charteris did on the radio plays, which he featured in his book:</div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-classification="other" data-dashlane-frameid="985" data-dashlane-rid="a329577c1bd4c390" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6149989/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/513b3c/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The glorious two-parter with writer Bert Coules in <a href="https://episodes.fm/258126625/episode/ODRmNzU1ZjhlZGM5MDNmYzY2ODYyNWVmZDI0YmIyYzg" target="_blank">Episode 68</a> and <a href="https://episodes.fm/258126625/episode/NTQ0N2IwMzY0ZjJjYjJhNGE2MDAxZjkyMGJiN2RhNzI" target="_blank">Episode 69</a> provides a glimpse into the history of British radio plays, ending of course with Bert's own contributions:</div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-classification="other" data-dashlane-frameid="1015" data-dashlane-rid="3d2030e0b7c5b374" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3090004/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/414851/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-classification="other" data-dashlane-frameid="1049" data-dashlane-rid="a501ad807815c52e" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3127050/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/414851/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We even spoke with his Sherlock Holmes, Clive Merrison on <a href="https://episodes.fm/258126625/episode/ZDExZTEzNDItZjJjMS00MDQyLWE0YTUtZGFhYmUyYWM4MDFl" target="_blank">Episode 202</a>:</div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-classification="other" data-dashlane-frameid="1052" data-dashlane-rid="8474572686b7a1b0" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/16412861/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/6c442c/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Actor Nicholas Briggs and writer Jonathan Barnes from Big Finish Productions joined us to go behind the scenes of their series in <a href="https://episodes.fm/258126625/episode/ZGNkOTM2N2MtODRkYy00YTdlLWI1YzktMDRmN2UzYzNlODRm" target="_blank">Episode 247</a>:</div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-classification="other" data-dashlane-frameid="1106" data-dashlane-rid="3d0af5969f23bec2" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/24222471/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/414851/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Charles Kindinger, writer of the Audible series <i>Moriarty: The Devil's Game</i> told us his story in <a href="https://episodes.fm/258126625/episode/MWE1MTAzODAtMGI0MC00MTlkLWFlMTItMmFiNjNlM2Y2NWU0" target="_blank">Episode 245</a>:</div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-classification="other" data-dashlane-frameid="1087" data-dashlane-rid="f26e9362e0f13a9f" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/23909778/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/414851/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And the latest audio production taking audiences by storm, Sherlock & Co., features prominently in two episodes: <a href="https://episodes.fm/258126625/episode/YTE3MjcyNzEtNjNhNS00N2Y5LTlmYTEtYzdmYWE5MTk1NmYx" target="_blank">Episode 275</a> with writer Joel Emery and <a href="https://episodes.fm/258126625/episode/ZmZjNzFjYzMtMTMwMi00OTg5LTkxYWUtNzU2OTQzMDRhYjJi" target="_blank">Episode 300</a> with Harry Attwell, who plays Sherlock Holmes himself:</div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-classification="other" data-dashlane-frameid="1113" data-dashlane-rid="25d9f5d665512721" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/28467722/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/414851/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-classification="other" data-dashlane-frameid="1115" data-dashlane-rid="15db257ed2c4051e" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/34210895/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/414851/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There are probably more episodes (we're going from memory), but it's enough to put a playlist together for this weekend at the very least...</div><div><br /></div><div>The game's afoot!</div><div> </div>

Celebrate World Radio Day with IHOSE

  “that strange wireless” [LAST] Radio came into the world concurrently with Sherlock Holmes, so it's natural to connect the two topics,...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas

<h4 style="text-align: center;">“the number of the chapter is immaterial<span style="text-align: left;">”</span> [VALL]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxmwaMls6GoXq-yM73GDeY3BBan-zx0u7zlxN12NQ03kpYNUxV2G5eJnZq4Tt2GOYqtD1E4Yi4Idwralx5bs_h3SwQE-cRc_22cYg57HnbDGT1C8-nX9h8A4R12vEcNODSXAzy64kqSQKaRu-qluliuxIRpYgMjeXgqVe2q7lprpIYQiiDXQgs20eEUGb/s1000/Sherlock%20Holmes%20Crimes%20for%20Christmas%20-%20header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1000" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxmwaMls6GoXq-yM73GDeY3BBan-zx0u7zlxN12NQ03kpYNUxV2G5eJnZq4Tt2GOYqtD1E4Yi4Idwralx5bs_h3SwQE-cRc_22cYg57HnbDGT1C8-nX9h8A4R12vEcNODSXAzy64kqSQKaRu-qluliuxIRpYgMjeXgqVe2q7lprpIYQiiDXQgs20eEUGb/w640-h512/Sherlock%20Holmes%20Crimes%20for%20Christmas%20-%20header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I love an advent calendar. During a cold, dark month, where the pressure to do just the right thing for other people can become overwhelming, it’s nice to have a daily gift to oneself. </p><p>Here's a new style one, a type I wasn't previously familiar with, with content that's a gift for any Sherlockian: Derrick Belanger's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/4fBDXK1" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas</a>. </i></p><div><div>Twelve traditionally styled stories are published with cliffhangers and labeled by date. You read the story setup on one day, then discover what happened the next, with content for every day during the month of December until Boxing Day. (I know, I'm telling you about this much too late for this month, but a) if you get the book now, you get more to read all at once or b) you can get really ahead on your shopping for December 2025, if you want.) </div><div><br /></div><div>It's tricky to make oneself stop, I find. But for anyone who remembers Encyclopedia Brown, it's fun to challenge yourself with figuring out the story's hook, the clue that reveals what happened. </div><div><br /></div><div>Watson narrates, as he should, and Inspectors Gregson and Lestrade make appearances in these stories. Tales involve a missing criminal, a cause of unusual death, a murderous frame-up, an art theft, a missing author, and more, all set during the holiday winter month. </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><a href="https://amzn.to/4fBDXK1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><br />Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas</a></i> by Derrick Belanger, published by Belanger Books, October 2024, is available in paperback and Kindle format on Amazon.  <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkd066D2itQWBqAe7JjUHJYz53A818jEumJ3Sx9mxPpELtpfKAojZW4_3BOvBgLyQ7AyChvpRIXbRJNxNPes3rd8-IUMAKJa3oN34PLD-sReSnQXWicquMl5uk94rqnS3tdcsJjdodMWKATeDWSNRJwfTC0ysRxxLNO27GkvgSbF8g5OVtWx4IHwIi2BZK/s1499/Sherlock%20Holmes%20Crimes%20for%20Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1499" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkd066D2itQWBqAe7JjUHJYz53A818jEumJ3Sx9mxPpELtpfKAojZW4_3BOvBgLyQ7AyChvpRIXbRJNxNPes3rd8-IUMAKJa3oN34PLD-sReSnQXWicquMl5uk94rqnS3tdcsJjdodMWKATeDWSNRJwfTC0ysRxxLNO27GkvgSbF8g5OVtWx4IHwIi2BZK/w133-h200/Sherlock%20Holmes%20Crimes%20for%20Christmas.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas

“the number of the chapter is immaterial ”  [VALL] I love an advent calendar. During a cold, dark month, where the pressure to do just the r...

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by Johanna Draper Carlson

The Calendrical Holmes

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> “carry about a portable Newgate Calendar” [3GAR]</h4><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijk1TLiuYOH7aopcnPDLWU4LEVyvuEKtkSikTsLsHB0IvXyOdnx18xp5gt3zV1pCwh1yd1Mulaf0InT1QF55GY9E_VEJ8z5-6PCShOM5TyeeE_rc87WYakjmRq371azAttyQMIjqPsbCF92r3ZxojDBn88AaNr56tj4CAtSgnFnzEBZGjqfpFWwRqxbVJm/s540/2025%20Page-a-day%20calendar2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="540" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijk1TLiuYOH7aopcnPDLWU4LEVyvuEKtkSikTsLsHB0IvXyOdnx18xp5gt3zV1pCwh1yd1Mulaf0InT1QF55GY9E_VEJ8z5-6PCShOM5TyeeE_rc87WYakjmRq371azAttyQMIjqPsbCF92r3ZxojDBn88AaNr56tj4CAtSgnFnzEBZGjqfpFWwRqxbVJm/w640-h546/2025%20Page-a-day%20calendar2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The Sherlock Holmes stories may be fixed at a certain point in time, but they are timeless classics that will forever showcase the talents of the world's first consulting detective and the friendship between him and his faithful friend and biographer, Dr. John Watson.</p><p>As much as we'd like to lose ourselves in the "half-remembered, half-forgotten times of snug Victorian illusion, of gaslit comfort and contentment, of perfect dignity and grace," <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/02/what-is-it-that-we-love-in-sherlock.html" target="_blank">as Edgar Smith put it</a>, we here in the bright blue 21st century still need to track the present.</p><p>To help us with that are two options from MX Publishing:</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3Z4BP6W" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mr. Holmes’ Advent Calendars</a> (four book series - Amazon) </h3><p>There are now four volumes of the advent calendar — each containing 24 daily mysteries: one for each day of Advent.  </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGywGgueO2_yI7TdBsfRfilEmjBElkEVaicvikpZma1zLGASlLpD2CzghqJTs3ACqGRt1Wl-QjPwAGmRpLakO2bbRGKwG0ui_psAHQs-y44Bt-qdWC9GS6glmdC8DAUVZXc0WIJLvVuUvAwQDfqRMYw5yQzlX-z_mK2L0YuARG_7M4BNjbS8R0xGSzu4Z/s1500/Advent%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGywGgueO2_yI7TdBsfRfilEmjBElkEVaicvikpZma1zLGASlLpD2CzghqJTs3ACqGRt1Wl-QjPwAGmRpLakO2bbRGKwG0ui_psAHQs-y44Bt-qdWC9GS6glmdC8DAUVZXc0WIJLvVuUvAwQDfqRMYw5yQzlX-z_mK2L0YuARG_7M4BNjbS8R0xGSzu4Z/w133-h200/Advent%204.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw55V1-CcLZgT_pVna0Pa8PCUFh7gvVZMu1ZhVRKj1RlaKSPQcV-PdogR3EKr4gouZm_w5jCC5IE5o53W6Aw8CVVeDjORhx9kkBFbE44fEf0pDEmj5QjdcI9hdqJi3erkmnIOzE8RnhwvXwHT7E0-LVn51XVRXy7kWbagIp4YL1vr7PLMAOXlthQubdH4T/s1500/Advent%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw55V1-CcLZgT_pVna0Pa8PCUFh7gvVZMu1ZhVRKj1RlaKSPQcV-PdogR3EKr4gouZm_w5jCC5IE5o53W6Aw8CVVeDjORhx9kkBFbE44fEf0pDEmj5QjdcI9hdqJi3erkmnIOzE8RnhwvXwHT7E0-LVn51XVRXy7kWbagIp4YL1vr7PLMAOXlthQubdH4T/w133-h200/Advent%203.jpg" width="133" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglROxHyxmuwQwteW545A-RpWGypy9LLEZf9VlFU62qDh4o6le2IyieQAeOOb5zhRxgwl7lgd9NjH2EfzZDKOfiAEsT5Ukg6131GGZyBF94gnXiU0YwKfnrZ0Vz9OD_FPlSqQysaatuixYcaj2hOG5ejqm5DfdTdg8oRXr1VyjuUZHkHrokzfUdbJQOxlwB/s1500/Advent%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglROxHyxmuwQwteW545A-RpWGypy9LLEZf9VlFU62qDh4o6le2IyieQAeOOb5zhRxgwl7lgd9NjH2EfzZDKOfiAEsT5Ukg6131GGZyBF94gnXiU0YwKfnrZ0Vz9OD_FPlSqQysaatuixYcaj2hOG5ejqm5DfdTdg8oRXr1VyjuUZHkHrokzfUdbJQOxlwB/w133-h200/Advent%202.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyquYsXGG-DYt74GWWg-mnveVnzI0h8BTeYSVQFytOieTu_vjie-FKqcU4UND7iFCSPTl8fu3XsbLgHAxT4nqsnHPZiA146r7VWJZy0ojTztqZjoHScWCjWxZgDxX7gdQqdJCpmnG5vlvu4HNLgMcKQ2ynp34XiaE87usxaRgXWq65kzMiCkDeZEwBFjHU/s1500/Advent%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyquYsXGG-DYt74GWWg-mnveVnzI0h8BTeYSVQFytOieTu_vjie-FKqcU4UND7iFCSPTl8fu3XsbLgHAxT4nqsnHPZiA146r7VWJZy0ojTztqZjoHScWCjWxZgDxX7gdQqdJCpmnG5vlvu4HNLgMcKQ2ynp34XiaE87usxaRgXWq65kzMiCkDeZEwBFjHU/w133-h200/Advent%201.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Follow in the master detective’s footsteps and use the evidence available to deduce what might have happened, find vital clues, decipher codes, check alibis and solve the crime case until the next morning when you turn the page and find Mr. Holmes’ solution and another exciting case waiting for you. Are you ready to put your detective skills to the test? </p><p>Authors Joseph Reinthaler, Sebastian Frenzel, and Anja Stiller provide great fun for fans of Sherlock Holmes and detective fiction of all ages in this delightful series. <a href="https://amzn.to/3Z4BP6W" target="_blank">Available on Amazon</a>.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://mxpublishing.com/products/2025-page-a-day-sherlock-holmes-calendar" target="_blank">2025 Sherlock Holmes Page A Day Calendar</a></h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWB663TKYZA5gASv-RHDNC6_Jb8pibrXSXjegmqD0MAhkw2RtNXXhp_Zv3ux-DBqekn6W4O5aDElxpyPsLkX5wczxKmlvo-IKEotWGAOb72w1368UKjHFOmTV5oY30mNykN7cPMQ2qysguFFdVp1M-_t1UMuGBeao8gbb7dwPyN_ZBlj4cjB3FjjBhzjCw/s480/2025%20Page-a-day%20calendar.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWB663TKYZA5gASv-RHDNC6_Jb8pibrXSXjegmqD0MAhkw2RtNXXhp_Zv3ux-DBqekn6W4O5aDElxpyPsLkX5wczxKmlvo-IKEotWGAOb72w1368UKjHFOmTV5oY30mNykN7cPMQ2qysguFFdVp1M-_t1UMuGBeao8gbb7dwPyN_ZBlj4cjB3FjjBhzjCw/s16000/2025%20Page-a-day%20calendar.jpeg" /></a></div><br />This was one of our favorite items from last year — 365 days of quotes, illustrations and fun facts about Sherlock Holmes (some surprised even us!).<p></p><p>Following the sell-out success of the 2024 Page Per Day Calendar, this popular item is back with an all-new calendar for 2025, offering you stunning (and sometimes obscure) illustrations, inspiring quotes, clever quips, and entertaining historical tidbits straight from the world of Sherlock Holmes! </p><p>This collaboration between <a href="https://mxpublishing.com/collections/sherlockian-author-profile-mike-foy" target="_blank">Mike Foy</a>, acclaimed author of four volumes of <i>A Study In Illustrations</i>, and bestselling Holmes novelist <a href="https://mxpublishing.com/collections/sherlockian-author-profile-richard-ryan" target="_blank">Richard Ryan</a> is a must-have for every true Sherlock Holmes devotee.</p><p>Hurry and <a href="https://mxpublishing.com/products/2025-page-a-day-sherlock-holmes-calendar" target="_blank">order yours</a> before the New Year arrives and more importantly, before these sell out like last year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="327" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eMUU2xKI-XQ" width="393" youtube-src-id="eMUU2xKI-XQ"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Disclosure: MX Publishing is a sponsor of the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere podcast.</i></div><p><br /></p><br />

The Calendrical Holmes

 “carry about a portable Newgate Calendar” [3GAR] The Sherlock Holmes stories may be fixed at a certain point in time, but they are timeless...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes as a Romantic Audio Companion on Valentine's Day

<h4 style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Merriweather; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;">“I have never loved” [DEVI] </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPEO4vmjUihnH-HzZbevLhb_tl1KhFY9Lo24x4L98CNTXEF9wUhB1Giba6uCsqAsnocKgHtvSEYdY_ub5QJdMS_euz7k_7W4ler2wPYsVNFlDI_cI7wwnHz9bAtdVz8nNJkLeRNM8dL8SZKW98R58v9BPiCANXpuv5LyQ0Q3gp3q7vRl51BiY-Iykdk8c/s1044/William%20Gillette%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20-%20Alice%20Faulkner%20romance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1044" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPEO4vmjUihnH-HzZbevLhb_tl1KhFY9Lo24x4L98CNTXEF9wUhB1Giba6uCsqAsnocKgHtvSEYdY_ub5QJdMS_euz7k_7W4ler2wPYsVNFlDI_cI7wwnHz9bAtdVz8nNJkLeRNM8dL8SZKW98R58v9BPiCANXpuv5LyQ0Q3gp3q7vRl51BiY-Iykdk8c/w640-h510/William%20Gillette%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20-%20Alice%20Faulkner%20romance.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>It might seem strange that we would celebrate a holiday about romance with a detective whom Watson called “a reasoning machine.” </p><p>But let's not forget that there was also an occasion when Watson wrote “I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain,” (even if it was the <i>only</i> time).</p><p>The fact is, love plays a part in much of the Sherlock Holmes canon, from the deep and true love of Jefferson Hope and Lucy Ferrier in <i>A Study in Scarlet</i> that was made even more tragic by the interference of Drebber and Stangerson.</p><p>That was immediately followed by <i>The Sign of Four</i>, another novel tinged with romanticism, as Watson didn't work “a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid,” but rather met Mary Morstan, (one of ) the great love(s) of his life.</p><p> Again and again, we find clients who arrive on the doorstep of 221B Baker Street with some concern over an <i>affaire de coeur</i>. So what better way to celebrate the day than with some romance-related episodes of <i>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere </i>and <i>Trifles</i>?</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/02/episode-90-love-in-canon.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IHOSE Episode 90: Love in the Canon</a></h3><p>There are many couples in the Sherlock Holmes stories: husbands and wives, intended spouses, or spurned lovers. There is a good deal of love that runs through the Canon, some of it good and decent, some of it passionate and infatuated, and some of it selfish. <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/02/episode-90-love-in-canon.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 90</a> of <i>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</i> covers love in the canon.</p><p></p><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="733" data-dashlane-rid="1b1168ecfc3f205f" data-form-type="other" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4147543/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/414851/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/2017/02/7-john-james-and-mary.html" target="_blank">Trifles Episode 7 - John, James, and Mary</a></h3><p>Then there was that time when Mrs. Watson called the good doctor by another name. Was it a sign of infidelity on her part? A typo? Whatever it is, it's just a <i><a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/2017/02/7-john-james-and-mary.html" target="_blank">Trifle </a></i>(Episode 7).</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="708" data-dashlane-rid="cc6344284b357420" data-form-type="other" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5084378/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/d0161c/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/2018/02/episode-61-john-watson-ladies-man.html" target="_blank">Trifles Episode 61 - John Watson, Ladies Man</a></h3><p>We know that Watson had “an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents, but which continents were those? And what did the relationships consist of? <i>Trifles </i><a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/2018/02/episode-61-john-watson-ladies-man.html" target="_blank">Episode 61</a> looks at John Watson, Ladies Man.</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="787" data-dashlane-rid="16bd13c9952218fe" data-form-type="other" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6311274/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/d0161c/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/2024/01/episode-369-hosmeric-hypocrisy.html" target="_blank">Trifles Episode 369 - Hosmeric Hypocrisy</a></h4><p>Poor Mary Sutherland was led astray by her stepfather, who posed as Hosmer Angel. Sherlock Holmes was outraged, but it didn't stop him from getting romantically involved under false pretenses. It's <i>Trifles </i><a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/2024/01/episode-369-hosmeric-hypocrisy.html" target="_blank">Episode 369</a>.</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="813" data-dashlane-rid="1d7b6afef01a897e" data-form-type="other" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/29640263/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/d0161c/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Feel free to <a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/" target="_blank">browse the archives of <i>Trifles</i></a> for other related episodes. Are there other instances of romance that you can think of that are worth exploring? </p><p><br /></p>

Sherlock Holmes as a Romantic Audio Companion on Valentine's Day

“I have never loved” [DEVI]  It might seem strange that we would celebrate a holiday about romance with a detective whom Watson called “a re...

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by Scott Monty

Special Episode: A Christmas Story Without Slush

<h4 style="text-align: center;">“I’ve read enough of the slush” [VALL] </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOHtXtwOogbq4npFcCTDFLCX5r3-RGKP3AGKBcvoZZopGB4pBKRvLuFQBg8b5f_ybYFEBp1zwO7mYkno2ngM_yZTd6TtVvHn5FPJKzL_g9FRPRZPKsku-lgXWqEIVYRrDYkCMNwTDnOnOLdIABTfpsv2IH2pFbaGX2okGBXWUdOssG8HvvHzLoUnDZcFL/s1000/BLUE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOHtXtwOogbq4npFcCTDFLCX5r3-RGKP3AGKBcvoZZopGB4pBKRvLuFQBg8b5f_ybYFEBp1zwO7mYkno2ngM_yZTd6TtVvHn5FPJKzL_g9FRPRZPKsku-lgXWqEIVYRrDYkCMNwTDnOnOLdIABTfpsv2IH2pFbaGX2okGBXWUdOssG8HvvHzLoUnDZcFL/w640-h360/BLUE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div><p>Following our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/7L-9qnjkPK4" target="_blank">recent appearance on Sherlock Mondays</a>, we revisited Christopher Morley's wonderful introduction to the Baker Street Irregulars' edition of "The Blue Carbuncle" from 1948.</p><p>For our Patreon supporters (and our PayPal supporters here) we have Burt's full reading of Morley's essay, followed by commentary and discussion with Scott afterward.</p><p>You can hear a sample here:</p><div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h3><a href="https://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock-xmas2023-sample.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size: 13.4 MB, 9:46</h3><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="9467" data-dashlane-rid="10caae9c53986668" data-form-type="other" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/29228268/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/32527c/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><br /></div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap; word-break: normal;"></div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><br /></div><div style="line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-overflow: ellipsis; word-break: normal;">You can listen to the full version if you're <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/special-episode-95299833?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link" target="_blank">a regular Patreon supporter</a> for as little as $1 a month. Or if you'd prefer to <a href="https://www.patreon.com/ihearofsherlock/shop/christmas-story-without-slush-90373?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link" target="_blank">purchase this single episode</a>, it is available <a href="https://www.patreon.com/ihearofsherlock/shop/christmas-story-without-slush-90373?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link" target="_blank">at this link</a>.</div><h4 style="line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; word-break: normal;"><br /></h4></div></div></div><div>Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at <a href="http://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock">linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock</a>.</div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p style="-x-system-font: none; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 14px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px;"><br /></p></div></div></div>

Special Episode: A Christmas Story Without Slush

“I’ve read enough of the slush” [VALL]  Following our recent appearance on Sherlock Mondays , we revisited Christopher Morley's wonderfu...

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by Scott Monty

The Second Morning After Christmas

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"the second morning after Christmas" [BLUE] </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtzw_vauLqGI8i0SrRwFREYxyE65Xzmhy3UpfMc83q9GBaYo3Uu9riMCNGwfqH4g6RsS5Q73kB-7FoGXwXd7Fn9DcSm8i1-XMrvQH8DWBj-PdmKcMLi5ID3u5ZJ-aJ90QMZSc1HSIoy0/s1600/blue-03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtzw_vauLqGI8i0SrRwFREYxyE65Xzmhy3UpfMc83q9GBaYo3Uu9riMCNGwfqH4g6RsS5Q73kB-7FoGXwXd7Fn9DcSm8i1-XMrvQH8DWBj-PdmKcMLi5ID3u5ZJ-aJ90QMZSc1HSIoy0/s400/blue-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Today traditionally marks the date on which "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" took place. The seventh in the series of stories that make up <i>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i>, "The Blue Carbucnle" is the sole Christmas story in the Sherlock Holmes canon.<br /><br />Watson sets the stage for us by opening the tale with this paragraph:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing-gown, a pipe-rack within his reach upon the right, and a pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studied, near at hand. Beside the couch was a wooden chair, and on the angle of the back hung a very seedy and disreputable hard felt hat, much the worse for wear, and cracked in several places. A lens and a forceps lying upon the seat of the chair suggested that the hat had been suspended in this manner for the purpose of examination."</blockquote>It has become an annual tradition at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere to acknowledge December 27th with a favorite reading. Just as the <i>Wall Street Journal</i> annually reproduces a 1949 editorial written by Vermont Royster called "<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj-3My0j_zJAhUIPCYKHePhBrMQFgghMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2FSB10001424052970204464404577112431986005786&usg=AFQjCNFBOMTBdMiqlxf9tGYz0Jb-tieRKw&sig2=qjutMkGmsi34eHf1n39PhQ" target="_blank"><i>In Hoc Anno Domini</i></a>," we saw no reason to avoid replication here.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6321981775136876837" name="more"></a>If this is new to you, please feel free to share and use this at your own Sherlockian society holiday meetings. The only thing we ask is that you attribute the poem to its rightful author. If you'd like to listen to it, we also produced a special episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere in December 2007 in which we read the verse:<br /><br /><center><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1185689230&color=%23ce1a21&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></center><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/compliments-of-the-season" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Compliments of the Season">Compliments of the Season</a></div><div><br /></div>So, we bring you "Two Days After Christmas," a tribute to "The Blue Carbuncle" in the style of Clement Moore's "<a href="http://iment.com/maida//familytree/henry/xmas/poemvariants/troysentinel1823.htm">A Visit from St. Nick</a>."<br /><br /><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px;"><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/24531783/Two-Days-After-Christmas#from_embed" title="View Two Days After Christmas on Scribd"><b>Two Days After Christmas</b></a> </div><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="null" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/24531783/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true&access_key=key-8qfi6uwtitozfa777tp" title="Two Days After Christmas" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><br />Looking back over both of our Sherlockian podcasts (<i>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</i> and <i>Trifles</i>), we pulled together four more holiday-themed episodes for a full playlist: a discussion of "The Blue Carbuncle" and Christopher Morley's lovely essay "A Christmas Story Without Slush"; an interview with Peter Blau concerning his Sherlockian Christmas tree, bedecked with Sherlockian ornaments; a discussion of peace in the Sherlock Holmes stories (when we can find it); and an investigation of what went wrong in the botched jewel heist; the path across London traversed by the blue carbuncle.<div><br /></div><div><div>The playlist is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/sets/compliments-of-the-season?si=85662034fb8747848decdce97ba4bd93&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing" target="_blank">available on SoundCloud</a> and is embedded below for your convenience:<br /><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1370063371&color=%23ce1a21&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/sets/compliments-of-the-season" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Compliments of the Season">Compliments of the Season</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Enjoy. And this holiday season, may all of your carbuncles be blue.<br /><br /><div></div><br /><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;">--</div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div>

The Second Morning After Christmas

"the second morning after Christmas" [BLUE]  Today traditionally marks the date on which "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle...

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by Scott Monty

The Second Morning After Christmas

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"the second morning after Christmas" [BLUE] </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtzw_vauLqGI8i0SrRwFREYxyE65Xzmhy3UpfMc83q9GBaYo3Uu9riMCNGwfqH4g6RsS5Q73kB-7FoGXwXd7Fn9DcSm8i1-XMrvQH8DWBj-PdmKcMLi5ID3u5ZJ-aJ90QMZSc1HSIoy0/s1600/blue-03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtzw_vauLqGI8i0SrRwFREYxyE65Xzmhy3UpfMc83q9GBaYo3Uu9riMCNGwfqH4g6RsS5Q73kB-7FoGXwXd7Fn9DcSm8i1-XMrvQH8DWBj-PdmKcMLi5ID3u5ZJ-aJ90QMZSc1HSIoy0/s400/blue-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Today traditionally marks the date on which "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" took place. The seventh in the series of stories that make up <i>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i>, "The Blue Carbucnle" is the sole Christmas story in the Sherlock Holmes canon.<br /><br />Watson sets the stage for us by opening the tale with this paragraph:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing-gown, a pipe-rack within his reach upon the right, and a pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studied, near at hand. Beside the couch was a wooden chair, and on the angle of the back hung a very seedy and disreputable hard felt hat, much the worse for wear, and cracked in several places. A lens and a forceps lying upon the seat of the chair suggested that the hat had been suspended in this manner for the purpose of examination."</blockquote>It has become an annual tradition at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere to acknowledge December 27th with a favorite reading. Just as the <i>Wall Street Journal</i> annually reproduces a 1949 editorial written by Vermont Royster called "<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj-3My0j_zJAhUIPCYKHePhBrMQFgghMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2FSB10001424052970204464404577112431986005786&usg=AFQjCNFBOMTBdMiqlxf9tGYz0Jb-tieRKw&sig2=qjutMkGmsi34eHf1n39PhQ" target="_blank"><i>In Hoc Anno Domini</i></a>," we saw no reason to avoid replication here.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6321981775136876837" name="more"></a>If this is new to you, please feel free to share and use this at your own Sherlockian society holiday meetings. The only thing we ask is that you attribute the poem to its rightful author. If you'd like to listen to it, we also produced a special episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere in December 2007 in which we read the verse:<br /><br /><center><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1185689230&color=%23ce1a21&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></center><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/compliments-of-the-season" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Compliments of the Season">Compliments of the Season</a></div><div><br /></div>So, we bring you "Two Days After Christmas," a tribute to "The Blue Carbuncle" in the style of Clement Moore's "<a href="http://iment.com/maida//familytree/henry/xmas/poemvariants/troysentinel1823.htm">A Visit from St. Nick</a>."<br /><br /><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px;"><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/24531783/Two-Days-After-Christmas#from_embed" title="View Two Days After Christmas on Scribd"><b>Two Days After Christmas</b></a> </div><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="null" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/24531783/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true&access_key=key-8qfi6uwtitozfa777tp" title="Two Days After Christmas" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><br />Looking back over both of our Sherlockian podcasts (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere and Trifles), we pulled together four more holiday-themed episodes for a full playlist: a discussion of "The Blue Carbuncle" and Christopher Morley's lovely essay "A Christmas Story Without Slush"; an interview with Peter Blau concerning his Sherlockian Christmas tree, bedecked with Sherlockian ornaments; a discussion of peace in the Sherlock Holmes stories (when we can find it); and an investigation of what went wrong in the botched jewel heist.<div><br /></div><div>The playlist is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/sets/compliments-of-the-season?si=85662034fb8747848decdce97ba4bd93&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing" target="_blank">available on SoundCloud</a> and is embedded below for your convenience:<br /><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1370063371&color=%23ce1a21&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/sets/compliments-of-the-season" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Compliments of the Season">Compliments of the Season</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Enjoy. And this holiday season, may all of your carbuncles be blue.<br /><br /><div></div><br /><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;">--</div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div>

The Second Morning After Christmas

"the second morning after Christmas" [BLUE]  Today traditionally marks the date on which "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes and Father's Day

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"I had the story from my father" [HOUN]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmZb5WXXXKblZeR-yKCESyw8G75pyHzAgHoX6YF2Y9zh1C7D_yHqUNgS8xhk4uEsUgY398x7t-EtLDATs7L-4qEfU9N3qounTAF40i_5tc7WAvBnM4wFW_Y_e4MQ18_suQRU1IK4NKot3/s1600/Trevor+Sr.+-+GLOR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmZb5WXXXKblZeR-yKCESyw8G75pyHzAgHoX6YF2Y9zh1C7D_yHqUNgS8xhk4uEsUgY398x7t-EtLDATs7L-4qEfU9N3qounTAF40i_5tc7WAvBnM4wFW_Y_e4MQ18_suQRU1IK4NKot3/s640/Trevor+Sr.+-+GLOR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />From the relationship between Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Altamont Doyle to the various fathers and father figures in the Canon, it's fascinating to consider paternal impacts in the Sherlock Holmes stories.<br /><br />Far from being a homogeneous and idyllic characterization of fatherhood like some greeting card, fathers in the Sherlock Holmes stories are a mixed bag. The heroic John Ferrier and magnanimous Grant Munro represent the best in fathers, while on the other end of the spectrum, the nefarious Grimesby Roylott and Jephro Rucastle show just how abusive and criminal some can be.<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/134350122&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="ihearofsherlock">ihearofsherlock</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/i-hear-of-sherlock-26" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Episode 43: Fathers in the Canon">Episode 43: Fathers in the Canon</a></div><br /><br />Perhaps this is an opportunity to listen to <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose43" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 43</a> of <i>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</i> again (or maybe for the first time)—an evergreen episode in which we dissect and analyze certain father figures. Interestingly, many stand-in fathers tend to be better paternal figures than biological fathers. See if you agree.<br /><br /><div>We're acutely aware  that some of the fathers in the Sherlock Holmes stories had certain dastardly deeds associated with them. Individuals such as Jephro Rucastle and Grimesby Roylott spring to mind.</div><div><br /></div><div>But what about figures who occupied a position as head of the household who weren't necessarily fathers themselves? In <a href="http://ihose.co/trifles24" target="_blank">Episode 24</a> of <i>Trifles</i>, we look at some of these parental units.</div><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/328006256&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Sherlock Holmes: Trifles">Sherlock Holmes: Trifles</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/24-heads-of-household" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Heads of Household">Heads of Household</a></div></div><div><br /></div><br />And until next year, we have the pleasure to wish you a very happy Father's Day, however you celebrate it.<br /><br />--<div><br /></div>

Sherlock Holmes and Father's Day

"I had the story from my father" [HOUN] From the relationship between Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Altamont Doyle to the various...

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by Scott Monty

Review: A Three-Pipe Christmas

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"absolutely unique, and its value can only be conjectured" [BLUE]</h4><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9N3vcRkjLZ9karqXihoVFkIpD9eVjLvDK70hItX_KEQ5fQsGlSXo1BlcjOsHoFcXIPsHHXmdacnwO91uXQr8i7PrBNmq0bW6YGnRH4UsCAiF2C9etZAQMRpiHXPQKW0H_HEENkiHsqLJa/s1484/SH4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1484" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9N3vcRkjLZ9karqXihoVFkIpD9eVjLvDK70hItX_KEQ5fQsGlSXo1BlcjOsHoFcXIPsHHXmdacnwO91uXQr8i7PrBNmq0bW6YGnRH4UsCAiF2C9etZAQMRpiHXPQKW0H_HEENkiHsqLJa/w640-h528/SH4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Illustration by Karen Gosselin</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><p> After an admittedly trying year, many Sherlockians deserve multiple moments of delight, charm, and warmth during the holiday season. Thankfully, Belanger Books' new collection <strong><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3qxtruS" target="_blank">A Three-Pipe Christma</a>s</i></strong> is the perfect holiday tome. Mixing Sherlockian canon, scholarship, and pastiche, this book provides an exceptional, enjoyable read for Sherlockians of all persuasions.</p><p> </p><p><strong><i>A Three-Pipe Christmas</i></strong> begins with "<a href="https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/32/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes/351/adventure-7-the-adventure-of-the-blue-carbuncle/">The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle</a>", which leads into a trilogy of essays that provide Sherlockian insights into the context of the story. Julie McKuras, BSI ("The Duchess of Devonshire") in her essay "The Season of Forgiveness" and Monica M. Schmidt, BSI ("Julia Stoner") in her "A Most Difficult Time of the Year" highlight how the story reflects much of the joy <i>and </i>the melancholy of the holiday. As someone introduced to Holmes in his youth, I found the musings of Shannon Carlisle, BSI ("Beacons of the Future!") on introducing Holmes to her fourth-grade students in "A Brilliant Tale for the Youngest Sherlockians" especially touching and insightful.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHnsQdBlAsdWIt_WA2bGcrHC9N0okJty12-MrSVwnp3kXpNuL0rVSg3x-onql6Jb0eJybAza6wK_JEmpN7ImHACgF9_G-pWi7PjmuPa3UABPZSJiy8YPY8wyxb_do0wxyWXMNVHQLd3N7V/s2048/-leaving+Breckinridge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1535" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHnsQdBlAsdWIt_WA2bGcrHC9N0okJty12-MrSVwnp3kXpNuL0rVSg3x-onql6Jb0eJybAza6wK_JEmpN7ImHACgF9_G-pWi7PjmuPa3UABPZSJiy8YPY8wyxb_do0wxyWXMNVHQLd3N7V/w480-h640/-leaving+Breckinridge.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Leaving Breckenridge" by <i>Strand </i>artist Jeffrey McKeever</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Our next selection is "The Unique Hamlet" by Vincent Starrett, a tale that celebrates its centennial this year. As a first-time reader of this particular pastiche, I found it quite enjoyable for its sly sense of humor as well as its prose styling. (Or as one commenter states, the story's tone is "more Lewis Carroll than Conan Doyle," and that is to its credit). With its focus on book collecting and literature, "The Unique Hamlet" has more than earned its reputation as a high-end pastiche.</p><p>The essays that follow provide insight into the history of "The Unique Hamlet" describe its importance in written Sherlockian pastiche. The late Susan Rice, BSI ("Beeswing") describes it in her essay as the "gold standard" in its balance of humor and style. Dan Andricaco (who edited <b><i>The Three Pipe Christmas</i></b>) also discusses how Vincent Starrett deftly balances pastiche, parody, and satire in writing "The Unique Hamlet." In the final related essay, Randall Stock, BSI ("South African Securities") highlights how a story that satirizes literature and book collecting morphs into a moment when "satire becomes pastiche."</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzBwzD8Fx9CxGsofCqmfds1I2cPqChBWd6JOL2GvaW9eFunh8utGQ5PqoNii1vZ_4BqRChoeAvJp4zluYwcDn_aVbrBnkiKFHcKpmr4QL4O_fgMkNMPtDw0teeOMtKuJWJD1Gfoe7kHvl/s2048/Unique+Dickensians+3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzBwzD8Fx9CxGsofCqmfds1I2cPqChBWd6JOL2GvaW9eFunh8utGQ5PqoNii1vZ_4BqRChoeAvJp4zluYwcDn_aVbrBnkiKFHcKpmr4QL4O_fgMkNMPtDw0teeOMtKuJWJD1Gfoe7kHvl/w426-h640/Unique+Dickensians+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Illustration by Brian Belanger</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>The final story is "The Adventure of the Unique Dickensians" by August Derleth, featuring the detective Solar Pons and Dr. Parker. Although Solar Pons is inspired by Sherlock Holmes (and "The Unique Dickenseians" lifts some tone and spirit from "The Unique Hamlet), calling Pons a pastiche of Holmes would not be entirely accurate. As the Pons-oriented essays by David Marcum PSI, Bob Byrne PSI, Roger Johnson, BSI ("Shinwell Johnson"), and Derrick Belanger, PSI attest, Sherlockians may find much to enjoy about exploring the Holmes-inspired yet modern-spirit tales of Solar Pons. </p><p>With its illustrations by Karen Gosselin providing a <i>Strand Magazine</i>-like feel, <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3qxtruS" target="_blank">The Three Pipe Christmas</a></i></b> serves both as an excellent introduction to Sherlockian thought as well as the ideal gift for a long-term student of the canon. With proceeds benefitting the <a href="https://www.beaconsociety.com/joel-senter-essay-contest.html" target="_blank">R. Joel Senter Sr. Memorial Essay Contest</a>, <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3qxtruS" target="_blank">The Three Pipe Christmas</a></i></b> also provides an opportunity to foster the holiday spirit of giving.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/33M31vq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="680" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIPBOoXnT47cBgEe4n5neMxdmp24c8JWnIDY4WZhyphenhyphenwon587yXsAAqfregwDvPdFS5VFxifWlEzf5kWGg0lzQPIFMYwyzF7fO2g4F_s5D-3tYvbmNHnbxj929TsC9EdS7fagFFLu0LeNBs/w426-h640/Three+Pipe+Christmas+Cover.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p><b><i>The Three Pipe Christmas</i></b> is an absolutely unique volume of Sherlockian storytelling and scholarship and is highly recommended. </p><p><br /><script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B08NF1PRJS"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "1fda3739be23df459dcbbc97f0e0965a"; </script> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></p><p>--</p><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p>

Review: A Three-Pipe Christmas

"absolutely unique, and its value can only be conjectured" [BLUE] Illustration by Karen Gosselin After an admittedly trying year,...

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by Gordon D

Sherlock Holmes and Labor Day

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "laborers and dockmen were already astir" [SIGN]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bT-HHjhzweF4FsyeQmWfTNAUcI6CljOwKN1NOH1ebpMsLU74UrPtOpkiHpQDnZSpf3tbZDowrucbj1XdnBYGDZCpGPVFx-nDYVgGEYeSOCsLFC27OsSJCivo-Qa7_5AbGF-xSfXoMPB9/s711/BLUE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="711" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bT-HHjhzweF4FsyeQmWfTNAUcI6CljOwKN1NOH1ebpMsLU74UrPtOpkiHpQDnZSpf3tbZDowrucbj1XdnBYGDZCpGPVFx-nDYVgGEYeSOCsLFC27OsSJCivo-Qa7_5AbGF-xSfXoMPB9/w640-h504/BLUE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Here in the United States, the first Monday in September traditionally marks Labor Day. It's a national holiday that signals the unofficial end of summer, as people take final trips to the beach or mountains, enjoy a cookout, and the kids prepare to head back to school.</p><div style="text-align: left;">The holiday was officially recognized at the federal level in the 1930s, but its origins date to the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew. In 1887, Oregon became the first state to recognize Labor Day as a public holiday; by 1894, some 30 states were celebrating it as President Grover Cleveland signed it into law. But the law only gave the holiday to federal workers. It would take nearly 40 years to make it a holiday for everyone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Sherlock Holmes stories, set solidly in late Victorian / early Edwardian time, was filled with workers: sometimes nameless, faceless characters who were an essential part of the background of the action: cab drivers, gardeners, dockmen, weavers, housemaids, footmen and more. But there were others who sprang to relevance as they provided ample information to Holmes in his investigations.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For you see, Sherlock Holmes believed in data over class. He knew that household staff and regular working-class people, like his Baker Street Irregulars, could see everything and overhear everyone without notice. And they deserved his attention.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sherlock Holmes thrived on work—sometimes to a fault. While he told Watson "I never remember being tired by work, though idleness exhausts me completely," in <i>The Sign of Four</i>, his career would later see his constitution begin to suffer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In 'The Reigate Squires,' he was recovering from the "strain caused by his immense exertions," and in 'The Missing Three-Quarter' he returned to his rooms "exhausted with hunger and fatigue." But it isn't until 'The Devil's Foot' that it gets truly serious, as he and Watson take a holiday in Cornwall after "Holmes’s iron constitution showed some symptoms of giving way in the face of constant hard work."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Still, Holmes tried to lift Watson out of his "own sad bereavement" in 'The Empty House' by telling him, "Work is the best antidote to sorrow, my dear Watson."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We've done <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/sets/jobs-professions" target="_blank">a series of audio discussions</a> on various workers and jobs in the Canon over on <a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/" target="_blank">Trifles</a>. Feel free to click that link or to use the playlist below from SoundCloud.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/827409950&color=%23ef1625&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: interstate, "lucida grande", "lucida sans unicode", "lucida sans", garuda, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Sherlock Holmes: Trifles">Sherlock Holmes: Trifles</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/sets/jobs-professions" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Jobs & Professions">Jobs & Professions</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In case you'd like to visit the show notes for each of these episodes, they are as follows:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://ihose.co/trifles33" target="_blank">Thumb Up for Engineers</a></li><li><a href="https://ihose.co/trifles36" target="_blank">Tradesmen in the Canon</a></li><li><a href="https://ihose.co/trifles69" target="_blank">Occupations in the Canon</a></li><li><a href="https://ihose.co/trifles88" target="_blank">Doctors in the Canon</a></li><li><a href="https://ihose.co/trifles110" target="_blank">Governesses</a></li><li><a href="https://ihose.co/trifles124" target="_blank">Odd Jobs</a></li><li><a href="https://ihose.co/trifles160" target="_blank">Army Coaches</a></li><li><a href="https://ihose.co/trifles191" target="_blank">Clergymen</a></li></ol></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What would you add to this series?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And if you're in the United States today, happy Labor Day. If not, happy Monday.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">--</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>

Sherlock Holmes and Labor Day

 "laborers and dockmen were already astir" [SIGN] Here in the United States, the first Monday in September traditionally marks Lab...

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by Scott Monty

The Second Morning After Christmas

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "the second morning after Christmas" [BLUE] </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtzw_vauLqGI8i0SrRwFREYxyE65Xzmhy3UpfMc83q9GBaYo3Uu9riMCNGwfqH4g6RsS5Q73kB-7FoGXwXd7Fn9DcSm8i1-XMrvQH8DWBj-PdmKcMLi5ID3u5ZJ-aJ90QMZSc1HSIoy0/s1600/blue-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtzw_vauLqGI8i0SrRwFREYxyE65Xzmhy3UpfMc83q9GBaYo3Uu9riMCNGwfqH4g6RsS5Q73kB-7FoGXwXd7Fn9DcSm8i1-XMrvQH8DWBj-PdmKcMLi5ID3u5ZJ-aJ90QMZSc1HSIoy0/s400/blue-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> Today traditionally marks the date on which "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" took place. The seventh in the series of stories that make up <i>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i>, "The Blue Carbucnle" is the sole Christmas story in the Sherlock Holmes canon.<br /> <br /> Watson sets the stage for us by opening the tale with this paragraph:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing-gown, a pipe-rack within his reach upon the right, and a pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studied, near at hand. Beside the couch was a wooden chair, and on the angle of the back hung a very seedy and disreputable hard felt hat, much the worse for wear, and cracked in several places. A lens and a forceps lying upon the seat of the chair suggested that the hat had been suspended in this manner for the purpose of examination."</blockquote> It has become a tradition at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere to acknowledge December 27th with a repeat feature. Just as the <i>Wall Street Journal</i> annually reproduces a 1949 editorial written by Vermont Royster called "<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj-3My0j_zJAhUIPCYKHePhBrMQFgghMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2FSB10001424052970204464404577112431986005786&usg=AFQjCNFBOMTBdMiqlxf9tGYz0Jb-tieRKw&sig2=qjutMkGmsi34eHf1n39PhQ" target="_blank"><i>In Hoc Anno Domini</i></a>," we saw no reason to avoid replication here.<br /> <br /> In the case of this post (titled "The Second Morning After Christmas" [BLUE] in many but not all of the previous cases) which has been used in <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2006/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2006</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2008/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2008</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2009/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2009</a> <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2010/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_25.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2010</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2011/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2011</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html#.Ur0PksRDuSo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2012</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/12/our-annual-sherlockian-christmas.html#.Vn_hSRUrLb1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2013</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/12/happy-blue-carbuncle-day.html#.Wj8sP9-nHb1">2015</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/12/a-christmas-post-without-slush.html#.Wj8sT9-nHb0">2016</a>, <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2017/12/the-annual-ihose-christmas-greeting.html#.XB62W1xKjb0">2017</a>, and <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2018/12/the-second-morning-after-christmas.html#.XgLgdkdKjb1">2018</a> (2014 must have been an off year for us) we find that we have a piece that continues to please, so we'll continue the tradition.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6321981775136876837" name="more"></a>If this is new to you, please feel free to share and use this at your own Sherlockian society holiday meetings. The only thing we ask is that you attribute the poem to its rightful author. If you'd like to listen to it, we also produced a special episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere in December 2007 in which we read the verse:<br /> <br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="100 " mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/1114993/height/100%20/width/600/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87A93A/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe></center> So, we bring you "Two Days After Christmas," a tribute to "The Blue Carbuncle" in the style of Clement Moore's "<a href="http://iment.com/maida//familytree/henry/xmas/poemvariants/troysentinel1823.htm">A Visit from St. Nick</a>."<br /> <br /> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px;"> <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/24531783/Two-Days-After-Christmas#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Two Days After Christmas on Scribd"><b>Two Days After Christmas</b></a> </div> <iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="null" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/24531783/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true&access_key=key-8qfi6uwtitozfa777tp" title="Two Days After Christmas" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /> <br /> In addition, this year we have <b>four</b> more holiday-themed episodes of our show that you may find enjoyable: a discussion of "The Blue Carbuncle" and an interview with Peter Blau concerning his Sherlockian Christmas tree; and two Trifles: a discussion of peace in the Sherlock Holmes stories and an investigation of what went wrong in the botched jewel heist.<br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/2162913/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/414851/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe><br /></center> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3262892/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87A93A/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe><br /></center> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6070736/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/d0161c/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6086285/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/d0161c/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /> <br /> Enjoy. And this holiday season, may all of your carbuncles be blue.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div> </div> <br /> <div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"> --</div>

The Second Morning After Christmas

"the second morning after Christmas" [BLUE]  Today traditionally marks the date on which "The Adventure of the Blue Carb...

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by Scott Monty

Reflecting on Occupations in the Sherlock Holmes Stories

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "a strange occupation in the circumstances" [RETI]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNxAUiMTtGR4r4aslNK2883wN41Ci21haEEM4HkL5BjxTtASLI-G-E8kMEwT92A2yQd56N09HtNhVKybrvphus1BQrPvKfEVEq0ghdk4jw09gqpOoRCYa24Sga9c-SYg7oHrxMsx1yzAD/s1600/REDH+-+vacancy+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="618" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNxAUiMTtGR4r4aslNK2883wN41Ci21haEEM4HkL5BjxTtASLI-G-E8kMEwT92A2yQd56N09HtNhVKybrvphus1BQrPvKfEVEq0ghdk4jw09gqpOoRCYa24Sga9c-SYg7oHrxMsx1yzAD/s640/REDH+-+vacancy+1.jpg" width="622" /></a></div> <br /> We've often remarked on Christopher Morley's bon mot that the totality of Sherlock Holmes stories is "<a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/11/a-textbook-of-friendship.html#.XW0gFihKjb0">a textbook of friendship</a>." But the Canon is so rich in details that could be considered true to life that there are other elements of Victorian life that we're exposed to on a regular basis.<br /> <br /> Conan Doyle's skill as a storyteller is evident: he didn't need to spend a great deal of time or space writing about certain elements; he knew when to "cut out the poetry" [RETI] and when to evoke emotion from his descriptions.<br /> <br /> Since today is Labor Day in the United States, consider the various jobs and professions in the stories. We're generally not treated to a detailed description of them, because it was assumed that readers knew what these individuals did simply by virtue of the name of the job.<br /> <br /> But to go through the list of occupations in the Canon is to have a snapshot of daily life. From plumbers (CHAS) to bank presidents (REDH, BERY), doctors (too many to list) to lawyers (NORW, SUSS), cab drivers (multiple) to carpenters (REDH), and grooms (so many) to governesses (COPP, THOR, WIST), we're treated to a roll call of jobs we know and understand.<br /> <br /> But there are other occupations that we might not come across on a daily basis. A bodymaster in <i>The Valley of Fear</i>, a garroter in "The Empty House," a yeggman in "The Musgrave Ritual." An engineer even got his own story and we had ample opportunity to understand the type of work he did ("The Engineer's Thumb").<br /> <br /> On Trifles, our weekly discussion program (<a href="https://forms.feedblitz.com/6ew" target="_blank">subscribe here</a>), we've touched on many of these occupations. So, we put together <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/sets/jobs-professions" target="_blank">a playlist: Jobs and Occupations</a> for you to enjoy on this Labor Day.<br /> <br /> <iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/827409950&color=%232879af&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /> If there are other topics you'd like us to cover on the show, we'd be glad to hear from you.<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

Reflecting on Occupations in the Sherlock Holmes Stories

"a strange occupation in the circumstances" [RETI] We've often remarked on Christopher Morley's bon mot that the tota...

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by Scott Monty

The Second Morning After Christmas

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "the second morning after Christmas" [BLUE] </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtzw_vauLqGI8i0SrRwFREYxyE65Xzmhy3UpfMc83q9GBaYo3Uu9riMCNGwfqH4g6RsS5Q73kB-7FoGXwXd7Fn9DcSm8i1-XMrvQH8DWBj-PdmKcMLi5ID3u5ZJ-aJ90QMZSc1HSIoy0/s1600/blue-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtzw_vauLqGI8i0SrRwFREYxyE65Xzmhy3UpfMc83q9GBaYo3Uu9riMCNGwfqH4g6RsS5Q73kB-7FoGXwXd7Fn9DcSm8i1-XMrvQH8DWBj-PdmKcMLi5ID3u5ZJ-aJ90QMZSc1HSIoy0/s400/blue-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> Today traditionally marks the date on which "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" took place. The seventh in the series of stories that make up <i>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i>, "The Blue Carbucnle" is the sole Christmas story in the Sherlock Holmes canon.<br /> <br /> Watson sets the stage for us by opening the tale with this paragraph:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing-gown, a pipe-rack within his reach upon the right, and a pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studied, near at hand. Beside the couch was a wooden chair, and on the angle of the back hung a very seedy and disreputable hard felt hat, much the worse for wear, and cracked in several places. A lens and a forceps lying upon the seat of the chair suggested that the hat had been suspended in this manner for the purpose of examination."</blockquote> It has become a tradition at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere to acknowledge December 27th with a repeat feature. Just as the <i>Wall Street Journal</i> annually reproduces a 1949 editorial written by Vermont Royster called "<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj-3My0j_zJAhUIPCYKHePhBrMQFgghMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2FSB10001424052970204464404577112431986005786&usg=AFQjCNFBOMTBdMiqlxf9tGYz0Jb-tieRKw&sig2=qjutMkGmsi34eHf1n39PhQ" target="_blank"><i>In Hoc Anno Domini</i></a>," we saw no reason to avoid replication here.<br /> <br /> In the case of this post (previously titled "The Second Morning After Christmas" [BLUE]) which has been used in <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2006/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2006</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2008/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2008</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2009/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2009</a> <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2010/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_25.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2010</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2011/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2011</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/12/second-morning-after-christmas-blue_27.html#.Ur0PksRDuSo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2012</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/12/our-annual-sherlockian-christmas.html#.Vn_hSRUrLb1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2013</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/12/happy-blue-carbuncle-day.html#.Wj8sP9-nHb1">2015</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/12/a-christmas-post-without-slush.html#.Wj8sT9-nHb0">2016</a>, and <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2017/12/the-annual-ihose-christmas-greeting.html#.XB62W1xKjb0">2017</a> we find that we have a piece that continues to please, so we'll continue the tradition.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6321981775136876837" name="more"></a>If this is new to you, please feel free to share and use this at your own Sherlockian society holiday meetings. The only thing we ask is that you attribute the poem to its rightful author. If you'd like to listen to it, we also produced a special episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere in December 2007 in which we read the verse:<br /> <br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="100 " mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/1114993/height/100%20/width/600/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87A93A/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe></center> So, we bring you "Two Days After Christmas," a tribute to "The Blue Carbuncle" in the style of Clement Moore's "<a href="http://iment.com/maida//familytree/henry/xmas/poemvariants/troysentinel1823.htm">A Visit from St. Nick</a>."<br /> <br /> <div style="display: block; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px;"> <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/24531783/Two-Days-After-Christmas#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Two Days After Christmas on Scribd"><b>Two Days After Christmas</b></a> </div> <iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="null" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/24531783/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true&access_key=key-8qfi6uwtitozfa777tp" title="Two Days After Christmas" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /> <br /> In addition, this year we have <b>four</b> more holiday-themed episodes of our show that you may find enjoyable: a discussion of "The Blue Carbuncle" and an interview with Peter Blau concerning his Sherlockian Christmas tree; and two Trifles: a discussion of peace in the Sherlock Holmes stories and an investigation of what went wrong in the botched jewel heist.<br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/2162913/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/414851/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe><br /> </center> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3262892/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87A93A/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe><br /> </center> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6070736/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/d0161c/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6086285/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/d0161c/" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /> <br /> Enjoy. And this holiday season, may all of your carbuncles be blue.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div> </div> <br /> <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> --</div>

The Second Morning After Christmas

"the second morning after Christmas" [BLUE]  Today traditionally marks the date on which "The Adventure of the Blue Carb...

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by Scott Monty

A Dastardly New Sherlock Holmes Tale This Spring

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "The Royal Mallows is, as you know, one of the most famous" [CROO]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgqR5N53zkvbipGRtZEvJTP4RwA8C_THZZQTRwKphmC4d1ukB8JWaXgKBdG7CTcaXAooOUIYPCV8ANtIzT4Wb38vQYmDOiuJEOF4bOkqifCBM4LrqMc1MBQqdM6Uv3ELIrpkM5AKAkoxu/s1600/Five+Orange+Peeps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgqR5N53zkvbipGRtZEvJTP4RwA8C_THZZQTRwKphmC4d1ukB8JWaXgKBdG7CTcaXAooOUIYPCV8ANtIzT4Wb38vQYmDOiuJEOF4bOkqifCBM4LrqMc1MBQqdM6Uv3ELIrpkM5AKAkoxu/s640/Five+Orange+Peeps.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> When it comes to candy, some holidays are sweet. Halloween was a treat, Christmas was pure joy, and Valentines Day is when you thought "Be Mine" referred to ownership of the candies.<br /> <br /> Just when you thought it was safe to enjoy confections again, we're quickly approaching Easter. And that means furry and fuzzy creatures, hopping and waddling their way to us. Bunnies and chicks are among the most popular, and thanks to Peeps and Company, their eponymous squishy treat owns the holiday like no other (perhaps with the exception of Cadbury and their creme egg).<br /> <br /> But this year, rather than just the standard yellow Peeps which came to define the category, Sherlockians must keep an eye on their sundials. For if you look closely at the image above, you'll note that the yellow has given way to orange, and the Peeps are arranged neatly in a tray, five across.<br /> <br /> Yes, that's right.<br /> <h3 style="text-align: center;"> <b>THE FIVE ORANGE PEEPS!</b></h3> <a href="https://www.peepsandcompany.com/product/peeps-orange-marshmallow-chicks-24-ct-case">Coming to a store near you</a>.<br /><br />Take care near Waterloo Station...<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div>

A Dastardly New Sherlock Holmes Tale This Spring

"The Royal Mallows is, as you know, one of the most famous" [CROO] When it comes to candy, some holidays are sweet. Hallo...

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by Scott Monty

The Case of the Vinegar Valentine

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> <b>"proof against the little god's arrows" [NOBL] </b></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUo-f3hPuQcTFY1T1egBUE3_ahsBi1Nlb-kdI0kNLAZ7MXZ1CANKmi_o-PacLei2ClkaDvg6FVa38hSOgT72YMX8-bBCshPmTRodw57qXmt1Ux0c06AH21YM-810N78DDro3ML8llk0UA/s1600/William+Gillette+-+Sherlock+Holmes+-+Alice+Faulkner+romance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1044" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUo-f3hPuQcTFY1T1egBUE3_ahsBi1Nlb-kdI0kNLAZ7MXZ1CANKmi_o-PacLei2ClkaDvg6FVa38hSOgT72YMX8-bBCshPmTRodw57qXmt1Ux0c06AH21YM-810N78DDro3ML8llk0UA/s640/William+Gillette+-+Sherlock+Holmes+-+Alice+Faulkner+romance.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> 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{mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Arno Pro",serif;} </style> <![endif]--> <br /> <br />When one searches the Canon for Valentines, the only one one comes across is Colonel Valentine Walter ("<a href="http://ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/bruc.htm">The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans</a>") and the only mention of Cupid is how one <a href="http://ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/nobl.htm">noble bachelor</a> managed to avoid “the little god’s” [Cupid’s] arrows for twenty years. Surprising, given how many couples and the many permutations of love inform the adventures and the fact that the Victorians pretty much invented the holiday as we know it.<br /><br />There were apparently three saints called Valentine (Valentinus) — one a priest in Rome, one a bishop in Turni, Italy, and one who died in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis — all connected to February 14. <br /><br />Little is factually known of the three; legends about the priest and bishop may have been conflated into the stories known today. Valentine was martyred for secretly marrying Christians; or for secretly marrying Roman recruits, thus preventing them to fight in war (soldiers had to be single at the time); or that he was executed for trying to convert the Emperor; or that after being arrested he restored the eyesight of an Umbrian judge’s blind daughter, converted him and his family, later arrested again in Rome, became friendly with the Emperor Claudius Gothicus, tried to convert him, whereupon the Emperor had Valentine beaten with clubs and beheaded on February 14, 269; or that Valentine refused to make sacrifices to Roman gods, was imprisoned, healed the jailer’s daughter of blindness, and on the day of his execution left the girl a note signed, “From your Valentine.”<br /><br /><br />But like many other Christian holidays, Valentine’s Day has a very long history and pagan origins. Lupercalia was held in ancient Rome on February 15 in honor of Juno, in this case one of her specific aspects, Juno Februalis, involving fertility and purification. One ceremony had the<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> "names or tokens representing all the young girls in the district ... placed in a love urn and the young lads each drew a token and the couples paired off. This was a kind of mating lottery game. During the Roman occupation of Britain, the idea was brought to this country and adopted by the ancient Britons. When people were converted to Christianity the pagan and Christian festivals were merged; the festival of Lupercalia was put back a day and celebrated on St. Valentine's day, February 14. The old pagan customs still continued and in Britain up to the beginning of the present century it was customary for local lads and lasses to draw lots for partners. In Lancashire, on St. Valentine's eve, the names of eligible young people were written on separate slips of paper and divided into two groups, male and female. The boys drew a slip from the girls' pile and vice versa. Thus each person received two sweethearts and then had to work out for themselves the most satisfactory arrangement. After the final selection had been made the boys treated their maidens to all sorts of outings and surprises including dances and gifts." (<a href="https://www.learnenglish.de/culture/valentinesday.html">British Culture, British Customs and British Traditions: Valentine's Day in the UK - February 14th</a>)</blockquote> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /> <h3> <span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></h3> <h3> <span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>"I have never loved" [DEVI]</b></span></h3> The linking of Valentine’s Day and love started in Europe in the Middle Ages, continued with written notes of verse in the 1500s and evolved in to giving tokens of affection, sometimes left anonymously on the doorstep of the beloved. Gloves were a popular gift because the name contained the word love. Flowers became widespread in the 1700s when Charles II of Sweden imported selam, the old Persian art of the <a href="http://www.novareinna.com/festive/valcard.html">language of flowers</a> to the West where it evolved to specific flowers and fruits having specific meanings, the giving of which conveyed messages to the receiver. </div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> Postal reforms in England, including the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Penny_Post">Uniform Penny Post</a> in 1840 made it much more cost-effective to send your homemade Valentine to your love. Before then, postage was calculated by pages and distance; it could cost more than an average day’s wages to send a one-sheet letter from London to Edinburgh. Now the cost was one penny. Pre-printed Valentine cards became a big business. “Just one year after the Uniform Penny Postage, 400,000 valentines were posted throughout England. By 1871, 1.2 million cards were processed by the<a href="http://fiveminutehistory.com/valentines-day-in-the-victorian-era/"> General Post Office in London</a>.” Mail carriers were given a refreshment allowance to help them cope with the increased burden in the days before the fourteenth.<br /><br />The cards ranged from simple color illustration and verse to elaborate constructions of paper lace, bird’s feathers, ribbons, bits of colored glass or mirror and hidden messages and gifts designed to be overlooked by the prying eyes of fathers. There were “mechanical” valentines made to pop-up or move by pulling paper levers or spinning discs.<br /><br />There were also "<a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/vinegar-valentines-victorian">vinegar valentines</a>" designed to be sent, sometimes anonymously, to the object, not of your desire, but disgust. These early versions of trolling were less elaborate then their loving counterparts, but no less imaginative, ranging from clever to crass and crude. One example, to be sent to an “old maid” read:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> ’Tis all in vain your simpering looks,<br />You never can incline,<br />With all your bustles, stays and curls,<br />To find a Valentine.</blockquote> <br />Richard Cadbury, son of John Cadbury, knew when to jump on a trend. The family chocolate business had refined its drinking chocolate in 1866, reaching new taste heights.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> "This process resulted in an excess amount of cocoa butter, which Cadbury used to produce many more varieties of what was then called "<a href="http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/celebrating-valentines-day-with-a-box-of-chocolates">eating chocolate</a>." Richard recognized a great marketing opportunity for the new chocolates and started selling them in beautifully decorated boxes that he himself designed."</blockquote> <br />Richard didn’t patent his 1868 heart-shaped chocolate box, but it not only became associated with the holiday, but they were so beautiful that people kept them, filling them with tokens from their love.<br /><br />With all this rich history and contemporary popularity, it’s a shame that Watson never recorded a case connected with Valentine’s Day. Or did he?<br /><br /><h3> <b><br /></b><b>"your time will not be misspent" [SILV]</b></h3> To divine which villain cruelly used the holiday for his nefarious goals we need to turn to chronology. I hear the sound of marbles on porcelain as eyes roll in skulls, “Oh Gawd, not chronology!” I love the study of Sherlockian chronology; it can illuminate dark corners of the Canon, although I know it is the bane of some. But bear with me.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> “It may be remembered that after my marriage, and my subsequent start in private practice, the very intimate relations which had existed between Holmes and myself became to some extent modified. He still came to me from time to time when he desired a companion in his investigations, but these occasions grew more and more seldom, until I find that in the year 1890 there were only three cases of which I retain any record,” </blockquote> <div> writes Watson in "The Final Problem," giving a headache that chronologist masochistically enjoy. Which three? Well, certainly "The Adventure of the Red Headed League" gets an almost unanimous nod, and "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches," with its list of cases from the first year of Watson’s marriage comes in a close second. That leaves an opening for only one other case.<div> <br />“You will remember that I remarked the other day, just before we went into the very simple problem presented by Miss Mary Sutherland…" [REDH], which would seem to settle it; "A Case of Identity" it is, except most chronologists are loath to put it in 1890, because in "The Adventure of the Dying Detective," Mrs. Hudson visits Watson “in the second year of my married life,” which would put it in 1890, if Watson was married in 1888 and if this is not a reference to the doctor's second marriage. Oh, Watson, why didn’t you tell us when the start of your “own complete happiness” began? The majority of chronologists relegate "A Case of Identity" to 1889.</div> <div> <br />In my incredibly erudite and rare monograph <a href="http://johnhwatsonsociety.com/product/monograph-two/">Some Observations Upon the Early Writing of John H Watson, MD, 1887-1894</a><b>*</b> I explain why "The Copper Beeches" did not occur in 1890, but sometime before 1887. This leaves a slot open for "A Case of Identity" and when we put it in 1890, something very interesting happens.</div> <div> <i><br /></i></div> <div> <i><b>*</b>Despite the sexy title, it is a monograph which ascends to such rarefied heights of pure Sherlockiana that it is said that there is no one in the Holmesian world capable of understanding it.</i><br /><br />The “maiden,” as Holmes calls Mary Sutherland, asks Holmes to find her missing fiancé, Hosmer Angel. That budding mathematician, that doctor with an eye for figures, Watson, finds something slightly ridiculous and wanting in the new client, </div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> “a large woman with a heavy fur boa round her neck, and a large curling red feather in a broad-brimmed hat which was tilted in a coquettish Duchess-of-Devonshire fashion over her ear…. the boy in buttons entered to announce Miss Mary Sutherland, while the lady herself loomed behind his small black figure like a full-sailed merchantman behind a tiny pilot boat.” </blockquote> <div> And he later notes her “...preposterous hat and the vacuous face.” </div> <div> <br />Angel disappeared from the cab in front of St. Savior’s Church on a Friday, which according to Mary’s “Missing” ad was the morning of the 14th. In 1890, the fourteenth fell on a Friday in February, March and November. November would be too late, for that would occur after "The Red Headed League" in October. Traditionally, weddings are not held during Lent (and this was to be a church wedding); Ash Wednesday was on February 19 and Easter on April 6, which eliminates March. So the perfidious James Windibank planned for Hosmer Angel to vanish on Valentine’s Day! The most romantic date on the calendar now becomes the most tragic day of Mary Sutherland’s life.<br /><br />Holmes feels some sympathy for Miss Sutherland: “Quite an interesting study, that maiden. I found her more interesting than her little problem, which, by the way, is rather a trite one….But the maiden herself was most instructive." And harbors something of a deep protectiveness: “But between ourselves, Windibank, it was as cruel, and selfish, and heartless a trick in a petty way as ever came before me.” Holmes comes across as a chaste knight errant to a maiden who he judges, rightly or not, as unable to protect herself, leading to his famous quote to Windibank, “I’d horsewhip you, if I had a horse.” No, wait that was <a href="https://youtu.be/PUV_2cqbrbo?t=41s">Groucho Marx</a>. <br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> "The law cannot, as you say, touch you,” said Holmes, unlocking and throwing open the door, “yet there never was a man who deserved punishment more. If the young lady has a brother or a friend he ought to lay a whip across your shoulders. By Jove!” he continued, flushing up at the sight of the bitter sneer upon the man's face, “it is not part of my duties to my client, but here's a hunting-crop handy, and I think I shall just treat myself to—" He took two swift steps to the whip, but before he could grasp it there was a wild clatter of steps upon the stairs, the heavy hall door banged, and from the window we could see Mr. James Windibank running at the top of his speed down the road.</blockquote> <br />But Holmes’ gallantry goes too far:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> “And Miss Sutherland?”<br />“If I tell her she will not believe me. You may remember the old Persian saying, ‘There is danger for him who taketh the tiger cub, and danger also for whoso snatches a delusion from a woman.’ There is as much sense in Hafiz as in Horace, and as much knowledge of the world.”</blockquote> Did he really think she was too delicate and psychologically fragile to handle the truth? Perhaps to spend the rest of her life as a spinster, never to find true love? Or did he think that the danger of snatched delusions was more physic than psychic—for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction? Indeed, did he see a different type of passion in the depths of Mary's astigmatic eyes? Did those parallel cases in Andover in '77 and The Hague “last year” have a victim who sought her revenge? Poison in the family soup? Forty whacks with a handy ax? <br /><br />Whatever his reasoning, Holmes was overprotective of his client, treating her like a child, not a woman. Leave it to Watson, with experience of the “fair sex” <a href="http://ihose.co/trifles61">over three continents</a> and many nations to adjudge correctly. After a cooling period of a year, he unveiled the treachery of her step-father to her and to the public, perhaps also stopping a cold-blooded scoundrel in his rise from crime to crime.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Maybe Watson thought Mary's published humiliation was the just the shake of the shoulders she needed to wake her up and move on with her life. Cupid’s arrows wound all heels as well as bring the sting of love.<br /></div> </div> <div> --</div> <div> <br /></div>

The Case of the Vinegar Valentine

"proof against the little god's arrows" [NOBL] When one searches the Canon for Valentines, the only one one comes acros...

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by James C. O'Leary