Episode 268: A Study in Sherlock - Watson's Notebook

<h4 style="text-align: center;">“Out came the official notebook” [WIST] </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/AVvXsEjz0DoEmXgIWqaBRDJDXv_SWASU6dBI43Inq1QhcvyVd0lNrkTNbY9mcbtpt60-8dt2wfis7FjQPjjYNTfLO1HObVwqC1JBk0PkQZIk-pQQUDE-gkLQSZ0yxCy3y_X9xap5BMNVhyWIFNwmCVNc12Yy-Pu5GSDr9ZPGcIR9i82ZFaDb6isgX7yWzudTz9rW/s1005/ihearofsherlock268-widescreen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1005" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0DoEmXgIWqaBRDJDXv_SWASU6dBI43Inq1QhcvyVd0lNrkTNbY9mcbtpt60-8dt2wfis7FjQPjjYNTfLO1HObVwqC1JBk0PkQZIk-pQQUDE-gkLQSZ0yxCy3y_X9xap5BMNVhyWIFNwmCVNc12Yy-Pu5GSDr9ZPGcIR9i82ZFaDb6isgX7yWzudTz9rW/w640-h512/ihearofsherlock268-widescreen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div><p>As we know from experience with Jonas Oldacre, when a builder puts his mind to something, he can really go far.</p><p>In the case of Raymond Farney though, it concerns something that began as a personal project but ended up becoming a book — a reference book of more than 600 pages: <i>A Study in Sherlock - Watson's Notebook</i>.</p><p>This unique tome is a wonderful companion to anyone who's reading the Sherlock Holmes canon, either for pleasure or for research purposes. We highlight some uses, ponder with Ray over the amount of time Watson spent at 221B Baker Street, and consider the possibilities of a follow-up work.</p><p>We announce the winner of last episode's <b>Canonical Couplet</b> (a LEGO figure and book are headed their way) and introduce another one. Some material from the bulging vaults at IHOSE headquarters will go to the winner of yet another couplet we share in this episode.</p><p>Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock .com by July 29, 2023 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.</p><p><!--x-tinymce/html--><strong>Special bonus content:</strong> We have <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/86162204" target="_blank">a poll for our Patreon supporters</a>. If you'd like to add your voice, consider supporting us for as little as $1 a month.</p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-patreon-widget-type="become-patron-button" href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=2318606">Become a Patron!</a></div><script async="" src="https://c6.patreon.com/becomePatronButton.bundle.js"></script><p></p><div><div><div style="margin: 0px;">If you become a <a href="https://ihose.co/ihosepatron" target="_blank">Patron of the Arts</a>, not only will you help to ensure we can keep doing what we do, covering file hosting costs, production, and transcription services, but we have thank-you gifts at certain tiers and ad-free versions of the episodes for all patrons.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h3><a href="https://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock268.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size: 65.2 MB, 47:30</h3><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="1056" data-dashlane-rid="29b16bd17f9f7657" data-form-type="other" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/27475815/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/6c442c/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes" 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><h4 style="line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://pod.link/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere</a></span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://pod.link/ihearofsherlock" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="639" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyAfMy7WsxQV7D-7YxXoJ7uyOK4l3ZKzNMFZT0_e2g_3u8z2Gbtn4x3WQzTw0OqaSsP-k13-QHde9EnFgO3uzikjHmQ3rK2_0Xmvb_v6ggUV32CnZ2ZeqiSrAkGL0SUYMvr0JEiMJupjFvq8dQL8CuZqAWTTbMcYBZVV1NHgYP4X5XME7qekOhj2fZg/w400-h145/Pod%20Link.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div><h2 style="margin: 0px;">Sponsors</h2><div style="margin: 0px;"><ul><li><a href="https://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a><a href="https://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">/Gasogene Books</a> is the premier publisher of books about Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle.</li><li><a href="https://www.mxpublishing.com" target="_blank">MX Publishing</a> brings the best in new Sherlock Holmes novels, biographies, graphic novels and short story collections every month. With over 400 books it's the largest catalogue of new Sherlock Holmes books in the world.</li></ul></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Would you care to advertise with us? You can find <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" target="_blank">more information here</a>. Let's chat!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><h2><b>Links</b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li>This episode: <a href="https://ihose.co/ihose268" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ihose.co/ihose268</a></li><li><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3DfmbeD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Sherlock - Watson's Notebook</a></i> by Raymond G. Farney (Amazon)</li><li>Also available on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Sherlock.Holmes.ReImagined/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://sherlockholmesre-imagined.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/SherlockLego" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li><li>News about <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2023/06/remembering-paxton-whitehead.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paxton Whitehead</a>, <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2023/06/worldwide-doyle-2023-lecture-series.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Worldwide Doyle 2023</a>, and <a href="https://ihose.co/trifles27" target="_blank">Trifles Episode 27: Rebellion!</a></li><li>Previous Episodes mentioned:</li><ul><li><a href="https://ihose.co/ihose144" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 144: Historical Sherlock</a> (with Vincent Wright)</li></ul></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Many more links, articles, and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at <a href="https://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a>  as well as through our accounts on <a href="https://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://youtube.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>And would you consider leaving us a rating and review? 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Episode 268: A Study in Sherlock - Watson's Notebook

“Out came the official notebook” [WIST]  As we know from experience with Jonas Oldacre, when a builder puts his mind to something, he can re...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

The Baker Street Almanac

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "An almanac!" [VALL] </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJ0p82rAasIkPCIc7vKg5f0XilPDoVffSuyqsCJCTxSuaUYapWtQX8xyxjQepJtS6j7oWJpPePv2w7si75d2jjzoiLsWebbiOYodvespKVYgNbB8ZmM6RDi0iGG_NjsY3X_F6eKAAJWq2/s1600/Baker+Street+Almanac+landscape.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="1182" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJ0p82rAasIkPCIc7vKg5f0XilPDoVffSuyqsCJCTxSuaUYapWtQX8xyxjQepJtS6j7oWJpPePv2w7si75d2jjzoiLsWebbiOYodvespKVYgNbB8ZmM6RDi0iGG_NjsY3X_F6eKAAJWq2/s640/Baker+Street+Almanac+landscape.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Titled "an annual capsule of a timeless past & future," the <i><a href="http://greenbag.org/BSA/bsa.html?fbclid=IwAR00bbB0H3ymytRrxJnsvPL1w9oUxTGJxV3bkRrMm1CI7_0j_j6-h2WO79g">Baker Street Almanac</a></i> is the brainchild of Ross Davies, BSI ("The Temple"). Followers of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere may recall when Ross appeared on our show to discuss <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose137">Boxes from Royalty</a>.<br /> <br /> Now in its second year, the <i>Baker Street Almanac</i> is a publication of both print and electrons, and Ross indicated what this volume might be <a href="http://www.rossdavies.org/misc/Baker%20Street%20Almanac%20-%20readable%20(2018).pdf">in the inaugural edition last year</a>:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "If all goes well, next year’s <i>Baker Street Almanac</i> will not be like the scrap of paper you are holding now. It will be a plump book of Sherlockian data — substantial, elaborate, fact-and-fun-filled. There will be records of — and refletions on — 2018: lists and timelines and tables and directories and maps and so on. And there will be sprinklings of miscellaneous morsels — all Sherlockian, or nearly so. It will be our first big “annual capsule of a timeless past and future.” And it will be available in two formats: electronic (for free online to all) and ink-on-paper (for a pittance to all who pay)." </blockquote> Last year's edition also included an article from <i>Ford Times</i>, a magazine similar to <i>Reader's Digest</i> or <i>Yankee Magazine</i> published by Ford Motor Company (your editor's former employer — as you'll see below) from 1916:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "In 1916, Henry Ford and Arthur Conan Doyle spoke out on opposite sides of the question of American neutrality in World War I, as the editorials reproduced on page 2 of this edition of the <i>Baker Street Almanac</i> show. But disagreement did not deter Ford and Doyle from capitalizing on each other’s iconic creations. Ford went first, using Doyle’s icon — Sherlock Holmes — to appeal to Britons to buy Ford cars. In August 1916, the Sherlockian parody, “ The Disappearance of Alice Nosegay” — featuring detective Sheerluck Jones — appeared in the U.K. edition of <i>Ford Times</i>, Ford Motor Company’s consumer-oriented magazine. (This was about a century before the brass at Ford got smart and hired "Corporal Henry Wood" to sharpen the cutting edge of their marketing communications.) In the story, a Ford car is an important prop in Sheerluck Jones’s successful romancing of Alice Nosegay. The unspoken but obvious message: Find a Ford, find true love. The original version of “ The Disappearance of Alice Nosegay” is reproduced on page 3 of this edition of the <i>Baker Street Almanac</i>."</blockquote> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkoXmgCx_8ISdm6fMz7GU6mCTNS6-omAOr8lRI4gbNCzOHJlI450C5yn4wjOcYeBJTGDLqkY7J8-o12gh2_n_LMgCGoJ2J0W3MmL33n0Q_cRIg68UZfaKsnWoKRS8tSCJCxz4cpkyhELK/s1600/Baker+Street+Almanac+2018.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1151" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkoXmgCx_8ISdm6fMz7GU6mCTNS6-omAOr8lRI4gbNCzOHJlI450C5yn4wjOcYeBJTGDLqkY7J8-o12gh2_n_LMgCGoJ2J0W3MmL33n0Q_cRIg68UZfaKsnWoKRS8tSCJCxz4cpkyhELK/s640/Baker+Street+Almanac+2018.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Due to the success of the first edition, Davies was able to recruit contributors for the 2019 edition of the <i>Almanac</i>, and we're all beneficiaries of this fine curatorial work. There are two versions of the 2019 <i>Baker Street Almana</i>c: the limited <i><a href="http://greenbag.org/BSA/bsabuy.html">Sense of Humour Edition</a></i> (it features an ink-on-paper format, and some copies — to be honest, the ones that people actually pay for — include a few accessories), and the unlimited <a href="http://greenbag.org/BSA/BSA2019.pdf">Staunch Witnesses Edition</a> (it features an electrons-on-internet format, and it is free).<br /> <br /> What to expect in this edition:<br /> <br /> <ul> <li>An around-the-world round-up of Sherlockian activities and organizations from all points of the globe</li> <li>A full year of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press</li> <li>A year-by-year catalog of all I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere episodes</li> <li>A listing of all Baker Street Babes episodes</li> <li>A suggested Sherlockian library </li> <li>A listing of artefacts in Denny Dobry's recreation of 221B Baker Street</li> <li>Many commentaries</li> <li>A look ahead at 2019</li> <li>And much more!</li> </ul> <br /> Hop on over to the <a href="http://greenbag.org/BSA/bsa.html"><i>Green Bag</i> website</a> and see which version of the <i>Baker Street Almanac</i> appeals to you.<br /> <br /> <h2> <b>Update:</b></h2> Charles Prepolec, BSI ("The Man with the Twisted Lip") shared the following on Facebook:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> I'd posted about the 2019 Baker Street Almanac the other day, and ‪the print edition arrived yesterday. Card cover wrapped in a map, bound with ribbon and a postcard stuck on front. It’s a thing of beauty. I was almost loath to open it, it’s so lovely, but there was more within! The wrapper unfolds to a double sided 18 x 25.5 inch double sided map and poster, on one side a reprinting of ‘The Adventure of the Clothes-Line’ (1915) with great FDS illustrations reproduced and on the other side a cartographical presentation of ‘How Watson Learned the Trick’. The interior was not without surprises as well, a bookmark cryptically hand numbered numbered 3001, a reproduction Turf cigarette card and a Hound of the Baskervilles library punch card repro.<br /> <br /> As always, I am in awe of the creative talent and effort expressed by BSI classmate, Ross Davies, in putting things like this together. This is a wonderful package. While you can read the contents free online, there's plenty to commend about the print edition.</blockquote> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PPI69YEOMP_ejyjlLtGAU3mPUMf60-nfVe4ZgzwYf6B2Qj2EOz3KzZA6lKcg01GjhPJI0nv1iYtJlOYwDF8ZSdxrZxIz8o_KybHaOvunanHThWG2dCSktRP0z7D9xuXbj3F_tcczKgAU/s1600/Baker+Street+Almanac+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PPI69YEOMP_ejyjlLtGAU3mPUMf60-nfVe4ZgzwYf6B2Qj2EOz3KzZA6lKcg01GjhPJI0nv1iYtJlOYwDF8ZSdxrZxIz8o_KybHaOvunanHThWG2dCSktRP0z7D9xuXbj3F_tcczKgAU/s320/Baker+Street+Almanac+1.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6N94PPeajpExK_zFR1fs8Cm3L_ab8v6Gr7ioVElGfaCu6zF6s7d8sBrYChEM81vA0-wdpp-Cva5LYa7jTfr1cPvDALOY4_DEQJyqzQ7lJtb_5tcOEnXDq3bZ1MCVamXzfXEUOgl0BcPQ/s1600/Baker+Street+Almanac+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6N94PPeajpExK_zFR1fs8Cm3L_ab8v6Gr7ioVElGfaCu6zF6s7d8sBrYChEM81vA0-wdpp-Cva5LYa7jTfr1cPvDALOY4_DEQJyqzQ7lJtb_5tcOEnXDq3bZ1MCVamXzfXEUOgl0BcPQ/s320/Baker+Street+Almanac+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzepxwutYfmc0-mHTLiZ19gnqmHBB_rZV_-Tt2p7XolWoTCmTbc_EyhyphenhyphenKm9zGFE_z5uGSpReojXU4VCLiLBrh_yN5DhHZ0xaDasMpBf4_dDLb06RMWkS5ugKoUwAwxLBzdc-pMsu5M9Ib/s1600/Baker+Street+Almanac+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzepxwutYfmc0-mHTLiZ19gnqmHBB_rZV_-Tt2p7XolWoTCmTbc_EyhyphenhyphenKm9zGFE_z5uGSpReojXU4VCLiLBrh_yN5DhHZ0xaDasMpBf4_dDLb06RMWkS5ugKoUwAwxLBzdc-pMsu5M9Ib/s320/Baker+Street+Almanac+3.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJwMZJj9r2mrMoxyHBHfHCOomL0lvnDN1Dnd-j8aSBjQGccheKPBvQoNC-PKp68GS-MFAjzx0InDY0worvzC4xThrctufQSysIPbkFfyPYSMQYdu6yc_NqVMrgUcfMIpscmszr8ejfbyb/s1600/Baker+Street+Almanac+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="723" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJwMZJj9r2mrMoxyHBHfHCOomL0lvnDN1Dnd-j8aSBjQGccheKPBvQoNC-PKp68GS-MFAjzx0InDY0worvzC4xThrctufQSysIPbkFfyPYSMQYdu6yc_NqVMrgUcfMIpscmszr8ejfbyb/s320/Baker+Street+Almanac+4.jpg" width="241" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yEU5ypOpdZl0AJYbYY9gOdu9tq4yEOrPk_LA_3xo-23yZLzcBN0Lpkf1CWxj9qTlh7DXoE2qK-A9tZ_YXLoyZ8evhFtHbfpyQe0Gum5ze0of1A8S_TeBnFC2uWpmGZtt3-hwOZiBnKxA/s1600/Baker+Street+Almanac+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yEU5ypOpdZl0AJYbYY9gOdu9tq4yEOrPk_LA_3xo-23yZLzcBN0Lpkf1CWxj9qTlh7DXoE2qK-A9tZ_YXLoyZ8evhFtHbfpyQe0Gum5ze0of1A8S_TeBnFC2uWpmGZtt3-hwOZiBnKxA/s320/Baker+Street+Almanac+5.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwKXMnN0fTnT_48ax_Dj1EoDmXDmSJiynIGmWG6L9tBw_yhE0_KcMtBKwE3tCnfsNTdmUf-n7oZq0asekK8XaxG6f8MsoU20IXqXQ7IypkUbBs9dA6ClxFrZQdwTMA6rEpsSk9fId94RD/s1600/Baker+Street+Almanac+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwKXMnN0fTnT_48ax_Dj1EoDmXDmSJiynIGmWG6L9tBw_yhE0_KcMtBKwE3tCnfsNTdmUf-n7oZq0asekK8XaxG6f8MsoU20IXqXQ7IypkUbBs9dA6ClxFrZQdwTMA6rEpsSk9fId94RD/s320/Baker+Street+Almanac+6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <br />

The Baker Street Almanac

"An almanac!" [VALL]  Titled "an annual capsule of a timeless past & future," the Baker Street Almanac is the ...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes vs. Tarzan — by the Numbers

<div style="text-align: center;"> <h4> "aided by this chart" [SIGN]</h4> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn8YVwEfmLj0AmTGezwdkbVUbnGjnKphy_NSyDSmPB6s2SL3k3Vdi_nfjGWQ5xJMY_Dsla8NSUjk2S-hRDyx5sxrT2mExEl9na0BKGg7_bwoqYcQuTUTiUcoqQ_-Pwg0xDBsZ93MtLldF/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+vs.+Tarzan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn8YVwEfmLj0AmTGezwdkbVUbnGjnKphy_NSyDSmPB6s2SL3k3Vdi_nfjGWQ5xJMY_Dsla8NSUjk2S-hRDyx5sxrT2mExEl9na0BKGg7_bwoqYcQuTUTiUcoqQ_-Pwg0xDBsZ93MtLldF/s640/Sherlock+Holmes+vs.+Tarzan.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Throughout the Canon, we encounter a variety of "grams": telegrams, programmes, cryptograms, monograms, and cablegrams; such was the nature of the written word in the Victorian age. Indeed, telegrams in particular often play a crucial role in many different Holmes adventures. </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Now in the age of Google, we have another "gram" to consider: <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/info" target="_blank">Google Ngrams</a>. The <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams">Google Ngram Viewer</a> is a handy tool that enables the user to see the frequency of words and/or phrases across the vast corpus of digitized books that Google has at its disposal. </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /> [<b>Editor's note:</b> click on any of the links above the images below for an interactive version of the graphs.]<br /> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Considering the multi-cultural appeal of Sherlock Holmes, it may come as no surprise to Sherlockians that the default example words and phrases that show up when a user logs on to the Ngram Viewer are as follows: Albert Einstein, Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein. It did come as a surprise to me, however, that Frankenstein references outrank both Albert Einstein and Sherlock Holmes in the English corpus! <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams" target="_blank">Take a look</a>:</div> </div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Y_C7e1P3If-xRepf7ftKWos7AxNOQf-Z58XLxgwn6Upiq4egpQdILgX6mqMTZw5PUlb-pKMdGMM1zPAQXoWyIoIiY0LVtTHpaymBpeaWxcxMqMf2T6HCg-z6jEb5fjBt1segTnOSsMeo/s1600/ngram-English.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Y_C7e1P3If-xRepf7ftKWos7AxNOQf-Z58XLxgwn6Upiq4egpQdILgX6mqMTZw5PUlb-pKMdGMM1zPAQXoWyIoIiY0LVtTHpaymBpeaWxcxMqMf2T6HCg-z6jEb5fjBt1segTnOSsMeo/s640/ngram-English.PNG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Sherlock Holmes gains a bit of ground if we change the corpus to British English, <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Albert+Einstein%2CSherlock+Holmes%2CFrankenstein&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=18&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CAlbert%20Einstein%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CSherlock%20Holmes%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CFrankenstein%3B%2Cc0" target="_blank">as shown below</a>:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlvY2Rx_RxnvrI-Py2rM4ZYEjpAO3gQgm1Hmezp9jJyf_qMNPx8uSifzK3gJa7bWNudsA67vmKHRwpuac9_DwORc6jOtQAvBCWz62Z5FwSzs0sTeRBvPYwRsJCsgRNxYFPkipSH_NALab/s1600/ngram-British.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlvY2Rx_RxnvrI-Py2rM4ZYEjpAO3gQgm1Hmezp9jJyf_qMNPx8uSifzK3gJa7bWNudsA67vmKHRwpuac9_DwORc6jOtQAvBCWz62Z5FwSzs0sTeRBvPYwRsJCsgRNxYFPkipSH_NALab/s640/ngram-British.PNG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> And if we use the smoothing tool set to 50 (instead of the default 3), we see <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Albert+Einstein%2CSherlock+Holmes%2CFrankenstein&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=18&smoothing=50&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CAlbert%20Einstein%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CSherlock%20Holmes%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CFrankenstein%3B%2Cc0" target="_blank">a result that is more comforting to the Sherlockian</a>:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxp5Rw8bLu4lthc6DYrER7alp4if5pgrnN14aEdP_DumeD3HOT5tEzy6-e8F-_iS5ONLI_E6r2MYO7xqo0taSDFAgxQju8WfF0Bez1egVe5vqDK7q6EeNWg2eASl8_awC6P4NazAq5D6_/s1600/ngram-smooth.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxp5Rw8bLu4lthc6DYrER7alp4if5pgrnN14aEdP_DumeD3HOT5tEzy6-e8F-_iS5ONLI_E6r2MYO7xqo0taSDFAgxQju8WfF0Bez1egVe5vqDK7q6EeNWg2eASl8_awC6P4NazAq5D6_/s640/ngram-smooth.PNG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Now I'd like to make it perfectly clear that I am by no means an expert in statistical analysis. What follows is mere conjecture from my own point of view, as a fan of both Sherlock Holmes and Tarzan. (The reader has been warned!) However, as I began to consider Ngrams and iconic characters, my mind went back to a discussion I once had with some fellow Sherlockians at a meeting here in Nashville, Tennessee, wherein we got talking about the popularity of Sherlock Holmes vs. the popularity of the famous Edgar Rice Burroughs character, Tarzan of the Apes. To my surprise and delight, several of the Sherlockians at that meeting were avid Burroughs fans, something we had in common beyond our interest in Holmes.<br /> <br /> As I considered the Ngram results mentioned above I wondered, how would references to Sherlock Holmes compare in frequency with references to Tarzan? After all, both characters were iconic, and both characters were associated with their creators for the better part of their careers. So I decided to put it to the test: putting in a time range of 1910 (two years before <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0486295702" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="ead5c455ca08af811f2095809cd4a4bc" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Tarzan of the Apes" href="http://www.amazon.com/Tarzan-Dover-Thrift-Edgar-Burroughs/dp/0486295702/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=ead5c455ca08af811f2095809cd4a4bc&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3261758" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tarzan of the Apes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3261758" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=ead5c455ca08af811f2095809cd4a4bc&_cb=1453897579325" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> was published) through 2008 (the most recent figures available on Google Ngram Viewer), I chose to search the English corpus. <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Tarzan%2CSherlock+Holmes&year_start=1910&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CTarzan%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CSherlock%20Holmes%3B%2Cc0" target="_blank">Here are the results</a>:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8QLhEzOWMoXEwWh0wp_hSqZU0JvREXM3dp_aOF1edzBX9p-1YjkR1SVzkkZeFNN-KoLUi9iEN7hW5Fw5a7qdgKACCKjyX_5hU4WzXTw2nYz0PqyUBwjLFN77FJrydxuMV9lqkQVoXbtS/s1600/ngram-Tarzan-English.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8QLhEzOWMoXEwWh0wp_hSqZU0JvREXM3dp_aOF1edzBX9p-1YjkR1SVzkkZeFNN-KoLUi9iEN7hW5Fw5a7qdgKACCKjyX_5hU4WzXTw2nYz0PqyUBwjLFN77FJrydxuMV9lqkQVoXbtS/s640/ngram-Tarzan-English.PNG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Well! We see quite a lead for Tarzan in the first several years, and then Sherlock Holmes gains some popularity, until the last several years of the search period. A very popular time for Sherlock Holmes references starts after 1930 (due in part to the publication of the Doubleday edition and then the on-screen popularity of the Arthur Wontner and Basil Rathbone, no doubt). Tweaking the search parameters a bit more, changing to the "American English" corpus, Tarzan gains a bit of ground in the early years of this century (although we still see that frequency of Holmes hits in the 1930s), <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Tarzan%2CSherlock+Holmes&year_start=1910&year_end=2008&corpus=17&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CTarzan%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CSherlock%20Holmes%3B%2Cc0" target="_blank">represented here</a>:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWsnUQU9bGShyphenhyphenhqstaSIKEa_Eem4VVNUinOtqvBpuiyF7j-HdulwYfI_wPioF67xeRasTxGWTexO_571BubRzYhxKjjyDKjcAvVw3oNjvO7E0qT1-aSTKo4ZQ8F9CtklIt7ulI5EJvEaV/s1600/ngram-Tarzan-American.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWsnUQU9bGShyphenhyphenhqstaSIKEa_Eem4VVNUinOtqvBpuiyF7j-HdulwYfI_wPioF67xeRasTxGWTexO_571BubRzYhxKjjyDKjcAvVw3oNjvO7E0qT1-aSTKo4ZQ8F9CtklIt7ulI5EJvEaV/s640/ngram-Tarzan-American.PNG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> And just as one might expect, changing the corpus to "British English" puts Sherlock Holmes firmly <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Tarzan%2CSherlock+Holmes&year_start=1910&year_end=2008&corpus=18&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CTarzan%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CSherlock%20Holmes%3B%2Cc0" target="_blank">back on top</a>:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs1UYrL9-NAjVCPpO9H6NcIObav7sB5msAA2Hb7dlgV_JuTGQal4fUvQyaDMaeovbttaXH_sHE57KzCXX6wIXO-nyDJjjG9nniU0eFOKhU-QO41-PVKRDFam8e-4eXfLx3LjYkP_Dgu8q/s1600/ngram-Tarzan-British.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs1UYrL9-NAjVCPpO9H6NcIObav7sB5msAA2Hb7dlgV_JuTGQal4fUvQyaDMaeovbttaXH_sHE57KzCXX6wIXO-nyDJjjG9nniU0eFOKhU-QO41-PVKRDFam8e-4eXfLx3LjYkP_Dgu8q/s640/ngram-Tarzan-British.PNG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> [On a personal note, I find it interesting, if inconsequential, that there is a pretty sharp spike in the graph above in the early 80s, which just happens to be around the time I started reading Sherlock Holmes as a kid!]<br /> <br /> Then I discovered the parameter entitled "English One Million." According to the guide to using the Ngram Viewer,<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "The 'Google Million'...are in English with dates ranging from 1500 to 2008. No more than about 6000 books were chosen from any one year, which means that all of the scanned books from early years are present, and books from later years are randomly sampled. The random samplings reflect the subject distributions for the year..." </blockquote> That corpus yielded a slightly different result, with Sherlock leading the way for most of the time period, except for a huge spike for Tarzan in the 1990s! (Right between the release of the film <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B001OKKRV2" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="6d17f82eaca19cc841de105f6e397bb8" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Greystoke, Legend of Tarzan" href="http://www.amazon.com/Greystoke-Legend-Tarzan-Lord-Apes/dp/B001OKKRV2/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=6d17f82eaca19cc841de105f6e397bb8&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_8864050" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Greystoke, Legend of Tarzan</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8864050" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=6d17f82eaca19cc841de105f6e397bb8&_cb=1453898738591" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> in 1984 and the Disney animated film <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B000AAF1TU" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="95caf89376e4c8c67c3bdbfbf68d1464" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Tarzan" href="http://www.amazon.com/Tarzan-Special-Edition-Tony-Goldwyn/dp/B000AAF1TU/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=95caf89376e4c8c67c3bdbfbf68d1464&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_8513549" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tarzan</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8513549" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=95caf89376e4c8c67c3bdbfbf68d1464&_cb=1453898817546" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> </i>in 1999.)<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l3qchS-0lNm9J2E-nY3YZOpFK4ZZg0_rDJDowLSG-zH-uL0R5Y8T9-iywT9p8yIN7u9765n70_dZabGt9mglsELOZU3BaxAxdibCTVB9xUnIHT1QGIMtuSDchiOfMvhdMZVcWxowUPln/s1600/ngram-Tarzan-Million.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l3qchS-0lNm9J2E-nY3YZOpFK4ZZg0_rDJDowLSG-zH-uL0R5Y8T9-iywT9p8yIN7u9765n70_dZabGt9mglsELOZU3BaxAxdibCTVB9xUnIHT1QGIMtuSDchiOfMvhdMZVcWxowUPln/s640/ngram-Tarzan-Million.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> One more parameter change I tried, which yielded a slightly different result, was changing the corpus to "English Fiction." The steady downturn that the graphs take through the decades indicates to me that, even though writing <b>about </b>the characters has continued to proliferate (as is clear from several of the graphs above), the actual publication of the fiction works featuring the two characters has decreased, <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Tarzan%2CSherlock+Holmes&year_start=1910&year_end=2008&corpus=16&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CTarzan%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CSherlock%20Holmes%3B%2Cc0" target="_blank">as you can see here</a>:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVXHv_5SAGnDCNi4xEeDgqBlIcJwzMRiOnEd0kVVXdt15IHhvP8tycw7J9TMQ8YhVmgHOnh0R_Yc0_RSzAvd0uYE7t8l_DQjYtS6jYo9TpEJuIt3rawfI2xC0SfNb2uyyM5jNoPwCjhqQ/s1600/ngram-Tarzan-Fiction.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVXHv_5SAGnDCNi4xEeDgqBlIcJwzMRiOnEd0kVVXdt15IHhvP8tycw7J9TMQ8YhVmgHOnh0R_Yc0_RSzAvd0uYE7t8l_DQjYtS6jYo9TpEJuIt3rawfI2xC0SfNb2uyyM5jNoPwCjhqQ/s640/ngram-Tarzan-Fiction.PNG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> In my romp through the hills and valleys of the Ngram Viewer, I've been looking at written references to a couple of the more popular characters in the past century of English publishing. Both Lord Greystoke (Tarzan) and the Great Detective are almost synonymous with the names of the authors who created them. Although Conan Doyle's output may be seen my some critics as more "literary" than that of Burroughs, the Tarzan novels and the Sherlock Holmes novels and stories share a similar popularity among their respective fandoms. The sheer volume of subsequent reprints of the novels and stories about the two characters is almost impossible to calculate. Moreover, both characters have been largely in the public domain for some time, which has no doubt contributed to their continuing popularity in print. I would also postulate that the popularity of both characters has been increased immensely by their many appearances in a variety of film (and stage) adaptations. <br /> <br /> As I pointed out in <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/09/sherlock-holmes-and-wold-newton-universe.html#.VpatIxUrKM8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an earlier article</a> here, authors such as Philip José Farmer and others have postulated links between the Holmes universe and the Tarzan universe. John Clayton, after all, is both the English name of Tarzan, aka Lord Greystoke, and the name of a very minor character in Conan Doyle's <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>. Whether there is any actual link between these two iconic characters or not, their popularity in the written word has often been intertwined, at least as I read the graphs above.<br /> <br /> I would love to hear thoughts (and even dissenting opinions) from readers who may be more well versed than I in the analysis of Ngrams. Please share your opinions in the comment section below. And give the Google Ngram Viewer a try some time. (Warning, though: it can end up wasting scandalous amounts of your time!)<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030747450X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=030747450X&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=KOVSE46WLPKLYDPW" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=030747450X&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=030747450X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />    <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1101870893/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1101870893&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=NFQZARRRQP4ZRCDY" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1101870893&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1101870893" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /> <br /> <br />

Sherlock Holmes vs. Tarzan — by the Numbers

"aided by this chart" [SIGN] Throughout the Canon, we encounter a variety of "grams": telegrams, programmes, cry...

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by Cory Howell

Maria Konnikova's Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> "acquired by long and patient study" [STUD]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhne_SCpeFlW18GAajh2pf4-_b6pan2GWMWdYQ82INMmv2JHeXwJV6vp9x0s4m_Cxx-IqyBjl5FjENkO_SOd0MCtw3_ayr12c5xVuDdqYwG7_SZxbi7yeR9QEAATNkp_YDj2a9zb1qKCJcQ/s1600/mastermind_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhne_SCpeFlW18GAajh2pf4-_b6pan2GWMWdYQ82INMmv2JHeXwJV6vp9x0s4m_Cxx-IqyBjl5FjENkO_SOd0MCtw3_ayr12c5xVuDdqYwG7_SZxbi7yeR9QEAATNkp_YDj2a9zb1qKCJcQ/s1600/mastermind_cover.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Examining the "Science of Deduction and Analysis" is a singular activity - many Holmesian scholars have managed to find interesting nuances when focusing on the Great Detective's skills. With the plethora of Holmes-related media in recent years, it would seem that reconciling Holmes' unique talents to modern-day psychology might be a bit daunting.<br /> <br /> Thankfully, we now have Maria Konnikova's <b><a href="https://amzn.to/2GiE2Uy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes</i></a></b> (available on Amazon) a fascinating book that not only marries Victorian detection to current-day thought, but manages to provide an illuminating, insightful work for both Sherlockians and casual fans alike. <b><i>Mastermind</i></b> focuses on how much of what we understand about learning, decision-making, and deductive ability can be derived from Holmesian thought (as expressed in the canon).<br /> <br /> Each discussion has an underpinning in the canon, from how "facts" can influence our first impressions (see Mary Morstan) to the proper care and maintenance of the "brain attic", <i><b>Mastermind</b> </i>takes much of its lead from key stories in the canon. (In fact, towards the end <i><b>Mastermind</b> </i>cleverly demonstrates how Holmes' cognitive abilities have developed over time, citing both early and later Conan Doyle stories).<br /> <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 = "B00KXCWWDI"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "fe5c90232373ba4dc37c79c26596c01d"; </script><br /> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script><br /> <br /> For both Sherlockians and the casual reader, <i><b>Mastermind</b> </i>is relatively easy to comprehend, avoiding complicated language for an extremely simple approach. The final chapter - which outlines <i>precisely</i> how to attain Holmesian skills in deduction - is well worth the cost of the book. But it's the chapters leading up to it, mixing familiar (and some unusual) references to the canon, that provide the bulk of <i><b>Mastermind's</b> </i>value, placing Holmes' abilities in the realm of possibility.<br /> <br /> <i><b>Mastermind</b> </i>may not necessarily lead you to consider a career in being a consulting detective....but provides one of the best pieces of both Sherlockian and psychological scholarship. This is a must-read for the serious Holmes scholar. <br /> <br /> You can hear our interview with Maria on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose54" target="_blank">Episode 54: How to Think Like Sherlock</a>:<br /> <br /> <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/134354965&color=ff5500" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /> <i>When you make purchases from the links we share, it provides us with a stream of revenue to help keep this site running. Thank you for your generosity.</i><br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /></div>

Maria Konnikova's Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

"acquired by long and patient study" [STUD] Examining the "Science of Deduction and Analysis" is a singular activi...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlocktron Has a New Home

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> "I have had no proof yet" [SIGN]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcd50DyYcS2pUuk4xgvb2kI7V0zhiNzYC3LTOeGucAhOnNl36rRtrXA8UBOOpZDlYHys-wVb96hbVX5qc2qTPpESnSDpmtE8eWUJ0h9AVZ5Zk4DXNuK9EmgY7gJyG6h_10rJZ4ol_GPbt/s1600/Frank+Wiles+-+Valley+of+Fear+Sherlock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcd50DyYcS2pUuk4xgvb2kI7V0zhiNzYC3LTOeGucAhOnNl36rRtrXA8UBOOpZDlYHys-wVb96hbVX5qc2qTPpESnSDpmtE8eWUJ0h9AVZ5Zk4DXNuK9EmgY7gJyG6h_10rJZ4ol_GPbt/s640/Frank+Wiles+-+Valley+of+Fear+Sherlock.jpg" width="408" /></a></div> <br /> Recently, Sherlocktron, a long-time Internet information center for Sherlock Holmes, was forced to move to a new Internet service provider at <a href="http://sherlocktron.com/">http://sherlocktron.com/</a>. <br /> <br /> The site owner, Willis Frick, has now updated the files at the new web site. <b><i>But</i></b> he he is <b><i>looking for your help to make sure the listings are up to date</i></b>. <br /> <br /> At this point, he has been able to verify the Web addresses (URLs) and email addresses of the purveyors of Sherlockian items and of the society publications listed. However, many Sherlockian purveyors and societies do not have a means to contact them electronically to verify the information - and that is where he needs your help, dear readers.<br /> <br /> Please take a few minutes to looks at these files: <br /> <a href="http://sherlocktron.hostoi.com/pub.list.pdf%C2%A0">Sherlockian Publication List</a> (PDF)<br /> <a href="http://sherlocktron.hostoi.com/ads.list.pdf">Sherlockian Purveyor List</a> (PDF)<br /> <br /> If there are any additions, corrections or deletions required, please notify Willis by email: <b>sherlock1 [AT] cox [DOT] net.</b><mailto:sherlock1 cox.net=""><b> </b><br /></mailto:sherlock1><br /> <mailto:sherlock1 cox.net="">For information about these lists see:  </mailto:sherlock1><br /> <mailto:sherlock1 cox.net=""><a href="http://sherlocktron.hostoi.com/about.the.pub.listing.pdf">About Sherlockian Publications</a> (PDF)</mailto:sherlock1><br /> <mailto:sherlock1 cox.net=""><a href="http://sherlocktron.hostoi.com/about.the.ads.listing.pdf">About Sherlockian Purveyors</a> (PDF)<br /><br />It would be a wonderful gesture to extend to Willis, as he finishes up this project. After all, someday you may be looking for something Sherlockian or for a newsletter from a society, and this resource may come in handy.</mailto:sherlock1><br /> <mailto:sherlock1 cox.net=""><br /><i><br /></i>--</mailto:sherlock1>

Sherlocktron Has a New Home

"I have had no proof yet" [SIGN] Recently, Sherlocktron, a long-time Internet information center for Sherlock Holmes, was f...

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by Scott Monty

The Unsung Hero of The Sign of Four

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> "I would rather have Toby's help" [SIGN] </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAub1guk_-5jRzUIfRhCiNuEH89EO8PHKZiySt0YR7GYQZgg70AxFAj-a2xor_fPHBp3R2L5J7I1xdGiWE7gQy_CZTSOR8CzneNo6P6e1nvxYdA2r-MCulTvl8EPWuyiQwtYYi3elyeZ8x/s1600/Toby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Toby the dog from The Sign of Four starring Jeremy Brett" border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAub1guk_-5jRzUIfRhCiNuEH89EO8PHKZiySt0YR7GYQZgg70AxFAj-a2xor_fPHBp3R2L5J7I1xdGiWE7gQy_CZTSOR8CzneNo6P6e1nvxYdA2r-MCulTvl8EPWuyiQwtYYi3elyeZ8x/s1600/Toby.jpg" title="Toby from Granada's The Sign of Four" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> One of the endearing and distinguishing characteristics of Sherlock Holmes was his penchant for thinking outside the box. Free of the constraints of police regulations, Holmes’s methods often extended beyond the realm of the traditional. Thank goodness.<br /> <br /> According to William Baring-Gould's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Sherlock-Holmes-Fifty-Six-Illustrated/dp/0517502917?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>The Annotated Sherlock Holmes</i></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiGYms0Td4z6sk7iVROzIG5eiGQ-iASY8D49R1EkMQPFVjbDHrQEPHQLZ1VcSpyJUnt-8CUaym0gYwJBrFcskuEBLf-zCWIqoyqj3tV0mP0AqkgRjRs2kV1WZwkZLQNkpVe5d2cOhO0WJQTpu5FSluwlbZc0ZsJU1hv3ttuDLD50vh1O-GzF341Ax6N6u1t5JckepUt2Ag-eaf5hd9jrJIwN6h4fWtM=" /> (1992 edition), the case of <i>The Sign of Four</i> (published by <i>Lippincott's Monthly Magazine</i> in <a href="http://holmes.crispen.org/Canon.php">February of 1890</a>), lasted from Tuesday 18 September to Friday 21 September, 1888. Thus, the mystery of the Agra Treasure, a case unlike any other, was solved in only four days time. But how? <br /> <br /> Fortunately, Holmes knew that an unlikely case calls for unlikely tactics. And the master would not have cracked the case without the help of a very special individual. A four-legged individual by the unlikely name of Toby, of No.3 Pinchin Lane, Lambeth. <br /> <br /> This got me thinking. And when that happens, like any good Holmesian (or Sherlockian, whichever you prefer), I mounted a search for facts. My findings are as follows:<br /> <br /> By the late 19th Century, dogs had been used by mankind for <a href="http://www.k9gta.com/History-of-Police-Dogs.html">over a millenium</a> in war, domination of new lands, and hunting. Bloodhounds had been used for the aforementioned reasons for the past three hundred years. In addition, some policemen had taken to bringing their own dogs with them on their beats. <a href="http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/CityPolice/Departments/SpecialistSupport/dogsandmountedunit/">T</a><a href="http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/CityPolice/Departments/SpecialistSupport/dogsandmountedunit/">he London Police Force</a> incorporated bloodhounds during the Jack the Ripper murders, which occurred in August-November of 1888 – the very same time that a certain consulting detective who had recently come into public prominence was employing a "long-haired, lop-eared creature, half spaniel and half lurcher, brown and white in colour" to assist him [SIGN]. In fact, Holmes's case began just <a href="http://jack-the-ripper.org/">ten days</a> after the murder of Annie Chapman! As Brett's Holmes remarked in Granada's 'The Dying Detective': "Coincidence bordering upon the unbelievable!" <br /> <br /> Anyway, back to the dogs. Due to primitive methods, those police canines were not afforded the chance to prove as useful as they could have been. But in his own case, Holmes gave the scrappy Toby the opportunity to use his “most amazing power of scent” unhampered by police regulations or botched test sites. In his account of the case, Dr. Watson tells us just what the master did: <br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> “He pushed the creosote handkerchief under the dog’s nose…The creature broke into a succession of high, tremulous yelps, and, with his nose on the ground, and his tail in the air, pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed.”</blockquote> It was simple, yet highly effective. Dr. Watson may have described Toby as having “a very clumsy, waddling gait”, but this furry ally proved his worth in short order. And in so doing, he vindicated his colleagues and brought literary glory to his species. As Holmes said, Toby “acted according to his own lights”. Holmes could just as well have been explaining himself here, and makes an excellent point about his beloved powers of deduction: that one must trust one’s instinct in order to ‘sniff out’ the true scent from the false ones. <br /> <br /> And while the contributions of the Baker Street Irregulars should not be overlooked, it was Toby who turned the chase in the right direction. Without Toby’s help, the boys would have had no Aurora to find, Small would never have been caught, readers would have been deprived of one of the most memorable boat chases in all of literature…and most importantly, Dr. John H. Watson would not have won the heart of Miss Mary Morstan. <br /> <br /> If Toby wasn’t the guest of honor at their wedding, he should have been!<br /> <br /> [<b>Editor's note:</b><i> Our guest author Jennifer has had a life-long interest in English and American literature (particularly of the 19th century), and grew up watching both the Rathbone/Bruce & the Granada incarnations of Holmes and his Boswell. Some of her favorite authors are Charles Dickens, George Gordon Lord Byron, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe. One of her two current efforts include research into the Holmes Canon for a collection of short stories centered around Dr. Watson. The other is a historic fiction novel-in-progress dealing with reform methods for London prostitutes in the Victorian Era. She has a decade of experience in the field of 19th century living history, and enjoys sharing little tidbits and musings on her </i><a href="http://bozwellmd.livejournal.com/" style="font-style: italic;">blog</a><i>.</i>]<br /> <br /> <br /> -- <br /> <div> <div> <br /> <div> <span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"></span></div> </div> </div> <!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assoc-amazon.com%2Fe%2Fir%3Ft%3Dthebakerstree-20%26l%3Dbtl%26camp%3D213689%26creative%3D392969%26o%3D1%26a%3D0517502917&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiGYms0Td4z6sk7iVROzIG5eiGQ-iASY8D49R1EkMQPFVjbDHrQEPHQLZ1VcSpyJUnt-8CUaym0gYwJBrFcskuEBLf-zCWIqoyqj3tV0mP0AqkgRjRs2kV1WZwkZLQNkpVe5d2cOhO0WJQTpu5FSluwlbZc0ZsJU1hv3ttuDLD50vh1O-GzF341Ax6N6u1t5JckepUt2Ag-eaf5hd9jrJIwN6h4fWtM=" -->

The Unsung Hero of The Sign of Four

"I would rather have Toby's help" [SIGN]  One of the endearing and distinguishing characteristics of Sherlock Holmes wa...

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by Scott Monty

A Papal Influence in the Sherlock Holmes Canon

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"in my anxiety to oblige the Pope" [HOUN]</h4><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJWVLUbqvFxNbYt0aqaQC9FE3Tze_GCrKWGgXDA7O1u2KBBEyLy5hJ3FQfuqeDSRv8cywDkYuCh2VVSGVBd09IpmkoAtroItPr1b96fIrB7B1FXwuFRNnvLokDYdbTCOR79u-w1Rmf5RM/s1600/pope-leo-xiii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJWVLUbqvFxNbYt0aqaQC9FE3Tze_GCrKWGgXDA7O1u2KBBEyLy5hJ3FQfuqeDSRv8cywDkYuCh2VVSGVBd09IpmkoAtroItPr1b96fIrB7B1FXwuFRNnvLokDYdbTCOR79u-w1Rmf5RM/s320/pope-leo-xiii.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pope Leo XIII</td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> It seems like popes have always been an important part of world happenings. More often than not ruling pontiffs shape the world in which they live. There is no doubt, for instance, that the late Pope John Paul II (to be beatified May 1, 2011) played an important historical role on the world stage, regardless of how one views the man. And the same could be said of the pope of Holmes’ and Watson’s time, Pope Leo XIII. <br /> <br /> Born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, Leo XIII is considered by many historians to be the first “modern” pope. The first to be born in the 19th Century, he was the first to die in the 20th. Liberal in the classical (rather than modern or political) sense, he opened the Vatican archives to scholars for research. He encouraged the study of science, and renovated and updated the Vatican Observatory to house the best equipment and astronomical scientists to be had at the time. He was the<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Pv-UuGUDM&feature=related"> first pope to be heard on a recording</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCIrT5g5g3g&feature=related">the first to be filmed</a>, thrilling at scientific and technological advances.<br /> <br /> While he was trained at the Academia dei Nobili for diplomacy and law and the son of nobleman himself, Leo was the first pope in many centuries not to rule a kingdom. Under the reign of his predecessor, Pius IX, the Papal States were lost to the new Kingdom of Italy. Pius therefore shut himself up in a type of self-imposed house arrest as he demanded the independence of the Vatican from the surrounding country. Leo XIII continued the protest, also not leaving the Vatican for fear that he and the Church would placed under the power of the Kingdom of Italy (though after his election he sneaked out incognito to retrieve papers from his former residence). His imprisonment and that of succeeding popes would last until 1929, when Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty bringing the present Vatican City State into existence. <br /> <br /> Because he had no real temporal power, Pope Leo was immediately placed in a neutral role by the world at large and seen by many potentates as an ideal arbitrator. It was his diplomatic influence that prevented a likely war between Germany and Spain in the 1880s. He also was pivotal in encouraging France’s alliance with Russia, which offset the Triple Alliance. Of course, these alliances would lead to the coming Great War, but for their time they helped keep the world’s powers at peace.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqLmvY0LRwQdSUV1bPuUS8SvRypmE9vUs6tVAIKWfvZmdFYxap26Qp22IfV6ssO7NVmACen9amYUEgJwjz_LbGjXOl2J3J0-1B4q35XE0DPhChe0Yu7KAxBcRC2_NzyiglM93b6TTZ-WP/s1600/mariani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqLmvY0LRwQdSUV1bPuUS8SvRypmE9vUs6tVAIKWfvZmdFYxap26Qp22IfV6ssO7NVmACen9amYUEgJwjz_LbGjXOl2J3J0-1B4q35XE0DPhChe0Yu7KAxBcRC2_NzyiglM93b6TTZ-WP/s200/mariani.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo XIII endorsed a <br /> vintage spiked with cocaine.</td></tr> </tbody></table>Leo XIII also was instrumental in encouraging what would become the labor movement in the United States and other countries throughout the world. His encyclical Rerum Novarum clearly stated Christian principals in the relationship between capital and labor. In it he strongly condemned socialism and communism for restricting the right of an individual to own property as well as other personal freedoms, but he also held a critical eye toward capitalism which did not allow workers a direct share in the fruits of their own labors.<br /> <br /> <br /> As I researched Pope Leo for my book <a href="http://www.holmeschurchmysteries.com/">Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes</a>, I discovered he held many characteristics in common with our beloved master detective. He was tall (for an Italian), painfully thin, and held to a more aesthetic lifestyle. He rarely slept, preferring his work to rest. He imbibed cocaine on occasion in a wine vintage known as Vin Mariani—and so enthusiastic was he about the wine he awarded it a gold medal and appeared on an advertisement poster for the product. He used tobacco in the form of snuff. And, I was amazed to find that Pope Leo greatly resembled Sydney Paget's illustration of Holmes in the guise of an Italian priest! Needless to say, I had a little bit of fun with that. ;)<br /> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /> </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/images/fina-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/images/fina-05.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holmes as "the venerable Italian priest" <br /> looking a lot like Pope Leo XIII.</td></tr> </tbody></table>Leo's Vatican home was completely devoid of a feminine presence. This was not, however, because he was a misogynist. On the contrary, he asked all women (including servants and religious) to leave the Vatican when he became pope motivated by an unusual sense of chivalry. He desired to shield them from any victimization, temptation or scandal, and to protect his priests from the same. <br /> <br /> He was, to sum up, a man of his time as well as a man of the future. He was the most prolific pope, writing 85 encyclicals during his reign, which was the third longest in history (1878-1903). A logician himself, he was an enthusiast of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose philosophical works led to what we now know as the scientific method. <br /> <br /> <br /> There couldn’t have been a more perfect pope, then, for whom Holmes would solve not one, but two cases (see references in BLAC and HOUN). I had great joy telling untold tales about him and the Master and I believe Holmes and Watson had a great deal of fun with him as well. <br /> <br /> <h4>More links:</h4><ul><li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33FPn7zbmHE">Rome Reports: Pope Leo XIII, a pope who changed the Church </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/index.htm">Vatican: Pope Leo XIII</a></li> </ul><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_2129261812"></a><br /> <center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Oz_l9omykvk" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe></center><br /> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Ann Margaret Lewis is a member of the Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis. She began her writing career writing tie-in children’s books and short stories for DC Comics and Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Alien Species, for Random House. Her book: Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, published by Gasogene Books, is available at <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/">Wessex Press</a>. You can reach her at <a href="http://www.holmeschurchmysteries.com/">http://www.holmeschurchmysteries.com</a>.</i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt;"><br /> </span> <br /> <div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt;">--</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0938501526&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt;"></span></i></span></div></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 1em; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr> </tbody></table></div>

A Papal Influence in the Sherlock Holmes Canon

"in my anxiety to oblige the Pope" [HOUN] Pope Leo XIII It seems like popes have always been an important part of world happen...

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by Scott Monty

Camden House is Back Online

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "we are in Camden House" [EMPT]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNk1CG9kpC77Y5yv_rKoZ57W-X3YFOUnd7xb-Y-njRPKsWhDFW4IqzBy-w49cnQILVk_V9OtPzoxJ-sQY_3ir54YhJhGiS8-C-S0O2Kv-i9Hl2Eto-RIDut9BiCcnHCRH8WhOF9DSWjXx/s1600/EMPT+-+Camden+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNk1CG9kpC77Y5yv_rKoZ57W-X3YFOUnd7xb-Y-njRPKsWhDFW4IqzBy-w49cnQILVk_V9OtPzoxJ-sQY_3ir54YhJhGiS8-C-S0O2Kv-i9Hl2Eto-RIDut9BiCcnHCRH8WhOF9DSWjXx/s1600/EMPT+-+Camden+House.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> For anyone who's spent some time poking around this site, you may have frequented one of the links in the References section (aptly titled "His Encyclopedia of Reference"). And there, for a long time, we had linked to <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/main.htm">Camden House</a>, a site that contained images and text from the Canon.<br /> <br /> At some point over the last year, the site went down with no explanation. Many online Sherlockians were concerned that something might have happened to the site owner or that there were unpaid bills that they might be able to assist with. It was a site that clearly meant a great deal to people.<br /> <br /> We're happy to report that <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/main.htm" style="font-weight: bold;">Camden House</a> is no longer an Empty House. It has reopened under the same management. The site administrators share this message on the sidebar of their site:<br /> <br /> <blockquote> We're back online!<br /> <br /> For reasons I still haven't been able to get an answer on, my web provider had locked this site out. I got tired of trying to get them to respond and just wiped it out and restarted.<br /> <br /> It's been too long.</blockquote> <br /> To which we say, hear, hear! If you haven't had a chance to explore the site, please do so. There you'll find the <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/gallery/index.html">largest collection of Holmesian graphics</a> online, a <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/index.html">comprehensive listing of all stories</a> that are in the public domain, as well as a number of other nifty features that may inspire you.<br /> <br /> It's good to see the site back again. We can think of no better quote to honor the reopening than what Sherlock Holmes himself said in"<a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/empt.htm">The Adventure of the Empty House</a>,"<br /> <blockquote> "Once again Mr. Sherlock Holmes is free to devote his life to examining those interesting little problems which the complex life of London so plentifully presents."</blockquote> Only we'd put it this way: "Once again we are free to devote our lives to examining those interesting little pages which the comprehensive site of <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/main.htm">Camden House</a> so plentifully presents."<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

Camden House is Back Online

"we are in Camden House" [EMPT] For anyone who's spent some time poking around this site, you may have frequented one of ...

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by Scott Monty

"...An Enthusiastic Admirer of Napoleon..." [SIXN]

<a href="http://www.sh-whoswho.com/gallery/th_Donald_Yates.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.sh-whoswho.com/gallery/th_Donald_Yates.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 39px; height: 59px;" /></a>Don Yates, BSI resides in St. Helena, near Napa Valley where he presides over the Napa Valley Napoleons of SH (they're on the <a href="http://www.frappr.com/sherlockians">Sherlockians Around the World</a> map).<br /><br />Don was in the news recently, as the <span style="font-style: italic;">Napa Valley Register</span> ran a fairly good article (for a mainstream publication) about the Napoleons, titled <a href="http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/09/24/features/community/iq_3612857.txt">Napa Valley Sherlock Holmes admirers meet to celebrate a life unlived</a>.<br /><br />This should serve as a nice inspiration for any Sherlockians looking to start their own societies. For existing societies and Sherlockians, here's a list of resources:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.frappr.com/sherlockians">Sherlockians Around the World</a> - an interactive map that you can add to</li><li>Peter Blau's <a href="http://members.cox.net/sherlock1/three.txt">list of societies</a> on Sherlocktron</li><li>A really nice display of faces, cross-referenced by geography and by society on <a href="http://sh-whoswho.com/index.php3">Sherlockian Who's Who</a></li><li>For more, scroll down and check out the Resources section in the right column<br /></li></ul>For those of you new to the Sherlock Holmes, there's a whole world of people out there like you. With just a few resources, you can be in touch with them and begin engaging on conversations about your favorite subject. Happy sleuthing!

"...An Enthusiastic Admirer of Napoleon..." [SIXN]

Don Yates, BSI resides in St. Helena, near Napa Valley where he presides over the Napa Valley Napoleons of SH (they're on the Sherlockia...

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by Scott Monty

Hugh Boone Knew How to Make Money

<h3 style="text-align: center;"> "he had for years been known as a professional beggar" [TWIS] </h3> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/724/187/1600/twis-05.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/724/187/320/twis-05.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a></div> <br /> <b><span style="color: rgb(255 , 204 , 0); font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;"></span></b>Readers of this blog are undoubtedly aware that Neville St. Clair, in <a href="http://camdenhouse.ignisart.com/canon/twis.htm" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;">"The Man with the Twisted Lip"</a> left his respectable job as a journalist to take up the life of a professional beggar under the <span style="font-style: italic;">nom de travail</span> Hugh Boone.<br /> <br /> In the June 27 installment of <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/index.html" style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 102); font-weight: bold;">The Straight Dope,</a> the question was posed to the research staff: <span style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 102); font-weight: bold;">"</span><a href="http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbegprofit.html" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;">How much money do beggars make?"</a><br /> <br /> <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /> <blockquote> <span style="font-style: italic;">"Data! Data! Data! I cannot make bricks without clay."</span></blockquote> <br /> While there are little empirical data to go on, the author leads with the example from the Canon and even goes so far as to quote Leslie Klinger, BSI, editor of <a href="http://annotatedsherlockholmes.com/" style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 102); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes</a>.<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

Hugh Boone Knew How to Make Money

"he had for years been known as a professional beggar" [TWIS]  Readers of this blog are undoubtedly aware that Neville St. Cl...

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by Scott Monty

"Well, there is at least a curious coincidence of dates." [SPEC]

<span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Back on <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.blogspot.com/2006/04/date-being-asked-holmes.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-weight: bold;">April 27</a>, we announced a Google Calendar version of the Calendar of Sherlockian Events. As it happens, that version was only open to Gmail account holders.<br /><br />After some revising, Google has made it possible for non-Gmail users to view and use the calendar, so we now present the calendar in the right column of the blog. This is a particularly useful tool for traveling Sherlockians, or for scion leaders who would like to advise Web users of their events.<br /><br />The calendar is still based on <a href="http://sherlockiancalendar.homestead.com">Ron Fish's authoritative database</a>; there are links to both versions in the "Events"section of the main blog, which as always, you can reach by clicking on the Baker Street Blog banner at the top of your page.

"Well, there is at least a curious coincidence of dates." [SPEC]

Back on April 27 , we announced a Google Calendar version of the Calendar of Sherlockian Events. As it happens, that version was only open ...

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by Scott Monty

The Best of Sherlock Holmes: Conan Doyle Manuscripts

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "I have in my pocket a manuscript" [HOUN] </h4> <br /> <span style="color: #ffcc00; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>For those who have not yet had the pleasure, Randall Stock runs a wonderful little Web site called <a href="http://bestofsherlock.com/" target="_blank">The Best of Sherlock Holmes</a> that, among other things, tracks the whereabouts of <a href="http://www.bestofsherlock.com/conan-doyle-manuscripts.htm" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Conan Doyle manuscripts</a>.<br /> <br /> He recently announced that there has been an update to his <a href="http://www.bestofsherlock.com/beetons-christmas-annual.htm" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">checklist of Beeton's Christmas Annuals from 1887</a>. Randall says:<br /> <blockquote> <span style="font-style: italic;">The checklist provides lots of information about the "most expensive magazine in the world" and includes a list of the 28 confirmed copies still in existence and links to photos of five copies.</span></blockquote> The Sherlockians and Sherlockian collectors alike would do well to take a look around Randall's site, which includes:<br /> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.bestofsherlock.com/ref/refbsjtp.htm" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Tips</a> for using the Baker Street Journal CD-ROM</li> <li><a href="http://www.bestofsherlock.com/story/storyhm.htm" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Polls on the best stories of the Canon</a>, from Baker Street Journal readers and Baker Street Irregulars</li> <li>The <a href="http://www.bestofsherlock.com/top-10-sherlock-quotes.htm" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">most famous quotes</a> from Sherlock Holmes</li> <li>And many, many other gems!</li> </ul> <div> --</div> <div> <br /></div>

The Best of Sherlock Holmes: Conan Doyle Manuscripts

"I have in my pocket a manuscript" [HOUN]  For those who have not yet had the pleasure, Randall Stock runs a wonderful little W...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes Tours in London

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> "it is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of London" [REDH] </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffcc00; font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFTADgOUYGicPnDGXGdt_3qmaOE6jI5XsiDkbk9ih-a3SLsvdxhwHKkHlxf8wqBL2V4LUXg-50P5qATPKcfCltV_0oBOn3O9z44-c-mQB56Wq0srn3fl8UHl4deI7nzgCnu1SGpy8EbId/s1600/Tower_of_London_-_Big_Bus_Tours_DA326_%2528PN10FOH%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFTADgOUYGicPnDGXGdt_3qmaOE6jI5XsiDkbk9ih-a3SLsvdxhwHKkHlxf8wqBL2V4LUXg-50P5qATPKcfCltV_0oBOn3O9z44-c-mQB56Wq0srn3fl8UHl4deI7nzgCnu1SGpy8EbId/s640/Tower_of_London_-_Big_Bus_Tours_DA326_%2528PN10FOH%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Recently, a reader contacted us for recommendations for incorporating Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle into a trip to London. It's been a few years since our last trip there, but we are aware of a number of great resources:<br /> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.sherlockslondon.com/" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Sherlock's London</a> by Thomas Bruce Wheeler - an interactive walking guide that lists over 200 sites by story and by Underground Station</li> <li><a href="https://freetoursbyfoot.com/sherlock-holmes-tour-london/" style="color: #000066; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Walk</a>, a well thought out guide to the London of Doyle</li> <li><b>The Irregular Special Railway Company</b> put out a series of Sherlock Holmes Walks - we have them in print, but can't locate them on the web.</li> <li><a href="http://www.walks.com/our-walks/friday-walks#in-the-footsteps-of-sherlock-holmes" target="_blank"><b>The Original London Walks</b></a>, with a Sherlock Holmes Walk every Friday afternoon (updated)</li> <li><a href="https://www.london-ghost-tour.com/" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">The London Ghost Tours</a> offer tours of Sherlock Holmes' and Jack the Ripper's London</li> <li>Any visit to London would be incomplete without a stop at <a href="http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/" style="color: #33ff33; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000066;">221B Baker Street</span></a> (the Sherlock Holmes Museum), the <a href="http://www.sherlockholmes.co.uk/" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;">Sherlock Holmes Memorabilia Co.</a> (just across the street from 221B), <a href="https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/sherlock-holmes/" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes</a> (pub), and again <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d1127071-Reviews-The_Sherlock_Holmes_Public_House_Restaurant-London_England.html" style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">here</a>.</li> </ul> <br /> These are but a smattering of books, tours, and locations. Perhaps some more well-informed traveling Sherlockian could use the Comments section below to add your own suggestions.<br /> <br /> <i>Image credit: Wikipedia</i><div> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>

Sherlock Holmes Tours in London

"it is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of London" [REDH]  Recently, a reader contacted us for recommendations f...

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by Scott Monty

"The affair seems absurdly trifling..." [SIXN]

<span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);"></b></span><br /><a href="http://www.221b-baker-street.com/" style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">A Trifling Reference</span> </a>is a "cross reference of the cases of the Consulting Detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, as chronicled by his friend and colleague, John H. Watson, M.D."<br /><br />Some features include <a href="http://www.221b-baker-street.com/SearchCanon.php" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-weight: bold;">an entirely searchable Canon</a> - customizable by collection or novel, with results grouped by story and with excerpts around the word or phrase for which the user searched.<br /><br />In addition, the names of <a href="http://www.221b-baker-street.com/IndexOfDatesAndCodes.php?ThisIndex=CODE" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-weight: bold;">the 60 stories are listed</a> in alphabetical order, with links to read the full stories. There is also a clickable link that sorts them in the order of the date of their first publication.<br /><br />And finally, <a href="http://www.221b-baker-street.com/IndexOfChronologies.php?ThisIndex=BG2" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-weight: bold;">the major chronologies</a> are shown side by side, and - <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">this is a very cool and useful feature </span>- are sortable by a clickable link at the top of each column, thus allowing the stories to be sorted in chronological order by chronologer: Bell, Christ, Zeisler, Brend, and Baring-Gould 1 and 2.

"The affair seems absurdly trifling..." [SIXN]

A Trifling Reference is a "cross reference of the cases of the Consulting Detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, as chronicled by his friend...

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by Scott Monty

The Sherlockian Calendar on Google

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "The date being—?" asked Holmes [CREE]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfXSNZ9_LwKI73NDkJ4UJT5roT9SnokWUbILq3mWD7ctWYsQDdt-S_kapp_N5BW8k3fY1sKZBglg3ofJQwnVbWCoBdN74FYDpwEuBudGWBaHE5Iz5uR9BzwElUAVA3_KBeJYw-bpr2ZSw/s1600/calendar-1763587_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="1280" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfXSNZ9_LwKI73NDkJ4UJT5roT9SnokWUbILq3mWD7ctWYsQDdt-S_kapp_N5BW8k3fY1sKZBglg3ofJQwnVbWCoBdN74FYDpwEuBudGWBaHE5Iz5uR9BzwElUAVA3_KBeJYw-bpr2ZSw/s640/calendar-1763587_1280.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Ron Fish has been keeping a <a href="http://sherlockiancalendar.homestead.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">Sherlockian Calendar</a> for some time — a very useful reference for those who travel or simply would like to keep track of local events.<br /> <br /> Well now, thanks to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/personal_technology.html?mod=djemptech" style="font-weight: bold;">developments at Google</a>, we have now given the calendar an interactive design - take a look at <a href="http://www.google.com/calendar/feeds/sherlockian.calendar@gmail.com/public/full">Sherlockian events laid out in a calendar format</a>. You can choose to look at a day, week or month at a time, or list all events in an agenda-like layout.<br /> <br /> If you have a Gmail account, you can search the public calendars for "Sherlockian" and find ours, which is publicly available, and add it to your list of calendars. Once there, you can note your intention to attend meetings, invite others to meetings, and find useful email addresses and links.<br /> <br /> If you would like to be able to add your own events, <a href="mailto:%20bakerstreetblog@gmail.com" style="font-weight: bold;">contact us</a> and we'll add you to the list of approved editors of events. The more editors we have, the better the calendar will be!<br /> <br /> If you don't have a gmail account, you are still able to be invited to meetings by others. And if you have a feedreader, you can <a href="http://www.google.com/calendar/feeds/sherlockian.calendar@gmail.com/public/basic" style="font-weight: bold;">add the Sherlockian Calendar to your feeds</a> by dropping this link into your reader.<br /> <br /> Please let us know what you think of this new feature!<br /> <br />

The Sherlockian Calendar on Google

"The date being—?" asked Holmes [CREE] Ron Fish has been keeping a Sherlockian Calendar for some time — a very useful refere...

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by Scott Monty

"Is He Not the Celebrated Author...?" [VALL]

A new site focused on the Literary Agent, called <a href="http://www.siracd.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">The Chronicles of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</a> is up and running. It features a Conan Doyle quote of the day, a store called the Baker Street Bazaar, and sections on Doyle's life and works.<br /><br />The coolest feature is the ability to <a href="http://www.siracd.com/cards.shtml" style="font-weight: bold;">send Sherlock Holmes e-cards</a> with Canonical quotes. There are holiday and birthday themes, and just general occasion options.<br /><br />While you're at it, two other excellent Conan Doyle sites are the <a href="http://www.ash-tree.bc.ca/acdsocy.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Arthur Conan Doyle Society</a> and the <a href="http://www.acdfriends.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection</a> at the Toronto Public Library.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.siracd.com/"><br /></a>

"Is He Not the Celebrated Author...?" [VALL]

A new site focused on the Literary Agent, called The Chronicles of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is up and running. It features a Conan Doyle quo...

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by Scott Monty

Discovering Sherlock Holmes at Stanford University

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "These little records of our cases which you have been good enough to draw up" [COPP] </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPfTtKCw7Rq0p2vlpZ2R6biHcOB5tQuzcVnp6RnS-fFYF6k6O9913PUtC9PIvQHhkdUyFXPtqRDGXWe5tDLYuPqI0sOhrOKngLvfA7m4iSaRfxhAMRhg7nptAqvrMETqzB6HTJCdgLRDV/s1600/Stanford+University+Sherlock+Holmes+project.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPfTtKCw7Rq0p2vlpZ2R6biHcOB5tQuzcVnp6RnS-fFYF6k6O9913PUtC9PIvQHhkdUyFXPtqRDGXWe5tDLYuPqI0sOhrOKngLvfA7m4iSaRfxhAMRhg7nptAqvrMETqzB6HTJCdgLRDV/s640/Stanford+University+Sherlock+Holmes+project.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Stanford University is sponsoring a <a href="http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/index.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Discovering Sherlock Holmes</a> project, in which they seek to recreate the atmosphere of the publication of the original stories. From their web site:<br /> <blockquote> Over 12 weeks from January through April 2006, Stanford will be republishing, free of charge, two early Holmes stories, "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "The Speckled Band"; the nine-part novel, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hound of the Baskervilles</span>; and the famous "last" encounter between Holmes and Moriarty, "The Final Problem."</blockquote> Since it is now mid-April, it is too late to collect the paper versions of the stories; but <a href="http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/readings1.html" style="font-weight: bold;">they are available as PDF files</a> on the Stanford web site, along with extensive reading notes for each issue.<br /> <br /> In addition, there is a good deal of information about <a href="http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/biography.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Conan Doyle</a> and the <a href="http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/history.html" style="font-weight: bold;">era in which Holmes lived</a>.<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

Discovering Sherlock Holmes at Stanford University

"These little records of our cases which you have been good enough to draw up" [COPP]  Stanford University is sponsoring a Di...

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by Scott Monty

"...Perhaps They Would Get My Sentence Shortened..." [SIGN]

<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>You may have noticed these four-letter abbreviations that are showing up in our blog. A word of explanation.<br /><br />Jay Finley Christ was an early member of the Baker Street Irregulars and a noted scholar. In 1947, he developed a four-letter acronym for each of the 60 tales that comprise the canon.<br /><br />Our friends over at <a href="http://www.sherlockpeoria.net/" style="font-weight: bold;">Sherlock in Peoria</a> have put together <a href="http://www.sherlockpeoria.net/Who_is_Sherlock/Christabbrev.html" style="font-weight: bold;">a very nice listing of those acronyms</a>.

"...Perhaps They Would Get My Sentence Shortened..." [SIGN]

You may have noticed these four-letter abbreviations that are showing up in our blog. A word of explanation. Jay Finley Christ was an early...

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by Scott Monty