I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

An Audio Holiday Gift

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"compliments of the season" [BLUE]</h4>
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Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to our faithful readers, listeners and friends.<br />
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We recently had an opportunity to listen to an old episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere — specifically, <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose49" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 49: I'll Have a Blue Christmas</a>. It's a favorite for a number of reasons: a deep discussion of the story, a reading of a Christopher Morley essay, and a grand conversation between Scott and Burt. Despite originally airing four years ago, the episode still holds together and is a wonderful way to spend your holiday.<br />
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Join us as we play six degrees of Middlemass; think along with us as we wade our way through a number of other film and television productions; and revel in Morley's observation about the varying colors of Holmes's dressing gown: "That is what fiction exists for: to make delightful the impossible and the unbelieved."<br />
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There's so much to enjoy about this episode. But perhaps we're biased. Won't you let us know what you think?<br />
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An Audio Holiday Gift

An Audio Holiday Gift

"compliments of the season" [BLUE] Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to our faithful readers, listeners and friends. We re...

A Holiday Gif(t) from I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

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"on the twenty-second of December" [BLUE]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OinVncBdnw9WBDdtsqH760sLPQqU102K_YGLO3lZ45vH0VKzC44Ok5YkcAApIAMjEmtOX6KmQkHhwhor6V8W7knR7CK3OYOwpqgPPxXdIK0tgTSaasezyR2QbUYwA7JsVV6yK6w7RJCe/s400/MUSG+-+Holmes+records+tin+box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OinVncBdnw9WBDdtsqH760sLPQqU102K_YGLO3lZ45vH0VKzC44Ok5YkcAApIAMjEmtOX6KmQkHhwhor6V8W7knR7CK3OYOwpqgPPxXdIK0tgTSaasezyR2QbUYwA7JsVV6yK6w7RJCe/s400/MUSG+-+Holmes+records+tin+box.jpg" /></a></div>
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On this date in 1888/9, the famed Hotel Cosmopolitan jewel heist occurred. As it was chronicled in "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle":<br />
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"Hotel Cosmopolitan Jewel Robbery. John Horner, 26, plumber, was brought up upon the charge of having upon the 22nd inst. abstracted from the jewel-case of the Countess of Morcar the valuable gem known as the blue carbuncle. James Ryder, upper-attendant at the hotel, gave his evidence to the effect that he had shown Horner up to the dressing-room of the Countess of Morcar upon the day of the robbery, in order that he might solder the second bar of the grate, which was loose. He had remained with Horner some little time, but had finally been called away. On returning he found that Horner had disappeared, that the bureau had been forced open, and that the small morocco casket in which, as it afterwards transpired, the Countess was accustomed to keep her jewel, was lying empty upon the dressing-table. Ryder instantly gave the alarm, and Horner was arrested the same evening; but the stone could not be found either upon his person or in his rooms. Catherine Cusack, maid to the Countess, deposed to having heard Ryder's cry of dismay on discovering the robbery, and to having rushed into the room, where she found matters were as described by the last witness. Inspector Bradstreet, B Division, gave evidence as to the arrest of Horner, who struggled frantically, and protested his innocence in the strongest terms. Evidence of a previous conviction for robbery having been given against the prisoner, the magistrate refused to deal summarily with the offence, but referred it to the Assizes. Horner, who had shown signs of intense emotion during the proceedings, fainted away at the conclusion, and was carried out of court."</blockquote>
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As this marks the beginning of the only Christmas story in the Sherlock Holmes canon, we thought it was appropriate to leave you with this gift for the holiday season: an animated GIF of "The Blue Carbuncle," lovingly reimagined as "The Bloo Sparkly" by the creator whorl, of the now-defunct site Holmesian.net.</div>
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(If you're scrolling down and the GIF has already started, simply refresh your browser to start over.)</div>
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Compliments of the season. May all your carbuncles be blue this holiday season. Thank you for spending at least part of 2016 with us.</div>
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A Holiday Gif(t) from I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

A Holiday Gif(t) from I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

"on the twenty-second of December" [BLUE] On this date in 1888/9, the famed Hotel Cosmopolitan jewel heist occurred. As it ...

Down the Rabbit Hole with Holmes and Watson – Three Reviews

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"towards the Triple Alliance" [NAVA] </h4>
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Sherlock Holmes is such an iconic character in literature
that he has been both idolized and satirized in pastiches for over a
century. After author and screenwriter
Nicholas Meyer paired Holmes with Sigmund Freud in 1975 in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven-Per-Cent_Solution" target="_blank">The Seven Percent Solution</a>, </i>Holmes and Watson have been in
adventures with the likes of Oscar Wilde, Madam Curie, Count Dracula, and
countless other characters, historical and fictional. To paraphrase Holmes, as unlikely as some
pairings may be, some are more unlikely still. One combination that seems to be a challenge for pastiche writers has
been Sherlock Holmes and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll" target="_blank">Lewis Carroll</a> (or his Wonderland creation, Alice).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h3>
"a glimpse of one or two murders" [ILLU]</h3>
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In the 1995 anthology <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Orbit-Mike-Resnick/dp/0886776368" target="_blank">SherlockHolmes in Orbit</a>,</i> editors Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg included two short
stories in which Holmes found himself in Carrollian territory. But as far as I can tell, it wasn’t until
1998 that the first novel appeared - <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Alice-Wonderland-Murders/dp/0953765938" target="_blank">SherlockHolmes and the Alice in Wonderland Murders</a></i> by Barry Day.
Day authored four other Holmes pastiches, and he has written and produced plays
and musical revues showcasing the work of Noël Coward, the Lunts, Oscar Wilde,
and others. Of the three books reviewed
here, for me his was the most satisfying story, though not without some ‘trifling’
flaws.  <o:p></o:p></div>
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In October of 1898 Holmes and Watson are pitted against
American yellow press publisher, John Moxton – and Holmes soon deduces that
Moxton is the adopted identity of James Moriarty, who, like Holmes, did <i>not</i> perish at the Reichenbach Falls. He has undergone surgery and weight gain to
hide his true identity as he manipulates the press and seeks power as well as
revenge upon Holmes. The connection with
Carroll comes with public figures who are humiliated and then murdered, with
each incident having a parallel in <i>Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland.</i> Moxton
taunts Holmes with references to <i>AAIW</i>
and even invites Holmes and Watson to a Wonderland-themed Halloween costume party
(with Watson as the Red King and even Lestrade appearing as the Walrus).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The story moves at a good pace, and Day captures Watson’s
voice fairly well. For me, however,
Holmes’ calling Watson “old fellow” throughout the book was irritating. Doyle used that phrase exactly five times in
the Canon, and in each instance, he was not addressing Watson but was describing
a ‘fellow’ who was ‘old.’ Holmes used
the phrase ‘dear fellow’ or ‘my dear fellow’ and in not all of those instances
was he necessarily referring to Watson. A major anachronism was the single unnecessary use of ‘sonar’ in the
second chapter as Moxton hoaxed the public with the apparent appearance of
‘Nessie’ in Loch Ness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Impressive, however, was Day’s prediction of the current state of news reporting and how a demagogue can utilize the press.   <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Moxton’s theory of the nature of truth
is becoming all too credible. You read
about a thing – therefore it is. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“You mean that the perception is as
good as truth?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Better, Watson, better. Particularly if people are given the
perception they would like to see.  No,
I’m afraid that in the future people like our friend – with the aid of
sufficient funds and the available technology – will be able to provide the
so-called ‘people’ with a version of the world they would prefer to live
in. And if the uncomfortable truth
should occasionally leak through, well . . . twenty-four hours and another
headline will conveniently cover it up again.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Perhaps in
the late 90’s Day had in mind Rupert Murdoch, but nonetheless he seems
remarkably prescient given the proliferation of fake headlines and bogus news
stories in the past year or two.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All in all,
it was a decent 180-page read, though it did not feature Holmes interacting with
Carroll who would have been 22 years his senior; presumably a meeting
could have occurred in the 1880’s with Carroll consulting Holmes. Day’s book is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Alice-Wonderland-Murders/dp/0953765938" target="_blank">available at Amazon</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p>
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<o:p>"under some absurd illusion" [SECO]</o:p></h3>
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Also
available at Amazon is Ron Brackin’s 2013 <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Adventure-Deadly-Illusion/dp/0989746321" target="_blank">SherlockHolmes: The Adventure of the Deadly Illusion</a></i>.  Brackin was an investigative journalist who
covered the Middle East extensively and is author of <i>Son of Hamas</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In "The Adventure of the<i> Gloria Scott</i>," we
explicitly learned that Holmes did attend university.  Sherlockian scholars have long debated just
where Holmes spent his university years. We know that Holmes is brilliant, and therefore we deduce that he
attended at least one of the two best universities in the UK, Oxford or
Cambridge. A hotly contested issue, it
is the reason why at Sherlockian conferences you will sometimes see for
purchase tee-shirts or sweatshirts proclaiming ‘Camford University’ or
‘Oxbridge University.’ Brackin obviously
comes down on the side of Oxford because <i>The
Deadly Illusion</i> begins in September of 1872 with 18 year-old Sherlock using
his observational skills and deductive reasoning to explain a magician’s stage
illusion to the 40 year-old Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, then a don of Christ
Church college.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Brackin
blends fact with fiction throughout the book, sometimes insensibly twisting facts
to suit, if not theory, then at least to suit his story line. I may be a neophyte Carrollian, but I could
not find a reference to Dodgson being a devotee of illusions and magic, though
he did love the stage in general. But if
liberty is to be taken in furtherance of the story by having Dodgson enamored
of stage magic, then so be it. It allows Holmes to display his powers of observation and logical reasoning.<br />
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A supporting
character, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nevil_Maskelyne" target="_blank">John Nevil Maskelyne</a>, a real magician in the 1800’s (and inventor of
the pay toilet – I kid you not!) plays an important role in crafting a
duplicate of a burglar’s tool which helps Holmes infiltrate a den of thieves
and roughnecks. Confusing, however, was
the reference to ‘The Magnificent Jasper’ performing at the Egyptian Hall in
Piccadilly in the first chapter – Jasper Maskelyne was indeed a magician as
well, but was born in 1902, the grandson
of John Nevil Maskelyne. Also annoying
was Holmes’ occasional calling of Dodgson “old fellow” or “old man.”  Aside from my personal annoyance as expressed
previously, I have my doubts that an 18 year old student, even Holmes, would
address a don of Oxford as “old man,” especially considering its colloquial
British slang meaning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Brackin
continues to intermingle fact and fiction when a butler is murdered during the
commission of a burglary - jewels are stolen from the home of (fictional) Sir
Arthur Bellingham who is noted as a member of the (real) <a href="http://www.reformclub.com/" target="_blank">Reform Club</a>. A Scotland Yard inspector draws the wrong
conclusions from the evidence at the scene but Holmes sees and observes what actually occurred. The (real) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Verne" target="_blank">Jules Verne</a> makes a cameo
appearance along with (fictional) Phineas Fogg. Verne’s (fictional) bank
robber James Strand (from <i>Around the World
in 80 Days</i>) becomes a central figure, and he happens to have been a partner in
crime with Michael Moriarty, the father of three brothers, all named James, one
of whom wrote a celebrated monograph on “The Dynamics of an Asteroid” familiar
to mathematician Dodgson. A brief mention is made of Dodgson’s real passion for photography (though a
typographical error turned ‘pyrogallic acid’ to ‘hyrogallic’) with a
photographic session with (real) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Kitchin" target="_blank">Alexandra ‘Xie’ Kitchin</a>. Holmes’ skill at ‘baritsu’ helped him capture
a criminal despite the fact that ‘bartitsu’ was not developed by Edward William
Barton-Wright until 1898.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
narrative does not flow as smoothly in <i>Deadly
Illusion</i> as it did in the <i>Alice in
Wonderland Murders</i> due to the author’s sometimes forced insertion of
factual material in an ambitious effort to bolster the Victorian
atmosphere. However, to his credit,
Brackin does manage to introduce Holmes to Dodgson in a timeline which <i>could</i> have happened (in the loosest
meaning of the word ‘could’) and the plot line, while not worthy of Arthur
Conan Doyle, does make sense. Holmes solves his second case showing his
deductive skills before moving to lodgings in Montague Street and eventually
Baker Street.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="text-align: center;">"I could have laughed when I realized it was the cat" [CHAS]</span></o:p></h3>
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A blended reality is left behind as we venture into<i>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Adventure-Grinning-Cat/dp/1780928858" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Grinning Cat</a></i> by Joseph Svec. We find Sherlock Holmes at the height of his
career in February 1898, searching for Lewis Carroll and Alice—both of whom
have mysteriously disappeared! The first
clue might be that date—nearly one month after the death of Charles Lutwidge
Dodgson.  Holmes is asked to
investigate the disappearances by none other than the Cheshire Cat, the White
Rabbit, and the Hatter.  The game is
certainly afoot - a
rabbit’s foot!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The story is
set initially in the Victorian world of Holmes and his chronicler, John H.
Watson. It begins, as do many Holmesian
pastiches, with a note to the reader followed by a “recently rediscovered” explanatory
note from Dr. Watson which informs the reader that publication must not take
place for at least twenty-five years in order to protect his and Holmes’s
reputations, due to the “fantastical,” “amazing,” and “utterly different”
nature of the story.<br />
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We know by the
second page of Chapter One that we have left the well-known, if imaginary,
sitting room of 221B Baker Street when the unexpected Cheshire Cat speaks to
Holmes and Watson, and Holmes soon realizes that Watson is not using
ventriloquism to fool him. After several
hours of silent deliberation, Holmes concludes that a talking / dematerializing
cat is, after all, not impossible, just highly improbable, and he is ready to be
of service.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The author
pays homage to both Holmes and Carroll, dropping phrases and paraphrases that
knowledgeable Sherlockians and Carrollians will recognize. It is a fantastic journey from Baker Street
to the home of the recently deceased Dodgson in Guildford, to a visit with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells" target="_blank">H.G. Wells</a>, and a trip to Mars using his Time Machine. Then it’s back to London, followed by
Wonderland, back to Baker Street, and even to an ethereal and unearthly 'river
of time.' The author has much fun with
wordplay and puns when the group is in Wonderland. We meet the Bandersnatch, the Unicorn, the Red
Queen, and other Wonderland characters throughout the adventure.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the
Acknowledgments, the author states that he is a newcomer to the Holmes stories,
only recently having been introduced to them. Perhaps he can be forgiven for not paying more attention to the
Holmes–Watson relationship and for focusing only on Holmes as a logician. He calls Carroll (who was also a logician) a
“logistician,” a term primarily meaning someone knowledgeable in
logistics—though it is also a synonym for “logician.” Unfortunately Carroll seems disrespected, as
his name is misspelled twice in the same chapter, the
Gryphon is referred to as “Griffon” (technically correct but not the preferred
or Carroll’s spelling; a griffon is actually an Old World vulture, not to be
confused with “griffin,” a wire-haired pointing dog from Belgium), and the
Jabberwock (a major player in the story) is mis-named “Jabberwocky.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I may be
overly critical, but the book has numerous spelling, typographical, and
typesetting errors; idiosyncratic and inconsistent capitalizations and
bold-faced words, and not-quite-right references.  Much of the blame for these may rest with the
<a href="http://mxpublishing.com/" target="_blank">publisher’s</a> proofreader. As Watson
narrates, we get some sense of his
thoughts, and this fleshes him out as a character. But Holmes functions only as the perfect
logician throughout: to call his
portrayal one-dimensional is to imply more depth than is evident. As a Carrollian and Sherlockian I wanted to love this book, but I came away disappointed.  As they say, “your mileage will vary,” and a
hardcore Carrollian may gain much enjoyment reading about the playful
interactions of the Wonderland characters in Watson’s narration.</div>
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Nicholas
Meyer set a high bar when he introduced Holmes to Freud. To be truly successful, a pastiche author must capture
Watson’s voice and style, must respect the relationship between Holmes and
Watson, and of course must show Holmes’ deductive abilities in unraveling a
puzzling mystery. In the past few years, several authors (my favorites - David Stuart Davies, Lyndsay Faye and Bonnie MacBird) have shown their writing skills to meet this standard, and their detailed knowledge of Holmes and Victorian England
help re-create a world “where it is always 1895.” Add Lewis Carroll or more fantastically,
Alice in Wonderland, to the narrative and the task more than doubles in difficulty. I look forward to another attempt.</div>
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Down the Rabbit Hole with Holmes and Watson – Three Reviews

Down the Rabbit Hole with Holmes and Watson – Three Reviews

"towards the Triple Alliance" [NAVA] Sherlock Holmes is such an iconic character in literature that he has been both idoli...

Episode 110: Sociable and Clubbable

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"It is for the convenience of these that the Diogenes Club was started" [GREE] </h4>
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Sherlockian societies are literally everywhere. <a href="http://www.sherlocktron.com/three.pdf" target="_blank">Go ahead and check</a> — we'll wait. And just as there are many things that make them unique, there are just as many that bind them together.<br />
<br />
Whether it's traditions, geography, frequency, or program style, Sherlock Holmes is at the center of it all. And while Sherlock and his brother Mycroft felt right at home at the Diogenes Club, which was created for the most unsociable and unclubbable men around, Sherlockian gatherings exist for just the opposite reason. We band together because we're gregarious people and we have a common love of all things related to the Sherlock Holmes stories.<br />
<br />
Burt's recent travels have taken him to a number of Sherlock Holmes groups, and he reflects on what's special about each. You might find some confluence with groups you belong to; or perhaps there are stark differences. Leave us a comment and let us know what you think other interested Sherlockians should know about your local group's traditions.<br />
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Listen along to hear about these and other discoveries, including Scott's revelation that there's a difference between the <a href="http://hoboken.pastperfect-online.com/32340cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=EC2806A5-5D51-4AB0-9FAF-115931825540;type=301" target="_blank">Hoboken Free State</a> and the Hoboken-free state. Top it off with our Gas-Lamp, the poem "The Friendship Club" by Charles E. Lauterbach, which appeared in the 1958 <i>Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual</i>.<br />
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<h3>
Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes our two longtime sponsors. Please support our sponsors by visiting their sites:<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, which is debuting <i>Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle in the Newspapers, Volume 3</i> at the BSI Weekend.</li>
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<br /><h3 style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Merriweather; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.episodes.fm/258126625" style="color: #013fd3; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts<br /></a></span></h3>
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<h3>
<b>Notes</b></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1:32 Hello and introduction</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2:49 Wessex Press</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
4:15 There's another podcast out there</div>
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6:54 The people and the groups related to our hobby</div>
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11:01 The Grillparzer Club of the Hoboken Free State</div>
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15:28 The Christopher Morley Walk at the Baker Street Irregulars and Friends Weekend</div>
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18:56 Frequency, traditions and creativity galore mean unique experiences</div>
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33:55 Let's hear about your area's Sherlockian society's traditions</div>
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34:52 The News!</div>
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38:15 Tribute to Andrew Sachs</div>
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43:52 <i>The Baker Street Journal</i></div>
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45:23 The Editor's Gas-Lamp</div>
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52:23 Your help needed</div>
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<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
Links</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://revolutionspodcast.com/" target="_blank">Revolutions</a> podcast</li>
<li><a href="http://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/" target="_blank">The History of Rome</a> podcast</li>
<li>A <a href="http://www.sherlocktron.com/three.pdf" target="_blank">geographical listing of Sherlockian societies</a> globally</li>
<li><a href="http://johnhwatsonsociety.com/archives/145" target="_blank">The Grillparzer Club of the Hoboken Free State</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">BSI Weekend</a> website</li>
<li><a href="http://nypost.com/2016/11/15/mcsorleys-reopens-after-rat-problem-led-to-closure/" target="_blank">McSorley's Old Ale House is open again</a>, after a slight issue</li>
<li><a href="http://ash-nyc.com/" target="_blank">The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ihose.co/ihose89" target="_blank">Episode 89</a> of IHOSE</li>
<li>Find events at the <a href="http://www.sherlockiancalendar.com/" target="_blank">Sherlockian Calendar</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amateurmendicantsociety.org/" target="_blank">Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit</a></li>
<li><a href="https://prioryscholarsnyc.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Priory Scholars of NYC</a></li>
<li>Remembering <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/12/remembering-andrew-sachs.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andrew Sachs</a> and <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/12/remembering-peter-vaughan.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Vaughan</a></li>
<li>Our <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose26" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">interview with Fritz Weaver in Episode 26</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ihose.co/bsi2017tips" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Getting the most out of the BSI Weekend</a></li>
</ul>
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Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at  <a href="http://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a>, as well as on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/114565123495685504221" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Community</a> on Google+ (with over 3,900 members), as well as through our accounts on  <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/ihearofsherlock">Instagram</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/04/ihose-on-snapchat-just-in-time-for.html">Snapchat</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a>  and <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>.</div>
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Episode 110: Sociable and Clubbable

Episode 110: Sociable and Clubbable

"It is for the convenience of these that the Diogenes Club was started" [GREE] Sherlockian societies are literally everywher...

A Study in Sherlock — What's In a Name?

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"Europe was ringing with his name" [REIG]</h4>
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<br />
Whether Sherlock Holmes got his first name from a cricketer whom Arthur Conan Doyle admired, a 17th century theologian whom he couldn't help knowing about, a Stonyhurst schoolmate, or a great-aunt on his father's side, all of which are theories that have been plausibly advanced, there's general agreement that "Sherlock" was an Irish surname and possibly a place-name before it was ever coupled with the name of Holmes. <br />
<br />
It's also generally accepted (although one Sherlockian tried to make it a portmanteau word from "sheriff" and "lockup") that the root meaning of "Sherlock" is "shining-locks" or, in modern English, "fair-haired". (Etymologists cite spellings like "scirloc".) We learn in "The Dancing Men" that Holmes's hair actually looked like "a black top-knot", but perhaps he was blonde as a baby.<br />
<br />
Still, there is always room for an alternative theory, and I have one to offer, after noticing a little park in the city where I live that goes by the name of Scharlach Green. "Scharlach", pronounced pretty much like "Sherlock" except for the final consonant that only Germans and Scots can manage, is the German word for "scarlet". Arthur Conan Doyle, who had some of his education in Germany, spoke the language well enough to know that.<br />
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And when he brought his not-so-fair-haired detective to life in that first story in 1887, he gave the tale the title <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>. When it was translated into German, early in the 20th century, it appeared under the title <i>Späte Rache</i> ("Belated Revenge"), but more recently the preferred German title is <i>Eine Studie in Scharlachro</i>t — not just "scarlet" but "scarlet red". It would be interesting to know what German-speaking readers think when they encounter Sherlock in Scharlach.<br />
<br />
The connection between the colour and the name sheds a bit of new light on the still unresolved question of why the novel refers to "scarlet" in the first place. The obvious answer would be that scarlet is red, and red is the color of blood, and there's blood in this story. The obvious answer is wrong; for one thing, blood is not, in fact, scarlet. It's more like crimson, which is a darker, bluer red. Doyle, or Watson, knew that perfectly well: the word "crimson" appears eleven times in the Canon, mostly as the color of blood, while "scarlet" is used in that way only once, in "The Lion's Mane", to describe lacerations. <br />
<br />
It's pretty well established that Doyle's scarlet is a reference to texts in the Bible — notably a passage in Isaiah: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow." As Tim Healey pointed out in an article in the <i>Sherlock Holmes Journal</i> a few years ago, a "scarlet woman" is now a prostitute or a loose woman. Healey's conclusion: "To Doyle, well versed in the Bible, scarlet meant sin and violence, and we have a tale of rape and murder."<br />
<br />
Scharlach can, like Sherlock, be a surname. (Julius Scharlach was a 19th century promoter of German colonialism, and Alfred Nobel's lawyer.) So can Scarlet: the name goes at least as far back as Will Scarlet, one of Robin Hood's legendary band of robbers. Earle Scarlett was a notable Alberta physician and public figure, and one of Canada's first Sherlockians. Miss Scarlett is well known to those who play Clue (in England, "Cluedo"). <br />
<br />
And then there is Scarlett O'Hara of Gone with the Wind, who demonstrates the use of a surname as a given name — just like Sherlock, in fact, and perhaps it's the same name anyway.<br />
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A Study in Sherlock — What's In a Name?

A Study in Sherlock — What's In a Name?

"Europe was ringing with his name" [REIG] Whether Sherlock Holmes got his first name from a cricketer whom Arthur Conan Doyle...

by Chris Redmond

Signed Letter from Conan Doyle Up for Auction

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"at the Danish capital" [STUD]</h4>
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<br />
Here's your chance to own an authentic letter from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.<br />
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Our regular listener / reader Christian Mongaard let us know that auction house <a href="https://bruun-rasmussen.dk/m/lots/2B18C88AD12F?auction_day_id=1005028" target="_blank">Bruun Rasmussen is offering this autograph letter</a> signed by Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle. The single page letter is 11.3×17.6 cm and was written by Conan Doyle on letterhead from his Crowborough home, dated July 24, 1911.<br />
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The text of the letter is as follows:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear Sir<br />   Pray excuse the delay in answering your kind invitation. I am not clear whether Mr. Schwensen may have made some arrangement for us upon Tuesday. We are of course in his hands. If not we shall be happy to accept your invitation to dinner.<br />          Yours very truly</blockquote>
                    Arthur Conan Doyle<br />
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As with many handwritten items, this comes with a story. According to the site:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The occasion is Doyle's attendance at his brother's wedding on 2 August 1911. His brother, Major John Innes Doyle (1873–1919), was actually married in the Church of Holmen in Copenhagen with the Danish concert singer, Miss Clara Schwensen (1881–1930), daughter of Landowner Reinholdt Schwensen (1829–1917) from Lolland, who is described in the letter as “Mr Schwensen”.</i><br />
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<i>The recipient of the letter is anonymous, but it is most likely the English emissary, Sir William Conyngham Greene (1854–1934), with whom Doyle had dinner with in Copenhagen the day before the wedding. In this way the letter is not only related to the world of Sherlock Holmes in general, but also has a fun historical relevance for especially Danish Sherlockians.</i></blockquote>
This letter was in the collection of collector, late President of The Danish Baker Street Irregulars, and member of the Baker Street Irregulars Bjarne Nielsen, BSI ("The Veiled Lodger").<br />
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The auction is set to take place on December 13, 2016 at 6:30 pm in Copenhagen and online. <a href="https://bruun-rasmussen.dk/m/lots/2B18C88AD12F?auction_day_id=1005028" target="_blank">Bidding starts</a> at 4,000 kr. (approx. $580) and the estimate is thought to be between 8,000 and 10,000 kr. ($1,160 - 1,450)<br />
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We trust that it will find an equally deserving home.<br />
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Signed Letter from Conan Doyle Up for Auction

Signed Letter from Conan Doyle Up for Auction

"at the Danish capital" [STUD] Here's your chance to own an authentic letter from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Our regular...

Remembering Peter Vaughan

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"a strange and impressive figure" [BOSC]</h4>
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<br />
We've lost another actor with a connection to Sherlock Holmes. It seems like we're having to pen these kinds of updates far too often these days...<br />
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Character actor Peter Vaughan passed away yesterday at the age of 93, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38225796" target="_blank">according to the BBC</a>.<br />
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His career was long and varied, from <i>Oliver Twist</i> to <i>The Remains of the Day</i>, but he was probably most widely known in recent years for his role as Maester Aemon on HBO's <i>Game of Thrones</i>, where he played that part for five years.<br />
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But Sherlockians may recognize him from his turn as James Turner in the Granada version of "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" with Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson.<br />
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You can see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdlxWoOmWuY" target="_blank">a clip of that episode</a> below:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cdlxWoOmWuY" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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Interestingly, a fellow observer noted that Vaughan seems to be the only character actor in England that didn't manage to make it into one of the 826 episodes of <i>Doctor Who</i>.<br />
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Did you know him from another role? Let us know with a comment below.<br />
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Remembering Peter Vaughan

Remembering Peter Vaughan

"a strange and impressive figure" [BOSC] We've lost another actor with a connection to Sherlock Holmes. It seems like we...

Remembering Andrew Sachs

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"my dear Watson, was very faulty" [SOLI]</h4>
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Actor Andrew Sachs <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/01/andrew-sachs-much-loved-fawlty-towers-actor-manuel-role-dies/" target="_blank">passed away on November 23</a>, aged 86. He was most well known for his role as Manuel, the hapless Spanish waiter in <i>Fawlty Towers</i> with John Cleese. But Sherlockians knew him for his turn as Dr. Watson on the radio plays on BBC.<br />
<br />
Bert Coules, whom we interviewed on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose68" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 68</a> and <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose69" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 69</a> (click for more), was the head writer for the series that dramatized the entire 60 stories of the Sherlock Holmes canon and starred Clive Merrison as Sherlock Holmes and Michael Williams as Dr. John Watson.<br />
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After Williams' death in 2001, the BBC green lit 16 more episodes, collected in <i><a href="http://merrisonholmes.com/further_adventures.php" target="_blank">The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</a></i>, which Coules wrote. At this point, Andrew Sachs had been selected to play Watson, but Coules was still under a confidentiality agreement when he spoke to Scarlet Street in an interview, as he recounts in his book <i><a href="http://ihose.co/221BBC" target="_blank">221 BBC</a></i>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I can tell you that our new Watson is a well-known actor, most closely associated with one particular role (and one about as far removed from Dr. John H. Watson as it's possible to get) but with a very wide and varied career in stage, film, TV and radio, and experience as both a writer and director. He will bring exactly the same qualities to the part as did the late Michael Williams: a fine sense of intelligence and strength, a refusal to play second fiddle, a subtle humour and a great and long-suffering affection for Holmes."</blockquote>
<br />
Once Sachs took over the part, it was seamless, picking up perfectly from where Williams left off, yet bringing his own individuality to the role. According to Roger Johnson, BSI ("<i>Pall Mall Gazette</i>"), writing in <i>Sherlock</i> magazine:<br />
<blockquote>
"Sachs' Watson is quietly assured, thoughtful, courteously charming and wryly humorous... a self-confident man, modest and above all, likeable."</blockquote>
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Sachs had initially intended to play Watson like Nigel Bruce, but series director Patrick Rayner gave him the best advice. Says Sachs:<br />
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"I started out thinking of bumbling old Nigel Bruce but Patrick put me right. He told me 'Just say the words' - best advice ever."</blockquote>
And Bert Coules shares the story of <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/episode-69-sherlock-holmes-on-radio-part-2?in=ihearofsherlock/sets/sherlock-holmes-radio-musical#t=1:09:08" target="_blank">the development of The Further Adventures series</a>. The preceding link will place you directly at the point of the interview. Andrew Sachs begins at the <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/episode-69-sherlock-holmes-on-radio-part-2?in=ihearofsherlock/sets/sherlock-holmes-radio-musical#t=1:15:01" target="_blank">1:15:01 mark</a>.<br />
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Or you can click on the embedded sound file below, beginning at the 1:09:08 mark (hover over one of those little IHOSE icons on the sound bar and click on it to go there):<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/172682315&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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We'll miss Andrew Sachs, but we're thankful that he'll remain with us forever. It's picked up in particular in "The Marlbourne Point Mystery," the final episode of <i>The Further Adventures</i>, as Merrison's Holmes answers Watson's question as to how such a thing would be possible:<br />
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"Because of your stories. Don't you see? It doesn't matter what happens here, in the real world. We're...more than reality, you and I. You, my friend, have made us immortal."</blockquote>
R.I.P. Andrew Sachs.<br />
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--<br />
<br />

Remembering Andrew Sachs

Remembering Andrew Sachs

"my dear Watson, was very faulty" [SOLI] Actor Andrew Sachs passed away on November 23 , aged 86. He was most well known for ...

The Real First Publication Date of A Study in Scarlet

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"The date being–?" [CREE]</h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>LitHub's <a href="http://lithub.com/lithub-daily-december-1-2016/" target="_blank">erroneous claim</a></i></td></tr>
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A number of sites across the Internet mentioned that December 1 is a day that Sherlock Holmes fans should celebrate, since <i>Beeton's Christmas Annual</i> — containing <i>A Study in Scarlet</i> — was published on that date in 1887. It would seem to make sense, as the beginning of December would be the natural time for a Christmas annual to make its way to the newsstand.<br />
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However, this is not the case.<br />
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No information about the exact date is to be found on the <i>Annual</i> itself, but since it's a Christmas publication, December would not be a terrible guess. The first thing to do is to check what the foremost experts on the subject have said about it, in this case <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bibliography-Conan-Doyle-Soho-Bibliographies/dp/0198181906/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480647719&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Bibliography+of+A.+Conan+Doyle" target="_blank">A Bibliography of A. Conan Doyle</a> </i>by Richard Lancelyn Green and John Michael Gibson. They mention that the <i>Annual</i> was issued in November 1887.<br />
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To get even closer to an exact publication date we must check the British newspapers for November 1887, searching for advertisements. And the very first one we find is in the <i>Standard</i>, November 21. It states that the <i>Beeton's Christmas Annual</i> is "Just Ready, in Picture Covers. One Shilling." The same advertisement is then repeated in the newspaper on several occasions that week, and it can also be found in other newspapers, e.g. the <i>Daily News</i>, November 22, the<i> Yorkshire Post</i>, November 23, and the <i>Glasgow Herald</i>, November 24. Remember: these were the days before Amazon's pre-order system was in place; Ward, Lock, and Co. wouldn't have advertised if the publication wasn't for sale yet.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nov. 21 ad in <i>The Standard</i>.</td></tr>
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November 21 was a Monday, and no advertising for the <i>Beeton's Christmas Annual</i> can be found in the <i>Standard</i> during the previous week. In 1886 we find an advertisement for the <i>Annual</i> as early as Wednesday, November 17. And in 1885 on Monday, November 16.<br />
<br />
We can therefore be sure that the 1887 <i>Beeton's Christmas Annual</i> wasn't published on December 1, or on any other December date. It was definitely issued in November— most likely on November 21. If it had been published the week before, it seems strange that the publisher didn't advertise it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Editor's note:</b> Mattias Bostrom, together with Matt Laffey, is co-editor of the series of books <a href="http://ihose.co/shnewsvol1" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle in the Newspapers</a>, an exhaustive collection of contemporary news and commentary relating to the Great Detective and his creator.</i><br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />

The Real First Publication Date of A Study in Scarlet

The Real First Publication Date of A Study in Scarlet

"The date being–?" [CREE] LitHub's erroneous claim A number of sites across the Internet mentioned that December 1 is...

by Mattias Boström

Episode 109: Behind the Canonical Screen

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"Holmes crouched down behind the screen" [HOUN] </h4>
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Every four years, the Baker Street Irregulars host a conference of sorts. We shared some of our impressions with you from the Chautauqua conference in <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose104" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 104</a>.<br />
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This time, we step back to the conference immediately preceding it - <b>Behind the Canonical Screen</b>, which took place in Los Angeles at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2012. We're joined by Lyndsay Faye, BSI ("Kitty Winter"), ASH and Ashley Polasek, ASH, who co-edited the book containing the papers and presentations from the conference, <i><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/behindscreen.html" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: Behind the Canonical Screen</a></i>, published by the BSI Press.<br />
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They tell us about the goings-on at the conference, of watching the screenings while attending an academic symposium, the power of symbolism, costume and more. We have two sponsors, plus a bonus Sherlock Holmes Brand ad, for your listening pleasure.<br />
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Please consider becoming a regular supporter of ours on <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Patreon</a>. Your support helps us to meet production costs.<br />
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<h3>
Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes our two longtime sponsors. Please support our sponsors by visiting their sites:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Baker Street Journal</i></a> </li>
</ul>
<br />
Would you care to become a sponsor? You can find <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more information here</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock109.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 30 MB, 1:04:44</h4>
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Links</h3>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/behindscreen.html" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: Behind the Canonical Screen</a></i> (for sale at bakerstreetjournal.com)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3tCHh0NadY" target="_blank">Question and Answer Session from the conference</a></li>
<li>Lyndsay Faye is <a href="http://twitter.com/LyndsayFaye" target="_blank">@LyndsayFaye</a> on Twitter and can be found at <a href="http://lyndsayfaye.com/" target="_blank">lyndsayfaye.com</a></li>
<li>Ashley Polasek is <a href="http://twitter.com/sherlockphd" target="_blank">@SherlockPhD</a> on Twitter.<br />
</li>
</ul>
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Episode 109: Behind the Canonical Screen

Episode 109: Behind the Canonical Screen

"Holmes crouched down behind the screen" [HOUN] Every four years, the Baker Street Irregulars host a conference of...

Tips For Getting the Most Out of the #BSIWeekend

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b>"Let me have the straight tip and you won't be a loser" [SILV] </b></h4>
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<span style="text-align: center;">With the </span><b style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bsiweekend.com/">BSI Weekend</a></b><span style="text-align: center;"> coming up, we thought it might be helpful to provide a series of tips for the veteran attendees and the newbies alike.</span><br />
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The <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">Baker Street Irregulars (and Friends) Weekend</a> is happening January 4-8, 2017, and it's usually a pretty big deal if you're taking time out of your life to head into New York City for 3+ days of activities with people you haven't seen in a year (or years!) or those you may only know online. Whether you're making the trip for the first or twenty-first time, you know that the Weekend provides the same level of excitement, anticipation and giddiness as Christmas morning does to a child.<br />
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It's usually during those anxious moments that our brain-attic tends to forget some of the essentials that help make a great trip perfect. And for the uninitiated, it's just a matter of not knowing what you need to survive the Baker Street Irregulars (and Friends) Weekend.<br />
<br />
This is the fifth annual installment of this post — the first of which was inspired by interviewing several members of the Baker Street Irregulars — including some newer members who might have a less distant memory of their first Weekend, and some who have been at it literally for decades. Information has been updated to reflect changes in the city as well as in technology.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6321981775136876837" name="more"></a>While we know how many well-informed and helpful readers we have, we were quite astonished at the quality and quantity of suggestions that can make the BSI Weekend an enjoyable and stress-free one for you. And if there are any additional tips that you think would be helpful to attendees, please feel free to add your own as a comment below. And if you'd like a sense as to what happens, listen to <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose74" target="_blank">Episode 74</a>:<br />
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Herewith the suggestions:<br />
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Bags</h4>
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<li>Make sure that you have plenty of room to bring home books that you bought. If you have to bring an extra bag that you can fold up and put in your suitcase, do so. </li>
<li>Some suggest bringing a plastic shopping bag to the BSI dinner, as it makes carrying the dinner packet around a little easier, especially if you plan to go to another venue afterward. </li>
<li>You might also consider bringing a shopping bag to the Merchants Room on Saturday to carry your various purchases. </li>
</ul>
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<h4>
Meeting Others</h4>
<ul>
<li>Bring business cards. You will be meeting a lot of new people, and you will be sharing contact information. Put as many as you think that you will need in your pack, and then double it. And be sure to include all modes of contacting you, including website, Twitter handle, etc. </li>
<li>If you're in need of a good card, the <a href="http://moo.com/">Moo</a> does a splendid job and <a href="http://vistaprint.com/">VistaPrint</a> has a fast turnaround time. </li>
<li>If you want to make sure you get your table mates to sign your menu, bring a pen to the dinner. </li>
<li>Allow yourself time to shmooze with other Sherlockians. This is the fastest way to make new friends, who will quickly become old friends. </li>
</ul>
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<h4>
Comportment / Etiquette</h4>
<ul>
<li><b>Do</b> tell people how good it is to see them again. <b>Do</b> tell them that you miss them in the intervening months between BSI weekends. <b>Do</b> tell them how invaluable they are to you as a Sherlockian comrade-in-arms and friend and how much you value their friendship. </li>
<li>If you're scheduled to speak at an event, be mindful not to overdo the alcohol beforehand. Dutch courage is usually inappropriate in such circumstances. </li>
<li>In this hyper-connected world, it's easy to forget that there are those attending the weekend for whom "it is always 1895" — or nearly so. When you're taking photographs, please be mindful of those who are firmly rooted in the 20th century and who might not want to appear on your Facebook timeline by asking their permission to share your photos of them online.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Attire</h4>
<ul>
<li>Bring comfortable shoes. The weekend inevitably includes a lot of walking. </li>
<li>This one is especially for the ladies:, it's useful to have a change of shoes in your handbag so the stilettos don't murder you by the end of the evening (or vice versa). </li>
<li>Bring warm clothes. It is winter in New York, and non-Sherlockian New York friends say they know when we are in town because we bring really bad weather. </li>
<li>Dress in layers. Many times the weather can be cold, but there have been instances in New York in January when we could - and did - comfortably walk about the streets without even a jacket on. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Money</h4>
<ul>
<li>Bring small bills. They will come in handy as you share taxis going from place to place, and you’ll find them handy when tipping helpful service employees. </li>
<li>Bring a checkbook to the Merchants Room as not everyone takes credit cards and you may find an item you must have. </li>
<li>If you see something you're interested in at the Merchants Room and you can afford it, don't wait until your second sweep of the room - it will probably be gone by then.</li>
<li>The BSI table will accept <b>credit cards, PayPal and Apple Pay</b>.</li>
<li>Estimate, on the top side, what you expect to spend – and double it. That might get you through. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Time</h4>
<ul>
<li>If you have any health conditions, allow yourself time to go back to your hotel room for periodic rests. Many find these rests invaluable, enabling them to enjoy the weekend despite their condition.Schedule your time. </li>
<li>Know when you need to be places (including when you need to catch the train/plane back home). </li>
<li>Count on it taking some time to get a cab amongst the other Sherlockians who may be headed to events on the other side of 5th Avenue.</li>
<li>Alternatively, download a ride-hailing app (such as Uber, Lyft or Via) to help you avoid these waits. See below for more details.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Getting Around</h4>
<ul>
<li>Print out a street map of the city with the places you need to be circled or otherwise identified. Many things are within walking distance, but it is good to know you are starting out in the right direction (or know when to turn). </li>
<li>If you're smartphone-enabled, there are plenty of map apps to choose from. Aside from the standard Google Maps, there's <a href="http://citymapper.com/" target="_blank">Citymapper</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gogobot.gogodroid.cityguide.newyorkcity" target="_blank">Gogobot's York City Guide for Android</a> and iOS has the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/new-york-travel-guide-offline/id319296365?mt=8">New York Travel Guide and Offline Map</a> by Ulmon.</li>
<li>Download and print the <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/2013/11/summary-of-weekend-events.html#sthash.xS12f57r.dpbs">Summary of Weekend Events</a> from <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/">bsiweekend.com</a> (and seen below), or bookmark it on your smartphone. </li>
<li>If you want to go to Otto Penzler's <a href="http://mysteriousbookshop.com/" target="_blank">Mysterious Bookshop</a> and are staying at The Yale Club or the Roosevelt the easiest, quickest and cheapest way to go is by subway. From Grand Central take a 4 or 5 express train <b>two</b> stops to City Hall Station; it is a very short walk over to Otto's. Don't take a local (which makes 10 stops). The express is about five minutes. </li>
<li>Pool funds with others to buy regular per-ride <b><a href="http://web.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm">MetroCards</a></b>. These can be shared by up to four people on each trip and are good for one transfer between subway/bus or between buses on uptown/crosstown routes within 2 hours.</li>
<ul>
<li>If you're 65 or older, present ID for a reduced fare MetroCard — $2.75 for two rides with the same transfer provisions noted above. <b>Note:</b> a 65+ MetroCard <b><i>cannot</i></b> be shared and you must find a live 'token booth' clerk to inspect your ID — reduced fare not available in machines.</li>
<li>If you reach the end of the Weekend with a balance on your MetroCard, return to New York more frequently! Or give your card to local-area Sherlockians.</li>
</ul>
<li>Download a ride-hailing app such as <a href="http://uber.com/" target="_blank">Uber</a>, <a href="http://lyft.com/" target="_blank">Lyft</a> or a similar service. </li>
<ul>
<li>We recommend <a href="http://ridewithvia.com/" target="_blank">Via</a>, which runs from 6:30 am - 9:00 pm and costs only $5 per ride anywhere in Manhattan. Use the code <b>scott5q3</b> to sign up and get a free ride.</li>
<li>If you'd like a code for Lyft, use <a href="https://lyft.com/i/SCOTT726787">SCOTT726787</a> to sign up and receive a $50 credit towards rides.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Logistics</h4>
<ul>
<li>Bring your event payment confirmations, just in case of a glitch in the system. </li>
<li>Also, everything is pretty centrally located, but it's a good idea to have a list of your schedule with the addresses of the venues so that you don't suddenly find yourself asking, where the devil am I supposed to be right now? </li>
<li>The heat during the BSI dinner has been uncomfortable in years past in the Yale Club (potentially dangerously uncomfortable 4 years ago) -- if this continues, vests/waistcoats are not advised. Unless you're <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcaric/8379354330/">Mattias Bostrom</a>. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
The Unscheduled</h4>
<ul>
<li>If possible, make breakfast plans with other Sherlockians (unless you eat breakfast alone) </li>
<li>To some, the secret to enjoying the jam-packed weekend is to find private, unpublicized events for more intimate interactions. How to find these? “You know my methods. Apply them.” </li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Dining</h4>
What? You’re not getting enough food between events? Thankfully there are gaps that allow a Sherlockian to venture places on his or her own. And of course, there are plenty of restaurants in and near Grand Central Station, which is in great proximity to the Yale Club and the Roosevelt Hotel.<br />
<ul>
<li>Several Sherlockians like to go to the Oyster Bar for dinner after the Thursday night lecture. </li>
<li>There is a Cosí across the street from the Roosevelt, at 38 East 45th Street, and of course Starbucks in the station and at nearly every corner. </li>
<li>For a more comprehensive listing of eateries nearby, <a href="http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2013/07/where-to-eat-near-grand-central-station-nyc.html" target="_blank">Serious Eats has a guide</a> that breaks them down by category and of course <a href="http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=restaurants+near+grand+central&find_loc=New+York%2C+NY%2C+USA" target="_blank">Yelp has many suggestions</a> as well. </li>
<li>And heaven forbid, don't forget about the <a href="http://www.redflamenyc.com/">Red Flame</a>, the perennial favorite next door to the Algonquin Hotel on W. 44th Street.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Online</h4>
Whether you're in New York for the festivities or sequestered at home, it might be worthwhile to follow along online. Some ways to do that:<br />
<ul>
<li>The official hashtag of the BSI Weekend on Twitter is <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23bsiweekend&src=typd">#BSIWeekend</a>. We have a feed set up on the <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">BSI Weekend website</a>, or you can simply follow along by clicking on the hashtag, or even on <a href="http://tweetdeck.com/">TweetDeck</a>. </li>
<li>We'll be providing occasional updates on these pages, so please follow along. </li>
<li>Of course, we'll also be providing updates via our <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock">Facebook</a> accounts. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetbabes.com/">The Baker Street Babes</a>, who will be out in force during the weekend, will undoubtedly have a unique real-time perspective of the weekend. </li>
<li>We also have a <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock/lists/sherlockians">list of Sherlockians on Twitter</a> whom you might consider following. A number of them will be at the weekend as well. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Here is a handy downloadable and printable guide for the weekend; you may also bookmark it on your smartphone for easy reference (or download the Scribd app [<b><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDkQFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fscribd-worlds-largest-online%2Fid542557212%3Fmt%3D8&ei=-CbdUJjZGcvkqQHM0IDoDQ&usg=AFQjCNFJrFun262V6ZZVXqQGlmr6dpo80A&sig2=1OSvbhebL4loQDJvzNIoJA&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.aWM">iOS</a></b> or <b><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CEIQFjAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dcom.scribd.app.reader0%26hl%3Den&ei=-CbdUJjZGcvkqQHM0IDoDQ&usg=AFQjCNGmLSiZ-MqZs3_glflhk5qz1KmvgQ&sig2=O0KNeNDotXW6UwFloblUBA&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.aWM">Android</a></b>] to make it easier).<br />
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_22961" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/331666520/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-QoIRU9WdlbfLMcMatUvC&show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
That sums up our list. Do you have tips as well, dear readers? Please leave them in a comment here on our site or drop us a line and let us know what your secrets are so we can all be the beneficiaries.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
--<br />
<br /></div>

Tips For Getting the Most Out of the #BSIWeekend

Tips For Getting the Most Out of the #BSIWeekend

"Let me have the straight tip and you won't be a loser" [SILV] With the BSI Weekend coming up, we thought it might be ...

Remembering Fritz Weaver

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"the stage lost a fine actor" [SCAN]</h4>
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<table align="center" 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/AVvXsEjXKQedasM6A_w432u0DJV7XtHe-GD65QaQJEeihTEJpuiwqhiyQZB72q95DVS3bj5fBs4tPoWJkaMl0BcK92YclfYYqrSRjIDNFW-hhjhurDKdOACpwygIk5eI5M3bAuDEYEYzABsXRMe1/s1600/Fritz+Weaver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKQedasM6A_w432u0DJV7XtHe-GD65QaQJEeihTEJpuiwqhiyQZB72q95DVS3bj5fBs4tPoWJkaMl0BcK92YclfYYqrSRjIDNFW-hhjhurDKdOACpwygIk5eI5M3bAuDEYEYzABsXRMe1/s640/Fritz+Weaver.jpg" width="518" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Fritz Weaver at The Players in New York City</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />We've lost another Sherlock Holmes. Fritz Weaver, a Tony Award-winning actor, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/27/movies/fritz-weaver-tony-winning-character-actor-dies-at-90.html?_r=0" target="_blank">has passed away</a> at 90.<br />
<br />
His career spanned television, stage and film and the world knew him best in his turn in the 1978 mini-series <i>Holocaust</i>, as an unstable military man in the 1964 film <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058083/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Fail Safe</a>,</i> and as an autocratic leader who faces an ironic twist in "The Obsolete Man" episode of <i>The Twilight Zone</i>.<br />
<br />
But Sherlockians everywhere fondly recall him playing Sherlock Holmes in the 1965 play "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Musical-Adventure-Sherlock-Original-Broadway/dp/B000CQQGVE?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Baker Street: A Musical Adventure of Sherlock Holmes</a>." His Watson was played by Peter Sallis, Moriarty by Martin Gabel and Irene Adler was portrayed by Inga Swensen.<br />
<br />
We were lucky enough to have interviewed Fritz Weaver on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere in <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose26" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 26: A Musical Stroll Down Baker Street</a>. You can listen to it here:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="100" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/1115060/height/100/width/600/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/a93998/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
In the interview, we played clips of some of the Coopersmith / Jessel songs for Mr. Weaver, including "I Shall Miss You," "Cold, Clear World," and "Pursuit." He was transported in his recollections and thoroughly enjoyed the memories.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-6qAqjzjWkh1NZzVTOrFAek3wI2X1ZzknPpJ0TFD8HdibH8ChI3Z_0OJfZ4seC8joxtMvxA5SyShT_Aa3MPwExcHNTEP8ByPXJZlrgWuWQcAdDf6VWF7JdF5-72G3hQownpUibxhAfLd/s1600/Baker-Street-+Fritz+Weaver+Martin+Gabel+Inge+Swensen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-6qAqjzjWkh1NZzVTOrFAek3wI2X1ZzknPpJ0TFD8HdibH8ChI3Z_0OJfZ4seC8joxtMvxA5SyShT_Aa3MPwExcHNTEP8ByPXJZlrgWuWQcAdDf6VWF7JdF5-72G3hQownpUibxhAfLd/s640/Baker-Street-+Fritz+Weaver+Martin+Gabel+Inge+Swensen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We extend our condolences to his family and mourn the passing of an underappreciated Sherlock Holmes.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />

Remembering Fritz Weaver

Remembering Fritz Weaver

"the stage lost a fine actor" [SCAN] Portrait of Fritz Weaver at The Players in New York City We've lost another Sherl...

Arthur Conan Doyle's Unlikely Nickname

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"that cross-hit of yours under the jaw" [SIGN]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsGlNjnFeDkKWz44vtbLixk3nniooUnsI9QZawEZvdRgsALo1HTRYjBsQxoONBwLN6UPqZN7zR3GtG6oidRrLz0uxduSai7C8OCqBtgKjopfRbUxUpXC8qKtxryYb0Z95lb5eYXcKTrsE/s1600/conandoyle_boxing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsGlNjnFeDkKWz44vtbLixk3nniooUnsI9QZawEZvdRgsALo1HTRYjBsQxoONBwLN6UPqZN7zR3GtG6oidRrLz0uxduSai7C8OCqBtgKjopfRbUxUpXC8qKtxryYb0Z95lb5eYXcKTrsE/s640/conandoyle_boxing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Some secrets are more well kept than others. For the first time we can now reveal a previously unknown nickname of Arthur Conan Doyle.<br />
<br />
As a young medical student, only 20 years old, Conan Doyle spent eight months in Birmingham, working as an assistant to Dr. Reginald Hoare. It was a lucrative inner-city general practice, and Conan Doyle joined Dr. Hoare on his rounds and assisted in the surgery. Conan Doyle liked both Dr. Hoare and his wife Amy, and he felt more like a son than an assistant. In his spare time he started to write fiction, trying to get a story published for the first time.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, Conan Doyle, who was quite athletic, spent some time boxing at the Lion Gymnasium. There he fell in with the 17 year-old George Barber, who worked at the Kynoch percussion cap factory in Witton. One day Barber, who also played football in the newly formed Aston Villa F.C., was sparring with Conan Doyle, when the latter landed a blow which considerably damaged Barber's nose.<br />
<br />
Many years later, at the age of 71, Barber remembered the incident. "That," he said with some pride, "is my souvenir to-day of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."<br />
<br />
Barber also remembered one more thing – the nickname of his opponent. The hefty youth at the Lion Gymnasium was not Arthur Conan Doyle among the Birmingham boxers. He was instead – and here it comes – "Piggy" Doyle.<br />
<br />
<i>Source: The Evening Telegraph, August 16, 1933, with the headline 'Sparred with Conan Doyle'</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>Editor's note: </b>Mattias  Boström is editor, along with Matt Laffey, of <b>Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle and the Newspapers</b>, available from <a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/newspaper2.html" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>--</i><br />
<i><br /></i>

Arthur Conan Doyle's Unlikely Nickname

Arthur Conan Doyle's Unlikely Nickname

"that cross-hit of yours under the jaw" [SIGN] Some secrets are more well kept than others. For the first time we can now rev...

by Mattias Boström

Another First — Register for the BSI Weekend Online

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"registered your name" [VALL]</h4>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/bsiweekend" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Baker Street Irregulars Weekend</a> (click for past coverage) has been happening in one way or another consistently since 1934. And while the early years simply centered around an invitation-only dinner that was founded by Christopher Morley and continued by Edgar W. Smith, over time, it has expanded to occupy an entire weekend and more.<br />
<br />
With the BSI dinner being the only event that requires an invitation, the rest of the festivities from Wednesday through Sunday are open to the public, and the weekend is more appropriately referred to as the BSI and Friends Weekend. You can see the entire schedule of events at the <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BSI Weekend site</a>. It takes place from January 4-8, 2017 in New York City.<br />
<br />
But this year, there's more.<br />
<br />
Now — for the events of the Weekend that are hosted by the Baker Street Irregulars — you can <a href="https://bsi.regfox.com/general2017" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">register online</a>. The site is fairly easy to navigate; just select the events you'd like to attend, whether or not you need lodging, and the rest is automatically calculated for you.<br />
<br />
Since this year is a pilot of sorts, the site requires registrants to <b><i>mail in a check</i></b> rather than to pay with a credit card (not really intuitive, since online registration systems are generally built to handle everything online, but it's a small price to pay for eventual modernization. After all, the BSI has only been handling PayPal since 2001...), but confirmations are automatically emailed out and the system tracks everything.<br />
<br />
If you're at all interested in the company and fellowship that come with gathering over four days with other Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts, the BSI Weekend should be on your radar. And if the events are too costly for you, there's always the <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/11/the-watson-fund-provides-financial.html#.WDEvjPkrLb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John H. Watson Fund</a> that was established to help defray the expenses of Sherlockians who have difficulty meeting the financial requirements of the Weekend.<br />
<br />
Or, there are hundreds of local Sherlock Holmes groups around the world. You can <a href="http://sherlockian.net/societies/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">check them out here</a>. They range from informal to traditional and are usually less expensive, given the smaller commitment of time and repast.<br />
<br />
However you choose to expand your horizons by interacting with other Sherlockians, we hope you enjoy yourself.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A few final things to note:</span><br />
<ol style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<li>If you're sharing this on social media, please use the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BSIWeekend&src=typd" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#BSIWeekend</a>. This makes it easier to follow the topic (despite <i>who</i> you're following), makes photos easier to find, and increases the chances of creating a trending topic that could get media attention.</li>
<li>Feel free to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1739917289667309/" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">join the event posted on Facebook</a>.</li>
<li>If you have any suggestions for people attending for the first time, please email us or leave a comment below; we'll be posting our annual <a href="http://ihose.co/bsi2016tips" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">tips for getting the most out of the BSI Weekend</a>, and it would be great to include yours.</li>
</ol>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
Don't miss our episode earlier this year <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose74" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">recapping the 2015 BSI Weekend</a>:<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/191368218&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
--<br />
<br />

Another First — Register for the BSI Weekend Online

Another First — Register for the BSI Weekend Online

"registered your name" [VALL] The Baker Street Irregulars Weekend (click for past coverage) has been happening in one way or...

The Diogenes Cases: Terror Lies Underground — A Review

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"only in the Diogenes Club" [GREE]</h4>
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Historical fiction endures as a genre because the form allows an author to become both creator and explorer. Through careful crafting and contextualizing of the past, the lives of people lost to time can be unearthed upon the printed page, giving the modern reader a more subtle understanding of an era’s unique complexities.<br />
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This particular allure is also critical to the enduring popularity of the Sherlockian novel. Conan Doyle’s writing delights in provoking questions and inciting imaginations: who hasn’t wondered how a giant rat terrorized Sumatra? Did Holmes have more misadventures than those described during the Great Hiatus? Dr. Watson, Professor Moriarty, Irene Adler, and even Athelney Jones have taken turns as heroes of their own tales, expanding Sherlock Holmes’s 1895 into a world brimming with untold stories.<br />
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One such character has arisen as an increasingly popular conduit for the unexplored histories of the Canon. With his enticingly vague yet clearly critical role in the British government, Mycroft Holmes is now an essential figure in Sherlockian fiction. His shadowy connections, intense intellect, and contradictory personality allow him to bridge the gap between a writer’s original story and Conan Doyle’s creations, which is one of Mycroft’s many functions in Greg Jameson’s <i>T<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Lies-Underground-Diogenes-Cases-ebook/dp/B01IA9LY7U" target="_blank">he Diogenes Cases: Terror Lies Underground</a></i>.  <br />
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The first entry in a new ebook series, this story centers upon a young London surgeon named Jacob Wrayburn, who is struggling to cope with morphine addiction and the recent death of his father. But after witnessing strange happenings at St. Vincent de Paul hospital, Jacob is recruited into the secretive Diogenes Club by Mycroft Holmes and becomes a field agent in his spy network. Working alongside both Mycroft and Faith Hobson, a clever yet enigmatic American nurse, Wrayburn must confront his past in order to unravel a conspiracy that threatens England from the inside.<br />
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Jameson’s writing is very effective in uniting Conan Doyle’s Victorian atmosphere with Jacob Wrayburn’s transformative odyssey, which in turn strengthens the depictions of the characters and temporal issues that affect their lives. Personal dilemmas that arise throughout the course of the novel each reflect the limitations of Victorian society upon its citizens; for example, Jacob is saddled with a family legacy that goes against his personal desires, and Faith, in a stand-out turn, must combat entrenched sexism as she attempts to uncover the mysteries behind the Diogenes Club. The characters’ struggles feel natural in their setting, which in turn makes them compelling figures to follow in the fast-paced plot. <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Lies-Underground-Diogenes-Cases-ebook/dp/B01IA9LY7U" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzO-YNFUyfclGlLXJweNJhlvTtASqaJuD2w975KHGPhU86eJlj9wiIhVuw38-cqZdirDuYLY1PjW-p6-JBGwj1sjMQTQAiyQ0QFjvTe8sugwGTyyXHuh9-JU9T7WPCvtqYVhQeG4t83tNR/s320/Diogenes+Cases.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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These internal problems faced by the heroes are also complimented by complex themes that propel <i>The Diogenes Cases</i>’ central storyline. Jameson’s plot excellently couples intense action to thought-provoking questions; the conflict forces the reader to challenge their perception of the Victorian era. With a home-grown Imperialist terrorist sect serving as the story’s antagonist, the author deftly avoids creating plot motivations based on broad stereotypes of the period’s morals. These well-crafted elements recall the strength in Conan Doyle’s depiction of the Victorian world; Sherlock Holmes’ clients and foes alike were similarly driven to desperate actions as a result of the society that shaped their lives. Issues of class and nationality are often at the center of the Canon’s stories, and these same themes also live on in the author’s reimagining of Victoriana.<br />
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While the original components of the story have interesting parallels with Conan Doyle’s text, the depiction of Mycroft Holmes veers very far from what readers familiar with the character may expect. The indolent thinker has become a man of action—this version of Mycroft isn’t afraid to point a gun at his enemies in the middle of a crowded party. His intellect is still intact, but it is jarring to see his core personality altered so drastically.<br />
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Even Mycroft’s appearance has been changed beyond immediate recognition; upon meeting Jacob and Faith, he is described as “a tall, thin man…with a good head of dark brown hair wearing a smart pin-striped suit, leaning casually against a set of filing cabinets in the back of the room.” We are introduced to a polished, elusive, dynamic gentleman; a reader might wonder if they are meeting the younger Holmes brother in place of the elder. It's not unfamiliar territory, as <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose81" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">recent Mycroft stories</a> have also tread.<br />
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<i>The Diogenes Cases</i> is set in the aftermath of “The Final Problem,” but Sherlock’s shadow still looms throughout the narrative. However, his absence creates a series of inconsistencies that undermine Mycroft’s effectiveness as an individual character. Jameson implies that the relationship between the brothers is contentious at best; Mycroft describes Sherlock as a fame-seeker who’s more concerned with his image than benefitting society. But he also doesn’t appear to bear any ill will towards Watson for lying to the public in his stories—in an unusually magnanimous act, he goes so far as to recommend his medical services to Wrayburn. Is Mycroft angry about his brother being misrepresented? How does he feel about being depicted as corpulent and idle in print? These questions remain frustratingly unanswered and form a point of unneeded tension between the story and its source material. Without any details given to justify the massive alterations to Mycroft and Sherlock’s characters, the changes do not feel innovative or organic to the process of adapting Conan Doyle’s work.<br />
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Even though this first entry into the series does not fully succeed at characterizing Mycroft Holmes, <i>Terror Lies Underground</i>’s original elements create a promising bedrock on which to develop further tales. Greg Jameson’s nuanced Victorian world can be further deepened in future installments that similarly explore our conception of the Diogenes Club’s chief spymaster.</div>
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<i>The Diogenes Cases: Terror Lies Underground</i> by Greg Jameson is published by Artellus Ltd. and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Lies-Underground-Diogenes-Cases-ebook/dp/B01IA9LY7U" target="_blank">is available on Amazon</a>.<br />
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The Diogenes Cases: Terror Lies Underground — A Review

The Diogenes Cases: Terror Lies Underground — A Review

"only in the Diogenes Club" [GREE] Historical fiction endures as a genre because the form allows an author to become both ...

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