I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

"The Honourable Record" [NAVA]

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YI-E7vo9GMveQzg0DBjaScg50uHuLsKWKHez_m21GtuQOeD8mZN_PL-6y0FXFhj9cnyxuiiZ2BhE9ihI-gto6zo0QTL-g_s5ZKpP4zbQ1fqywvP7WPybOhWkWLbkxXQM1ozJLGMbAFAs/s1600/knox350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YI-E7vo9GMveQzg0DBjaScg50uHuLsKWKHez_m21GtuQOeD8mZN_PL-6y0FXFhj9cnyxuiiZ2BhE9ihI-gto6zo0QTL-g_s5ZKpP4zbQ1fqywvP7WPybOhWkWLbkxXQM1ozJLGMbAFAs/s1600/knox350.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Order at <a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/knox.html">Wessex Press</a></td></tr>
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The evening of Friday, January 8 found Irregulars and invited guests gathering at the Yale Club for the annual dinner of the Baker Street Irregulars. As is customary, we began the evening honoring "The Woman" of 2011, who in this case was Gail Postal. Gail is the significant other of Jerry Wachs ("James Saunders"). Gail was toasted by Susan Rice, ("Beeswing"), who remarked on Gail's long-held dream of being an artist, which was interrupted briefly by a full career as a schoolteacher; only now has Gail returned to art - and even has a son who works for a digital animation company ("Art in the blood..."). Gail received the Golden Door - a charm/pendant that each "The Woman" recipient is awarded. 
 
From the cocktail hour, we moved upstairs to the dining room, where Mike Whelan, our "Wiggins," called the dinner to order and recognized four Irregulars in the crowd who each had 50 or more years in the BSI. They were: 
 
<ol>
<li>George McCormack ("Hosmer Angel") - 50 years</li>
<li>Russell Merritt ("The Trepoff Murder") - 51 years</li>
<li>Peter Blau ("Black Peter") - 52 years</li>
<li>Art Levine ("The Cutter 'Alicia'") - 56 years</li>
</ol>
<div>
Then Mike bestowed "Eddies" - the award for editing a BSI publication - on editors past and present. They included Andrew Fusco, General Editor; Otto Penzler, <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/bohemiansouls.html">Bohemian Souls</a>, Laurie R. King & Leslie Klinger, <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/grandgamev1.html">The Grand Game</a>; Peggy Purdue, the 2009 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual; Nicholas Utechin, <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/thequarteringpress.html">To Keep the Memory Green</a>; Erico Solito & Gianluca Salvatore, <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/grandgamev1.html">Sherlock Holmes and Italy</a> and <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/mandatemurder.html">Mandate for Murder.</a> </div>
 
 
And then, to thank Mike for his efforts behind the momentum of BSI Publications, Andrew Fusco, Steve Rothman and Leslie Klinger ambushed him at the podium to award him the "Wiggy." 
 
We then partook of all of the customary toasts and rituals, but the theme of the evening was Monsignor Ronald Knox, who is universally regarded as the father of the Sherlockian movement. It was 100 years ago that he began the tongue-in-cheek parody of Biblical scholarship with "<a href="http://www.diogenes-club.com/studies.htm">Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes</a>," and it still rings true today. We'll be headed over to the Vendors Room in the morning to purchase a copy of Wessex Press' new title <a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/knox.html" style="font-style: italic;">Ronald Knox and Sherlock Holmes</a> (pictured above). Henry Boote led the group in the singing of "It's a Ron Knox Life" to the tune of "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR80EEsWauU">It's a Hard Knock Life</a>," naturally followed by "Aunt Clara." 
 
We stood on the terrace to quietly remember nine intrepid Irregulars who<a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/search/label/terrace"> passed beyond the Reichenbach</a> in 2010. And then came the moment we were all waiting for: the Honours List. The reading of the names of newly investitured Irregulars. The Class of 2011: 
 
<ul>
<li>Vinnie Brosnan - "That Gap on the Second Shelf"</li>
<li>Lyndsay Faye - "Kitty Winter"</li>
<li>David Houle - "The British Museum"</li>
<li>Frank Ferry - "Dr. Leon Sterndale"</li>
<li>Peggy Perdue - "Violet Westbury"</li>
<li>Terence Faherty - "Sir Charles Baskerville"</li>
</ul>
 
With a wonderful reading of Vincent Starret's '221B' by Burt Wolder ("The Third Pillar from the Left") concluded the evening. 
 
Some photos for your enjoyment: 
 
 
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<iframe align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?group_id=&user_id=39297597@N00&set_id=72157625648252325&text=" width="500"></iframe> Created with <a href="http://www.admarket.se/" title="Admarket.se">Admarket's</a> <a href="http://flickrslidr.com/" title="flickrSLiDR">flickrSLiDR</a>.</center>
 
 
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"The Honourable Record" [NAVA]

Order at Wessex Press The evening of Friday, January 8 found Irregulars and invited guests gathering at the Yale Club for the annual din...

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by Scott Monty

"I Think We Must Begin" [ILLU]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EX2Gq8qGmbj-7c5ku0bY9tXQEszMbq89dWzC38H1VK5cGM8E-_99RfqWog08cEdp56OKRum5pAG2rkrkSei4txkWIuUwRLQxw_pCBOTDj4mR1e93sYjhSmTFg8_ft0ku8Jwu66n4iiys/s1600/bsi.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EX2Gq8qGmbj-7c5ku0bY9tXQEszMbq89dWzC38H1VK5cGM8E-_99RfqWog08cEdp56OKRum5pAG2rkrkSei4txkWIuUwRLQxw_pCBOTDj4mR1e93sYjhSmTFg8_ft0ku8Jwu66n4iiys/s1600/bsi.png" /></a></div>And so it begins... Today (un)officially kicks off the 2011 <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/">Baker Street Irregulars Weekend</a>, with the first monthly gathering of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes (ASH), which they amusingly call their ASH Wednesdays. Scores of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts will descend upon the city and <strike>carouse</strike> cogitate together on the impact of Sherlock Holmes in our lives today. If you're attending and you'd like a handy pocket guide, please print out this one-page summary of the major events and their locations. For a more comprehensive guide, see the <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/">BSI Weekend</a> site. <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/40465706/The-2011-Baker-Street-Irregulars-Weekend-at-a-glance" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto; text-decoration: underline;" title="View The 2011 Baker Street Irregulars Weekend - at a glance on Scribd">The 2011 Baker Street Irregulars Weekend - at a glance</a> <object data="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf" height="600" id="doc_523749588244003" name="doc_523749588244003" style="outline: none;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf"><param name="wmode" value="opaque"><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="FlashVars" value="document_id=40465706&access_key=key-2dkuzzn68ohpdexhgw2i&page=1&viewMode=list"><embed id="doc_523749588244003" name="doc_523749588244003" src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=40465706&access_key=key-2dkuzzn68ohpdexhgw2i&page=1&viewMode=list" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="600" width="100%" wmode="opaque" bgcolor="#ffffff"></embed> </object> Throughout the weekend, we'll be making updates via the <a href="http://twitter.com/BakerStreetBlog">@BakerStreetBlog</a> Twitter handle and we'll be using the hashtag #bsiweekend to make it easier to follow the conversation. The BSI WEEKEND NEWS sidebar over at <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/">http://bsiweekend.com</a> and "Every Nerve in a Twitter" [TWIS] in the sidebar on this site will be showing updates. We'll also try to bring you photos, videos and possibly even some audio as quickly as possible as the weekend unfolds. Stay tuned here and on our <a href="http://facebook.com/BakerStreetBlog">Facebook page</a> for more information. And if you're at the event and can provide additional coverage, we'd love to hear from you. To see previous BSI Weekend coverage on this site, <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/search/label/bsiweekend">please click here</a>. Please consider visiting our sponsors (in the right column and footer of the site) from time to time. It helps defray the costs associated with running this site. --

"I Think We Must Begin" [ILLU]

And so it begins... Today (un)officially kicks off the 2011 Baker Street Irregulars Weekend , with the first monthly gathering of the Advent...

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by Scott Monty

Remembering Gerry Rafferty of 'Baker Street' Fame

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"my way led me through Baker Street" [SCAN]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrpioTSta3V3eng_0qUmI2ay8ilb-t9Rw1DIfkI2JakJdtyWqIr8GNUkyjAQbADbX3fY0GAcKxfHZSALqFSQ6ii6b7Eu_vY2LJ0r-VyUEDpdd2CVsBlrLlqU34I6HWiYl4V7JxZXgDuTP/s1600/Gerry+Rafferty+Baker+Street.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrpioTSta3V3eng_0qUmI2ay8ilb-t9Rw1DIfkI2JakJdtyWqIr8GNUkyjAQbADbX3fY0GAcKxfHZSALqFSQ6ii6b7Eu_vY2LJ0r-VyUEDpdd2CVsBlrLlqU34I6HWiYl4V7JxZXgDuTP/s640/Gerry+Rafferty+Baker+Street.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
 
 
Singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty passed away today at the age of 63. "So what?" we can hear you asking. As you know, we don't write about anything here unless it involves the world of Sherlock Holmes, and in this case it's no exception. 
 
Like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Rafferty was Scottish-born and his father was of Irish descent. But more importantly, he's best known for his ballad "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Street_(song)">Baker Street</a>," which you've probably heard hundreds of times. We present <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo6aKnRnBxM" target="_blank">the video here</a> for your enjoyment. 
 
 
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As an added bonus, here's the 1978 Rolling Stone interview with him, "<a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/gerry-raffertys-baker-street-blues-rolling-stones-1978-feature-20110104">Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street Blues</a>." 
 
 
Image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baker_Street_Sign.jpg#/media/File:Baker_Street_Sign.jpg" target="_blank">Sonyhamster on Wikipedia</a> 
 
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Remembering Gerry Rafferty of 'Baker Street' Fame

"my way led me through Baker Street" [SCAN] Singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty passed away today at the age of 63. "So wh...

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by Scott Monty

"Selling at a Price" [ILLU]

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMQ_Xdw6zljNkydpvKQsNe_Uptoxiz0j0uHpQKsmfs0_xBRgp04M32ZkVVb-pcHzz3d9PRHsekMN4056bOGjM4JSoGZiYSV7t2kwTnS-SHK5c96On6l6qIWfgYED3cDoiXRXBtEGaAlaT/s1600/reig4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMQ_Xdw6zljNkydpvKQsNe_Uptoxiz0j0uHpQKsmfs0_xBRgp04M32ZkVVb-pcHzz3d9PRHsekMN4056bOGjM4JSoGZiYSV7t2kwTnS-SHK5c96On6l6qIWfgYED3cDoiXRXBtEGaAlaT/s320/reig4.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sir, don't touch the merchandise!"</td></tr></tbody></table>The Weekend is nearly upon us! And by "Weekend" (yes, capitalized), we mean the <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/">Baker Street Irregulars Weekend</a>, an annual gathering in New York City that nets some three to four hundred Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts. Casual fans, lifelong devotees, amateur scholars, academics, authors, journalists, industrialists, actors, musicians, professionals - essentially a cross-section of society at large. If you haven't already checked out the <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/2010/10/master-schedule-of-events.html">Schedule of Events</a>, <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/2010/10/accommodations.html">Accommodations</a> and handy printable <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/2010/10/summary-of-weekend-events.html">Summary of the weekend's events</a> and locations over on the <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/">BSI Weekend</a> site, please do so. One of the events that everyone looks forward to is the Merchants Room opening on Saturday morning. Typically, this is an event attracts the excitement of veteran collectors and newcomers alike, with lots of buzz and and "off to the races" reaction when the doors of the room are finally flung open at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Invariably, you'll know the event is about 15 minutes away when you see <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/12/episode-16-collectors-corner-jerry.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Jerry Margolin</a> (click the link for an interview with Jerry on "I Hear of Sherlock Everwhere") poking his head in the doorway, pacing frantically and looking like someone who either has a full bladder or an itchy trigger finger. ;-) If you'd like to participate in the Merchants Room activities - whether or not you attend anything else during the BSI Weekend - it's open to the public. Feel free to join in the fun at the Roosevelt Hotel (45 East 45th Street - <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=45+East+45th+Street,+New+York,+NY&sll=40.727222,-73.991793&sspn=0.009253,0.019011&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=45+E+45th+St,+New+York,+10017&z=16">map</a> and <a href="http://www.theroosevelthotel.com/default.aspx?pg=directions&rp=directions#subway">subway directions</a>), Vanderbuilt Suite, beginning at 9:00 a.m. There will be authors available for book signings, if you're interested: 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.     Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger: <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/grandgamev1.html">The Grand Game</a>     Enrico Solito and Gianluca Salvatore: <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/italy.html">Italy and Sherlock Holmes</a>     Nicholas Utechin: The 2010 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual 11:00 a.m. - noon     Otto Penzler: <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/bohemiansouls.html">Bohemian Souls</a>  [You may remember the fabulous interview Otto gave us on <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2008/01/episode-17-collectors-corner-otto.html">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: Episode 17</a> - it's worth a(nother) listen.] And if you're unable to join us in the Merchants Room, you can buy all BSI books on the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/">Baker Street Journal website</a> in the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/allitems.html">BSI Items for Sale</a> section. --