I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Dining Out with the Detective

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"from the dummy's chair" [MAZA] </h4>
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[<i><b>Editor's note</b>: "From the Dummy's Chair" is a regular column on the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, written by Steven Doyle, BSI ("The 'Western Morning News'"), who is the author of the Edgar-nominated <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Dummies-Steven-Doyle/dp/0470484446?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b>Sherlock Holmes for Dummies</b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0470484446" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Because of the limitations in the print world, he wasn't able to completely fit everything he wanted into the book. This column serves as a real-time continuation of that labor of love. Steve is also half the team behind <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/">Wessex Press</a>.</i>]<br />
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<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dining Out with the Detective</b></span></h3>
Few trifles in the Sherlockian canon escape examination and investigation. Every story is sifted for insight into the character and personality of the master Detective — even his taste in restaurants. It is generally believed that favorite restaurant is <a href="http://www.simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk/">Simpson's-in-the-Strand</a>, one of London's oldest and best-known traditional English restaurants.<br />
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Located in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strand,_London">the Strand</a>, an historic street in London, Simpson's began as a smoking room and coffee house, but eventually became famous for its traditional English food, especially its roast beef. Holmes wasn't the only famous personality to enjoyed a meal at Simpson's. The restaurant was frequented by many historic characters, including Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli and William Ewart Gladstone.<br />
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For years I have imagined the Great Detective and the Good Doctor retiring to Simpson's upon the conclusion of yet another successful case, but the restaurant was actually only mentioned in two stories; "The Dying Detective" and "The Illustrious Client." What are the implications of this? Should Simpson's-in-the-Strand still be considered Holmes's favorite restaurant by virtue of it being mentioned twice? Or are a mere two mentions not enough to earn that distinction? After all, I know that sometimes it takes two visits to determine that a restaurant's quality...one to have a bad meal, and a second to have another bad meal. In this case two visits wouldn't make such a place my favorite.<br />
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Consider that both of Holmes's visits to Simpson's followed cases in which Holmes was physically incapacitated. In "The Dying Detective" he craved Simpson’s following a three day fast. In "The Illustrious Client" he had nearly had his brains beaten in and had just finished a period of recuperation and bed-rest. The evidence seems to indicate that Holmes perceived Simpson’s not as a place to go with Watson to discuss the loose ends of a case over a casual celebratory dinner, but rather as the destination for a much-needed restorative meal.<br />
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Despite our romantic sentiments about Simpson's being his favorite restaurant, this must be true. Holmes, whose body was a mere appendix to his brain, who at times could not spare energy for digestion lest it detract from his mental processes, didn't commonly dine for the mere pleasure of the experience. What the implications of this revelation are for the quality of Mrs. Hudson's cooking, which was passed over even after a three day fast, I will leave to someone else!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34842043@N02/3515327795/">Josh Friedman Luxury Travel (Flickr)</a></i></span><br />
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Dining Out with the Detective

"from the dummy's chair" [MAZA] [ Editor's note : "From the Dummy's Chair" is a regular column on the ...

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by Scott Monty

A Map of the Meringen Area

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"the little village of Meiringen" [FINA] </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKRZHumhvigVHgiUTdr7B92uVwn0WS45bAKnYBYWkMOLduUxRg-ntJCvSgF4RAWJhhOlL-FY_rd_Vj76TWjkeaNgfVE-6_iAqCE8UZDnmI1kl45A6_UE9MtvCsuKPBWjVQJwQjbGuQehk/s1600/Reichenbach+falls.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="850" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKRZHumhvigVHgiUTdr7B92uVwn0WS45bAKnYBYWkMOLduUxRg-ntJCvSgF4RAWJhhOlL-FY_rd_Vj76TWjkeaNgfVE-6_iAqCE8UZDnmI1kl45A6_UE9MtvCsuKPBWjVQJwQjbGuQehk/s640/Reichenbach+falls.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Michael Meer, BSI ("The Englisher Hof") posted an interesting link to Facebook. It was titled <a href="http://maps.google.ch/maps/ms?hl=de&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=46.728389,8.185973&spn=0.019209,0.055404&t=h&z=15&msid=207422993767587739800.00049d2f97f6f0ec80ae6">Sherlock Holmes in Meiringen</a> and it passed through to a Google Map.<br />
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Meer is part of a group based in Switzerland called <b><a href="http://www.221b.ch/index.html">The Reichenbach Irregulars</a> </b>(a group which now has a place on our "Gathered from Many Nations" section of the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/p/resources.html">Resources</a> page above). Michael says the group is resurrecting itself - how appropriate - just as Holmes managed to reappear in "The Empty House" after his encounter with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls.<br />
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As one would expect from an Irregular investitured as "The Englisher Hof" and being part of the aforementioned Swiss group, it's not at all unlikely that Meer would have created and shared this excellent Google map. We've embedded it here below for you to see - you can scroll around, zoom in and out, and click on the pins to get more information on some of the sites. These include: the place of the fatal encounter between Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty; two commemorative plaques; the statue by John Doubleday; Conan Doyle Place; the Sherlock Holmes Museum; the Englisher Hof; and more.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="425" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.ch/maps/ms?hl=de&ie=UTF8&msa=0&t=h&msid=207422993767587739800.00049d2f97f6f0ec80ae6&ll=46.728389,8.185973&spn=0.019209,0.055404&output=embed" width="625"></iframe><br /></div>
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<small><a href="http://maps.google.ch/maps/ms?hl=de&ie=UTF8&msa=0&t=h&msid=207422993767587739800.00049d2f97f6f0ec80ae6&ll=46.728389,8.185973&spn=0.019209,0.055404&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Sherlock Holmes in Meiringen (english version)</a> auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen</small></div>
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Have you made it over to Meiringen, Interlaken or Rosenlaui? We'd love to hear of your travels along these hallowed grounds for Sherlockians.<br />
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A Map of the Meringen Area

"the little village of Meiringen" [FINA] Michael Meer, BSI ("The Englisher Hof") posted an interesting link to F...

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by Scott Monty

Amazon Offers Sherlock Holmes in Streaming Video

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"I saw them a moment later streaming" [SIGN] </h4>
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The big news from Amazon is that they have <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/amazon-launches-prime-instant-videos-unlimited-streaming-for-pr/">enabled streaming video for Prime members</a> (available only in the U.S. currently). This means that Netflix now has a competitor in the streaming video-on-demand segment.<br />
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With this service, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fprime%2Fsignup%2Fvideos%3Fie%3DUTF8%26redirectURL%3DL2Iv%25250A%26redirectQueryParams%3Dbm9kZT0yNjE1MjYwMDEx%25250A&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957"><b>Amazon Prime</b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> members have the ability to watch unlimited, commercial-free instant streaming of some 5,000 movies and TV shows on your PC, Mac, Internet-enabled television, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/LG-BD570-Network-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B0036WT1RW?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b>Blu-Ray players</b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0036WT1RW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> or set-top boxes.<br />
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Some of the titles that Amazon highlighted with their announcement that might also appeal to our readership include: <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rose/dp/B003LZ5B7S?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=UnboxVideoDownloads&field-keywords=Doctor%20Who%20Season%201" target="_blank"><i>Doctor Who</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003LZ5B7S" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=UnboxVideoDownloads&field-keywords=Fawlty%20Towers" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><i>Fawlty Towers</i></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-color: initial !important; border-width: initial !important;"><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i> </b></span>and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=UnboxVideoDownloads&field-keywords=The%20BBC%20Office" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">The BBC <i>Office</i></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-color: initial !important; border-width: initial !important;"><b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b></span>. We also spotted <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=UnboxVideoDownloads&field-keywords=jeeves%20wooster" target="_blank">Jeeves and Wooster</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. But you're probably interested in another subject.<br />
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To wit, here is a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Damb_link_355368542_2%26rh%3Dn%253A16386761%252Cp_85%253A1%26page%3D1&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957"><b>list of Sherlock Holmes movies and TV shows available for streaming</b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />from Amazon. From Wonter to Rathbone, Brett, Downey, Cumberbatch and more (including a few surprises!) you'll have a wide variety to choose from.<br />
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Are you planning on trying this service? What title(s) in the lineup interest you?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61098690@N00/5408271299/">Digital Sextant (Flickr)</a></span><br />
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Amazon Offers Sherlock Holmes in Streaming Video

"I saw them a moment later streaming" [SIGN] The big news from Amazon is that they have enabled streaming video for Prime m...

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by Scott Monty

"Answers Which I Gave Him" [SIGN]

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"answers which I gave him" [SIGN] </h4>
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Last week, for Valentine's Day, we<a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2011/02/bruc_14.html#.WVrDkmgrLb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> posed a short quiz to test your knowledge</a> on love interests in the Canon. We received a couple of dozen responses, seven of which answered every question correctly. We had hoped that we created a quiz that was at once familiar and easy, but not without a few challenges.<br />
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A couple of the challenges that we threw in included: all three Cushing sisters from "The Cardboard Box," in addition to the surname Tregennis in "The Devil's Foot" we added Tregallis, which was the surname of the gamekeeper in "The Musgrave Ritual." These two questions seemed to throw most of you off.<br />
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In case you're interested in the answers, the key is below.<br />
<ol>
<li>Jefferson Hope</li>
<li>Mary Cushing</li>
<li>Jack Crocker</li>
<li>Grace Dunbar</li>
<li>Brenda Tregennis</li>
<li>Leonardo</li>
<li>Henry Wood</li>
<li>Cyril Morton</li>
<li>Hilton Cubitt</li>
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We'll be reaching out to our randomly-selected winner so they may select their prize. Thank you for following along with the fun; if you feel the need to bone up on your skills, there's always <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Quiz-Book/dp/0847316785?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0847316785" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>.<br />
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