I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Remembering Peter Wood, BSI

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"from this wood the cycle must have emerged" [PRIO]</h4>
Peter Harry Wood, BSI (“The Second Stain”) died in Vancouver on July 31, 2011 at the age of 80. He was born on the Isle of Man and immigrated to Canada in the 60’s where he was a secondary school teacher, working in both Saskatchewan and Alberta. He retired from teaching approximately 12 years ago and moved to the west coast of Canada, where he served as chairman of many committees in different fields, only stepping down in the last year.<br />
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Mr. Wood’s many passions included vintage British cars and motorcycles, jazz and folk music, and writing fiction and science-fiction. He wrote many articles for various Sherlockian journals. His major opus, <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/winged-wheel-Peter-Wood/dp/1896032273">The Winged Wheel<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" /></a></i></b>, is set on the Isle of Man and has Dr. Watson taking part in a motorcycle race.<br />
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Mr. Wood was a Sherlockian since the age of 10 and was a founding member of The CPR Stockholders, the Edmonton Deerstalkers, and the <a href="http://www.acdfriends.org/">Friends of the ACD Collection</a>. He belonged to societies in Canada, the US, UK, and Australia, and was prominent in the Hounds of the Internet. In 1983 he was Toronto’s Master Bootmaker and was Priory Schoolmaster of <a href="http://thestormypetrels.com/">The Stormy Petrels of British Columbia</a>, guiding the group through a ten-year program of study of the entire Canon and two apocryphal tales. The program was completed in May 2011.<br />
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Mr. Wood was invested into The Baker Street Irregulars in 1985 as “The Second Stain.” His official obituary <a href="http://www.legacy.com/can-vancouver/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=152884812">can be found here</a>.<br />
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Do you have any memories to share of Peter? Or perhaps a better photograph than we were able to find. Please leave them in the comments section below or contact us via email.<br />
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Remembering Peter Wood, BSI

"from this wood the cycle must have emerged" [PRIO] Peter Harry Wood, BSI (“The Second Stain”) died in Vancouver on July 31, 2...

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by Scott Monty

"Where All Gossip Is Welcome" [VALL] - July 2011

<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDN_PS7Fjc41uB79BLQ7V_9MUcAzaUgY50Pl3zfplavu2ka1sEl6c88Nqdhop4jZRNr14Y_J2iWvPbL6e264UwY5znxdMv2ReH3xVdaNSknlKuFqhchFncT8qv6Ws4NhZSlFFWvhmP2VPI/s1600/blackpeter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDN_PS7Fjc41uB79BLQ7V_9MUcAzaUgY50Pl3zfplavu2ka1sEl6c88Nqdhop4jZRNr14Y_J2iWvPbL6e264UwY5znxdMv2ReH3xVdaNSknlKuFqhchFncT8qv6Ws4NhZSlFFWvhmP2VPI/s1600/blackpeter.jpg" /></a></div>This is the latest issue of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter Blau's ("Black Peter") monthly newsletter of Sherlockian or Doylean gossip, published in print form since 1971 and as <a href="http://members.cox.net/sherlock1/scuttle.htm">a text-only digital archive on Sherlocktron</a> since 1985. In agreement with Peter Blau, we've arranged to publish facsimiles of the print newsletter here, so online readers can see what the newsletter looks like. Below the scan you can find links to the sites mentioned in the text - in most cases, directly to the article, video or publication, to save you from having to search for the terms.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The following is the July 2011 issue; please feel free to share it via email, social network, or embed it on your own site.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/63623543/Scuttlebutt-from-the-Spermaceti-Press-July-2011" 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 Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press July 2011 on Scribd">Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press July 2011</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_91962" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/63623543/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-o4dwgb123at0l95qsf9" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })(); </script><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br /></b><br /><b>Links (in order of mention):</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><ul><li>Daniel Corey's <a href="http://www.professorjamesmoriarty.com/DangerKatt/Moriarty.html">Moriarty</a> comic book</li><li><a href="http://www.laurierking.com/author/lrk-newsletter">Laurie R. King's newsletter</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2L7s7ZDJDQ">Pirate King</a> [video] by Laurie R. King</li><li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetastro.org.uk/">Baker Street Irregular Astronomers</a></li><li><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/crimefighting-vultures-what-could-go-wrong-2305064.html">Crime-fighting vultures? What could go wrong?</a> from <i>The Independent</i></li><li><a href="http://www.bestofsherlock.com/ref/australia-2011-beetons.htm"><i>Beeton's Christmas Annual</i> for sale in Australia</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cbsrmt.info/charlie/">CBS Radio Mystery Theatre</a></li><li><a href="http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2011/07/the-plushest-sherlock-ever">The plushest Sherlock ever</a> - Sherlock Holmes plush dolls</li><li><i>The Independent</i> - <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-how-to-survive-the-age-of-distraction-2301851.html">How to survive the age of distraction</a></li><li><a href="http://moonstonebooks.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=755">Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/shop_item.php?item_id=22">'A Golden Day'</a> - celebrating the meeting of Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle</li><li><a href="http://www.mxpublishing.com/product/9781908218810/The+Case+of+The+Grave+Accusation"><i>The Case of the Grave Accusation</i></a></li><li><a href="http://www.spiesonline.net/">Spies Online</a></li><li><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8663000/8663139.stm">A bittern booming</a> [video]</li><li>Suvudu's <a href="http://suvudu.com/tag/suvudu-cage-match">Cage Match: Villains!</a></li><li><a href="http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/deepLink?_collection=oasis&uniqueId=hou02178">Houghton Library's online catalog for the Baker Street Irregulars Trust</a></li><li><a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/">Baker Street Irregulars Trust</a></li><li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetbabes.com/">Baker Street Babes</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lickingcountyplayers.org/">Licking County Players</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shopknuckleheads.com/The-Three-Stooges-CSI-T-Shirt-P1372.aspx">Three Stooges CSI t-shirt</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shopknuckleheads.com/The-Three-Stooges-Magnet-Miracle-Detective-Agency-P1061.aspx">Three Stooges magnet: Miracle Detective Agency</a></li></ul><br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h2L7s7ZDJDQ" width="420"></iframe></center><br /><i><br /></i><br /><i><br /></i><br /><i>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><br />--<br /><br />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1933076763" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

"Where All Gossip Is Welcome" [VALL] - July 2011

This is the latest issue of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter Blau's ("Black Peter") monthly newsletter of Sherlock...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

"Dark Rumours Gathered Round Him" [FINA]

<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/4181732741_724a46fc2d_m.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/4181732741_724a46fc2d_m.jpg" style="float: right; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 191px;" /></a>Many of us are aware of the events of Reichenbach Falls - of that final clash between Holmes and Moriarty as chronicled in <a href="http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/readings12.html">"The Adventure of the Final Problem" [FINA]</a> and <a href="http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/2007/notes1_1.html">"The Adventure of the Empty House" [EMPT]</a>. But for many Sherlockians, there is a darker variation that they will not - or dare not - consider:<br />
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<i>What if Moriarty was the victor at Reichenbach Falls? What if the Great Detective fell that fateful day and the Napoleon of Crime stood triumphant?</i></div>
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That is the premise behind <a href="http://www.imagecomics.com/">Image Comics'</a> new <b><a href="http://www.professorjamesmoriarty.com/">Moriarty</a> </b>series, written by Daniel Corey and drawn by Anthony Diecidue, and is now three issues into its inaugural arc, "The Dark Chamber".  It is also, for Sherlockians, a great modern style "what if" take not on Holmes, but on his nemesis.</div>
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We begin the story twenty years after Moriarty's triumph - he is living in relative seclusion, preferring to remain in the shadows. He is recruited by British intelligence on a unique mission - to locate the missing Mycroft Holmes....and if you think this is going to be another Holmesian pastiche, think again. Corey's writing provides a great mix of modern storytelling style with a working knowledge of the canon, creating a fully plausible "what if" scenario. (There is a scene of deduction in the first issue that not only connotes Moriarty's standing with Holmes, but is also one of the best written sequences I have read in awhile). There are some interesting twists and turns (without spoiling, there's a surprise cameo in # 2), and although the series takes a more science fiction-style turn, this is a pretty solidly written comic. For traditional Sherlockians, it may not have an easy appeal, but may be good for transitioning younger members into the canon.</div>
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My only real objection is with Diecidue's art - perhaps it's a bias on my part, but it looks <i>too</i> modern. (Moriarty appears to have jumped out of modern production). It tends to have a slightly jarring effect - unlike Moffatt's Victorian-character-in-modern-times, a modern-take-on-Victorian-character, art wise, doesn't quite seem to fit. It is a slightly acquired taste, admittedly, but Diecidue does have a great ability to drive atmosphere forward in his art.</div>
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Writer Corey is no stranger to the canon - for more information, please listen<a href="http://comicrelated.com/news/12534/panel-discussions-10"> his podcast interview with my fellow Comic Related scribe Russell Burlingame.</a> With <b>Moriarty, </b>he uses the canon as a jumping-off point to tell a more modern story....and quite frankly, it's one of the better Holmes pastiches.</div>
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The first three issues have been released, and can be found at your local comics store.</div>
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<i>Editor's note: Gordon regularly covers the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and the entertainment industry. You can also find him at <a href="http://www.blogthispal.com/">Blog THIS, Pal!</a> and <a href="http://www.comicrelated.com/">Comic Related</a>.</i></div>
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004ZQRL0C&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>  <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0055FKDQG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>  <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B005AV91HM&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>  </div>

"Dark Rumours Gathered Round Him" [FINA]

Many of us are aware of the events of Reichenbach Falls - of that final clash between Holmes and Moriarty as chronicled in "The Adventu...

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by Scott Monty

"Where the Prospectors Had Been at Work" [SIGN]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ktjEedyqHRo/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAk/kcRlchiVqu8/photo.jpg?sz=200" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ktjEedyqHRo/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAk/kcRlchiVqu8/photo.jpg?sz=200" /></a></div>News from the southwest: Irregular Bob Stek, BSI ("The Mysterious Scientist") moved to Tucson, Arizona a few years ago and naturally took with him his love of Sherlock Holmes.<br /><br />In doing so, he founded the Desert Prospectors of Arizona and has led them on a regular cadence of meetings. In Bob's own words (submitted as a tip to our site - see the mail icon to submit yours):<br /><br /><blockquote>Still less than a year old, the DPA’s have met three times, but have already heard papers about deerstalker caps, Edith Meisner, seeing and observing, the violin in the Canon, Lillie Langtry as the model for Irene Adler, and have heard two violinists with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra play the theme to the BBC Jeremy Brett series – transcribed for two violins by ear!   At our last meeting we heard from the artistic manager of the Arizona Theater Company who informed us about the world premiere of “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club” to be presented in Tucson on September 23rd and later in Phoenix.  Naturally the Prospectors will attend the opening night en masse.</blockquote><br />Bob was kind enough to share <a href="http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2011/07/13/tucsonweeklytvcom-the-sherlock-holmes-scion-society">an article from the Tucson Weekly</a> which also incorporated this video featuring an interview with Bob and other members:<br /><br /><br /><center><object height="349" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dYBQ8eDPkZg?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dYBQ8eDPkZg?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="349" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Is there a society near you that has recently done something you'd care to share? Please feel free to submit an item or sign up as a correspondent by <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/p/about-me.html"><b>filling out the short form on the About tab</b></a>.<br /><br />If you're looking for an organization near you, there are a few resources you might want to check out:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.sherlockian.net/societies/index.html">Sherlockian.net has a complete set of resources</a> about societies</li><li><a href="http://www.sh-whoswho.com/">The Sherlockian Who's-Who</a> is a global directory</li><li>Peter Blau's <a href="http://members.cox.net/sherlock1/three.txt">comprehensive list of societies can be found on Sherlocktron</a>.</li></ul><br />We also have a number of other links available on the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/p/resources.html"><b>Resources tab</b></a> at the top of the page and an ever-growing list of <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/p/holmes-on-facebook.html"><b>Sherlock Holmes entities on Facebook</b></a> which you might want to check out, not to mention the <a href="http://sherlockholmes.ning.com/">Sherlock Holmes Social Network</a>. You're not alone in your singular pursuit; there's lots of support from like-minded individuals.<br /><br /><i>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> <br />--