I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Sherlockian Picture Puzzles Republished

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"Never mind your usual petty puzzles" [BRUC] </h4>
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In the early 20th century, Sherlock Holmes was as seamless a part of the media as he is today. Case in point: regularly produced picture puzzles in which Sherlock Holmes invited the reader to make sense of a number of clues (or, “clews”) found in the picture. He appeared in a variety of situations, and all of the puzzles rely on the double meaning of words. <a href="http://www.musgraves-sherlockholmes.co.uk/">The Musgraves Sherlock Holmes Society</a> in the UK has now compiled<a href="http://www.musgraves-sherlockholmes.co.uk/node/2"> twelve of these puzzles, along with answers and explanatory notes, into a 26-page monograph</a> by John Addy.<br />
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The puzzles themselves are from Eliot Keen's original 1905 illustrations that originally appeared in American newspapers (can you see the William Gillette portrayal coming through?), with solutions following in subsequent publications.<br />
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I tried one of the puzzles, with little initial success. As the flyer above states, the trick is that one has to think as though one is still at the turn of the twentieth century. This proved to be more challenging than I thought it would be, but if it weren't a challenge then it wouldn't be as fun. I freely confess to resorting to the internet to verify (or, ahem, discover) the solutions I came up with. Some practice in the art of ‘punning’ is also helpful (in the below example, he’s pointing to a sawhorse - ha).  <br />
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The idea to make some of these puzzles available again is brilliant; it is both a fun mental exercise and a neat way to look at life and customs of the time. If you're interested in purchasing a copy of the monograph, you can find the ordering information on the link above. <br />
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This might make for an interesting challenge at your next Sherlock Holmes society meeting, or simply a bit of good fun and a mental challenge on your own. Go ahead - what do you make of it? <br />
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See the sample puzzle below to try your hand at it.<br />
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<i>Kate writes at <a href="http://thediaryofdrwatts.com/">The Diary of Dr. Watts</a>.</i><br />
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Sherlockian Picture Puzzles Republished

"Never mind your usual petty puzzles" [BRUC] In the early 20th century, Sherlock Holmes was as seamless a part of the media...

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by Katie Magnusson

Review: Dr. Watson's American Adventure

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<b>"he had spent a part of his life in America" [VALL] </b></h4>
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Trying to "fill in" gaps in the canon can be rather tricky - done well, it can provide insight into the character of Holmes and Watson (<b>The Seven-Per-Cent Solution</b>, for example). Done poorly, it can be awkward and feel inauthentic.<br />
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Thankfully, <b>Dr. Watson's American Adventure</b> from <a href="http://www.airship27.com/" target="_blank">Airship 27</a> is a strong example of the former, showing us Watson in a post-Reichenbach adventure, finding his way to America to team up with Theodore Roosevelt. Combining elements of Victorian literature, Westerns, and historical pastiche, Erwin K. Roberts tells a tale that could easily fit between "<a href="http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/readings12.html" target="_blank">The Adventure of the Final Problem [FINA]</a>" and "<a href="http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/2007/notes1_1.html" target="_blank">The Adventure of the Empty House [EMPT]</a>". The story moves along at a very brisk pace, and quite honestly, it's a flat-out treat to read. Structured as a reminiscence between Watson and Holmes, it also serves to highlight these characters without necessarily being driven by their interactions. Thankfully, this book serves as a way to highlight Dr. Watson's solo adventures....and hopefully, there will be another coming soon.<br />
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(Thankfully, this volume also provides value for the money in that it contains another Victorian-style pastiche featuring a character named "Hound Dog Harker" which is quite entertaining in its own right.)<br />
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Much like Airship 27's earlier Holmes book <b><a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2012/04/no-more-dangerous-man-in-europe-illu.html" target="_blank">The Baron's Revenge</a></b>, <b>Dr. Watson's American Adventure</b> is available via Amazon.com. It's an entertaining work that is well worth reading.<br />
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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><br />
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Review: Dr. Watson's American Adventure

"he had spent a part of his life in America" [VALL] Trying to "fill in" gaps in the canon can be rather tricky - ...

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by Scott Monty

Remembering Encyclopedia Brown Author Donald Sobol

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<b>"a brown study" [CARD] </b></h4>
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Donald J. Sobol died on July 11 of natural causes at age 87. He was the author of over<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=encyclopedia%20brown&linkCode=ur2&sprefix=encyclope%2Caps%2C459&tag=thebakerstree-20&url=search-alias%3Daps"> two dozen Encyclopedia Brown mysteries</a></b>. The small seaside town of Idaville was the same as any other small town except in one respect, fifth-grader Leroy Brown. Leroy's head was so crammed full of facts he was nicknamed "Encyclopedia". Encyclopedia used his brain power to help the neighborhood kids and his police chief father to solve mysteries. He was, in fact "America's Sherlock Holmes in sneakers". With his partner in his detective agency, Sally Kimball--the prettiest and toughest girl in the fifth grade--Encyclopedia charged kids 25 cents to help them with their problems. Encyclopedia's nemesis was an older kid named Bugs Meany.<br />
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<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a>The first book in the series was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142408883/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0142408883&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20"><i>Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective</i></a> published in 1963 and the series has continued for almost fifty years. Millions of copies are in print and they have been translated into twelve languages. Part of their charm is Sobol’s breezy and witty writing style. Here from “The Case of the Missing Garlic Bread”:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Bugs was the leader of a gang of tough older boys. They called themselves the Tigers. They should have called themselves the Pretzel Makers. They always tried to make dough the crooked way. The only things they hated more than honesty were soap and water.</span></blockquote>
I discovered Sobol's works before Conan Doyle's. The mysteries were of the solve-them-yourself type, forcing the reader to match wits with Encyclopedia before turning to the back of the book for the solution. While written for kids, Sobol was a master at hiding the clue in plain sight. My love of the mystery genre started there. One could say that Sobol's use of the classic Holmesian tropes, the brilliant detective and his partner, his faculty with arcane knowledge, the colorful clients and villains, primed me for when I first encountered Holmes in <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> in the sixth grade.<br />
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There will be <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525425829/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0525425829&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20">a new Encyclopedia Brown book in October</a>: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525425829/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0525425829&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20"><b><i>Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme</i></b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0525425829" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. In it, Idaville will be as it always was, with beautiful beaches, churches, a synagogue, a movie theatre, two delicatessens and four banks. Chief Brown will come home with an insoluble problem and Encyclopedia, while listening at the dinner table with his eyes closed, will ask the Chief the one question that will solve the case. Bugs Meany will plot his revenge against Encyclopedia and Sally will be there to protect him.<br />
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The neighborhood kids will continue to arrive at the family garage at 13 Rover Avenue, plunk down a quarter on the empty gas can, and ask Encyclopedia's advice on Wilford Wiggins’ latest get-rich-quick scheme. And I continue to read them. I'm also not ashamed to say that America's Sherlock Holmes in sneakers can still at times beat me to the solution. That's as it should be.<br />
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Thanks, Donald.<br />
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Remembering Encyclopedia Brown Author Donald Sobol

"a brown study" [CARD] Donald J. Sobol died on July 11 of natural causes at age 87. He was the author of over two dozen ...

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by James C. O'Leary

Adapting The Hound of the Baskervilles for Audio

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"singularly adapted to our needs" [MISS] </h4>
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<br />"If I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all." - <i>A Study in Scarlet </i></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white;">In March of this year I auditioned for a local production of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."  During auditions I overheard a comment by the artistic director that they were looking to do a production of <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>, but that they did not have a script yet. Being the life-long Holmes fanatic I am, I boldly (foolishly?) volunteered to adapt the script for the Post-Meridian Radio Players.  The major caveat was that I had to bring the script in under an hour.</span><br />
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I didn't know what I was in for. <br />
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First thing we did was transcribe a 1977 production done for the <a href="http://www.cbsrmt.com/">CBS Radio Mystery Theatre</a>.  This was to be my starting point.  If you've ever heard this version it's heavily abridged, with several major sequences and characters cut out.  The dialog is also, for lack of a better word, paraphrased. <br />
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To fix the paraphrasing problem we subsequently transcribed every scrap of dialog from the original novel into a basic radio script. <br />
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With these two scripts in hand I set out to marry them together.  My goals were as follows:<br />
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<li><span style="background-color: white;">To restore as much original Doyle dialog as possible. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">To restore the missing sequences of the cab-chase in London and the Laura Lyons character. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Get it down under an hour.  The producer told me, and I quote, "45 minutes would be best."</span></li>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a>I worked on my script for the better part of a month during rehearsals for "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (I scored a small part in that show) and it came in at 46 manuscript pages.  I thought I was in good shape, but the last step was the formatting.  If you've ever done a radio script before they follow a standard manuscript format that allows you to estimate the length of your show with each page equaling a minute of performance time.  I inserted my script into the template, let it format, and then counted the pages.<br />
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When the script came in at 117 pages total, well.  My response can't be repeated on this blog. <br />
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I had three weeks to get the script into fighting shape before auditions, so I began frantically cutting.  Every night I would go over the script looking for more that could be eliminated while keeping my original goals intact.  The boy seen going out to the stone-huts?  Gone.  The crazy neighbor who spies one everyone with a telescope?  Eliminated.  Holmes' lengthy summation of the case in the final chapter?  Condensed.  Many scenes that were originally two became one.  I honestly didn't think I'd make it. <br />
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But I did, and I'd like to think I did Sir Arthur proud. <br />
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<i><a href="http://www.huboftheuniverseproductions.com/events_srt12.html"><b>The Hound of the Baskervilles</b></a></i> opens this weekend (click through for more info), July 27th and 28th, at Responsible Grace at 204 Elm Street in Somerville, MA (just outside of Boston). Tickets are $15 / $12 for students & seniors, and you can <a href="http://www.huboftheuniverseproductions.com/events_tickets.html">reserve tickets by clicking here</a>.  We're part of the <a href="http://www.huboftheuniverseproductions.com/events_srt12.html">Summer Radio Mystery Theatre</a>, along with productions of 'Gracie Takes Up Crime-Solving' and 'Sorry, Wrong Number.'  Our final running time?  Just over 50 minutes. <br />
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Come see the show if you can.  I'll be playing Clayton the cab driver, so feel free to say hi after the show.  And be sure to mention that you read about the show on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.  <br />
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[<i><b>Editor's note</b>: the above was submitted by Jeremy Holstein from the Post-Meridian Radio Players</i>]<br />
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