I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

We Love Our Fans

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"Holmes looked thoughtful." [VALL]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWBJWfFp2lUk1nGVr4hzZZkWaGuanmip1whb-aLaHz1B6ieB-teVYVtMAH7Uo_UyComsjEx85MxwxR7ztQo3oXVsMnpvizi5hCJB62XB9A7rjAbqRr6LXCm7SF1_K8v-jfoUT8ptb1VnR/s1600/photo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sherlockian needlepoint closeup" border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWBJWfFp2lUk1nGVr4hzZZkWaGuanmip1whb-aLaHz1B6ieB-teVYVtMAH7Uo_UyComsjEx85MxwxR7ztQo3oXVsMnpvizi5hCJB62XB9A7rjAbqRr6LXCm7SF1_K8v-jfoUT8ptb1VnR/s1600/photo2.jpg" title="Sherlockian needlepoint" width="640" /></a></div>
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We think we're pretty fortunate here at IHOSE. That's because we have the best fans. While we could be accused of having a slight bias, we think back to what Sherlock Holmes said of Captain Jack Croker: "you ring true every time." [ABBE]<br />
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In this case, we're referring to superfan Steve Mason, whom we had the pleasure of meeting at the BSI Weekend in January. Steve told us that he drove to New York from Texas, and "to make the drive fun and more enriching, I listened to <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/episodes#.UzTgUPldWSo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">all 60 episodes</a> during the drive (many of them for the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th times)."<br />
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As if that weren't testament enough to Steve's dedication, he created a rather unique needlepoint. You may recognize the design.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqxB_Crmygw4iKZLtRZYp3JrguBWCu4cg1Zy6hUAYUMbOJhOueGDh_M9mAhooco_6kY2xmx6_HshroOEr6Kn-nB680akln6KLqSWstM8wxBDfskTt2J1ZWmyiF26HbYa7MPQhEzfzV75C/s1600/photo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Sherlock Holmes logo as interpreted in needlepoint." border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqxB_Crmygw4iKZLtRZYp3JrguBWCu4cg1Zy6hUAYUMbOJhOueGDh_M9mAhooco_6kY2xmx6_HshroOEr6Kn-nB680akln6KLqSWstM8wxBDfskTt2J1ZWmyiF26HbYa7MPQhEzfzV75C/s1600/photo1.jpg" title="IHOSE Needlepoint" width="480" /></a></div>
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Thanks to Steve and all of our dedicated readers and listeners! We really enjoy knowing that you're getting something out of our efforts.</div>
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Do you have a piece of handmade Sherlockian ephemera? Let us know what it is.</div>
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We Love Our Fans

"Holmes looked thoughtful." [VALL] We think we're pretty fortunate here at IHOSE. That's because we have the best f...

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by Scott Monty

Ghost Sightings on the London Underground

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"The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply." [SUSS]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UyvKku8ckspFn_zHR4OumVIUQzsEjeRAjEkIQsa00uvdq8KbSOAM6NoW8qQiS54olgVa9YtVXrEoSdT_C1b6DIGq1wY5_swC6gFjAvgDA-FRn6Q0gnxvCZVGuF9hoMo0LeWnVtp3gzHV/s1600/Tube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=""The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply." Funny London Underground signs." border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UyvKku8ckspFn_zHR4OumVIUQzsEjeRAjEkIQsa00uvdq8KbSOAM6NoW8qQiS54olgVa9YtVXrEoSdT_C1b6DIGq1wY5_swC6gFjAvgDA-FRn6Q0gnxvCZVGuF9hoMo0LeWnVtp3gzHV/s1600/Tube.jpg" title="London Underground sign" width="640" /></a></div>
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Strange things happen every day. But paranormal and other-worldly occurrences typically aren't part of mainstream conversation - and certainly are not expected to be part of the signage of a public transportation system.<br />
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And yet...<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Travelling in London on the Underground just got so much better!

Couldn't help but tweet! <a href="http://t.co/EGPRRFVR61">pic.twitter.com/EGPRRFVR61</a><br />
— Lorenzo Monteforte (@Renzo_Soprano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Renzo_Soprano/statuses/448371121529044992">March 25, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center>
<br />As always, let's turn to Sherlock Holmes himself for sage advice. In "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire," Holmes says,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
But are we to give serious attention to such things? This Agency stands flat-footed upon the ground, and there it must remain. The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply. I fear that we cannot take Mr. Robert Ferguson very seriously.</blockquote>
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One might replace "Robert Ferguson" with "the Lord Mayor" in this case. </div>
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Of course, it may also be an extension of a very clever effort from last year in which some enterprising individuals created <a href="http://imgur.com/a/lUWTG" target="_blank">a number of fake signs for the Underground</a>.</div>
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<i>Image credit: <a href="http://imgur.com/a/lUWTG" target="_blank">imgur.com</a></i></div>
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Ghost Sightings on the London Underground

"The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply." [SUSS] Strange things happen every day. But paranormal and other-worl...

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by Scott Monty

Marking 75 Years of This Classic Sherlock Holmes Film

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"A finer first appearance had never been made" [VALL]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpZAw1W__8DNecGBgOgt1PqWF-aRuncMHe2ldKhD8dEUVNcopoFrlxm6FWwK_UjfEzqTt9C9x6S7D2rR2JurGj3AEQyFiMpCy1ZNV6o9iOrt0vg0B7byA-TNKJfJidCPnnfPLqSWHl5eh/s1600/Hound-Of-The-Baskervilles-1939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sceenshot and still from The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpZAw1W__8DNecGBgOgt1PqWF-aRuncMHe2ldKhD8dEUVNcopoFrlxm6FWwK_UjfEzqTt9C9x6S7D2rR2JurGj3AEQyFiMpCy1ZNV6o9iOrt0vg0B7byA-TNKJfJidCPnnfPLqSWHl5eh/s1600/Hound-Of-The-Baskervilles-1939.jpg" title="Sceenshot and still from The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)" /></a></div>
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In some ways, the 1939 version of <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1fd2jJA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a></i> has seemed to have always been with us. In other ways, it's not all that long ago that it was released.<br />
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There is no question that Basil Rathbone was the definitive Sherlock Holmes of a generation; it could easily be supposed that he is one incarnation of Holmes that stands the test of time. His first turn as Holmes on the silver screen was in 20th Century Fox's <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>, which made its premiere on March 24, 1939 in New York City - exactly 75 years ago today.<br />
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This was the first time that the audience had the pleasure of seeing him team up with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, and the trusted comrades made their way from London to Dartmoor (via a Hollywood soundstage) to take on the wily Stapleton, the mysterious Barrymans (renamed so as not to be confused with the Barrymores, who at the time were Hollwood royalty), a medium, and an irascible Mr. Frankland, among others.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYc90wmEYUX1QLplVcAU3MsElf2PAFmxogmplnylTrfDqTjJL7HgfvQpawhSiwsc28Pq0ZEU3VShEH2ZEBpVWFjkDodE0iUhfsUEZ49Vvn4mzKWKAsreHhVgIHzsm39wqSE8_VwL1FBDI/s1600/Hound+1939+-+Watson+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), examining Dr. Mortimer's stick left behind in The Hound of the Baskervilles, as overseen by Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone)" border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYc90wmEYUX1QLplVcAU3MsElf2PAFmxogmplnylTrfDqTjJL7HgfvQpawhSiwsc28Pq0ZEU3VShEH2ZEBpVWFjkDodE0iUhfsUEZ49Vvn4mzKWKAsreHhVgIHzsm39wqSE8_VwL1FBDI/s1600/Hound+1939+-+Watson+Holmes.jpg" title="Bruce as Watson and Rathbone as Holmes" width="640" /></a></div>
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The two would return to the roles for some 13 additional films (all but one under Universal Pictures) and were immediately signed to a radio program based on the success of the film. It was to be a rich era for Sherlock Holmes fans, with a dozen films being released between 1942 and 1945.<br />
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Did you know?</h4>
One interesting bit of trivia: <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> was the first Sherlock Holmes film until that time that portrayed Sherlock Holmes in his original Victorian England. All of the other films placed Holmes in modern times.<br />
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Marking 75 Years of This Classic Sherlock Holmes Film

"A finer first appearance had never been made" [VALL] In some ways, the 1939 version of The Hound of the Baskervilles has se...

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by Scott Monty

Review: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle & Harry Houdini in The Adventure of the Spook House

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“No ghosts need
apply” [SUSS] </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWqddoarSzCUiDdaALnjwNvXKnsDBVs1veqLNWCYeHnjUjWVdzsZG023_KK6kzCr4-LoTpQJVUJYnAmSr3vXsGF2QvW5_yQrZqkKrvC_fe5Lyrd9910gY2qsN8isLwXUKjSbo92S6BJQd/s1600/HOUDINI_-_FRONT_COVER.only_hi-def.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini in The Adventure of the Spook House by C. Michael Forsyth" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWqddoarSzCUiDdaALnjwNvXKnsDBVs1veqLNWCYeHnjUjWVdzsZG023_KK6kzCr4-LoTpQJVUJYnAmSr3vXsGF2QvW5_yQrZqkKrvC_fe5Lyrd9910gY2qsN8isLwXUKjSbo92S6BJQd/s1600/HOUDINI_-_FRONT_COVER.only_hi-def.jpg" title="The Adventure of the Spook House" width="422" /></a></div>
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Several volumes have been written about the friendship of
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> These include <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1fRHG0o" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Final Seance: The Strange Friendship Between Houdini and Conan Doyle</a></i>, by Massimo Polidoro,</span> <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1moDfCH" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Masters of Mystery: the Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini</a></i> by Christopher Sandford, and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> of course Daniel Stashower's <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1f6BEcT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Teller of Tales: The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</a></i>. </span>These biographical accounts explore this rather unusual friendship between
one of the world’s most ardent spiritualists and one of the world’s most famous
magicians and phony medium debunkers.<br />
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But a new novel, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1dDEZQc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sir Arthur Conan Doyle & Harry Houdini in The Adventure of the Spook House</a></i>, is a ripping good yarn about a fictitious adventure of the
two men that incorporates interesting and accurate background information on
each. The book is available as of March 24 - appropriately enough, the 140th anniversary of Harry Houdini's birth - in both paperback and Kindle. (<a href="http://amzn.to/1dDEZQc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/1f6Dtqo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a>)<br />
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Author C. Michael Forsyth did a
commendable job of researching their relationship, and has more than a passing
knowledge of their individual biographies as well. In his Afterword he notes that he “fudged
almost no details about their lives prior to the . . . fictional events . . .
set in 1922.”  He even uses their own
words verbatim from published letters, speeches and interviews in order to
capture their personalities and manner of speaking. You definitely notice their different
speaking patterns and their very different attitudes as they encounter a very
‘spooky’ mystery.</div>
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The mystery is introduced by a fellow M.D. from the United States who
seeks out the help of Sir Arthur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>He
describes the mysterious disappearance of a close friend in an old, abandoned
mansion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sir Arthur prevails upon his
friend Houdini to journey with him to investigate and determine if spirits were
involved or if a more mundane explanation can be provided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harry and Sir Arthur journey together to
Virginia where they hear of the history of the old house which was converted to
an inn by its architect owner who went mad after the death of his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They hear rumors of occult rituals, possible
murders, other disappearances over the years, and a phantom disappearing dining
room with the bodies of the missing victims, very dead indeed, sitting around
the table.</div>
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While Houdini and Conan Doyle both look for explanations that fit
their own biases, they do proceed methodically, attempting to eliminate the
impossible and find the improbable answer to the mystery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harry, of course, is extremely skeptical but
willing to work with Sir Arthur who arranges a séance in the house with a
medium known to Houdini (the medium apparently was modeled on the real life
‘Margery,’ who was subjected to an examination by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scientific American</i>, and whom Houdini did attempt to unmask as a
fraud).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sir Arthur is appreciative of
Houdini’s expertise at uncovering fraud, but continues to believe that Houdini
himself has ‘mystic’ powers to which he will not admit.</div>
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It was a fun read and I especially enjoyed the cover artwork
by Ronilson Freire – it would make a great poster if available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle & Harry Houdini in The Adventure of the Spook House</i>
by C. Michael Forsyth is available on Amazon in print and electronic versions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<a href="http://amzn.to/1dDEZQc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/1f6Dtqo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a>) </div>
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[<i>Editor's note</i>: Bob Stek, BSI is ‘the mysterious scientist’ and co-author of
“Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini: Their Friendship (and Debates) Continue?” in the<i> Journal of Spirituality and Paranormal
Studies</i>, July 2011 – Vol. 34, # 3]</div>
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<i>(Disclosure: a complimentary electronic copy was provided
for review purposes)</i><br />
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