I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Mr. Holmes - An Emotional and Somber Sherlock

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"All emotions...were abhorrent to his cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind" [SCAN]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcI7M2rdioSsmts66Hj-3s4jPmDnrEC-2BmW632Zjtl9yZtgiYYkrcsPwEce0i4YIOMwJh3_qxsJVs4U0fk1kmdLnWgBOWFXbwkkGP6B-temiFiQeQO8h51DPsrZ5gV0hPIJFJS2ENSHT/s1600/Mr.+Holmes+-+title.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcI7M2rdioSsmts66Hj-3s4jPmDnrEC-2BmW632Zjtl9yZtgiYYkrcsPwEce0i4YIOMwJh3_qxsJVs4U0fk1kmdLnWgBOWFXbwkkGP6B-temiFiQeQO8h51DPsrZ5gV0hPIJFJS2ENSHT/s640/Mr.+Holmes+-+title.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
When we first encounter Sir Ian McKellen as an aged 93 year-old Sherlock Holmes, he is on a train returning to his home in Sussex after a journey to Japan. His demeanor is dour, but it lightens ever so slightly when he reaches his seaside farm, where he immediately retreats to his study.<br />
<br />
If you had any expectation that <i>Mr. Holmes</i> would be a thinking-person's Sherlock Holmes film, centered on the detective as tireless clue hunter, you should be dissuaded of that notion immediately.<br />
<br />
This is a film focused on the inner Sherlock Holmes - one whom we don't completely know, even after some four decades of Dr. Watson's storytelling. We quickly learn that there were many embellishments that Dr. Watson made: the deerstalker cap, the curved pipe, 221B Baker Street as the fictional address of Holmes (a nice nod to a conundrum that Sherlockians still can't entirely agree upon), and more.<br />
<br />
But we discover that the reclusive Holmes of the South Downs holds a deeper secret: his mind, for which he is famous and which is responsible for his reputation, is failing him. He needs to find a way to stem the tide. As his mind grapples with the knowledge that it is slowly deteriorating, there is a restrained urgency to his desire to find a cure before it leaves him entirely.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WhPPq9cmPCc?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
Along the way, we meet Mrs. Munro (played by Laura Linney), Holmes's housekeeper, and her 10 year-old son Roger (Milo Parker), who are companions as well as helpmates to Holmes inside the house and with his apiaries. Holmes takes a special liking to Roger, as he teaches him about bee keeping and the principles of observation - perhaps seeing a bit of himself as a young boy in the clever Roger.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZU6CHnAO-YmwPJ8XBCdFZ_ra8X85XWbYtu4DJyfdhRhtZotKF36-xSsZhKJqHzoSzJS0tLc1TV-KadK5RhzIVSqzFhMfPSGTvxCeb2cYbvKCblhKBDX6Jt4xXuas9JG8vXGSB52r5QUt/s1600/Mr.+Holmes.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZU6CHnAO-YmwPJ8XBCdFZ_ra8X85XWbYtu4DJyfdhRhtZotKF36-xSsZhKJqHzoSzJS0tLc1TV-KadK5RhzIVSqzFhMfPSGTvxCeb2cYbvKCblhKBDX6Jt4xXuas9JG8vXGSB52r5QUt/s640/Mr.+Holmes.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Holmes confides to Roger that he's trying to write the details of a particular case - in fact, the very case that caused him to retire some 33 years prior - and must do so before his mind completely fails him. This takes Holmes on a trip to Japan to seek out a cure. We're also treated to flashbacks to three decades before, as he catches glimpses of memories of the case - in which a Mr. Kelmot hired Holmes to track the meanderings of his wife.<br />
<br />
As the film moves seamlessly between timeframes (sometimes annoyingly so), the clues are mostly visual in nature: settings in the City as well as in Japan, for example. But the most stark difference is McKellen's Holmes himself. We go from a stooped, frail and age-spotted nonagenarian deep in retirement in 1947 to a more spry, quick-spoken and visibly younger detective, at close of his career. McKellen's transformation to the elderly Holmes is a feat of the makeup department as much as the considerable acting talent.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoJkGYMEvs5bBgUcc6LnixnCASHg43BkZg9TcaEIMH560UVaaRV00KMvDR5ShT9TQJBKrU2vpua5GHiTuVZ5plYU8bblQATGEhbm8crU8GAKzrRUbTVDsifqDNlXRWcwa5Giz0LvKcgTd/s1600/Mr.+Holmes+-+Baker+St.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoJkGYMEvs5bBgUcc6LnixnCASHg43BkZg9TcaEIMH560UVaaRV00KMvDR5ShT9TQJBKrU2vpua5GHiTuVZ5plYU8bblQATGEhbm8crU8GAKzrRUbTVDsifqDNlXRWcwa5Giz0LvKcgTd/s640/Mr.+Holmes+-+Baker+St.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But more than the visuals, we were taken by the exploration of the inner Sherlock Holmes - something we rarely glimpse in the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Here we have a Holmes with regrets, an infatuation with a woman whom he spent less than a day with, a deep sadness and sense of loss of his stalwarts: his long-suffering landlady Mrs. Hudson, his brother Mycroft, and of course Dr. Watson. The physical struggles are there on the surface, constantly. It's the mental and emotional anguish that ebb and flow, yet McKellen's Holmes makes it clear when those things affect him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZF2cRtZoLwchW-NzYMmIHl-y9ql6tZ2RYtYYsf6_TUwQdPlmfN4OHw0XI5RJeSvX6Wu4lnluK0k0o6UptupUxOHKB-Umch4s0AaABWm3ERwMmHJ8vb6GEKSI7VOHqM8LFO3nQLWACMW8/s1600/Mr.+Holmes+-+magnifying+glass.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZF2cRtZoLwchW-NzYMmIHl-y9ql6tZ2RYtYYsf6_TUwQdPlmfN4OHw0XI5RJeSvX6Wu4lnluK0k0o6UptupUxOHKB-Umch4s0AaABWm3ERwMmHJ8vb6GEKSI7VOHqM8LFO3nQLWACMW8/s640/Mr.+Holmes+-+magnifying+glass.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
There is a shared sense of sadness, loss and loneliness in each of Holmes, Mrs. Kelmot and Mrs. Munro. They have all lost someone of great importance to them, and a hole exists in their hearts that cannot be completely filled. While each chooses his or her own way to deal with the loss and solitude, one thing becomes eminently clear: having a purpose gives our life meaning. Mrs. Munro nursing Holmes back to health, Watson writing up Holmes's last case to show the hero, or Roger as the pupil, bringing the natural teaching and demonstration abilities of Holmes back to life. This sense of purpose fulfills a need.<br />
<br />
Overall, the film was a decent adaptation of Mitch Cullin's <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1400078229" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="8c2ae9fe5a035c99c2ba3c8ca3b13a31" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Slight Trick of the Mind" href="http://amzn.to/1EdBJIy" id="amznPsBmLink_2796102" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2796102" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=socialmediama-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=8c2ae9fe5a035c99c2ba3c8ca3b13a31&_cb=1437544512154" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, upon which it was based. There were certain deviations from the original which had to be made to accommodate a visual audience and to simplify the storyline, but the essence of a real and feeling Sherlock Holmes was maintained. While the jumps between time lines was potentially confusing, moviegoers should be able to pick up on it easily. But it is one that may not leave you completely satisfied, due in large part to its emotional bent. At the conclusion, we were left with a sense of melancholy for Sherlock Holmes, who, even though he discovered what he set out to, was still at heart a solitary and lonely man.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmq_wxYxx9TU0kbvt5fNM0lpPcoMsE6_x464-jmWnPafBkc0HEIUFAoEDwx9l06N9x2AqIjBQuUcpmEoDXoyf6o3yDnAQGG_gx-gYMyG3P0951u3zvx8FdZc6cgXtdDfvTqpZ3XCSeLRp/s1600/Mr.+Holmes+-+writing.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmq_wxYxx9TU0kbvt5fNM0lpPcoMsE6_x464-jmWnPafBkc0HEIUFAoEDwx9l06N9x2AqIjBQuUcpmEoDXoyf6o3yDnAQGG_gx-gYMyG3P0951u3zvx8FdZc6cgXtdDfvTqpZ3XCSeLRp/s640/Mr.+Holmes+-+writing.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Two items of note that we thought were worth pointing out. In one of the flashback scenes, Holmes follows Mrs. Kelmot out of a garden and discovers her in the street, loitering in front of a store. Clever eyes will note that it is a taxidermist's shop, name of Ambrose Chappell. If that name sounds familiar, you might recall that was the name of the taxidermist in Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 classic <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B000CCW2TS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="04b7ce64d4a36b36642e63ad62515baf" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Man Who Knew Too Much" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Man-Who-Knew-Much/dp/B000CCW2TS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=socialmediama-20&linkId=04b7ce64d4a36b36642e63ad62515baf&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_4936587" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Man Who Knew Too Much</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4936587" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=socialmediama-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=04b7ce64d4a36b36642e63ad62515baf&_cb=1437544933463" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>.<br />
<br />
The other is the cameo that everyone is talking about. When Holmes goes to see the fictional Sherlock Holmes film <i>The Lady in Grey</i> in 1947, we're treated to Nicholas Rowe playing the matinee Sherlock Holmes. Of course, Rowe had the lead role in the 1985 Chris Columbus film <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0000AUHPC" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="8b29e0239d6ffc002123601212992b6d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Young Sherlock Holmes" href="http://www.amazon.com/Young-Sherlock-Holmes-Nicholas-Rowe/dp/B0000AUHPC/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=socialmediama-20&linkId=8b29e0239d6ffc002123601212992b6d&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_6286916" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Young Sherlock Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6286916" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=socialmediama-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=8b29e0239d6ffc002123601212992b6d&_cb=1437545033971" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3I-pd6Mhs9b_v8NBcO_6f3xgpqeWKQJ4-gGveMj24ReVn3PRuFMTvu9IC7ZmGQPNWdxVnIq-8-I3p2coXY_ptGmFs0Cr1Gh14-BH7PA3yjofpjmImrea2kLIA6EOyVWFvKVwk-TfXKMK/s1600/Mr.+Holmes+-+theater.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3I-pd6Mhs9b_v8NBcO_6f3xgpqeWKQJ4-gGveMj24ReVn3PRuFMTvu9IC7ZmGQPNWdxVnIq-8-I3p2coXY_ptGmFs0Cr1Gh14-BH7PA3yjofpjmImrea2kLIA6EOyVWFvKVwk-TfXKMK/s640/Mr.+Holmes+-+theater.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We highly recommend the film to Sherlockians everywhere. Just be prepared for a subdued plot with a deep and perceptive performance by Ian McKellen, bringing you the inner Sherlock Holmes that seems more human and flawed than ever.<br />
<br />
--

Mr. Holmes - An Emotional and Somber Sherlock

"All emotions...were abhorrent to his cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind" [SCAN] When we first encounter Sir Ian McKe...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes and the Power of Poison

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"Well up in...poisons generally" [STUD]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEc_PalJ5WCiU0BClCxQBBmVjNh65zdBBMSLj13jWm2zDpXNHUnZ5aStpBg_u5vjk4zOJFSeGz_E3U8Qg8aZbaJaWYOyFM3HcFHSvTV9F4U8KJU49_4u7srZ25JfOeR0cSh161ISuLAYO/s1600/Poisons+of+the+rainforest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEc_PalJ5WCiU0BClCxQBBmVjNh65zdBBMSLj13jWm2zDpXNHUnZ5aStpBg_u5vjk4zOJFSeGz_E3U8Qg8aZbaJaWYOyFM3HcFHSvTV9F4U8KJU49_4u7srZ25JfOeR0cSh161ISuLAYO/s640/Poisons+of+the+rainforest.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The latest exhibit at <a href="http://www.dmns.org/" target="_blank">The Denver Museum of Nature and Science</a> is <a href="http://www.dmns.org/the-power-of-poison/" target="_blank">The Power of Poison</a> which runs from July 10, 2015 - January 10, 2016.  The exhibit is a wonderful learning experience where patrons learn the deadly effects of poison as well as their positive uses for medicine and their influence in literature, including a small mention of Sherlock Holmes.<br />
<br />
Museum goers begin the exhibit by getting to walk through a recreation of Colombia's Choco rainforest.  There are live poison dart frogs (though, this variety contains no Batrachotoxin, which is 250 times more powerful than Strychnine, in their skins), and models of other deadly insects and animals.  Some include the longwing butterflies, which contain cyanide in their brightly colored wings; Bullet ants, whose toxin, called Ponerotoxin, causes long lasting contractions in mammalian muscles; and even the Great Tailed Gackle, a bird with poisonous feathers. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
The second part of the exhibit focuses on stories of poison and their use in myths and legends.  Some of the myths include a choctaw story of a vine which kills by the touch, and a unique African myth known as The Story of Death. In this tale, one learns that rabbits and men were once natural enemies.  A rabbit tricked a man into eating a poisonous root and thus, death entered our world.  There is also an interesting animated feature explaining the myth of Hercules and the Hydra.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-74gEkDP0FJ_HMXCCGfWTBRaHmspfmGHrxv0a6DxrDGytDYebXjlKSvuatMtdP5J69XNU5cwwGiIOIUQxCORS5NK6J2saXjyaPbJoGIp0yQqzOA_de6w9UHGWeg1MIxE2telfubpLYoP/s1600/Witches+brew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-74gEkDP0FJ_HMXCCGfWTBRaHmspfmGHrxv0a6DxrDGytDYebXjlKSvuatMtdP5J69XNU5cwwGiIOIUQxCORS5NK6J2saXjyaPbJoGIp0yQqzOA_de6w9UHGWeg1MIxE2telfubpLYoP/s640/Witches+brew.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
After reading about myths, one enters the section of the exhibit featuring poison in literature.  Here, there is a small display of a deerstalker hat and the anthology <i>Sherlock Holmes: Selected Stories</i>. There is a brief explanation of Holmes and poison saying that the great detective was a master of poisons.  He identified the poison dart in <i>The Sign of the Four</i>. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle drew on his medical knowledge which contained a great deal of information on poisons and medicines.<br />
<br />
While I would have liked more about Holmes, (I'm shocked that there was no mention of <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>,<i> </i>"The Speckled Band," or "The Sussex Vampire"), this Sherlockian was happy to see the consulting detective included in the exhibit.  If you want more Sherlock Holmes, fear not! In October, the concurrent exhibit, <a href="http://sherlockholmesexhibition.com/" target="_blank">The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes</a> opens at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.<br />
<br />
The final portion of the exhibit focuses on cures and medicines made from poisons. One learns that many of our advances in medicines come from a basis in poison.  What can cure you in small amounts can kill you in large amounts.  Current research mentioned in the exhibit involves poison from the bark of the Yew tree being used as an effective anti-cancer medicine, and the venom from a tarantula being used to treat epilepsy. <br />
<br />
This is a fantastic exhibit which is free with admission to the museum. <a href="https://www.dmns.org/the-power-of-poison/exhibition-features/" target="_blank">More information about the exhibit is available here</a>.  For information on the upcoming exhibit, The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes, <a href="http://www.dmns.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/the-international-exhibition-of-sherlock-holmes/" target="_blank">click here</a>. <br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />

Sherlock Holmes and the Power of Poison

"Well up in...poisons generally" [STUD] The latest exhibit at The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is The Power of P...

+ Read more »

by Belanger Books

Behind the World's Largest New Sherlock Holmes Story Collection

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"a large collection of valuable curiosities"[SIGN]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84OFyF7ufM1YEKE5beWYGM77rItoUnetzCqn7sl2g5eP4pCBJhyxi1R0X1E6XzxsaOeO2LyackpMpJnCJDXfuLv7DyLmDPIJulNJpBn7UIiVaAaUrlSlkB7DPFsoxUxW_yIHXOzbHbN5Y/s1600/Anthology.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84OFyF7ufM1YEKE5beWYGM77rItoUnetzCqn7sl2g5eP4pCBJhyxi1R0X1E6XzxsaOeO2LyackpMpJnCJDXfuLv7DyLmDPIJulNJpBn7UIiVaAaUrlSlkB7DPFsoxUxW_yIHXOzbHbN5Y/s640/Anthology.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the three-volume series <i><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1229605719/the-worlds-largest-new-sherlock-holmes-story-colle" target="_blank">The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories</a></i>, an anthology of over 60 traditional pastiches from leading Sherlock Holmes authors, is off to a tremendous start. The anthology has garnered  media attention, as it sets the world record for <a href="http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-07-15/largest-ever-collection-of-new-sherlock-holmes-stories-will-raise-money-to-restore-conan-doyles-house" target="_blank">the largest collection of new Sherlock Holmes stories ever compiled</a>.<br />
<br />
The three volumes are not just a new series of stories but also an altruistic collection. The anthology is a fundraiser for <a href="http://www.steppingstones.org.uk/Stepping-Stones-is-growing/" target="_blank">Stepping Stones</a> which is helping to restore <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Undershaw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Undershaw</a>, the home in which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>, and which has fallen into significant disrepair. The aim of Stepping Stones's involvement is to turn Undershaw into a school for students with special needs. Within 48 hours, the Kickstarter campaign raised its initial goal of £2,000; however, a more ambitious goal is to raise £10,000 by the time the Kickstarter campaign concludes on August 16th.<br />
<br />
I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere briefly interviewed Steve Emecz, of <a href="http://www.mxpublishing.com/index.html" target="_blank">MX Publishing</a>, the publisher of the anthology, and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Marcum/e/B00K1IKA92" target="_blank">David Marcum</a>, the editor and compiler of the anthology, about this ambitious project, its goals, and why the funds are going to support the preservation of Undershaw.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: For this project, what made you both decide to create such a massive anthology of new traditional Sherlock Holmes tales?</b></h4>
<b>Steve Emecz:</b> I have to give the credit to David (Marcum) for the idea. We had discussed many times over the years producing an MX collection, but it was David’s thought to create a big one for Undershaw and open it up to all Holmes writers, not just MX’s own. The beauty of having so many people participate is it is creating so much awareness for the Undershaw project.<br />
<br />
<b>David Marcum:</b> The original intention was much more modest. In late January 2015, I was awakened early one Saturday morning by a vivid dream of a new Holmes anthology. Rather than rolling over, falling back asleep, and forgetting about it. I got up and started thinking about authors that I knew (or with whom I’d communicated) that might be willing to participate. I specifically wanted people who would write traditional Holmes stories, set in the correct time period. I emailed MX publisher Steve Emecz, and he was very positive about the idea, so I started sending invitations. I had initially envisioned something along the lines of a dozen or so stories. However, my wish list kept growing, and so did the number of people who wanted to join the party. I had always thought of this as a one-volume idea, probably paperback, but when the book was going to be so big that it would have a tiny font-size and so many pages that the spine would crack, Steve and I discussed the idea of going to two volumes. Later, when it was clear that it would be substantial enough for three hardcover volumes, the decision to go bigger was much easier. At that point, we realized just how important this collection was going to be.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: Tell us about the Undershaw Trust and the Stepping Stone Schools.  Why are they worthy organizations to support through this endeavor?</b></h4>
<b>SE:</b> The <a href="http://saveundershaw.com/" target="_blank">Undershaw Preservation Trust</a> (UPT) did an amazing job fighting the destruction of the house for several years until a suitable owner came forward. Without John, Lynn and Sue and the thousands of supporters there would be no Undershaw today as it would have been chopped up by a developer. They blocked it all the way to the high court. In 2014 Stepping Stones bought the house and this year began restoration. Stepping Stones is a specialist education facility that looks after children with learning disabilities. I’ve been lucky enough to meet the Stepping Stones team and some of the kids. They do an incredible job and it’s a fitting legacy for Undershaw and one that Conan Doyle would be proud of.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE:  How was the anthology compiled?  How were the authors chosen?</b></h4>
</div>
<div>
<b>DM:</b> At first, I had a very short list of people that I already knew, often just through email correspondence. I asked them to participate, and the response was immediate and positive. As I became more ambitious and confident – as well as greedy to read new stories straight from Watson’s tin dispatch box – I combed my book shelves, seeing which authors I wanted to ask next. Of course, some that I asked weren’t able to participate due to various reasons, but everyone was gracious and helpful. Along the way we picked up several additional participants that were recommended by authors who had already joined the project. In other cases, I had to do some detective work – and it helped that my first career in my twenties was as a U.S. Federal Investigator – as I tracked down physical addresses for people that couldn’t be contacted by email. Several authors in England, for instance, are only reachable by mail, which certainly makes one recall the old days before emails and instant communication.<br />
<br />
My main condition when assembling the stories was that the authors’ submissions had to be about the true Holmes and Watson from the Original Canon. There could be no parodies, and no new characteristics about them that were not in the original stories. I indicated that the authors could use the characters, but they had to put them back unchanged for the next author when they were done. All of the stories in the book do that, with great success. I’m currently re-reading all of the submissions for the final edit, and some of these stories still give me chills, even after multiple readings. This is going to be good!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMqYFDueoixrzXVMalCpgJliZ_DieUrNNXe7BUrwfIOeG_IyJr35pCuClYp0YhsrQ00cw-aMt_wu-FuqPUXYoaEXz7OQt1P-J0mCuasylWxwUPUSs5KeRobjodUpRUX_X2sRf_I3GaPI-/s1600/MX+Book+-+The+Stories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMqYFDueoixrzXVMalCpgJliZ_DieUrNNXe7BUrwfIOeG_IyJr35pCuClYp0YhsrQ00cw-aMt_wu-FuqPUXYoaEXz7OQt1P-J0mCuasylWxwUPUSs5KeRobjodUpRUX_X2sRf_I3GaPI-/s640/MX+Book+-+The+Stories.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the manuscripts from Volume 1 - printed out and edited</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: I am sure all the stories in the anthology are exceptional. Tell us about a few stories that stand out.</b></h4>
<b>DM:</b> It seems as if there is a unique story for every author that I contacted. Many were strangers back then who were instantly gracious about being approached with no warning, and so many have now turned into friends. For instance, just after we “met” by email, bestseller Andrew Lane sent me another Holmes story that he’d just written for my opinion, probably just because he knew that I’d enjoy it. Then, when he was writing the story for this collection, he sent me a sentence at a time for part of an afternoon, just to drive me crazy.<br />
<br />
I contacted best-selling author Lyndsay Faye, who has written a number of Holmes short stories, early on, and she agreed immediately. Of course, she was in the middle of all the things associated with the release of her latest book, including a nationwide tour. I don’t spend much time on Facebook, but this project has made me visit there more often, and I saw some of her journey chronicled there. In the middle of Lyndsay’s busiest time, and before I was expecting it since I could follow how busy she was, her story arrived in my inbox one day. That was really cool.<br />
<br />
Lyndsay is a member of both the Baker Street Irregulars and also the Baker Street Babes. This collection also has several stories written by other members of both groups. And then there is <a href="http://amzn.to/1Swtu0X" target="_blank">Larry Millett</a>, who has written seven excellent Holmes novels. He wrote a story, and then allowed it to appear in the latest Strand magazine in order to give the project some extra exposure.<br />
<br />
There are so many other stories as well. I was able to locate my favorite pastiche writer of them all, the legendary <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="SEARCH" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="a3f483b3b6d45e7ed29b16f794c5ab5f" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Denis O. Smith" href="http://amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Denis%20O.%20Smith&tag=socialmediama-20&linkId=a3f483b3b6d45e7ed29b16f794c5ab5f&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_6805030" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Denis O. Smith</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6805030" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=socialmediama-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a3f483b3b6d45e7ed29b16f794c5ab5f&_cb=1437369585316" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have a new story from him, and to have been the first one to read it. I also found the amazing John Hall, who contributed his first new pastiche in several years. We have a story by best-seller Will Thomas, who has thus far only written about Holmes’s contemporary investigator, Cyrus Barker, and has now written his first Holmes adventure. Then there is best-seller James Lovegrove, who I first contacted last year to discuss the location of Holmes’s retirement cottage in Sussex, near where James lives. After that, I felt comfortable in asking him to contribute to this project. <br />
<br />
We have a contribution from <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/09/episode-68-sherlock-holmes-on-radio.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bert Coules</a>, who supervised the amazing BBC broadcast of the entire Canon. And we have a number of stories from writers who have contributed to the U.S. radio show, <a href="http://jimfrenchproductions.com/zc137m/" target="_blank">Imagination Theatre</a>, including founder Jim French, and writers Matthew Elliott, Matthew Booth, John Hall, Daniel McGachey, Iain McLaughlin and Claire Bartlett, Jeremy Holstein, J.R. Campbell, and me (<a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/05/the-tangled-skeins-of-sherlock-holmes.html#.VayFJPlViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">David Marcum</a>).<br />
<br />
There are a lot who have famously already written about Holmes, and others who have written in other genres, but not about Holmes before. Several of our authors originally wrote some fan-fiction that’s as good as anything I’ve ever read anywhere about Holmes. I found their real identities and asked them to join us, and they did, with amazing results! Finally, I asked a few people who have done a great deal of work in keeping the world of Holmes alive, but hadn’t tried writing a story until now. Someone once said that every Sherlockian should write at least one pastiche, and this gave these folks the chance to do it. They truly knocked it out of the park. I’m now trying to convince them to write even more stories for their own future books, just so I’ll have even more to read about Our Heroes.</div>
<div>
<br />
[<b><i>Editor's note</i></b>: a listing of the full set of authors is available <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1229605719/the-worlds-largest-new-sherlock-holmes-story-colle" target="_blank">on the Kickstarter campaign page</a>.]<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>IHOSE: What is the goal of the Kickstarter campaign?</b></h3>
<b>SE:</b> The goals of the Kickstarter campaign are firstly awareness, and secondly to cover all the setup costs of the project so that we can begin to raise funds for the restoration straight away. We need to get to around £10,000 to achieve that. We set the public goal quite low at £2,000 to ensure it goes ahead but we’re hopeful to reach the main goal. As anyone that has done a crowdsourcing project, quite a lot of what people pledge is taking up in fulfillment costs – the anthology is nearly 3 kg in weight so expensive to ship.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
For those wishing to purchase the anthology and help preserve Undershaw, the collection will only be <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1229605719/the-worlds-largest-new-sherlock-holmes-story-colle" target="_blank">available for preorder through the Kickstarter campaign</a>. It will then be available from <a href="http://amzn.to/1HK9v9S" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">major online</a> and brick and mortar bookstores.<br />
<br />
Look for spotlight articles - <b><i>and a contest in which you'll have a chance to win a set of the entire set</i></b> - in the next 30 days here at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, where we will have anthology contributors tell us a little bit about their stories and why they felt it was important to contribute to the anthology and help save Undershaw.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<br /></div>

Behind the World's Largest New Sherlock Holmes Story Collection

"a large collection of valuable curiosities"[SIGN] A Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the three-volume series The ...

+ Read more »

by Belanger Books

Episode 79: Collectors' Corner - Glen Miranker

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"a connoisseur and collector" [ILLU]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwIM-dOlEJ-KxsmYIensUuLPm4smwFoZ5Q__pr6BUQ0Sjij3-HS2676H7Jp4_-KAXjJE57vN6-s3kKwRX0mbqXXDIoPqt4IZdWe-QMCDJjZquOqT228aD4WWb9xntvtYVMrwfRkm8b3Yi/s1600/Glen+%2526+Eille.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwIM-dOlEJ-KxsmYIensUuLPm4smwFoZ5Q__pr6BUQ0Sjij3-HS2676H7Jp4_-KAXjJE57vN6-s3kKwRX0mbqXXDIoPqt4IZdWe-QMCDJjZquOqT228aD4WWb9xntvtYVMrwfRkm8b3Yi/s640/Glen+%2526+Eille.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3675384/height/90/width/600/theme/custom/autoplay/yes/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/7e011d/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
</div><br />
Glen Miranker, BSI, 2s ("<i>The Origin of Tree Worship</i>") is one of the foremost Sherlockian and Doylean collectors in the world. To see his collection in person would send chills up even the most austere Sherlockian's spine.<br />
<br />
We asked Glen to join us, not solely because of the depth and breadth of his Sherlockian collection, but because he has many personal stories that effectively illustrate what it means to be a collector. From his first real collectible book to the individuals who mentored him along the way, Glen learned a great deal and is more than willing to share his passion with the world.<br />
<br />
From Sherlockian giants like <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose77" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Posnansky</a>, Marv Epstein and <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose75" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bliss Austin</a>, we hear of Glen's encounters with them and what they passed along to him. We literally step into Glen's library on a tour (audio-only, although we do have a few photos of what lies within), including some original Conan Doyle letters and even trench warfare magazines - just the tip of the iceberg of his collection.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvU5kNHZBhIpwUujKPoZDyRM2x2x7bW42BTCRAg89W8MH7BA6vjHcWnh9opH5UGmp7Fx9lBeRJrQil-OL-MXmkeTjz_bCKTMiNBtTnptkRS1lsm1-o0PhDxkFjd_qGUXf_pYUlhVKJupOm/s1600/IMG_1759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvU5kNHZBhIpwUujKPoZDyRM2x2x7bW42BTCRAg89W8MH7BA6vjHcWnh9opH5UGmp7Fx9lBeRJrQil-OL-MXmkeTjz_bCKTMiNBtTnptkRS1lsm1-o0PhDxkFjd_qGUXf_pYUlhVKJupOm/s640/IMG_1759.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
We also have a roundup of Sherlock Holmes news, from events to the summer feature <i>Mr. Holmes</i>, to a fascinating set of infographics from The Guardian, as well as some listener comments. That plus our usual set of sponsors (and one very special one) round out the show.<br />
<br />
<div>This time around the Gas-Lamp is a poem from another San Francisco Sherlockian on the auspicious evening of March 31, 1944. And you might want to be sure you pay attention for a special <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_(interaction_design)" target="_blank">Easter egg</a>.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div></div><h4 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock079.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 51.9 MB, 1:52:44</h4><div><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/214788161&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</div><div><br />
<h3>Links:</h3><ul><li>What <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/07/heres-how-scintillation-of-scions-viii.html#.VZ_tqvlViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">happened at Scintillation of Scions VIII</a>, including a screening of Herlock</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/07/new-sherlock-trailer-strikes.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trailer and teaser image</a> for <i>Sherlock</i> special </li>
<li>A clever <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2015/jun/29/sherlock-holmes-examining-the-evidence-in-charts" target="_blank">set of infographics from The Guardian</a> </li>
<li>Fox is planning <a href="http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/houdini-and-doyle-fox-series-michael-weston-stephen-mangan-1201526721/" target="_blank"><i>Houdini & Doyle</i> for 2016</a> </li>
<li>Our friend (and <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose67" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IHOSE 67</a> guest) Tim Johnson was <a href="http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/06/27/books-thread-sherlock-archive-minnesota" target="_blank">featured on Minnesota Public Radio</a> </li>
</ul></div><div><br />
<br />
Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard and Scoop.it sites at <a href="http://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a> and <a href="http://www.scoop.it/t/sherlock-holmes" target="_blank">ihose.co/scoopsherlock</a>, as well as on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/114565123495685504221" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Community</a> on Google+ (over 2,600 members), as well as through our accounts on <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://bit.ly/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">subscribe to us on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Soundcloud</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/i-hear-of-sherlock-everywhere?refid=stpr" target="_blank">Stitcher</a> or <a href="http://www.spreaker.com/user/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Spreaker</a> and be kind enough to leave a rating or review for the show. And please tell a friend about us, in any fashion you feel comfortable.<br />
<br />
Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (ihearofsherlock AT gmail DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323).<br />
<br />
<h3>Sponsors</h3>This episode includes two sponsors that deserve your attention:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a> (check out the new <a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/newspaper.html" target="_blank"><i>Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle in the Newspapers Volume 1</i></a>)<br />
<a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Baker Street Journal</i></a>, where you should get <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/subscriptions.html" target="_blank">your annual subscription</a> in now to secure all four issues and a very special Christmas Annual about <i>The Seven Per-Cent Solution</i>.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
--<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div></div>