I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

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"a French artist who flourished" [VALL] </h4>
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Thank you for your continued interest in "Mental Exaltation," the quiz segment of the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere internet radio show. You can listen to <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose80" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 80</a>, in which our guest Zach Dundas played on behalf of a contestant (annotated below at 1:20:00).<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">If you've listened to NPR shows like </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> and </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Weekend Edition Sunday</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">, you'll know that there are opportunities for listeners to participate in quizzes. In the former, a guest typically plays on behalf of a listener; on the latter, the listener plays live on the air.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Here's how "</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Mental Exaltation</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">" works:</span></div>
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<li>Each month, we'll post a qualifying question to determine a listener who'll play / be played for on the program. Winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries.</li>
<li>If you'd like to enter, you must <a href="http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub&publisher=445106&sitescope=45933" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">subscribe to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere by email</a>.</li>
<li>We'll either have a guest play on your behalf or we'll patch you into the show to have you play over the phone or Skype.</li>
<li>If your player or you succeeds in passing the test, you'll win a random item from our I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Grab-Bag of Goodies (that's the IHOSE GBG).</li>
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The next interview episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere will feature author and screenwriter Bonnie Macbird who has written <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Ro0g5h" target="_blank">Art in the Blood</a></i><img border="0" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=14994121cab4f07ffad031d2608939d7&_cb=1443928534489" /><img border="0" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=socialmediama-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=cd2980ee10ef76e1a4780d5f01a7e206&_cb=1441721306537" />. Our quiz and the qualifying question are directly related to the book, so stay tuned and you may have a chance to win a copy of the book!<br />
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<b style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 18.2px;">Qualify now</b><br />
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Qualify for the Quiz on Our Next Show

"a French artist who flourished" [VALL] Thank you for your continued interest in "Mental Exaltation," the quiz...

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by Scott Monty

The Egyptian Curse: A Review

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"deeply impressed with the curse" [HOUN] </h4>
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<i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1780927762" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="423a05fc3164db431c2a72d84c8bf8e4" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Egyptian Curse" href="http://www.amazon.com/Egyptian-Curse-Sherlock-Holmes-Enoch/dp/1780927762/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=423a05fc3164db431c2a72d84c8bf8e4&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_1927843" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Egyptian Curse</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1927843" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=423a05fc3164db431c2a72d84c8bf8e4&_cb=1443725600760" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> is the third novel in the Enoch Hale-Sherlock Holmes trilogy co-authored by <a href="http://bakerstreetbeat.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dan Andriacco</a> and Kieran McMullen. Though it is the third in a trilogy, enough background is provided for it to function as a stand-alone story. It’s a historical novel full of references to famous figures, both real and literary, and a curse of the sort anyone who’s ever heard of King Tut is familiar with.</div>
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Hale is an American journalist working in London for the Central Press Syndicate. When his ex-sweetheart’s husband is murdered, and his alibi disappears, he launches his own investigation through Egyptology, literary circles, and golf courses, meeting some of the most famous figures of 1920s London, including archaeologists, authors and a priest with particular significance to the Sherlockian reader.<br />
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The novel’s not "action-packed," but the case itself is intriguing and the plot is well-paced. Much of the enjoyment of the book comes from the way it references the mystery genre, making a bit of light fun at itself while at the same time providing an engaging mystery. Agatha Christie herself even discusses at length what exactly makes a good mystery, the very same question Ronald Knox would answer with his “<a href="http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/triv186.html" target="_blank">Decalogue of Detective Fiction</a>” in 1929 (and thoughtfully supplied in the back of the book.)<br />
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For the record, <i>The Egyptian Curse</i> follows Knox’s guidelines, except perhaps for “no accident must ever help the detective.” Hale is the detective throughout. This is his investigation, and his friend Sherlock Holmes is only mentioned in passing for almost the entire case. It isn’t until we near the end that Holmes’ involvement is made clear, and the ultimate impression borders just a touch on <i>deus ex machina</i>. If Holmes had not earlier refused to get involved, or if there had been just a small scene of him making the decision to investigate on his own, it wouldn’t have bothered me so much.<br />
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That being said, Hale is excellent at assembling facts and piecing together a logical story from them, a task in which any good journalist would have to be skilled. Where he ultimately fails, and where a great detective excels, is the ability to select the essential facts from the onslaught of information. Holmes has all the same information Hale does, but he is able to distinguish the important facts from the rest, leading him to an entirely different (and entirely correct) conclusion.<br />
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The book ends with plenty of potential for further adventures to follow, and I hope to read more of Hale’s adventures, whether they be with or without Mr. Holmes.<br />
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The Enoch Hale-Sherlock Holmes trilogy, <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="SEARCH" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="2d120960cda8df5f56f4f202e37aeee4" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="enoch hale " href="http://amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=enoch%20hale%20&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=2d120960cda8df5f56f4f202e37aeee4&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_2218343" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">available on Amazon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2218343" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=2d120960cda8df5f56f4f202e37aeee4&_cb=1443725849277" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />:</div>
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<a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1780924011" class="amzn_ps_bm_il" data-amzn-link-id="271706d62fb2dc067edd9221232349b4" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="amateur executioner" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Amateur-Executioner-Sherlock-Holmes/dp/1780924011/ref=as_li_bk_ia/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=271706d62fb2dc067edd9221232349b4&linkCode=kia" id="amznPsBmLink_45166" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81Wy2fVu2xL.jpg" width="129" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_45166" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=kia&linkId=271706d62fb2dc067edd9221232349b4&_cb=1443725719763" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />    <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1780926332" class="amzn_ps_bm_il" data-amzn-link-id="55079e775e743b4226e2f229ba2528df" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="poisoned penman" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Poisoned-Penman-Dan-Andriacco/dp/1780926332/ref=as_li_bk_ia/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=55079e775e743b4226e2f229ba2528df&linkCode=kia" id="amznPsBmLink_554327" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61LrF3qGq3L.jpg" width="130" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_554327" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=kia&linkId=55079e775e743b4226e2f229ba2528df&_cb=1443725809868" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />    <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1780927762" class="amzn_ps_bm_il" data-amzn-link-id="dfef50ce833c04697177e4c295fd1cbe" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="the egyptian curse" href="http://www.amazon.com/Egyptian-Curse-Sherlock-Holmes-Enoch/dp/1780927762/ref=as_li_bk_ia/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=dfef50ce833c04697177e4c295fd1cbe&linkCode=kia" id="amznPsBmLink_8643384" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61nbfPIhCaL.jpg" width="129" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8643384" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=kia&linkId=dfef50ce833c04697177e4c295fd1cbe&_cb=1443725783895" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></div>
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The Egyptian Curse: A Review

"deeply impressed with the curse" [HOUN] The Egyptian Curse is the third novel in the Enoch Hale-Sherlock Holmes trilo...

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by Katie Magnusson

What to Do with Too Many Sherlock Holmes Books?

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"littered with books" [BRUC] </h4>
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Three new Sherlockian books arrived in the mail last week. A fourth, Elinor Gray's eagerly-awaited <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00ZAX43SM" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="a72c0325518c85c89191375277923b3d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Compound a Felony" href="http://www.amazon.com/Compound-Felony-Affair-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B00ZAX43SM/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=a72c0325518c85c89191375277923b3d&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_8168492" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Compound a Felony</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8168492" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a72c0325518c85c89191375277923b3d&_cb=1442763600060" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, popped up in my Kindle last night. I've just finished reading a pre-publication copy of a pastiche from a major publisher. This afternoon my e-mail includes a friendly note from the author of a volume just published by MX, the British-based Sherlockian specialists: "I hope you will be able to review my book soon."<br />
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I hope the same thing, my friend.<br />
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In general I try to review every Sherlockian book I read. I've been doing it for several years now, and there are <a href="http://sherlockian.net/books/reviews/" target="_blank">sixty-some reviews available on my website</a>, Sherlockian.Net. <br />
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I don't generally go into the kind of perceptive detail more discriminating reviewers do (check out Leah Guinn's <a href="http://wellreadsherlockian.com/" target="_blank">The Well-Read Sherlockian</a> for extraordinary book reviews), but I give a general description and evaluation of each book. It's hard to know whether potential readers find such reviews useful — or find them at all — but I like to think so.<br />
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Well, I'm starting to dread this whole process. I've known for a while that I wasn't keeping up with the volume of material, and I've noticed that the top shelf of my 10-foot-wide bookcase, which houses stuff I acquired with every intention of reading it, is getting more tightly packed. Some books have been there quite a while now, including some that I really don't look forward to and others, such as Denis O. Smith's <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1JiSxyU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Mammoth Book of the Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes</a></i>, that I am really quite excited about. And I know from comments I've seen online that some of these books, notably Zach Dundas's <i><a href="http://ihose.co/ihose80" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Great Detective</a></i>, are seriously important in our field. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Sherlock Holmes took a break from reading every now and then.</td></tr>
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But I have to reserve some of my waking hours for family, and baseball, and my health; and for Sherlockian activities that don't involve book reviewing, such as, oh, talking to other Sherlockians online or, when possible, in person; and for books — yes, there are some in the world — that aren't even Sherlockian. Did I mention how far behind I am in watching Sherlockian movies? Nope, haven't seen Ian McKellen yet. Haven't seen Gillette's 1916 wonder. Haven't seen the Petrenko series. Haven't even seen <i>Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows</i>.<br />
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Something went click in my head when I ambled into the dealers' area at <a href="http://scintillation.org/" target="_blank">Scintillation of Scions</a> in Baltimore earlier this summer. There were tables and tables displaying things people wanted me to buy, and they weren't all keychains and candles. Many of them were (and I know this will astonish you) books. The most heavily laden table was that of Maryland's mystery bookstore, <a href="http://www.mysterylovescompany.com/" target="_blank">Mystery Loves Company</a>, and I'm sure they are fine people performing a valuable community service, but when I saw the dozens of lovely unread books spread across their sales space, with appealing cover illustrations and titles designed to whet the Sherlockian appetite for blood, all I could think was: I am never in my lifetime going to be able to read all this stuff, or even find shelf room for it, and I don't know where I would even start.<br />
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I didn't buy any books at Scintillation. I came home to find more books that had chased me down on their own. And I've just checked the web and learned that <a href="http://mxpublishing.com/" target="_blank">MX Publishing</a> alone is promising 32 new Sherlockian titles (at least) in 2015. That's not even counting the three-volume anthology, due this fall, that may be the most important, as well as the biggest, pastiche project anybody has ever attempted.<br />
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Do you know how many new Sherlockian books were published in 1977? Twelve, total, including a Nate the Great title for beginning readers.<br />
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We are in the middle of a boom, a renaissance, a flowering, a flood, an avalanche of books. Some of them are wonderful, some are dumb and tedious, some will be classics, some are cynical attempts to part collectors from their money, some are quietly witty gems, some will change my life if I ever get around to reading them. I just wish I knew which were which.<br />
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<i>Photo credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/epjq3" target="_blank">Bryan Costin (Flickr)</a></i><br />
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by Chris Redmond

Interview with the Secretary General of the Sherlock Holmes Society of India

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"Some of the inhabitants of theIndian Peninsula"[SIGN]</h4>
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It is astounding that like the Norwegian named Sigerson, Sherlock Holmes societies have crossed the four corners of the Earth.  There are societies in Japan, the Czech Republic, Australia, Switzerland, and Uruguay, to name just a few.  For this blog post, we interviewed Jayantika (Jay) Ganguly, the Secretary General of the <a href="http://www.sherlockholmessociety.in/" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes Society of India</a>.  We discussed how she became interested in the world's first consulting detective, her book, and of course, her favorite story from the canon.<br />
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<b>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere:  You have been a Sherlock Holmes fan since you were twelve.  How did you discover the World's First Consulting Detective?</b></h4>
<b>Jay Ganguly:</b> Ah, well – pretty much the usual way. My father gave me a battered old copy, and one story down, I was hopelessly in love. Sherlock Holmes does tend to have that effect, doesn’t he?<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  You are the Secretary General and Editor of the Sherlock Holmes Society of India, a scion of the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetirregulars.com/" target="_blank">Baker Street Irregulars</a>.  Tell us a little bit about the Society. How was it created? How do you hold your meetings?  Any fun events?</b></h4>
<b>JG:</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SherlockHolmesSocietyOfIndia" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Society of India</a> was founded on May 28, 2001 by Mr. Sumal Surendranath, who is also the President of SHSI. We are primarily an online platform, brought together by our mutual love for Sherlock. Our members are spread across the country and in several cases, the world, so in-person meetings are not really the norm. Most of our discussions/debates and the like are held online. We do have an annual meet, though, and we have it in a different city each year, usually decided by a vote. It’s always the fourth weekend of August.<br />
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This year, we are hosting our annual meet in Kolkata (Calcutta) on August 24 – so if anyone’s planning an India trip around that period, we are always happy to welcome any Sherlockian to our meeting! The only other schedule we follow is our bi-annual release of our e-magazine, “<a href="http://www.sherlockholmessociety.in/2015/05/proceedings-of-pondicherry-lodge-volume.html" target="_blank">Proceedings of the Pondicherry Lodge</a>” – the summer issue is out on June 1 and the winter issue on December 1. Other than that, we don’t really have any specified or pre-scheduled events…but we are a nice, friendly bunch, and we do try to meet up when we are visiting a city where a fellow Sherlockian resides. And we are friends with many (many, many!) absolutely wonderful Sherlockians all over the world.<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  You published a book in honor of Sherlock Holmes' 160th birthday called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Holmes-Sutra-Sherlock-Birthday/dp/1780925352" target="_blank">The Holmes Sutra</a></i>.  The book contains two parts, the Mantras and the Mania Quotient Test.  Let's start with the mantras.  How did you devise 160 different sayings and in some cases, rules, about Sherlock Holmes?  Have any of the mantras proven controversial, such as #31 Sherlock Holmes can perform magic. Literally?</b></h4>
<b>JG:</b> Oh, I just picked up Sherlockian things I really liked – the Canon, other books, online fanfiction, films, TV, pretty much everything Sherlockian I’ve laid my eyes on – and, of course, some of my pet theories on him. Controversial? I don’t really think so, but I’m always happy to listen to counter-arguments. Also, I’m a lawyer, so I have back-ups and ready arguments for everything I write.<br />
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Mantra #31 is a reference to that excellent piece of work by Jamyang Norbu – <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mandala-Sherlock-Holmes-Jamyang-Norbu/dp/1582343284" target="_blank">The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes</a></i>. It was one of the earliest pastiches I read – the second one, in fact – and definitely one of my favourites. I’d hate to give out spoilers, but let’s just say that the climax is dramatic, set in mystical Tibet, and witnesses Sherlock Holmes cradling (and using) magic in his long-fingered hands.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: The second part of your book, The Mania Quotient Test is a lot of fun.  I ended up with StockHolmes Syndrome. How did you devise the test?  </b></h4>
<b>JG:</b> I’m not surprised to hear of your StockHolmes Syndrome. I devised the test based on the Sherlockians I knew of by then. (It’s another matter I’d not met any of them by that time; we’d just exchanged emails, and in some cases, it was just hearsay.) So, StockHolmes Syndrome was based on people like <a href="http://www.redcircledc.org/" target="_blank">Peter Blau</a>, <a href="http://rogerjohnsonsreviews.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Roger Johnson</a> and, of course, our own Sumal ji. The next category, Holmesick (which is where I fall) is mostly calibrated to me and Sherlockians at a similar level. Similarly, Holmesaddicted, Sherlocked and Holmesfree came into being. It’s rather arbitrary and based solely on my judgement, if you come to think of it…but I like to imagine that Sherlock helped it along, hence it isn’t too bad a gauge.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Here is the question we ask all Sherlockians.  If you were stranded on a desert island with one Sherlock holmes story, which would it be and why?</b></h4>
<b>JG:</b> That depends on whether “story” refers to (a) just the Canonical tale, or (b) all known adaptations of the tale.<br />
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If it’s (a), then I’d take <i>The Sign of Four</i>, I think. It is one of my favourites. It is long, so it will keep me entertained for a while. Besides, Sholto’s account might be of some use in giving me ideas on how to escape from the island if I get too bored! Of course, being stuck on an island with only Sherlock Holmes for company…*sigh* (Though I do wish Petr (Kopl) had adapted The Sign of Four into his astounding <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Petr-Kopl/e/B00OBE11BS/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">graphic novel series</a>…)<br />
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If it’s (b), I’d go for <i>The Hound of Baskervilles</i> – many more adaptations to go through! There’s even a Hindi movie based on it.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: What are your future projects?</b></h4>
<b>JG:</b> There is a giant book of pastiches in three volumes being compiled by the lovely <a href="http://www.amazon.com/David-Marcum/e/B00K1IKA92/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1434800807&sr=1-1" target="_blank">David Marcum</a> and <a href="http://www.mxpublishing.com/index.html" target="_blank">MX</a>; I’ve got a small Holmesian tale in that. The e-magazine is always at hand, I’d proudly call it my baby. I’ve been thinking about <i>The Holmes Shastra</i> (“Shastra” being “scripture”) – I’d thought to make it a set of syllogisms and stories, but nothing has been penned yet. And now David (Marcum) has put the idea of a set of short stories in my head and it has taken root. Let’s see. I go where Holmes takes me.<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  Any last thoughts?</b></h4>
<b>JG:</b> Nothing significant, really – just some random, simpering, fan-girlish thoughts on our beloved detective.<br />
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Many thanks for the brilliant questions, though; I really enjoyed answering them!<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jayantika.ganguly?fref=ts" target="_blank">Jayantika Ganguly</a></b> is the Secretary General and Editor of the Sherlock Holmes Society of India.  Her book, <i>The Holmes Sutra</i>, was released from MX publishing in 2014.  Ms. Ganguly is also a corporate lawyer working with one of the top law firms of India, and is based out of Kolkata. She likes to refer to herself as Holmesick, wanderlust-ridden and a bibliophile.<br />
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<i>For more of Derrick Belanger's I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere articles, click <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Derrick%20Belanger#.VWHEBU9VhBc">here</a>.  To learn more about Derrick Belanger's Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle books, click <a href="http://amzn.to/1ct0qc6">here</a>.</i><div>
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