I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

The 2017 BSI Weekend Ended in Friendship

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"I'll keep my eye on the parties, Mr. Holmes" [LADY]</h4>
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<br />
Another <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">BSI Weekend</a> has come and gone, and it's safe to say that everyone there made some wonderful memories, both for themselves as well as for the organization at large.<br />
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The Baker Street Irregulars is a literary society dedicated to preserving the memory of Sherlock Holmes, and the BSI Weekend is its annual signature event for Sherlockians worldwide. With the exception of the BSI Dinner, every event hosted by the BSI and the <a href="https://ashsherlockian.org/" target="_blank">Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes</a> is open to the public.Some of the events are higher end, and others are informal and pay-as-you go. but the message is clear: all are welcome.<br />
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It's difficult to fully describe the Weekend for those who haven't attended, but at its core, it encapsulates the very reason that many of us continue to enjoy this hobby: it's about a gathering of like-minded people. Yes, we all enjoy the stories, films, shows, art and whatever other pursuit we associate with Sherlock Holmes, but the pure joy for many Sherlockians is about a shared experience.<br />
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You may have heard Al and Julie Rosenblatt describe this phenomenon in <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose103" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 103</a>:<br />
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<b><i>"it began with Sherlock Holmes, but it ended in friendship."</i></b></h3>
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Old friendships were revisited, new friendships were forged, and it was all centered around the 60 Sherlock Holmes stories that Christopher Morley very aptly observed were a textbook of friendship.<br />
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And so it continues.<br />
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This year, the Baker Street Irregulars stood on the terrace for 10 late members, and welcomed seven new members to the fold. The incoming class is in the photo above, and they are (L-R):<br />
<ul>
<li>Ross Davies ("The Temple")</li>
<li>Michael Quigley ("A Large Brass Bound Safe")</li>
<li><a href="http://ihose.co/ihose83" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bonnie MacBird</a> ("Art In the Blood")</li>
<li>Charles Blanksteen ("Cavendish Square")</li>
<li>Tamar Zeffren ("The London Library")</li>
<li><a href="http://ihose.co/ihose57" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Charles Prepolec</a> ("The Man with the Twisted Lip")</li>
<li>Christopher Zordan ("Bunsen Burner").</li>
</ul>
Not pictured: photographer Ben Vizoskie, upon whom the Two Shilling Award was bestowed.<br />
<br />
For our part, we managed to show up a few places and secure a number of interviews for the year ahead for our audio show, which we think you'll enjoy. We also were able to meet some of our listeners, who were very generous with their praise — this means more to us than you can ever know.<br />
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And so we forge ahead for Anno Holmes 164. We hope you'll continue to enjoy Sherlock Holmes in the ways that you do.<br />
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Can we ask you one favor? If you're on Facebook and have photos from the BSI Weekend, would you <a href="https://www.facebook.com/scottmonty/media_set?set=a.10154099768051625&type=3&pnref=story" target="_blank">share them to our album</a>? Just ask Scott for permission to post them.<br />
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<i>Photo credit: The Baker Street Irregulars</i><br />
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--<br />
<br />

The 2017 BSI Weekend Ended in Friendship

"I'll keep my eye on the parties, Mr. Holmes" [LADY] Another BSI Weekend has come and gone, and it's safe to say tha...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes Turns 163 Today

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"your celebrated friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes" [NAVA] </h4>
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January 6th is here and that marks the date on which we traditionally celebrate Sherlock Holmes's birthday.<br />
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We say "traditionally," because there is no definitive statement of his actual date of birth in the Canon, but beginning with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Morley">Christopher Morley</a>, the date of January 6th has become the de facto accepted date for Holmes' birthday. Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons.<br />
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Of all of the quotes in the Canon, William Shakespeare was the most oft-quoted author. There is but one Shakespearean play that Holmes quotes twice: <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743482778?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0743482778">Twelfth Night</a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjsc-CslxTjCdXUIIrP1JjtSbrOuVqbQY4wmPXHv0-mQ3lat6DMqDTNXzZPdvzHRXj-xozSLxUPcn8JI0-LUvaXIZGji9159DhTm6UHyjT4VCjdNIMgx7hzEWiMc_OPMDRgSPlp2TFuq5EU6lVl_Fc1lVuulrAZ1GMRBeizQJqv4VV5P60gdS7kIz4=" /></i>. In <i>The Sign of the Four</i>, Holmes concludes, "All is well that ends well." This is from from Act IV, Scene 4. And in "The Empty House," Holmes states "'Journeys end in lovers meetings,' as the old play says," from Act II, Scene 3.<br />
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The reason the date was chosen is that in Christianity, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6">January 6th</a> is the Feast of the Epiphany, or officially the twelfth day of Christmas. I suppose if we were being truly technical about it, the twelfth night of Christmas would fall on January 5th...<br />
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In addition, William S. Baring-Gould in his <a href="http://amzn.to/14hLF8i"><i>The Annotated Sherlock Holmes</i></a>, posited that because Holmes was a little cranky on the morning of January 7th - the date on which <i>The Valley of Fear</i> began - he had a hangover, induced by birthday celebrations the evening prior.<br />
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And why 163? Scholars have fixed the year of Sherlock Holmes's birth to 1854 by virtue of a line in "His Last Bow" when he was described as "a tall gaunt man of sixty."<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "merriweather"; font-size: 21px;">Opportunity</span></h3>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If you happen to be in New York City this weekend, you can participate in some of the BSI Weekend activity, in which Sherlockians from around the world gather to hold various events where they connect and pay homage to the great detective. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><br />
</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">So, by all means, share the news that today is Sherlock Holmes's birthday. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But whatever you do, don't try to throw him a surprise party. It's an exercise in futility.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="499" id="BLOGGER-video-c36e80bff7b7d8b2-6479" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dythA58ghNI2bAjYviptI7xLjI50ZSQz0_HH6tPClC5qcBWvsEg6kgf8PaRvyS-XRhwKB8acju7aDBc-Qk8q-lOuIBM2mWV_fRuvC7Xt1-wM1AIyqd0y62cj5piibZddT7VIks&origin=www.ihearofsherlock.com" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="600"></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Of course, right now, Sherlockians from around the world are gathering to celebrate his birthday in style during the </span><a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #006f85; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">BSI Weekend</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Check the official site for details and feel free to follow the activities of various attendees online via the </span><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BSIWeekend&src=typd" style="background-color: white; color: #006f85; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#BSIWeekend</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> hashtag.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">We hope you'll take a moment and wish Sherlock Holmes a happy birthday in your own way. If you'd like to join in here, please feel free to leave a birthday comment below.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Image credit: <a href="https://kitchenoverlord.com/2014/01/17/geek-cake-friday-14-non-bbc-sherlock-cakes/" target="_blank">Kitchen Overlord</a></span></div>

Sherlock Holmes Turns 163 Today

"your celebrated friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes" [NAVA] January 6th is here and that marks the date on which we traditionally...

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by Scott Monty

The Six Thatchers Requires a Leap of Faith

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"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact" [BOSC] </h4>
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<i><br /></i>
[<b><i>Editor's Note:</i></b> this is the third in a series of reviews we'll be sharing on Series 4 of <i>Sherlock</i>.]<i><br /></i>

<i>Sherlock </i>is like
an onion, and not just because it makes you cry. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
It’s always made up of layers. Moffat and Gatiss are supreme
fanboys, and <i>Sherlock </i>is the story
into which they pour both their love and expertise of the original, meaning
that it’s always packed full of meaning on multiple levels. Each episode has a
superficial story (or several), but beneath the surface is always an
overarching plot, clues and red herrings pointing towards (or away from) said
larger plot, subtext, hidden allusions to the Canon, and Easter Eggs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
How much you enjoyed “The Six Thatchers” is entirely founded
on how much you believe Moffat and Gatiss know what they’re doing. It requires
an entirely un-Sherlockian thing: a leap of faith. Or perhaps a supremely
Sherlockian thing: the certainty, based on previous episodes, that they know
exactly what they’re doing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>SPOILERS AHEAD</b></h3>
That’s because, on the surface, “The Six Thatchers” a bit
lackluster. It skips disjointedly between Sherlock’s name being cleared of
Magnussen’s shooting, a comic interlude, the birth of Mary and John’s baby, and
its Christening in a hectic space of barely half an hour. Cases follow each
other at a similarly hectic pace, and one – an adaptation of "The Six Napoleons" – transforms suddenly into Mary’s backstory, which we finally
learn, and her seeming redemption (which is complicated by an after-credits
scene of Mary telling Sherlock to “go to Hell”). <o:p></o:p><br />
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In a lot of ways, it’s also nonsensical. It starts with a
seeming flashback to “His Last Vow,” but the footage of it turns out to be
edited, belying the “previously on Sherlock” that the episode begins with. This
sets the stage for what’s to come: a story that should be taken with a grain of
salt, because it feels distinctly <i>off. </i> The layouts of 221B and the Watsons’ flat have
been reversed; the famous skull painting at 221B is distinctly different from
what it usually is and magically glowing. The flashbacks and flash-forwards are
seemingly random, as the story jumps from Sherlock’s point-of-view to John’s
unexpected reminiscences about a potential dalliance with a lady on the bus
(who, it seems, will turn out to be Culverton Smith’s daughter). [<b><i>Editor</i></b>: This is purely conjecture at this point, as we have not screened episodes 2 or 3.] Sherlock is obsessed with finding the Black Pearl of the Borgias, wanting to see
connections where none exist. It’s almost like reality and narrative structure
are falling apart.<o:p></o:p><br />
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But the more you peel away the layers, the more you discover.
And what you discover can either make the story fall apart further and seem
nonsensical, or it can convince you that it’s indeed a layered tale, full of
hidden meanings, clues, and the seeds of a payoff that won’t become evident
until the end of the season. If you believe (or know) that Moffat and Gatiss
are knowledgeable fanboys, you’ll enjoy “The Six Thatchers,” with all the
possibilities it provides for taking a crack at being Sherlock Holmes and
trying to deduce the truth. If you don’t, then you won’t. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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But that’s always been the best thing about <i>Sherlock</i>: it’s a show that refuses to be
watched passively. Like the Canon, it’s a fiction where the ostensible story is
just the tip of a very large iceberg.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The cinematography itself is also markedly different from
previous episodes: watery ripples overtake images on the screen, sound and
sight falls away at inopportune moments (such as when Sherlock hyper-focuses on
the Thatcher shrine), images double nonsensically and mirrors abound. It’s
almost as if the fabric of reality has been affected, and, more than that, compromised.
<o:p></o:p><br />
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Of course, one could chalk all that up to a writing flub on
Gatiss’ part, but it’s just as plausible that it was the intentional product of
writers, directors, and cinematographers working together to give the episode a
distinctively different feel. Which of these two options it is will likely
become evident in a week (two at most), so with the possibility that I will
stand entirely corrected, I’d like to suggest that this was an excellent
episode because it skillfully represents the deliberate breakdown of reality
and narrative structure. <o:p></o:p><br />
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At a particular moment of the episode, a shattered bust of
Margaret Thatcher overlays Sherlock’s face, giving the sense that it is <i>Sherlock </i>that is being broken and
shattered, not the busts of a former prime minister. <o:p></o:p><br />
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That moment may very well be the key to the episode. Nothing
is what it seems – in particular if it’s told from Sherlock’s point of view,
which is hardly trustworthy considering the number of times his senses and
sanity have been compromised lately. It’s hard to tell what is happening in
Sherlock’s mind and what isn’t: water imagery abounds, appearing at the most
unexpected of places to create almost a sense of drowning, and often
accompanying Sherlock’s voiceovers (which are another new, unexpected addition
to the show – suggesting, perhaps, that we’ve moved from John’s point of view
to Sherlock’s). The episode happens right after his drug overdose on the plane
(where we saw even Sherlock’s dreamed-up reality fracture every time Moriarty
appeared); it’s full of dream-like sequences (one featuring Sherlock’s dog,
Redbeard, which we first saw in his Mind Palace last season), he gets drugged
by Mary halfway through, and admits at the end that he’s been having recurring
dreams. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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This wouldn’t be the first or last time that <i>Sherlock </i>has misled the viewer in terms
of what’s real (the fake explanation sequences of “The Empty Hearse” come to
mind), and it’s entirely plausible that the disjointed, nonlinear structure of
this episode isn’t the failed product of a seasoned television writer and actor, but
rather an intentional reflection of either Sherlock’s state of mind, a
misleading narrative, or both. <o:p></o:p><br />
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That’s the best part about <i>Sherlock</i>: in it, details contain multitudes, obvious facts are
deceptive, and trifles are the most important things. Of course, I could be
wrong about this complex castle of theories I’ve constructed, but the best part
is that I’ll know how well I took a leaf from Sherlock’s book and spun my
theories soon enough. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I can’t wait until next week, if only just to be proven
right. And that’s one hell of a cliffhanger. <o:p></o:p><br />
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--<br />
<br /></div>
</div>

The Six Thatchers Requires a Leap of Faith

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact" [BOSC] [ Editor's Note: this is the third in a series of revie...

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by Anastasia Klimchynskaya

The Well-Read Sherlockian's 12th Night Giveaway

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<b>"it was really not more than twelve." [WIST] </b></h4>
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<b><br />
</b> There are a few constants in the Sherlockian world at the end of the year: Blue Carbuncle Day, hoping to find new Sherlockian items under the tree, and Leah Guinn's 12th Night Giveaway on her blog, <a href="https://wellreadsherlockian.com/" target="_blank">The Well-Read Sherlockian</a>.<br />
<br />
For the past five years, Leah has posted daily Canonical questions to her readers and rewarded correct answers with prizes guaranteed to make Sherlockians smile. Leah was nice enough to let us peek behind the curtain at her process of creating the annual contest that runs from December 24 - January 6.<br />
<b><br />
</b> <br />
<h3>
<b>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: This is the fifth annual 12th Night Giveaway. What prompted you to start a twelve day contest? </b></h3>
<b>Leah Guinn:</b> I had seen various internet and blog giveaways, and I like giving presents, so I mentioned on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Well-Read-Sherlockian-294187613961282/" target="_blank">the blog’s Facebook page</a> something about wishing I could do a giveaway for 12th Night, but that I was running out of time and didn’t have a ton of money. Carrie (and I can’t remember her last name, but she was one of the Stormy Petrels blogging team at the time) said that the prizes didn’t have to be expensive, and I realized that she was right. Of course, I like Christmas Eve, so I ended up adding a few days.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: On average, how many correct responses do you receive for a standard question and what is the biggest response you've had to a question?</b></h3>
<b>LG: </b>The Giveaway has been steadily growing, but I’d say that the average number of responses is about 7. So people really do have a good chance at winning on any given day. The largest number of responses was about 25, for last year’s grand prize—a bound copy of The Strand Magazine.<br />
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<h3>
<b>IHOSE: What is your favorite item to give away and why?</b></h3>
<b>LG: </b>I really like giving away <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/subscriptions.html"><i>Baker Street Journal</i> subscriptions</a>. They’re hugely popular, and people try for them who don’t care about any of the other prizes. Plus, I like the idea that they can help people feel connected to the larger Sherlockian world, and be inspired to write their own articles.<br />
<br />
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<b>IHOSE: This year, your theme is literary allusions. What made you choose that theme?</b></h3>
<b>LG: </b>Themes make it easier to figure out questions, and to hopefully insure that I don’t repeat them very much. I just started skimming over the Canon for ideas, and I figured that “literary allusions” would give me a lot of question options, and that the answers would just challenging and interesting enough. I don’t want to insult people by asking them to answer easy questions, but I don’t want to make things so difficult that people give up, or that I risk not being able to answer them, either.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: How has the 12th Night Giveaway changed over the years?</b></h3>
<b>LG: </b>Well, I had to do some tweaking with the rules early on. I used to have the prizes grow bigger as the game went on, and if people could only win once, no one was going to try for the smaller items. Since those were often handcrafted by other Sherlockians, I didn’t want them to be passed by, so I changed things so that people could win twice, and then everyone could go for the grand prize. Now, too, the prizes vary in size and value throughout the Giveaway, although the Grand Prize is still pretty cool. I hope.  And the value of the prizes has been rising. Once I learned that I could find very nice Sherlockian collectibles at decent prices if I looked hard enough, and didn’t insist on mint condition, I found so much great stuff.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: How do you go about creating your questions for the contest and how far in advance do you start working on it?</b></h3>
<b>LG: </b>I think about it on and off all year, but I really start working on it after Thanksgiving. It takes time to make sure I have all of the prizes, to organize them, to come up with the questions, match the prize to the question and the question to the date. I have to write it all down, so I won’t forget.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Each day’s question is prefaced by a short autobiographical story. Do you think of those first and then tie a question to it, or vice versa?</b></h3>
<b>LG: </b>It’s sad, but I tend to come up with those little posts on the fly. I was thinking today that I should actually write something educational for them, but to do that, I’d have to write them months in advance. In the rush of the holidays, I don’t have what it takes to do an in-depth article on Holmes every day.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: How do you choose each year’s prizes?</b></h3>
<b>LG: </b>I look for them allllll year round. Everywhere we travel, every antique store, old book store, flea market, conference….I am always looking. Sometimes I spend a few hours trawling around eBay or ABE books. It is seriously the best part of the entire thing. I get really excited when I find something truly nice, and in the end, I tend to find I’ve overbought. I don’t have any 2015 holdovers, but last year, some 2014 prizes finally came out of the closet. I do try to keep track of what generates enthusiasm and what does not. I’ve learned, for example, that stuffed animals are not a thing for many people. Old BSJs and vintage copies of the novels and short story collections are always loved.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: What is your favorite Canonical story?</b></h3>
<b>LG: "</b>The Illustrious Client."  I really like <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>, because it’s an origin story, but when I read ILLU, I was blown away by Conan Doyle’s ability to portray actual evil and perverted sensuality in such subtle ways. I have known people as sociopathic as the Baron. And we’ve all known people as foolish as Miss de Merville, if we haven’t been her ourselves. I feel that Conan Doyle is at the height of his powers in that story.<br />
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<h3>
<b>IHOSE: Your blog is also a treasure trove of Sherlockian book reviews from over the years. What makes a good book?</b></h3>
<b>LG: </b>The characters. Your protagonist and antagonist in particular need to be living creatures. The reader has to care about them, otherwise your beautiful plotting won’t do you any good. For a good pastiche, you need to be able to show us who Holmes and Watson are, for example, and not just what they do. Also, pacing. Your story can’t move too quickly, or too slowly, and you need to keep the reader wondering what happens next. I once read a pastiche that needed so much improvement when it came to canonicity, etc., but the author was very, very good at pacing. It wasn’t a very good story, but it kept me turning pages.<br />
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Leah Guinn has written a monograph on writing pastiche,<a href="http://johnhwatsonsociety.com/product/sherlock-holmes-challenge-blank-page"> "Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Blank Page"</a> that is available through the John H. Watson Society. She has also co-authored <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/html/curiouscollection.html"><i>A Curious Collection of Dates: Through the Year with Sherlock Holmes</i></a> with Jaime N. Mahoney, published by Wessex Press. She is also a member of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Illustrious-Clients-of-Indianapolis-184841455301/">the Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis</a>, <a href="http://johnhwatsonsociety.com/">the John H Watson Society</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/StudiousScarletsSocietyPage/">The Studious Scarlets</a>. You can find her on Twitter as <a href="http://twitter.com/leahguinn" target="_blank">@LeahGuinn</a>.<br />
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And you can listen to <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose95" target="_blank">Episode 95</a>, in which we interviewed Leah and Jaime about their book:<br />
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The Well-Read Sherlockian's 12th Night Giveaway

"it was really not more than twelve." [WIST] There are a few constants in the Sherlockian world at the end of the year: B...

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by Rob Nunn

I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

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The 2017 BSI Weekend Ended in Friendship

Sherlock Holmes Turns 163 Today

The Six Thatchers Requires a Leap of Faith

The Well-Read Sherlockian's 12th Night Giveaway

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