Remembering Encyclopedia Brown Author Donald Sobol

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> <b>"a brown study" [CARD] </b></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJwJLVKoYpcLqaNxIoJH4mG7vrL6me9qou1Gig2ZTLt58mI27MmkhBETfCnjRN-0KpKgAd1zPLza98N2bcyhnw4UB2KizhsfcUr2oWAyz7bEriti4NFgkQCjieAWoTd1HO23mMmpAhEhR/s1600/encyc01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJwJLVKoYpcLqaNxIoJH4mG7vrL6me9qou1Gig2ZTLt58mI27MmkhBETfCnjRN-0KpKgAd1zPLza98N2bcyhnw4UB2KizhsfcUr2oWAyz7bEriti4NFgkQCjieAWoTd1HO23mMmpAhEhR/s640/encyc01.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Donald J. Sobol died on July 11 of natural causes at age 87. He was the author of over<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=encyclopedia%20brown&linkCode=ur2&sprefix=encyclope%2Caps%2C459&tag=thebakerstree-20&url=search-alias%3Daps"> two dozen Encyclopedia Brown mysteries</a></b>. The small seaside town of Idaville was the same as any other small town except in one respect, fifth-grader Leroy Brown. Leroy's head was so crammed full of facts he was nicknamed "Encyclopedia". Encyclopedia used his brain power to help the neighborhood kids and his police chief father to solve mysteries. He was, in fact "America's Sherlock Holmes in sneakers". With his partner in his detective agency, Sally Kimball--the prettiest and toughest girl in the fifth grade--Encyclopedia charged kids 25 cents to help them with their problems. Encyclopedia's nemesis was an older kid named Bugs Meany.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a>The first book in the series was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142408883/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0142408883&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20"><i>Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective</i></a> published in 1963 and the series has continued for almost fifty years. Millions of copies are in print and they have been translated into twelve languages. Part of their charm is Sobol’s breezy and witty writing style. Here from “The Case of the Missing Garlic Bread”:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="color: blue;">Bugs was the leader of a gang of tough older boys. They called themselves the Tigers. They should have called themselves the Pretzel Makers. They always tried to make dough the crooked way. The only things they hated more than honesty were soap and water.</span></blockquote> I discovered Sobol's works before Conan Doyle's. The mysteries were of the solve-them-yourself type, forcing the reader to match wits with Encyclopedia before turning to the back of the book for the solution. While written for kids, Sobol was a master at hiding the clue in plain sight. My love of the mystery genre started there. One could say that Sobol's use of the classic Holmesian tropes, the brilliant detective and his partner, his faculty with arcane knowledge, the colorful clients and villains, primed me for when I first encountered Holmes in <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> in the sixth grade.<br /> <br /> There will be <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525425829/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0525425829&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20">a new Encyclopedia Brown book in October</a>: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525425829/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0525425829&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20"><b><i>Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme</i></b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0525425829" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. In it, Idaville will be as it always was, with beautiful beaches, churches, a synagogue, a movie theatre, two delicatessens and four banks. Chief Brown will come home with an insoluble problem and Encyclopedia, while listening at the dinner table with his eyes closed, will ask the Chief the one question that will solve the case. Bugs Meany will plot his revenge against Encyclopedia and Sally will be there to protect him.<br /> <br /> The neighborhood kids will continue to arrive at the family garage at 13 Rover Avenue, plunk down a quarter on the empty gas can, and ask Encyclopedia's advice on Wilford Wiggins’ latest get-rich-quick scheme. And I continue to read them. I'm also not ashamed to say that America's Sherlock Holmes in sneakers can still at times beat me to the solution. That's as it should be.<br /> <br /> Thanks, Donald.<br /> <br /> <br /> --</div> </div> </div>

Remembering Encyclopedia Brown Author Donald Sobol

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

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by James C. O'Leary

Adapting The Hound of the Baskervilles for Audio

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> "singularly adapted to our needs" [MISS] </h4> <table 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/AVvXsEirzMTXK9yipk5RsWQiXS0D83-HcndmjAJUDDZKRvvS0k0Z6HAEZShIyCag1rlLb-YoN-gVMaa891keqvF7SvQoioHJyNpvQLMjFqSu5LdJ8-bzAzo4kikEuh5ujJKYzK09W7HepTS9FvkQ/s1600/HoundPosterCropv4BkStBlog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzMTXK9yipk5RsWQiXS0D83-HcndmjAJUDDZKRvvS0k0Z6HAEZShIyCag1rlLb-YoN-gVMaa891keqvF7SvQoioHJyNpvQLMjFqSu5LdJ8-bzAzo4kikEuh5ujJKYzK09W7HepTS9FvkQ/s640/HoundPosterCropv4BkStBlog.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr> </tbody></table> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <br />"If I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all." - <i>A Study in Scarlet </i></blockquote> <span style="background-color: white;">In March of this year I auditioned for a local production of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."  During auditions I overheard a comment by the artistic director that they were looking to do a production of <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>, but that they did not have a script yet. Being the life-long Holmes fanatic I am, I boldly (foolishly?) volunteered to adapt the script for the Post-Meridian Radio Players. The major caveat was that I had to bring the script in under an hour.</span><br /> <br /> I didn't know what I was in for. <br /> <br /> First thing we did was transcribe a 1977 production done for the <a href="http://www.cbsrmt.com/">CBS Radio Mystery Theatre</a>. This was to be my starting point. If you've ever heard this version it's heavily abridged, with several major sequences and characters cut out. The dialog is also, for lack of a better word, paraphrased. <br /> <br /> To fix the paraphrasing problem we subsequently transcribed every scrap of dialog from the original novel into a basic radio script. <br /> <br /> With these two scripts in hand I set out to marry them together. My goals were as follows:<br /> <ul style="text-align: left;"> <li><span style="background-color: white;">To restore as much original Doyle dialog as possible. </span></li> <li><span style="background-color: white;">To restore the missing sequences of the cab-chase in London and the Laura Lyons character. </span></li> <li><span style="background-color: white;">Get it down under an hour. The producer told me, and I quote, "45 minutes would be best."</span></li> </ul> <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a>I worked on my script for the better part of a month during rehearsals for "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (I scored a small part in that show) and it came in at 46 manuscript pages. I thought I was in good shape, but the last step was the formatting. If you've ever done a radio script before they follow a standard manuscript format that allows you to estimate the length of your show with each page equaling a minute of performance time. I inserted my script into the template, let it format, and then counted the pages.<br /> <br /> When the script came in at 117 pages total, well. My response can't be repeated on this blog. <br /> <br /> I had three weeks to get the script into fighting shape before auditions, so I began frantically cutting. Every night I would go over the script looking for more that could be eliminated while keeping my original goals intact. The boy seen going out to the stone-huts? Gone. The crazy neighbor who spies one everyone with a telescope? Eliminated. Holmes' lengthy summation of the case in the final chapter? Condensed. Many scenes that were originally two became one. I honestly didn't think I'd make it. <br /> <br /> But I did, and I'd like to think I did Sir Arthur proud. <br /> <br /> <i><a href="http://www.huboftheuniverseproductions.com/events_srt12.html"><b>The Hound of the Baskervilles</b></a></i> opens this weekend (click through for more info), July 27th and 28th, at Responsible Grace at 204 Elm Street in Somerville, MA (just outside of Boston). Tickets are $15 / $12 for students & seniors, and you can <a href="http://www.huboftheuniverseproductions.com/events_tickets.html">reserve tickets by clicking here</a>.  We're part of the <a href="http://www.huboftheuniverseproductions.com/events_srt12.html">Summer Radio Mystery Theatre</a>, along with productions of 'Gracie Takes Up Crime-Solving' and 'Sorry, Wrong Number.' Our final running time? Just over 50 minutes. <br /> <br /> Come see the show if you can. I'll be playing Clayton the cab driver, so feel free to say hi after the show. And be sure to mention that you read about the show on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. <br /> <br /> [<i><b>Editor's note</b>: the above was submitted by Jeremy Holstein from the Post-Meridian Radio Players</i>]<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /></div>

Adapting The Hound of the Baskervilles for Audio

"singularly adapted to our needs" [MISS]  "If I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the concl...

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by Scott Monty

About the Great Exhibition of 1951

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <b>"a wilder exhibition of passion" [CREE] </b></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2638/4181727307_799376c308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2638/4181727307_799376c308.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> In 1851, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Exhibition" target="_blank">Great Exhibition</a> highlighted then "cutting edge" technology and industry. For its 100th anniversary, the Exhibition used then-current means to create a special highlight for Sherlockians - a replica of Holmes' sitting room, which is now on display in the <a href="http://www.sherlockholmespub.com/" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes Pub</a> in London.<br /> <br /> Not to be outdone, <a href="http://www.thegreatexhibition2012.co.uk/" target="_blank">the current version of the Exhibition is now online</a>...and also contains an excellent opportunity for Sherlockians to participate and demonstrate a slightly wilder exhibitions of their own passions.<br /> <br /> Thanks to a strong Internet presence (including <a href="http://twitter.com/GreatExhibition" target="_blank">the Great Exhibition on Twitter</a>), people can actually vote for those things which are "great" about Great Britain. Of special interest to Sherlockians are the two following categories of interest:<br /> <br /> <b>Sherlock Holmes</b> - <a href="http://www.thegreatexhibition2012.co.uk/greats/sherlock-holmes" target="_blank">http://www.thegreatexhibition2012.co.uk/greats/sherlock-holmes </a><br /> <br /> <b>Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - </b><a href="http://www.thegreatexhibition2012.co.uk/greats/sir-arthur-conan-doyle">http://www.thegreatexhibition2012.co.uk/greats/sir-arthur-conan-doyle</a><br /> <br /> At the 1951 Exhibition, the ability to view the Great Detective's drawing room helped the character make a deeper impact on history; now, Sherlockians can play an active role in making sure that impact is felt for future generations as well.<br /> <br /> <i>Editor's note: This essay was submitted by Gordon Dymowski, who regularly covers the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and the entertainment industry. You can also find him at <a href="http://www.blogthispal.com/">Blog THIS, Pal!</a> and <a href="http://www.comicrelated.com/">Comic Related</a>. <br /><i> </i></i><br /> <i>--</i></div>

About the Great Exhibition of 1951

"a wilder exhibition of passion" [CREE]  In 1851, the Great Exhibition highlighted then "cutting edge" technology...

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by Scott Monty

The Effect of America and Americans on Sherlock Holmes

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> "The 4th Inst." [STUD]  </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5wv_U4Sa_iyvdLUiXU2xWri07GDTPq5mCouyoSxf897XXKtcvaf4TzHAu69xkpA_dDcJXOXFnsYe1OlxGQ5nPMOUO5iJfbLdR98ItuYC_iai2KnzFrjCwRaU0a8euuyHr_fcOMc0YkSk/s1600/sh01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5wv_U4Sa_iyvdLUiXU2xWri07GDTPq5mCouyoSxf897XXKtcvaf4TzHAu69xkpA_dDcJXOXFnsYe1OlxGQ5nPMOUO5iJfbLdR98ItuYC_iai2KnzFrjCwRaU0a8euuyHr_fcOMc0YkSk/s640/sh01.JPG" width="440" /></a></div> <i></i><br /> <div class="MsoNormal"> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "It is always a joy to me to meet an American, Mr. Moulton, for I am one of those who believe that the folly of a monarch and the blundering of a Minister in far gone years will not prevent our children from being some day citizens of the same world-wide country under a flag which shall be a quartering of the Union Jack with the Stars and Stripes," - Sherlock Holmes in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Annotated-Sherlock-Holmes/dp/0393059162/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341172790&sr=8-1&keywords=the+new+annotated+sherlock+holmes">“The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor”</a>. </blockquote> As we celebrate Independence Day and the bicentennial of the War of 1812 this year, let’s also reflect on the profound effect America and Americans have had on the Canon.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> Frank Moulton and Hatty Doran may have been two visitors from across the pond that Holmes welcomed to 221B with woodcock, pheasant, foie gras pie and “ancient and cobwebby bottles”, but most Americans, in Watson’s pages, would be left off the guest list.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> There is Jefferson Hope, whose American virtue of tenacity is mixed with that equally American desire for revenge, and tracked his fellow countrymen Drebber and Stangerson to London with deadly results. Revenge was also on the mind of Captain James Calhoun of the “Lone Star”. Protection of the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan led to the deaths of three members of the Openshaw family. Abe Slaney, “the most dangerous crook in Chicago” tracked Elsie Cubitt (nee Patrick) to Norfolk and was willing to kill her husband to possess her. “James Winter, alias Morecroft, alias Killer Evans” even wounded Watson during “The Adventure of the Three Garridebs”. While it was worth a wound to Watson to see the great heart behind the great brain, it’s doubtful the American criminal was on Watson’s Christmas card list.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> Ex-senator J. Neil Gibson, the Gold King, may have best exemplified the concept of “the Ugly American” in the Canon. Arrogant, demeaning and used to buying his way, it took the equally strong personality of Sherlock Holmes to put him in his place.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> A better representative of the United States is John Douglas, amiable master of Birlstone Manor, a.k.a. Birdy Edwards, Pinkerton detective extraordinaire. As John Douglas he was cheery and genial and as Birdy Edwards, cool, tough and fearless, the qualities that most Americans would like to see in themselves.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> There is one other to be mentioned; Altamont, the faux Irish-American played by Holmes in his bid to fool and ultimately capture German spy Von Bork. Holmes spent two years in America, traveling from Chicago to Buffalo to perfect his cover. It’s fitting to remember on this July fourth that Altamont was described as ”a tall, gaunt man of sixty, with clear-cut features and a small goatee beard, which gave him a general resemblance to the caricatures of Uncle Sam.”<br /> <br /> Holmes’ dream of a united Great Britain and United States may be no closer to reality in 2012 than in 1887, but the two countries are deeply intertwined in the Canon. As we Americans celebrate the 4th with family and friends; barbecue hamburgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob; and watch the rockets' red glare to the tune of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLT6BIUi7tE&feature=related">"The 1812 Overture"</a>, remember Holmes himself, that quintessential Englishman, liked and occasionally was one of us.<br /> <br /> <span style="color: #262626; font-family: trebuchet, trebuchet ms, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><b><i>--</i></b></span></span><br /> <span style="color: #262626; font-family: trebuchet, trebuchet ms, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span> <i style="color: #262626; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><br /></i></div>

The Effect of America and Americans on Sherlock Holmes

"The 4th Inst." [STUD]   "It is always a joy to me to meet an American, Mr. Moulton, for I am one of those who believe...

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by James C. O'Leary

Episode 43: Fathers in the Canon

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqSo5RBCfNE39tczZYqYp9vF-kPkVsfnFspZzpCBM1598EKB-QFNezHZRkUJES4JMTcwBzkkt1cvFyp1NCIOjg5XK7YZz3wdRbxo9XfxDPzBB1eHXNoDVEN8x3vxm2cZdzoUmnlm0NmDN/s1600/COPP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqSo5RBCfNE39tczZYqYp9vF-kPkVsfnFspZzpCBM1598EKB-QFNezHZRkUJES4JMTcwBzkkt1cvFyp1NCIOjg5XK7YZz3wdRbxo9XfxDPzBB1eHXNoDVEN8x3vxm2cZdzoUmnlm0NmDN/s1600/COPP.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/1986939/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/00932e/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe></center> <br /> Sometimes, when there's a topic that bears a discussion-based episode between the two of us, we like to do a little research to see what's been written previously, so we can have some reference material upon which to base some of our zany theories.<br /> <br /> Sunday, June 17 was Father's Day in the United States, which made it a perfect opportunity to tackle the topic of fathers in the Canon. Imagine our chagrin and surprise then, when we discovered that there was no appreciable material (at least to our "small but select" libraries of Sherlockiana) that adequately chronicled fathers and father figures in the Sherlock Holmes stories.<br /> <br /> Not to be deterred, we decided to thumb through the stories and pick out not only fathers, but step-fathers, would-be fathers, father figures and others who espoused the characteristics that fathers do or should have. More than a laundry list of individuals, this episode turned into a fun reminiscence and analysis that we hope you enjoy listening to almost as much as we enjoyed creating it.<br /> <br /> While we couldn't find an Editor's Gas-Lamp that was directly about fatherhood, we did find one that had paternal overtone in the Vol. 8 No. 4 issue from October 1958 titled "Truth is Better than Fiction."<br /> <b><br /> </b> <br /> <h4> <b>Links:</b></h4> <ul> <li><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/morleymontgomeryaward/archivedwinners.html">The Morley-Montgomery Award Winners</a>, including "Who Wrote the American Chapters of <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>?" by Ben Vizoskie.</li> <li>William Baring-Gould's biography <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/051703817X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=051703817X">Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street</a></i></li> <li>Elementary!</li> <li>The <a href="http://221bcon.com/">221B Con</a> in Atlanta in 2013</li> </ul> <br /> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <h4> <b>Listen now:</b></h4> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/134350122&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /></div> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock043.mp3"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TL5jgdrUh_nM_zlDgxql-jKOFGUVFqhoV6A2JtYklXOu4qmVDyRVbwGV6XrwXZgnG9awSwJ7td-txL1_4KGrpSf4igJLILOim4yJmX5pGTPIdMhCBYLyImSI5gs1MOMUZPAlpAgvtPdb/s1600/podcastIcon.gif" /></a></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Download this episode by right-clicking the icon and selecting "Save As..." or simply click on the file to listen, or on the nice box above. (File size: 28.37 MB, 1:0:04)</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email, call us at (774) 221-READ (7323) or drop by our <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock">Facebook page</a>.</div> <br /> <br /> <br /> Be sure to check out our sponsors: <b><a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/">Wessex Press</a></b> and <b><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/">The Baker Street Journal</a></b><br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

Episode 43: Fathers in the Canon

Sometimes, when there's a topic that bears a discussion-based episode between the two of us, we like to do a little research to s...

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by Scott Monty

"No Question As To the Authorship" [SIGN]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxVxnXTMndr4aYKz0FrHlTcakQUCvb1XnVaB24eeSYv9lTYB8HgxJDkCapQC1Pi8sP8ehygdOHljEa8ii4eYFgH3QwZ9cDkT_8hzVT_iiSnx9_yTettBMVX7M_vGs15BILfOor4M3rv78/s1600/acd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxVxnXTMndr4aYKz0FrHlTcakQUCvb1XnVaB24eeSYv9lTYB8HgxJDkCapQC1Pi8sP8ehygdOHljEa8ii4eYFgH3QwZ9cDkT_8hzVT_iiSnx9_yTettBMVX7M_vGs15BILfOor4M3rv78/s200/acd.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>For many Sherlockians, there is a great curiosity to actually see - and hear - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle discuss the background around the creation of the Great Detective's exploits. It is one thing to read his thoughts; it is another to observe him as he discusses his works.<br /><br />May 22, 2012 marks the 153rd birthday of Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, who brought the world such wonders as Professor Challenger, Sir Nigel, Alleyne, Brigadier Girard and of course, Sherlock Holmes. His work spanned decades and included a variety of written work from the medical and scientific to the fantastic and spiritualistic. <br /><br />But it is not often that one gets to hear the Scottish brogue and strident voice that are behind the considerable visage we know so well. Now available via the Internet Archive, here is a <a href="http://archive.org/details/SirArthurConanDoyleSpeaks_272" target="_blank">1927 newsreel in which Arthur Conan Doyle discusses the origins of Sherlock Holmes</a>. The first five minutes of this video focus on Holmes; the remainder cover his exploration of spiritualism. (Both overlap in a surprising way, but please feel free to watch in order to avoid spoiling).<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://archive.org/embed/SirArthurConanDoyleSpeaks_272" width="480"></iframe></center><br /><br />On the occasion of his birth, what would you say to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? As a spiritualist, you know he's listening.<br /><br /><i>Editor's note: Gordon regularly covers the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and the entertainment industry. You can also find him at <a href="http://www.blogthispal.com/">Blog THIS, Pal!</a> and <a href="http://www.comicrelated.com/">Comic Related</a>. </i><br /><br />--

"No Question As To the Authorship" [SIGN]

For many Sherlockians, there is a great curiosity to actually see - and hear - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle discuss the background around the crea...

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by Scott Monty

"Possible Actors in This Drama" [SECO]

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVDnjBC2P0lbj22pGIkDdRkKmEMyKx4bUkX7mcAHCe38wYfgcESDlek8eJB0gDsUIKvk39HQPgLJ0Zgi4S57Dh1_5k_c6oWYlRxCML9xwTC375qAni-bNlN_hxNoKU3pD50IC02SUB9oc/s1600/basil-rathbone-and-nigel-bruce-on-radio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVDnjBC2P0lbj22pGIkDdRkKmEMyKx4bUkX7mcAHCe38wYfgcESDlek8eJB0gDsUIKvk39HQPgLJ0Zgi4S57Dh1_5k_c6oWYlRxCML9xwTC375qAni-bNlN_hxNoKU3pD50IC02SUB9oc/s320/basil-rathbone-and-nigel-bruce-on-radio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Sherlock Holmes has a long history in the medium of radio, stretching back as far as 1930 and possibly (if certain reports are to believed) <a href="http://www.mwotrc.com/rr2008_06/holmes.htm">even earlier</a>.<br /><br />Among the notable actors who have played Holmes and Watson on the radio are such luminaries as William Gillette, Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Clive Merrison, Michael Williams, Andrew Sachs, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, John Neville, Cartlon Hobbs and Norman Shelley, among many, many, many others. For every screen appearance by Holmes and Watson there are at least three times that number in the medium of sound.<br /><br />Do you have what it takes to join their ranks?<br /><br />This July the Post Meridian Radio Players will be presenting an original live radio adaptation of <i>The Hound</i><br /><i>of the Baskervilles</i> as part of their Summer Mystery Radio Theater. The Hound will close out an evening of other classic radio mysteries, including a recreation of the Burns and Allen classic "Gracie Take Up Crime Solving" and the Suspense classic "Sorry, Wrong Number."<br /><br />For those Baker Street Blog readers of a theatrical bent who are in the Boston area, auditions will be held in<br />Somerville, MA on the evenings of May 21st and 22nd. Further information on the production can be found on the <a href="http://www.huboftheuniverseproductions.com/events_srt12.html">Hub of the Universe website</a>. <a href="http://www.huboftheuniverseproductions.com/index_auditions.html">Check out their site</a> for information on auditions, including sides and sign-up.<br /><br />All are welcome.<br /><br /><br /><i>When you make purchases from the links we share, it provides us with a stream of revenue to help keep this site running. Thank you for your generosity.</i><br />--

"Possible Actors in This Drama" [SECO]

Sherlock Holmes has a long history in the medium of radio, stretching back as far as 1930 and possibly (if certain reports are to believed) ...

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by Scott Monty

"Breaking the News" [HOUN]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4x9aJcxgvvy63NVKXf4-Z04HojeCdE1_h9AOBB-fA72E_qIX3Rj32YtgvePNrqnuOJn0gxiY6WyJMFjSmsDLidjlXAOhU2SbYXx3gB5eCU_jcOXdVD3GF-8Djd68i77ojTRPTLEH4Sro3/s1600/MycroftHolmes_Gatiss.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4x9aJcxgvvy63NVKXf4-Z04HojeCdE1_h9AOBB-fA72E_qIX3Rj32YtgvePNrqnuOJn0gxiY6WyJMFjSmsDLidjlXAOhU2SbYXx3gB5eCU_jcOXdVD3GF-8Djd68i77ojTRPTLEH4Sro3/s320/MycroftHolmes_Gatiss.png" width="320" /></a></div><b>BREAKING NEWS</b><br /><br />We're pleased to announce that you can participate in a live chat with Mark Gatiss, co-creator and star of <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Sherlock</a></i></b>, right here on The Baker Street Blog at <b>1 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 14</b>. Details are below.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/twitter.html">#SherlockPBS Twitter chats</a> are one thing, and the  <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2012/05/awaiting-return-of-our-colleagues-vall.html">PBS-hosted event in New York</a> was another, but we think this takes things to a much higher level. The <a href="http://pbs.org/sherlock"><b>PBS <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Masterpiece</span> Sherlock</b></a> team are giving you an opportunity to ask questions <i>directly</i> to Mark Gatiss in real-time for all to see! You might consider asking him about the creative process, how he came to realize a Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century, how he collaborates with Steven Moffat, or what he thinks of playing Mycroft Holmes, the much smarter (and usually much heavier) brother of Sherlock Holmes.<br /><br />In our experience with live chats, there will likely be many more questions submitted than the subject can answer, and not all of the questions may be able to be displayed, due to the rather ponderous administrative task of the moderators. But if you ask insightful and appropriate questions, we can all be the beneficiaries of them if Mark can answer.<br /><br />If you'd like to be reminded of the chat, simply enter your email address in the form below and select when you'd like to be notified. And if you miss the opportunity to participate live, we'll have the transcript available in the same embedded chat below, so you can replay it at any time. And bookmark this post so you can come back on Monday to participate.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><center><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="550px" scrolling="no" src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=9ea06e3958/height=550/width=470" width="470px">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=9ea06e3958" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Online Chat with Sherlock's Mark Gatiss&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe></center><br /><br />We hope you'll have the opportunity to join us on Monday. And as an aside: how appropriate that we found the titular quote above that happens to be from the same story upon which the next episode of <i>Sherlock </i>is based.<br /><br />--<br /><br />

"Breaking the News" [HOUN]

BREAKING NEWS We're pleased to announce that you can participate in a live chat with Mark Gatiss, co-creator and star of Sherlock , righ...

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by Scott Monty

"Back Upon the Moor Once Again" [HOUN]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_F1VzxQB02Wr8IFXjU4bp20sFpuwSGqOK7J_8ClaYiPRC8py9rHjzOsDduE3uNm1aIukre9DLHHWCSYnFSu4nIITQmzuSSA6PCX9YAAn7uRP-WZ_IRkhXFzCUWwhUGpaY9pIgwbJzFVNE/s1600/sherlock_series_2_bonus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_F1VzxQB02Wr8IFXjU4bp20sFpuwSGqOK7J_8ClaYiPRC8py9rHjzOsDduE3uNm1aIukre9DLHHWCSYnFSu4nIITQmzuSSA6PCX9YAAn7uRP-WZ_IRkhXFzCUWwhUGpaY9pIgwbJzFVNE/s200/sherlock_series_2_bonus.png" width="200" /></a></div> #SherlockPBS is back for a second week. As you no doubt recall, Season 2 of <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Sherlock</a></i></b> premiered on PBS's <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Masterpiece</span> on Sunday, and evidently <a href="http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2012/sherlock2-premiere-ratings/">the ratings were quite strong, with over 3,200,000 viewers</a>. That's a figure that more than doubles the average primetime viewership for PBS.<br /> <br /> Even <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Masterpiece</span> Exeuctive Producer Rebecca Eaton was excited to share the news when she said, "Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have taken Sherlock and Watson to a whole new level. We're thrilled that viewers have responded so enthusiastically to this groundbreaking series."<br /> <br /> As you may recall, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/05/for-second-time-abbe_4.html" target="_blank">we participated in the live Twitter chat</a> during the show in which we shared observations, commentary and discussion related to the characters, inspiration and other elements of "A Scandal in Belgravia." [<i>If you missed the episode, you can still <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/sherlock_belgravia.html">watch it on PBS online until June 15</a>.</i>] There were over 5,000 mentions of the <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23SherlockPBS">#SherlockPBS</a> hashtag on Twitter and <a href="http://getglue.com/tv_shows/sherlock">over 15,000 people checked in via GetGlue</a>, which is an a social TV site that connects viewers via the web (where you can earn stickers such as the image above).<br /> <br /> On Sunday May 13, you'll be treated to Episode 2 of Season 2, titled "The Hounds of Baskerville." For those of you screaming "That should be 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'!" that's not a typo. In this case, Baskerville is a top-secret military compound where it is rumored that there are biological weapons and experimentation on genetically engineered animals, which may or may not account for "the footprints of a gigantic hound!"<br /> <br /> You can see a preview here:<br /> <br /> <a href="" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> <br /> <center> <object height="332" width="468"> <param name = "movie" value = "http://www-tc.pbs.org/s3/pbs.videoportal-prod.cdn/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" > </param> <param name="flashvars" value="width=468&height=332&video=2230755122&player=viral&end=114980&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name = "allowscriptaccess" value = "always" > </param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param> <embed src="http://www-tc.pbs.org/s3/pbs.videoportal-prod.cdn/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" flashvars="width=468&height=332&video=2230755122&player=viral&end=114980&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" width="468" height="332" bgcolor="#000000"></embed></object><div style="background: transparent; color: grey; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center; width: 512px;"> Watch <a href="http://video.pbs.org/video/2230755122" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Sherlock Season 2: A Scene from The Hounds of Baskerville</a> on PBS. See more from <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Masterpiece.</a></div> </center> <br /> <br /> And if you're in the mood on Sunday evening, you may once again join us for the Twitter chat (check out the Tweetgrid we've set up to follow it), along with co-hosts <a href="http://www.lyndsayfaye.com/">Lyndsay Faye</a> (@<a href="http://twitter.com/LyndsayFaye">LyndsayFaye</a>), <a href="http://www.bakerstreetbabes.com/">The Baker Street Babes</a> (@<a href="http://twitter.com/BakerStBabes">BakerStBabes</a>) and for the west coast, <a href="http://www.lesliesklinger.com/">Leslie Klinger</a> (@<a href="http://twitter.com/lklinger">lklinger</a>).<br /> <br /> We hope to see you there!<br /> <br /> --

"Back Upon the Moor Once Again" [HOUN]

#SherlockPBS is back for a second week. As you no doubt recall, Season 2 of Sherlock premiered on PBS's Masterpiece on Sunday, and e...

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by Scott Monty

Episode 42: Sherlock @PBS - Cumberbatch Returns

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30hvASc3KKYdpADWH8ip4fPDA57nnYG_UTBKJLSVIvG5Xcc2y7aaDmj4kUvPSUiEv7VSREHfpzLfRhTS8R5bCKLmVEp6i2XAUJByI0-Q4dKApOiQoVGqavh5oFV_HmnmpRnZE75BZYU6V/s1600/bbc-sherlock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30hvASc3KKYdpADWH8ip4fPDA57nnYG_UTBKJLSVIvG5Xcc2y7aaDmj4kUvPSUiEv7VSREHfpzLfRhTS8R5bCKLmVEp6i2XAUJByI0-Q4dKApOiQoVGqavh5oFV_HmnmpRnZE75BZYU6V/s400/bbc-sherlock.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/1937763/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/02216f/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe><br /></div> <br /> <br /> Sherlock mania as at its heights. The second series of the BBC's <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Sherlock</a></i></b> is making its way to the U.S. shores currently, and fandom online and offline is continuing to grow.<br /> <br /> On behalf of the show, Burt made his way to New York City on <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2012/04/hung-about-and-screened-bruc.html">May 2, 2012 for the sneak preview</a> of the new season and question and answer time with some of the cast and crew of <i>Sherlock</i>, including Rebecca Eaton, Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue and of course, Benedict Cumberbatch. About 800 people crowded into a theatre after 10,000 applied for seats, and the reaction - including screams - were reminiscent of <a href="http://www.edsullivan.com/artists/the-beatles/">the Beatles coming to the Ed Sullivan Show</a> in the 1960s. And this is nothing new; Frank Sinatra garnered a similar reaction <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq_wus1KL6Q">at the Paramount in New York City</a> back in the 1940s. Thanks to Burt's courageous reporting, we have some clips from the event and the queue, as well as a question and answer session with the cast, in which we're able to hear and feel the excitement of the crowd.<br /> <br /> We've witnessed the <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23believeinsherlock">#believeinsherlock</a> movement that arose from the BBC airing of the series and how the phenomenon has grown. We discuss a bit of that and we sing our own praises to Sherlock Holmes, in a manner of speaking.<br /> <br /> And with such an enthusiastic new group of fans, it's inevitable that we would welcome them to the world of Sherlockians. The Editor's Gas-Lamp from the current issue of the <i><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/">Baker Street Journal</a></i>. (Vol 62, No. 1), titled "Consider yourself at home," is the perfect way to do so.<br /> <br /> <h4> <b>Links:</b></h4> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq_wus1KL6Q">Frank Sinatra causes a riot at the Paramount</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.edsullivan.com/artists/the-beatles/">The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock">Sherlock on PBS Masterpiece</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/twitter.html">#SherlockPBS Twitter events</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Pre-order your DVD of Sherlock: Season Two</a> (U.S.)</li> <li>Sherlock Holmes comes to New York</li> </ul> <br /> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /> <h4> <b>Listen now:</b></h4> </div> <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/127810687&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock042.mp3"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TL5jgdrUh_nM_zlDgxql-jKOFGUVFqhoV6A2JtYklXOu4qmVDyRVbwGV6XrwXZgnG9awSwJ7td-txL1_4KGrpSf4igJLILOim4yJmX5pGTPIdMhCBYLyImSI5gs1MOMUZPAlpAgvtPdb/s1600/podcastIcon.gif" /></a></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Download this episode by right-clicking the icon and selecting "Save As..." or simply click on the file to listen, or on the nice box above. (File size: 23.8 MB, 52:10)</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email, call us at (774) 221-READ (7323) or drop by our <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock">Facebook page</a>.</div> <br /> <br /> <br /> Be sure to check out our sponsors: <b><a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/">Wessex Press</a></b> and <b><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/">The Baker Street Journal</a></b><br /> <br /> --

Episode 42: Sherlock @PBS - Cumberbatch Returns

Sherlock mania as at its heights. The second series of the BBC's Sherlock is making its way to the U.S. shores currently, and fa...

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by Scott Monty

"Holmes For the Second Time" [ABBE]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1Nx15_LisEJA91A12C0Dedhyb7i3mEXyNA7XaxuchkIg-yvvpMjx7UJQzO1jfADmfJg8Vq3MoGVW7dXQqKhOTQrq_MZVgcpyE8BDRXFMGAw-xq745HGryK1Ppe9RGs7i9JYYQG5h7-sA/s1600/Sherlock2-watson.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1Nx15_LisEJA91A12C0Dedhyb7i3mEXyNA7XaxuchkIg-yvvpMjx7UJQzO1jfADmfJg8Vq3MoGVW7dXQqKhOTQrq_MZVgcpyE8BDRXFMGAw-xq745HGryK1Ppe9RGs7i9JYYQG5h7-sA/s320/Sherlock2-watson.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><b>#SherlockPBS</b> - a "hashtag" as it's known in Twitter - is a phrase you should get used to. Because beginning on May 6, it's going to reach a fever pitch when the acclaimed series <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=sherlock%20season%20two&url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Sherlock</a> (starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Mark Gatiss, written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss) returns to <a href="http://www.pbs.org/sherlock"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Masterpiece</span> on PBS</a> for its stunning second season.<br /><br />This <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/season2.html">second series</a> is expected to be even bigger than the first, as the stars have come into their own a bit and they and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_(TV_series)#Reception">the series has been critically acclaimed</a>. The second series also has the confidence of the creators, as the first was something of an experiment. Having ensured that the experimentation was indeed successful, they mined the Canon for the three most intriguing and popular stories for inspiration in season two. As Steven Moffat puts it in shorthand, this season consists of "the hound, the woman and the professor." More formally, those episodes consist of "<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/baskerville.html">The Hounds of Baskerville</a>," "<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/belgravia.html">A Scandal in Belgravia</a>" and "<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/reichenbach.html">The Reichenbach Fall</a>."<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><object height="328" width="512"> <param name = "movie" value = "http://www-tc.pbs.org/s3/pbs.videoportal-prod.cdn/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" > </param><param name="flashvars" value="video=2227323320&player=viral&end=0&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> </param><param name = "allowscriptaccess" value = "always" > </param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"> </param><embed src="http://www-tc.pbs.org/s3/pbs.videoportal-prod.cdn/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" flashvars="video=2227323320&player=viral&end=0&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" width="512" height="328" bgcolor="#000000"></embed></object><div style="background: transparent; color: grey; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center; width: 512px;">Watch <a href="http://video.pbs.org/video/2227323320" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Sherlock Season 2: Three New Shows</a> on PBS. See more from <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Masterpiece.</a></div></center><br /><div><br /></div>And once again, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/twitter.html">we've been asked by the fine people at PBS and <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Masterpiece</span></a> to host a Twitter chat. You may recall that we originally participated in the inaugural chat of the first season (<a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2010/10/more-to-me-than-twitter-illu.html">"More to Me Than The Twitter" [ILLU]</a>) and that it was quite a lot of fun - think of it as <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2011/02/must-see-twitter.html">a giant digital living room</a> in which commentary is flying fast and furious as the show airs. You can follow us at <a href="http://twitter.com/BakerStreetBlog"><b>@BakerStreetBlog</b></a> and we've set up <a href="http://www.tweetgrid.com/grid?l=2&q1=%23sherlockpbs&q2=from:masterpiecepbs%20OR%20from:PBS%20OR%20from:bakerstreetblog%20OR%20from:lklinger%20OR%20from:bakerstbabes%20OR%20from:lyndsayfaye&q3=your_username_here&htag=SherlockPbs">a dashboard that you can follow on Tweetgrid</a>.<br /><br />May 6 will simply mark the first of three consecutive Sunday evenings in which we'll participate in this exercise, beginning at 9:00 p.m. EDT through 10:30 p.m. EDT. The first episode of course, will be the famed "A Scandal in Belgravia," featuring "<a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/04/episode-41-woman.html">The Woman</a>" - an episode not to be missed. If you'd like a little more detail from the woman herself, Lara Pulver, you can catch the exclusive interview with her on <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/04/episode-41-woman.html">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, Episode 41</a>. Blackmail, a dominatrix, "brains are the new sexy," iPhone hacking and more.<br /><br />And we won't be alone as we twitter our way through the show - also assisting with the chat will be author and adventuress <a href="http://www.lyndsayfaye.com/">Lyndsay Faye</a>, BSI, ASH (<a href="http://twitter.com/LyndsayFaye">@LyndsayFaye</a>), the ever-enthusiastic podcasting and blogging team of <a href="http://www.bakerstreetbabes.com/">The Baker Street Babes</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/BakerStBabes">@BakerStBabes</a>), with the illustrious <a href="http://leslieklinger.com/">Leslie S. Klinger</a>, BSI, 2s (<a href="http://twitter.com/lklinger">@lklinger</a>) following things up three hours later on the west coast.<br /><br />We'll all be looking for your questions, insights and observations as we move through the episodes. Or if you don't have a Twitter account or would prefer to take it all in, you can just sit back and watch the tweets roll by. We look forward to joining you these next few Sundays.<br /><br /><br /><b>Helpful links:</b><br /><ul><li><span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/sherlock">Masterpiece</a></span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/"> Sherlock</a> (main site)</li><li><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/season2.html">Sherlock: Season Two</a> (episodes)</li><li><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/observation.html">Sherlock Observation game</a> (fun!)</li><li><a href="http://is.gd/Fzfy0b">Tweetgrid tracking dashboard</a> (follow the conversation)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Pre-order Sherlock: Season Two</a> (Amazon - affiliate link)</li><li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/04/episode-41-woman.html">An interview with Lara Pulver</a> (IHOSE)</li></ul><br /><br /><i>When you make purchases from the links we share, it provides us with a stream of revenue to help keep this site running. Thank you for your generosity.</i><br />--<br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B004QOB8SO" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

"Holmes For the Second Time" [ABBE]

#SherlockPBS - a "hashtag" as it's known in Twitter - is a phrase you should get used to. Because beginning on May 6, it'...

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by Scott Monty

"His Task Was Successfully Accomplished" [HOUN]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IleagafiVxm4r0kXs6jl2ZpQmwyExQcKbfFSdt4_QAl7wqsmExQpAXvdncFZaPl41yWn1QtMKLtTRRtXt_bbEQisxMSJddnxIm7HXH8n-r5cekyabIf8cq76Y09WlPR4snW4Ja4m22d6/s1600/Steampunk+Widomakr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IleagafiVxm4r0kXs6jl2ZpQmwyExQcKbfFSdt4_QAl7wqsmExQpAXvdncFZaPl41yWn1QtMKLtTRRtXt_bbEQisxMSJddnxIm7HXH8n-r5cekyabIf8cq76Y09WlPR4snW4Ja4m22d6/s200/Steampunk+Widomakr.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>We recently covered the <a href="http://steampunkholmes.com/">Steampunk Holmes</a> project underway at Kickstarter (<a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2012/04/decidedly-nautical-appearance-nobl.html">"A Decidedly Nautical Appearance" [NOBL]</a>). With support from a variety of sites such as <a href="http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2012/04/26/sherlock-holmes-gets-a-steampunk-makeover/">Geeks Are Sexy</a>, <a href="http://appadvice.com/appnn/2012/05/the-games-afoot-for-the-interactive-ipad-version-of-steampunk-holmes">AppAdvice</a> and the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetbabes.com/2012/04/episode-25-steampunk-holmes.html">Baker Street Babes</a>, there was certainly a good deal of attention drawn to the project, which needed $29,000 pledged by the deadline of May 3.<br /><br />When we wrote about the Steampunk Holmes Kickstarter, only a little more than 50% of the funds had been raised. Last evening, with 41 hours to go before the project pledge period ended, the project met its funding goals. In a note to backers, the team wrote:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent."<br /> <br />Steampunk Holmes is 100% funded. Thanks to all our fans and followers. Thanks to those who posted and tweeted and blogged about us. Thanks to YOU.<br /><br />We couldn't have done it without you.<br /> We can't wait to get started.<br />Any further funds will just go to make it better.</blockquote>As of the writing of this entry, there are 879 backers for a total of $29,905 pledged. What a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to what seemed like an insurmountable task just two days ago.<br /><br />If you contributed to the funds or passed along our original post, <u><b>we thank you</b></u> for playing an important part in helping to bring this very unique and exciting project to life. We look forward to bringing you further news of its development.<br /><br /><i></i><br />--

"His Task Was Successfully Accomplished" [HOUN]

We recently covered the Steampunk Holmes project underway at Kickstarter ( "A Decidedly Nautical Appearance" [NOBL] ). With suppo...

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by Scott Monty

"A Decidedly Nautical Appearance" [NOBL]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu30KbaCekJgIjjbGgmbMz7RlermOp5vqbFgEytK9Svj4kqVA3-E1N1-A_U7UDHYxXRqIbKYx7tooS54HYDdNGdH4PX7QW8C27LqHmziFqBlqsc-e-ySDfhfF9cfvh1BfIEza3VBDQRGiM/s1600/SH_portrait_porder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu30KbaCekJgIjjbGgmbMz7RlermOp5vqbFgEytK9Svj4kqVA3-E1N1-A_U7UDHYxXRqIbKYx7tooS54HYDdNGdH4PX7QW8C27LqHmziFqBlqsc-e-ySDfhfF9cfvh1BfIEza3VBDQRGiM/s200/SH_portrait_porder.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>Your help is needed.<br /><br />There is a Kickstarter project called <b><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad">Steampunk Holmes</a></b> that has but three days left of fundraising and is just beyond the 50% mark. We have more information on how you can help below.<br /><br />If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's a platform by which people with ideas can seek small amounts of funding from their communities, thus kickstarting their projects. But projects don't get funded unless the goals of the campaigns are met. And if you're not familiar with <a href="http://www.steampunk.com/what-is-steampunk/">Steampunk</a>, it's a genre that incorporates elements of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, horror, and speculative fiction, usually in a Victorian or Old West setting.<br /><br />In this case, we have a passionate group of individuals, namely author P.C. Martin and the Noble Beast team led by Richard Monson-Haefel who are proposing to write <b>a series of seven books across a variety of media</b> - the Web, e-readers (Kindle, Nook, iBooks, etc.), audio players, tablets (Galaxy Tab, iPad, etc.), and print. The first in the series will be <a href="http://www.steampunkholmes.com/">Steampunk Holmes: The Legacy of the Nautilus</a>.<br /><br />The plot sounds quite exicting:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The series starts in the year 1885, when Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are called in by Sherlock’s sister, Mycroft Holmes, to help find the stolen plans of a very advanced submarine, the Nautilus, recovered from the watery grave of the most notorious terrorist of the British Empire, Captain Nemo. Who stole the plans and what will they do with them? This is a job for the world's greatest Amateur Detective and his trusty bionic sidekick. </blockquote><br /><a name='more'></a>When one thinks about it, it makes perfect sense: A Jules Verne-inspired creation meeting a plot similar to "The Bruce-Partington Plans." The fascinating part will be how this all rolls out across a variety of platforms. According to the creators, multi-channel publishing will give readers a choice in how they consume content.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySA_MiW6BbYYV17t24DE1VyzYUjO8k3weBqWo4SEem1xUDF5sGmxnH-KCSevfIx7YkMyIMEeaXYyPxRDgHgAmqFLjeIrk3lYPiT9_DMV47azacsK7GAIphAl77At2QM6Oh0_A2emRzl9r/s1600/Masthead+with+ACD+Seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySA_MiW6BbYYV17t24DE1VyzYUjO8k3weBqWo4SEem1xUDF5sGmxnH-KCSevfIx7YkMyIMEeaXYyPxRDgHgAmqFLjeIrk3lYPiT9_DMV47azacsK7GAIphAl77At2QM6Oh0_A2emRzl9r/s640/Masthead+with+ACD+Seal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">A complete edition of every book in the series will be published on each of the following platforms:<br /><ul><li><b>The Web Edition</b></li>- A yearly subscription gives you access to the fist interactive novella as well as the seven planned sequels. </ul><ul><li><b>The Tablet Edition</b></li>- Initially developed for the iPad, we plan to eventually create interactive editions for Android and other Tablets. </ul><ul><li><b>The eReader Edition</b></li>- for those folks who just want to read the text on their Kindle, Sony, or other eReader we'll have an edition for them too. </ul><ul><li><b>The Audiobook Edition</b></li>- for those readers who love to listen to audiobooks while driving or cleaning the house, we have a dramatized audiobook that is about two shakes from being completed. </ul><ul><li><b>The Print Edition</b></li>- We love to curl up with a paper book as much as the next person and so we'll have an illustrated printed edition as well.</ul></blockquote>And here's a preview for what you can expect from them (email and RSS readers, please click through to view the video):<br /><br /><br /><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360px" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad/widget/video.html" width="480px"></iframe></center><br /><br />If you'd like to get more information, their site <b><a href="http://www.steampunkholmes.com/">Steampunk Holmes</a></b> and their Twitter account <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/SteamHolmes"><b>@SteamHolmes</b></a>, are two valuable resources, as well as <b><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad">the Kickstarter page</a></b> that describes the project in great detail.<br /><br />But for an even more valuable resource, we thought we should go straight to the Steampunk Holmes team, as represented by Richard Monson-Haefel, who was kind enough to answer these interview questions.<br /><br /><b><i>1. Why Steampunk Holmes?</i></b><br />Back in 2009 after seeing Sherlock Holmes movie by Guy Ritchie (3 times) my interest in Sherlock Holmes was re-ignighted and I started reading his adventures again. I found that in my older years I could really appreciate the complexity of the stories and Arthur Conan Doyle's style much better than I did as a kid. I just fell in love with the stories all over again. It was about that time I also re-read <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440423627/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0440423627">The Difference Engine</a></i></b> by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling which is, in my opinion, the first modern steampunk novel. I had read it years before "steampunk" became a genre and it remains one of my favorite books. After reading that it seemed natural to combine two loves: Sherlock Holmes and Steampunk into one series of adventures, so that's what I did. <br /><br /><b><i>2. The Steampunk movement has been around since the early 1990s and traditionally incorporates the Victorian era. Why has no one ever tried adapting Sherlock Holmes to Steampunk before? </i></b><br />I'm not sure. It seems obvious enough once you've thought of it but it just never - to my knowledge - was done before. We have all these mashups right now like Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper (there must be a dozen of those) and even stranger, cooler things like <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446563080/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0446563080">Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter</a></b></i> (which is excellent by the way) but no one seemed to spot the obvious mashup of Sherlock Holmes and Steampunk until we came out with it. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbMHs5dyBthBgqWfYdadiNYrc6kjm9KqiGizip4vTiYKelbXCdeb_CpErYCua7zDnKifLAS6NfBgOpEV1tpC_Lzulxsn_3KyWVENlJp2uwJVGfVOD-TiGyZRogkf3m_44bSktCpp5zYnm/s1600/Excerpt+-Nautilus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbMHs5dyBthBgqWfYdadiNYrc6kjm9KqiGizip4vTiYKelbXCdeb_CpErYCua7zDnKifLAS6NfBgOpEV1tpC_Lzulxsn_3KyWVENlJp2uwJVGfVOD-TiGyZRogkf3m_44bSktCpp5zYnm/s1600/Excerpt+-Nautilus.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><i>3. What are some of the challenges in working with Holmes in Steampunk? The advantages? </i></b><br />The biggest challenge with Holmes and Steampunk is preserving the essence of the characters (Holmes, Watson, Mycroft, and Lestrade) while putting them in a completely different universe. P.C. Martin (the author) and I struggled and argued and discussed everything about Holmes and the other characters and how to make them steampunk without loosing the essence of who they are. It was very challenging but in the end I think we did a pretty good job. P.C. Martin also worked very, very hard to get the narrative style to match Arthur Conan Doyle and at this I think she succeeded. It reads to me just like one of his stories only with steampunk devices. The biggest advantage was the fact that we love Sherlock Holmes, which makes a project like this a total joy to work on. But we are not the only ones: the rest of the world loves this Consulting Detective as well. I found out that Sherlock Holmes is the most recognized fictional character in history. In history! That makes title recognition really easy. People know what to expect when they see the name "Sherlock Holmes". Adding the Steampunk part was easy because its just so fun to do a mashup and steampunk is so very cool. It puts a cool twist on a beloved character. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFy_bTEsCuTdvZ7QFezYUWf87MDDCKgj9hpCTCUiptn6jNPiyGT31wwx_Utpt4ZhNIPEUs9CDuJFcgc1dU2woQMstaC0-iMloBalXPiRckSrcM2INlDepUz8umU_HUiYKxPUDbrlvFEV6/s1600/Steampunk+mycroft+portrait1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFy_bTEsCuTdvZ7QFezYUWf87MDDCKgj9hpCTCUiptn6jNPiyGT31wwx_Utpt4ZhNIPEUs9CDuJFcgc1dU2woQMstaC0-iMloBalXPiRckSrcM2INlDepUz8umU_HUiYKxPUDbrlvFEV6/s320/Steampunk+mycroft+portrait1.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><b><i>4. Your Mycroft is female. Why the choice to change Mycroft's gender? Is she still part of the British government? </i></b><br />I really enjoy a story with a strong female character. I'm a huge Buffy fan, and don't get me started on Ripley of Alien. When I set out to create this series I had to have a strong female character. I thought about Holmes or Watson, but that sounded too obvious. I also thought about Moriarty, but then I remembered Holmes' brother Mycroft and how much respect Holmes has for him. He stated in the original story that Mycroft is as capable, if not more capable, than Holmes himself. There it was: Mycroft was to be my strong female character. Mycroft is, in every way, Holmes equal and that will be important because Sherlock and Watson can't handle what's coming down the road by themselves. When you look at how Mycroft is depicted, there is really nothing about the original character that requires a fixed gender except Victorian gender trappings. With steampunk you keep what you like about Victorian England and toss out the rest. We tossed out a strong gender bias. Mycroft is still a part of the government, and in fact its her role as head of the British Secret Service that brings her and Holmes together on this case in the first place and will make her a pivotal character through out the seven book series. <br /><br /><b><i>5. Will Holmes's traditional arch-enemy Professor Moriarty be making an appearance in the series? </i></b><br />I have to be careful here so that I don't reveal too much. A Sherlock Holmes series without Moriarty is kind of unthinkable and we are not about to make that mistake. Moriarty is in the series. I'll leave it at that. <br /><br /><b><i>6. How has the feedback been from Sherlockians so far? </i></b><br />You know I was a little concerned about other Sherlockians taking offense to this project, but I've been really happy to see that they are very supportive. I have not yet heard a single negative statement about what we are doing from a Sherlock Holmes fan. In fact, the feedback has been very positive and supportive. I suppose there will be a few folks who don't like it and we respect that, but I think the movies and the T.V. series has smoothed the way and so Sherlockians seem not only to accept what we are doing but support it. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbEiFBlxH6THJWMlAWsyPDS8jaQfGt9o12BXWMF0dfr7JpsEpU6T6xLfX4jF6GGSQDFuEjDenJaSWVzIIq_fX2HW1cl5YcvOacBjpadbDCep1tRD_Cqr5-VFWhA1a1iZlH9L3BKg4s_sz/s1600/Steampunk+Cast.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbEiFBlxH6THJWMlAWsyPDS8jaQfGt9o12BXWMF0dfr7JpsEpU6T6xLfX4jF6GGSQDFuEjDenJaSWVzIIq_fX2HW1cl5YcvOacBjpadbDCep1tRD_Cqr5-VFWhA1a1iZlH9L3BKg4s_sz/s1600/Steampunk+Cast.PNG" /></a></div><br /><b><i>7. How has the Steampunk universe viewed this project? </i></b><br />They love it! The Steampunk universe is very supportive of creative mashups and we have received nothing but praise from the steampunk community. <br /><br /><b><i>8. If the project isn't funded, will you be able to resubmit it for consideration? </i></b><br />I think we can get it funded if everyone who loves this idea can pitch in. What I've found out is that most Sherlockians and Steampunks love this idea. Our concept has been validated and so if we happen to miss the mark we'll definitely keep going. We started this about a year ago as a self funded project and nothing, not even a lack of funding, is going to stop us. 9. What can our readers to do help, in addition to pledging to support the project? <br /><br />At this point <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad"><b>pledging money is the most important thing people can do</b></a>. If you like this idea then please help us get it funded. Just <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad">go to Kickstarter and pledge what you can</a>. That said, we can always use more tweets and Facebook "Likes" from fans. It's this kind of grass roots support that will make or break the project in the long run. If people don't know about it they can't judge the product and discover how great it is. We've put quality ahead of everything, even marketing, so people who find out about it generally love it. The problem is making people aware of the project in the first place. <br />--<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/AVvXsEgbYt48ttg337VscMs6B2fyHeF-60O1yw0Kh4c61beI4zxhIKA5GCIzMFGHiatfuoanFBCMF5mYjIcf7-V2kZ0DeBTERUcpNKwI-pgXz4VcpY6py9YlRdSNGM4d_WgdiRmYWmOVgPjSbNyn/s1600/Widowmakr-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYt48ttg337VscMs6B2fyHeF-60O1yw0Kh4c61beI4zxhIKA5GCIzMFGHiatfuoanFBCMF5mYjIcf7-V2kZ0DeBTERUcpNKwI-pgXz4VcpY6py9YlRdSNGM4d_WgdiRmYWmOVgPjSbNyn/s640/Widowmakr-banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Widowmakr</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />So there you have it, friends. <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad">Steampunk Holmes needs your help</a>. Please share this post via Facebook, Twitter, email or any other method. And more importantly, pledge your support. Even a modest amount helps, and there are benefits for getting involved at a number of levels (see the Kickstarter page for that). Wouldn't it be cool if one of the rewards were something like the Widowmakr? <br /><br />

"A Decidedly Nautical Appearance" [NOBL]

Your help is needed. There is a Kickstarter project called Steampunk Holmes  that has but three days left of fundraising and is just beyond ...

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by Scott Monty

"Relics of My Adventure" [BLUE]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_HUrHz8q2_6UNgTf6chuiEq8mH83g9KgJwWGQGy-MqOemn65RPX6NdBqXOwVQQ9rOcydvnaJ5WW7h72MNQUYkFdASOQlvP_TkPTZaUluqviejdiratvQ6ux3ylqjS6TC-jC-m_OtYx_C/s1600/BlueCarbuncle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_HUrHz8q2_6UNgTf6chuiEq8mH83g9KgJwWGQGy-MqOemn65RPX6NdBqXOwVQQ9rOcydvnaJ5WW7h72MNQUYkFdASOQlvP_TkPTZaUluqviejdiratvQ6ux3ylqjS6TC-jC-m_OtYx_C/s200/BlueCarbuncle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>We all have a favorite Sherlock Holmes story. Whether it's the first one we read, or one that has characters, scenes or a plot that particularly resonates with us, we develop an emotional attachment to it.<br /><br />We're reminded of <a href="http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2011/09/21/a-doyle-man/">Michael Dirda's description of the scene</a> of himself as a fifth-grader reading <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> for the first time, thunderstorm raging outside while he was curled up underneath the covers with an Orange Crush. [Incidentally, Mr. Dirda just won an <a href="http://www.theedgars.com/">Edgar<b style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">®</b> Award</a> for Best Critical/Biographical Work for <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691151350/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0691151350">On Conan Doyle: Or, the Whole Art of Storytelling</a></i></b>.] When that classic phrase is shared, it sends chills up our spine:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">“Footprints?”<br />"Footprints.”<br />“A man’s or a woman’s?”<br />Dr. Mortimer looked strangely at us for an instant, and his voice sank almost to a whisper as he answered:<br />“Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!”</blockquote>As we're certain that you must have your favorite story or scene, Steve Mason, a listener of <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.com/">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a>, is certain that you must have a favorite thing in the Canon. To wit, he has organized a survey that he would like your assistance with. Please use the form below to participate (and if you can't see this form due to reading this update on email or a feed reader, <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2012/04/relics-of-my-adventure-blue.html">please click through to see the form</a>).<br /><br /><a name='more'></a>You are given the chance to receive and keep one (1) memento from any of the stories of the Canon. For example, you could ask for and receive: a pipe used by Holmes, the Persian slipper, magnifying glass, or any token of appreciation given to Holmes; any item used by Watson, such as the tin box or his notebook; or you can receive any other item in the Canon -- a Napoleon bust, the orange pips, even the beryl coronet. You must decide which item would be the most endearing to you and why.<br /><br /><br /><b>Only two rules apply:</b><br /><br /><ol><li>The item must be from the Canon itself, and not from a pastiche, movie, or other media.</li><li>You must agree to keep the item for the rest of your life, so you cannot immediately re-sale it (takes away the monetary value for greed purposes).</li></ol><br /><br />Be creative!<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="600" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dHR4S0RMcHZReWVLR25IdEFXTFE1Nmc6MQ" width="600">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe><br />Thank you in advance. Once the results are in, we'll share them.<br /><br />--

"Relics of My Adventure" [BLUE]

We all have a favorite Sherlock Holmes story. Whether it's the first one we read, or one that has characters, scenes or a plot that part...

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by Scott Monty

"No More Dangerous Man in Europe" [ILLU]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2603/4181736469_8dfa4e800c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2603/4181736469_8dfa4e800c.jpg" width="177" /></a></div> When considering <a href="http://www.schoolandholmes.com/">all the pastiches written involving Sherlock Holmes</a>, it is rare to find one that is purely a sequel - most Sherlockian non-canon lore involves crossovers with other public domain characters, integration of science fiction and/or horror themes, or loose adaptations of the canon.<br /> <br /> Gary Lovisi's <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615594433/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0615594433">Sherlock Holmes: The Baron's Revenge</a></i></b>, published by <a href="http://www.airship27.com/" target="_blank">Airship 27 Productions</a>, is a rare novel - a straightforward sequel to a past Holmes story that manages to be a crackling good read.<br /> <br /> The novel servesas a sequel to <a href="http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/doyle/arthur_conan/d75ca/chapter1.html" target="_blank">"The Adventure of the Illustrious Client"</a> from 1927's <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199555648/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0199555648">The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes</a></i></b>. Much like of Conan Doyle's later Holmes work, <b><i>The Baron's Revenge</i> </b>shares a similar hard-boiled, almost pulp-flavored edge as it tells its tale. Thankfully, one does not have to read Conan Doyle's story in order to understand <b><i>The Baron's Revenge</i></b>, given various callbacks to the original tale.<br /> <br /> It's also a daring book in that it is written (except for one chapter) from Holmes' perspective. Although it would have been easy to fall into cliche and write Holmes as exceptionally omniscient, Lovisi does Holmes a great service by writing the detective at the proper emotional tone. It is easy to "hear" Holmes narrating the story. Rob Davis' illustrations throughout the book provide it with the right sense of pace and atmosphere, almost making it seem like a "lost" edition of <b><i>The Strand Magazine</i></b>. (Thankfully, it is a relatively quick read - I finished it within two days while commuting back and forth to downtown Chicago).<br /> <b><i></i></b><br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><b><i>The Baron's Revenge</i> </b>is one of those rare Holmes books - an unexpected sequel that is a very good read and well worth checking out. It is available through Airship 27 as well as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615594433/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0615594433">Amazon.com</a>.<br /> <br /> This book is worth owning and reading. Repeatedly.<br /> <br /> <i>Editor's note: Gordon regularly covers the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and the entertainment industry. You can also find him at <a href="http://www.blogthispal.com/">Blog THIS, Pal</a>! and <a href="http://www.comicrelated.com/">Comic Related</a>. </i><br /> <i><i><br /></i></i> <i><i>--</i></i><br /> <i><i><br /></i></i> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0199555648" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>    <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0615594433" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

"No More Dangerous Man in Europe" [ILLU]

When considering all the pastiches written involving Sherlock Holmes , it is rare to find one that is purely a sequel - most Sherlockian n...

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by Scott Monty

Episode 41: The Woman — Lara Pulver

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> "to Sherlock Holmes, she is always <i>the</i> woman" [SCAN]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36GmUQpeavl98u7i-lHNY18ZwzTXubNB9_a4HFMVJttnWYDvyj7ag82hil-cNlBVv0HB4ZE7U_FT-Dzp0TQixW5fj1LohzO87T_PDgd6x8u49HIBellas21OQ5se3Bd21kJP8LTJMGJrd/s1600/Irene+Adler.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36GmUQpeavl98u7i-lHNY18ZwzTXubNB9_a4HFMVJttnWYDvyj7ag82hil-cNlBVv0HB4ZE7U_FT-Dzp0TQixW5fj1LohzO87T_PDgd6x8u49HIBellas21OQ5se3Bd21kJP8LTJMGJrd/s1600/Irene+Adler.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <br /> To Burt and Scott she will always be <i>the</i> guest. While you may have heard her mentioned by the name of Irene Adler, she is actually <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3091498/">Lara Pulver</a></b> and she is our interview subject for this very special episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO"><b>Sherlock: Series Two</b></a> originally aired on BBC One in January and now we're poised for it to air on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery in the United States. One of the most intriguing characters of this new series is none other than the adventuress Irene Adler, the antagonist in the first episode "A Scandal in Belgravia."<br /> <br /> So in our 41st episode, titled "The Woman," we're joined by the woman who played <i>the</i> woman in "A Scandal in Belgravia," Lara Pulver. An actress, singer, and dancer, Lara has the enviable distinction of playing Irene Adler as perceived in the 21st century. She joined us from Chichester after a theatre performance and chatted with us on her experience with Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman on the set of the BBC "Sherlock," and what it was like to inhabit the character of the only woman who beat Sherlock Holmes.<br /> <br /> We close the show with an appropriately titled and themed Editor's Gas-Lamp from the Vol. 41, No. 1 issue of the <i>Baker Street Journal</i>.<br /> <br /> [<b><i>Editor's note about the Gas-Lamp and commentary</i></b>: we did in fact welcome Susan Rice and Evelyn Herzog to the show to share their memories of The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes and the admission of women into the BSI on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose89" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 89</a>.]<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock041.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 29.7 MB, 1:01:49</b></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="9730" data-dashlane-rid="511614947dc0da9d" data-form-type="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="//play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/1922423/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/d4ac7c/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> <br /> <b>Links:</b><br /> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/thebsjoncdrom.html">The BSJ CD-ROM</a> and <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/ebooks/ebsj.html">other eBooks</a></li> <li>Great Sherlockian scholarship: <b><i><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/grandgamelimited.html">The Grand Game</a></i></b>, published by the Baker Street Irregulars</li> <li><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock">Sherlock on PBS Masterpiece</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Pre-order your DVD of Sherlock: Season Two</a> (U.S.)</li> <li><a href="http://www.ash-nyc.com/">The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes</a>, who meet the first Wednesday of each month in New York City</li> </ul> <br /> <h4> Listen</h4> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/134349920&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock041.mp3"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TL5jgdrUh_nM_zlDgxql-jKOFGUVFqhoV6A2JtYklXOu4qmVDyRVbwGV6XrwXZgnG9awSwJ7td-txL1_4KGrpSf4igJLILOim4yJmX5pGTPIdMhCBYLyImSI5gs1MOMUZPAlpAgvtPdb/s1600/podcastIcon.gif" /></a></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"> Download this episode by right-clicking the icon and selecting "Save As..." or simply click on the file to listen, or on the nice box above. (File size: 28.37 MB, 1:01:50)</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"> Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email, call us at (774) 221-READ (7323) or drop by our <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock">Facebook page</a>.</div> <br /> <br /> Be sure to check out our sponsors: <b><a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/">Wessex Press</a></b> and <b><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/"><i>The Baker Street Journal</i></a></b><br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /></div></div>

Episode 41: The Woman — Lara Pulver

"to Sherlock Holmes, she is always the woman" [SCAN] To Burt and Scott she will always be  the guest. While you may have...

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by Scott Monty

"Hung About and Screened" [BRUC]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004QOB8SO&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=thebakerstree-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a></div><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004QOB8SO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Would you like a chance to meet Benedict Cumberbatch, the star of <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">the new Sherlock series</a></b>? Or co-creator Steven Moffat and producer Sue Vertue?<br /><br />Even better: how would you like a chance to see excerpts from the first episode in Season 2, "A Scandal in Belgravia"? Well, here's your chance.<br /><br />We have a special offer from the nice folks at <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/">PBS Masterpiece</a> (the very same people who gave us a chance <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2010/10/more-to-me-than-twitter-illu.html">to host a Twitter chat</a> when Season One aired in October of 2011) have presented to us and we in turn present to you. We hope that you'll be able to take the time to share this news and participate in this offer for "super fans."<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/AVvXsEg2nzmtCTtPBgLlfyyilFDGsszO1KKoDSUO8NBDDHA7K1lZVbSu4GC2BIRIWYK16ehllT2H4zgmsv2s9FJY-xQuB_WV2gmldemg1DgmYnYJIEiUHsCl-gx6A-aW22BQxCaq7mzouGr6eIK1/s1600/PBS+Sherlock+SuperFans+May2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nzmtCTtPBgLlfyyilFDGsszO1KKoDSUO8NBDDHA7K1lZVbSu4GC2BIRIWYK16ehllT2H4zgmsv2s9FJY-xQuB_WV2gmldemg1DgmYnYJIEiUHsCl-gx6A-aW22BQxCaq7mzouGr6eIK1/s640/PBS+Sherlock+SuperFans+May2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click image to enlarge</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Masterpiece and PBS are hosting an evening event in New York City on <b>Wednesday, May 2</b>, celebrating the premiere of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Sherlock, Series 2</a>. There are limited tickets to this public event, but PBS would like you to have the chance to attend! RSVP's will only be taken <a href="mailto:ibelieveinsherlock@pbs.org">via e-mail</a>, so get your note in and please feel free to spread the word.<br /><br />In case you're not convinced, here's a video clip of what you may expect to see:<br /><br /><br /><center><object height="300" width="500"> <param name = "movie" value = "http://www-tc.pbs.org/s3/pbs.videoportal-prod.cdn/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" > </param><param name="flashvars" value="width=500&height=300&video=2188153420&player=viral&end=0&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> </param><param name = "allowscriptaccess" value = "always" > </param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"> </param><embed src="http://www-tc.pbs.org/s3/pbs.videoportal-prod.cdn/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" flashvars="width=500&height=300&video=2188153420&player=viral&end=0&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="300" bgcolor="#000000"></embed></object><div style="background: transparent; color: grey; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center; width: 500px;">Watch <a href="http://video.pbs.org/video/2188153420" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Sherlock Season 2: A Scene from Ep. 1</a> on PBS. See more from <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Masterpiece.</a></div></center><br /><br />And for those of you who are <i>really</i> into the show, here's an opportunity to lock in a pre-order of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO"><b>Sherlock: Season Two</b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004QOB8SO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (price guaranteed) from Amazon.<br /><br /><i>When you make purchases from the links we share, it provides us with a stream of revenue to help keep this site running. Thank you for your generosity.</i><br />--<br />Pre-order <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Sherlock: Season Two</a></b>:<br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B004QOB8SO" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

"Hung About and Screened" [BRUC]

Would you like a chance to meet Benedict Cumberbatch, the star of the new Sherlock series ? Or co-creator Steven Moffat and producer Sue Ver...

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by Scott Monty

"A Government Matter" [SIGN]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TleLDWGBthEJLEIG2q7QbHdjpKPiQgQBjdaweV26EmVRgHEBj79F-1Jql9PKe0BkmCyZuLzDtjH0OOC-62MbzUK_FXVi_5qdPh25YOwr7HETI7DPPyGS-WAjkDJyzOI2F4tqW7WUXnJP/s1600/PamBruxner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TleLDWGBthEJLEIG2q7QbHdjpKPiQgQBjdaweV26EmVRgHEBj79F-1Jql9PKe0BkmCyZuLzDtjH0OOC-62MbzUK_FXVi_5qdPh25YOwr7HETI7DPPyGS-WAjkDJyzOI2F4tqW7WUXnJP/s320/PamBruxner.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>Pamela Bruxner, BSI ("The British Government") died on March 28, 2012 at the age of 77. Pam was a medical secretary at Maidstone Hospital and among her many talents, had a great love and knowledge of music. Her secretarial skills and musical knowledge were used to great advantage with several musical and dramatic societies. She was an Associate member of Glyndebourne, an operatic cultural institution, and hosted their annual picnic for groups of friends. The caveat to attend the picnic was that one had to help prepare an elaborate spread and carry chairs and tables to the gardens. <br /><br />After the death of her musician husband, Mervyn Bruxner in 1973, Pam joined <a href="http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/">The Sherlock Holmes Society of London</a>. Among her many contributions to the Society was her highly-acclaimed dramatization of "The Three Students," which was performed at the 1988 expedition to Oxford, with the late Bernard Davies directing and appearing as Holmes. Pam served as Meetings Secretary of the Society from 1989 to 2005, edited or co-edited nine of the Society's handbooks, was made an Honorary Member of the Society in 2003, received the Tony Howlett Award in 2006, and wrote the Foreword to Volume Two of <i>The Best of 'The Sherlock Holmes Journal'</i> (2011). <br /><br />Pam met Geoffrey Stavert on the 1988 Switzerland pilgrimage and, to the delight of their friends, they became inseparable companions. After Geoffrey's death in 2002, Pam moved to a beautiful village on the Kent/Sussex border, where she immersed herself in local artistic and musical societies. Pam's interests also included Jane Austen, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham, and was a member of their societies. <br /><br />Pamela Bruxner was invested into The Baker Street Irregulars in 1998 as "The British Government."<br /><br />You may read her obituary from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London <a href="http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/press_cutting.php?id=280"><b>by clicking here</b></a>.<br /><br />If you have any special memories of Pam that you would care to share, please leave us a comment.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shsl/5171194105/">The Sherlock Holmes Society of London (Flickr)</a></i></span><br /><br /><br />--

"A Government Matter" [SIGN]

Pamela Bruxner, BSI ("The British Government") died on March 28, 2012 at the age of 77. Pam was a medical secretary at Maidstone ...

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by Scott Monty

"A Hundred Years Under" [HOUN]

We're all aware that today marks 100 years since the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic">R.M.S. Titanic</a></i> struck an iceberg and sunk to the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean. The reason we bring it up here is because of a few minor connections with the Canon: the <b><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2011/04/of-it-first-by-that-strange-wireless_14.html#.VS0ghPnF-AU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marconi wireless</a></b> that was used on the ship, as well as Bill Seil's book <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0947533354?tag=thebakerstree-20&camp=213761&creative=393545&linkCode=bpl&creativeASIN=0947533354&adid=1BH8MGKHJ6CP1JSGVDZJ&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bakerstreetblog.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fheard-of-it-first-by-that-strange.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes and the Titanic Tragedy: A Case to Remember</a></i></b> that found the great detective on board the vessel for its maiden voyage.<br /> <br /> But we'd like to stop for a moment and simply take this auspicious occasion to remember the 1,517 people who perished that cold night exactly 100 years ago. To do so, we share this short playlist of songs that were said to have been the last played by the band: "Song d'Automne" and two different versions of "Nearer, My God To Thee" from the 1958 film <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ML50TC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006ML50TC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Night to Remember</a></i></b> and of course the 1997 film <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006H5120E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006H5120E" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Titanic</a></i></b>.<br /> <br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="325" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL7621BF22DC7D1F2C&hl=en_US" width="580"></iframe></center> <br /> <i><br /></i> In addition to those heartfelt notes and tragic images, we also like to listen to Gavin Bryar's very odd and mesmerizing album <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000040UW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000040UW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sinking of the Titanic</a></i></b>, with its haunting sounds of creaking metal, muffled voices and wistful strings.<br /> <br /> These videos and music are a sad reminder of the fragile souls who were taken from the world on that cold April night so long ago. May they and the <i>R.M.S. Titanic</i> rest in peace.<br /> <br /> P.S. You may note that while we usually time our posts at 2:21 a.m., this one was posted at 2:20 a.m. This was in observance of the local sinking time of the <i>Titanic</i>.<br /> <br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B006ML50TC" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>   <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0947533354" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>   <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0000034DL" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>   <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0000040UW" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <br /> <br />

"A Hundred Years Under" [HOUN]

We're all aware that today marks 100 years since the R.M.S. Titanic struck an iceberg and sunk to the depths of the North Atlantic Ocea...

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by Scott Monty

Finding the Hidden Sherlock in Advertising

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> "to a collector of fairy tales" [HOUN]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpSXPwM8Tue10iYq0OZ5AoA7sisIg0-yPHs_2pKgKebRhAYd7jU1qmV-I0TRRCPHmBCCsh5k98KORm1Lq-K6HOgxjWFywv4zyQ4uFTv7TqykhLYC5AszP57xFyPkhBiWgJT8Lvdv4EiZP/s1600/Come+with+a+story.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpSXPwM8Tue10iYq0OZ5AoA7sisIg0-yPHs_2pKgKebRhAYd7jU1qmV-I0TRRCPHmBCCsh5k98KORm1Lq-K6HOgxjWFywv4zyQ4uFTv7TqykhLYC5AszP57xFyPkhBiWgJT8Lvdv4EiZP/s1600/Come+with+a+story.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> We're used to seeing Sherlock Holmes in advertising. Indeed, the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/christmasannual2009.html">2009 <i>Baker Street Journal</i> Christmas Annual</a> was dedicated to that subject. From cigarettes and other tobacco products (naturally) to home security systems, vegetables, baby powder, appliances, cereal and more, Sherlock Holmes has been part of the imagery in advertising for over a century.<br /> <br /> <h3 style="text-align: center;"> "Did you notice nothing curious about that advertisement?" [3GAR]</h3> <br /> In this case however, the target of the ad in question is the character himself. Or more specifically, the stories in which he appears.<br /> <br /> Ad agency Lowe created minimalist ads that feature storybook characters hidden within storybook characters, to promote the book exchange service at Colsubsidio’s Libraries that allows patrons come in with one book and leave with another. <br /> <br /> Titled "<i>Come with a story and leave with another</i>," the three illustrations of iconic characters (<a href="http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/colsubsidio_book_exchange_snow_white_and_sherlock_holmes" target="_blank">Snow White</a>, <a href="http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/colsubsidio_book_exchange_harry_potter_and_troy" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> and <a href="http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/colsubsidio_book_exchange_llttle_red_riding_hood_and_moby_dick" target="_blank">Little Red Riding Hood</a>) each feature another famous figure embedded within their familiar faces (Sherlock Holmes, the Trojan Horse and Moby Dick, respectively). <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw-tkzyNzNEyQ7DqEbioIM920fDPAu9PNg7_DQwu1CY1y-gmyyZEXQg22armaWNoS_KHhlLzyCaAulIW4EAEDcLn8xkN-3kNnJBjh0TydZ5UPnoypmpOLpz7THPwgTo61B5t18mQNBfUp/s1600/littleredandmobydick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Come with a story and leave with another - the hidden Moby Dick in Little Red Riding Hood" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw-tkzyNzNEyQ7DqEbioIM920fDPAu9PNg7_DQwu1CY1y-gmyyZEXQg22armaWNoS_KHhlLzyCaAulIW4EAEDcLn8xkN-3kNnJBjh0TydZ5UPnoypmpOLpz7THPwgTo61B5t18mQNBfUp/s1600/littleredandmobydick.jpg" title="Little Red Riding Hood and Moby Dick" width="448" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwijlj5hH9SBSLlygovLpJqY2UcoGF_7sr_IuU6JhtRw2K9a3F-Vqs_Hp5cSyaK0DpTgVDPbboA_nqpGbWGAdQ12w351HhGqhkqoYXN48fq42ih7TXf0XedGED3o_mEVvGrgcsCjM6NoWB/s1600/harryandtroy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Come with a story and leave with another - Troy hidden in Harry Potter" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwijlj5hH9SBSLlygovLpJqY2UcoGF_7sr_IuU6JhtRw2K9a3F-Vqs_Hp5cSyaK0DpTgVDPbboA_nqpGbWGAdQ12w351HhGqhkqoYXN48fq42ih7TXf0XedGED3o_mEVvGrgcsCjM6NoWB/s1600/harryandtroy.jpg" title="Harry Potter and Troy" width="448" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHjvpDrUiRxhxDHXixNDl-xGicDMryFm3Kmj9phUyRQDC7U2aSe7NA4KrsYuy_Yt-7yanuXGsu0-ST-PasHzlPYIxFHDDLt2ASnnjmHOnPwClmptSXOMaUtJxzXiyqXbwIFgumGkcfe8o/s1600/SnowWhiteandSherlock.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Come with a story and leave with another - Sherlock Holmes hidden in Snow White" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHjvpDrUiRxhxDHXixNDl-xGicDMryFm3Kmj9phUyRQDC7U2aSe7NA4KrsYuy_Yt-7yanuXGsu0-ST-PasHzlPYIxFHDDLt2ASnnjmHOnPwClmptSXOMaUtJxzXiyqXbwIFgumGkcfe8o/s1600/SnowWhiteandSherlock.jpeg" title="Snow White and Sherlock Holmes" /></a></div> <br /> We hope that the campaign will spark some imagination and curiosity among young readers and lead them to Sherlock Holmes. <br /> <br /> <br /> Originally posted on <a href="http://headvertising.tumblr.com/post/20903655422/come-with-a-story-and-leave-with-another">Headvertising</a>, found via <a href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/cosubsidio-book-exchange-advertising">My Modern Met</a>.<br /> <br /> Do you like this post? Please consider sharing it.<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

Finding the Hidden Sherlock in Advertising

"to a collector of fairy tales" [HOUN] We're used to seeing Sherlock Holmes in advertising. Indeed, the 2009 Baker Str...

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by Scott Monty