I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Remembering Peter Ruber, BSI

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XpX0NGRyaVL0lrB5LYWpxDJukibEzAMOtQqNSnnANB6_QIYxGnZ55nuVkQUU4zw4hJHQMPKIKC42EHlmZLajlvIKVhLHOot3OspKV_l9odkwgeNBaYY5ZNUQxU0fpotgo-3679POX3-m/s1600/Peter+Ruber,+BSI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peter Ruber" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XpX0NGRyaVL0lrB5LYWpxDJukibEzAMOtQqNSnnANB6_QIYxGnZ55nuVkQUU4zw4hJHQMPKIKC42EHlmZLajlvIKVhLHOot3OspKV_l9odkwgeNBaYY5ZNUQxU0fpotgo-3679POX3-m/s1600/Peter+Ruber,+BSI.jpg" title="Peter Ruber" /></a></div>
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Peter A. Ruber, BSI ("Camden House") died on Long Island on March 6, 2014 at the age of 73. He was born in Vienna and emigrated to the US in 1948. He was an executive with the New York advertising agency Kenyon & Eckhardt in the 1960's and for the past two decades was a consultant and free-lance journalist for many leading business information technology magazines. There was a time that he had thirty- seven different computer systems operating in his office. At one time Peter also owned and operated a catering business, and then operated a business selling bulk food supplies to senior citizens and institutions.<br />
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In the early 60's Peter traveled to Chicago and met both Vincent Starrett and Jay Finley Christ. In 1961 he published <i>Sherlock's Anniversaries</i>, a collection of Christ's columns from the <i>Chicago Tribune</i> from his Crowborough Private Press and <i>Finch's Final Fling</i> in 1963 from his Candlelight Press created the same year. He edited and published four issues of <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1ipviJx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Baker Street Gasogene</a></i> (1961-1962). <br />
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In 1963 his Candlelight Press reprinted Conan Doyle's <i>Strange Stories from Life</i> published by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Society. As a young man in his twenties, he became friends with Vincent Starrett and took every chance he could get to visit him in Chicago. He collected many letters to and from Starrett and, at the age of 28, published a tribute volume <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1eyUkFj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Last Bookman</a></i>, which is perhaps his best-known publication, edited and published from his Candlelight Press in 1968.<br />
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He came to know and publish many books by Arkham House founder August Derleth between 1962-1971, some under his Candlelight Press imprint, and had been researching Derleth's life and time for many years. Peter published many collectible Solar Pons volumes including Derleth's <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1jmWDv6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Praed Street Papers</a></i> and <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1nOfNAi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Adventure of the Orient Express</a></i> from his Candlelight Press, and worked with Luther Norris to found <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Praed-Street-Irregulars/107156039322358" target="_blank">The Praed Street Irregulars</a> in the mid-1960s.<br />
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Peter was appointed as the editor of Arkham House Publishers from 1997 through 2007, worked as a editor with <a href="http://www.batteredbox.com/" target="_blank">The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box</a> from 1994 through 2004, was the initial editor for The Vincent Starrett Memorial Library, and edited, for Ash-Tree Press, a collection of previously unpublished ghost stories <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1gn8FH7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reunion at Dawn</a></i> by H. Russell Wakefield (2000) and <i><a href="http://www.ash-tree.bc.ca/atp97nightcreatures.htm" target="_blank">Night Creatures</a></i> by Seabury Quinn (2003).<br />
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Peter is survived by his wife Gail, his three boys, two granddaughters and one grandson. He was invested into The Baker Street Irregulars in 1964 as "Camden House."<br />
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Special thanks to George Vanderburgh for his contribution to this piece.</div>
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<i>Image credit: Karen Murdoch</i> </div>
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Remembering Peter Ruber, BSI

Peter A. Ruber, BSI ("Camden House") died on Long Island on March 6, 2014 at the age of 73. He was born in Vienna and emigrated...

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by Francine Kitts

Further Encounters of Sherlock Holmes - A Review

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<h4>
“this preposterous company” [STOC]</h4>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not every Sherlockian is a fan of the pastiche, and
nowhere in this hobby will you find a larger difference of opinion as to what
reflects “quality” in a pastiche. Does the writer need to copy and evoke the
style of the original stories, or is it more important they deliver good
mystery stories? As a Sherlockian with a large pastiche library of his own, the
former measure is an added bonus, but the latter remains absolutely essential.
How fortunate then, that <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1mleCqv" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FurtherEncounters of Sherlock Holmes</a></i>, the newest collection of short stories from Titan
Books, delivers enough strong mysteries to make the volume entertaining. Those
looking for Watson’s voice should look elsewhere, but the writers do contribute
unique and memorable takes on the sleuth of Baker Street. Editor George Mann
discusses in the introduction how Sherlock Holmes can be continually reimagined
and recreated, and that is the spirit in which the stories for this collection
seem selected. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There are two outstanding stories in this volume. In “The
Girl Who Paid for Silence,” a young girl comes to Baker Street to seek Watson’s
aid, but Watson is utterly confused when Holmes cannot see the girl in
question. The resulting mystery reads more like an episode of <i>The Twilight Zone</i> than anything else,
but it is one of the strongest stories in the group. “A Betrayal of Doubt,” the
final story in the collection, tells the story of John Watson Jr. meeting the
elderly Sherlock Holmes and investigating a series of murders that have
overtones of the occult. The elderly Holmes struggles with the waning nature of
his abilities, but the focus of the short story remains on the mystery.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some of the stories start with great potential, such as
when a thief gains access to Baker Street and raids Holmes’ cross-indexed
reference books in “The Curious Case of the Compromised Card-Index.” Or when a
foreign diplomat insists that he was almost murdered by a house in “The Case of
the Devil’s Door.” But too often, the intriguing puzzles are left with endings
that are a little too simplistic and mundane. Other stories feel as if the
writer tried to jam two disparate elements together into a single story, with
mixed results.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall, the stories in <i>Further Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes</i> are enjoyable and compelling, even if they do not have the flavor of
Watson-authenticity. In fact, many of the stories read like they would have
been part of the radio series, and we all know what tall tales Dr. Watson would
tell to the various representatives of Petri wine. It is a solid collection of
short stories that makes me interested in the other releases from Titan Books,
but if you aren’t already a fan of pastiches, this is probably not the place to
start.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Further Encounters of Sherlock Holmes - A Review

“this preposterous company” [STOC] Not every Sherlockian is a fan of the pastiche, and nowhere in this hobby will you find a larg...

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by Nick M

How Much Do We Really Know About Mrs. Hudson?

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
“Our worthy landlady” [SIGN]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSsJlD1-6_k7BsOQC2tbZGwjcY-rIRzoMzlLO-ZZ63JPSjHOrHKn7tCoouFbkr6qAuoqNbXq2XNCa1pUvUpUeM47aRETkdNXg_5rq5zBa-t0YgIpFi-6YKNYhQvtjEILmJ02fYvvKiE9H/s1600/Rosalie+Williams+as+Mrs.+Hudson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rosalie Williams as Mrs. Hudson in the Granada Sherlock Holmes series starring Jeremy Brett" border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSsJlD1-6_k7BsOQC2tbZGwjcY-rIRzoMzlLO-ZZ63JPSjHOrHKn7tCoouFbkr6qAuoqNbXq2XNCa1pUvUpUeM47aRETkdNXg_5rq5zBa-t0YgIpFi-6YKNYhQvtjEILmJ02fYvvKiE9H/s1600/Rosalie+Williams+as+Mrs.+Hudson.jpg" title="Mrs. Hudson" width="640" /></a></div>
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"Mrs. Hudson leave Baker Street? England would fall!"---Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in <a href="http://amzn.to/1gEB4Hm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"A Scandal in Belgravia"</a>
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That sentiment probably sums up most Sherlockians' feelings of literature’s most famous landlady; Baker Street would not be Baker Street without Mrs. Hudson. But the fact is she is barely in the Canon and we know next to nothing about her. In the first Holmes and Watson adventure, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1mgmt8D" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Scarlet</a></i>, where we might expect one of Watson’s insightful thumbnail sketches of the woman she is unnamed and unseen.
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What do we know about her?<br />
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<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">At one time she was married.</b> </h4>
Yes, she is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mrs.</i> Hudson but nowhere is it stated she was a widow or ever married. "Mrs." could have been an honorific, a title of respect for a businesswoman. As <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs.">Wikipedia</a> has it: "In several languages the title for married women, such as <i>Madame</i>, <i>Señora</i>, <i>Signora</i>, or <i>Frau</i>, is the direct feminine equivalent of the title used for men; the title for unmarried women is a diminutive: <i>Mademoiselle</i>, <i>Señorita</i>, <i>Signorina</i>, or <i>Fräulein</i>. For this reason, usage had shifted towards using the married title as  the default for all women in professional usage. This had long been followed in the United Kingdom for some high-ranking household staff, such as housekeepers, cooks, and nannies, who were called <i>Mrs.</i> as a mark of respect regardless of marital status." Those of a certain age may well remember calling their elementary school teacher "Mrs. Jones" whether she was married or not.
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<h4>
<b>She was Scottish.</b> </h4>
Holmes says in "The Naval Treaty," "Mrs. Hudson has risen to the occasion. Her cuisine is a little limited, but she has as good an idea of breakfast as a Scotswoman." Is Holmes saying that because as a Scotswoman she has a good idea of breakfast or her idea of breakfast compares favorably to a generic Scotswoman’s? The wording of Holmes’ statement is ambiguous at best.
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<h4>
She was a portly, motherly (or grandmotherly) woman.</h4>
Much has been made of the unnamed landlady's "stately tread" in STUD, the closest thing we get to a physical description of her. From it scholars have inferred her weight and age, but the statement has been taken out of context. "Ten o'clock passed, and I heard the footsteps of the maid as they pattered off to bed. Eleven, and the more stately tread of the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">landlady</span> passed my door, bound for the same destination." The landlady's tread is "more stately" than the maid's patter. The maid may well have been a young teen, a common enough occurrences for the time, and the adult Mrs. Hudson would have a statelier tread by comparison. Nowhere else in the Canon do we get any hint of her age. Manly W. Wellman and Wade Wellman postulate that she was a young widow and in their pastiche <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Further-Adventures-Sherlock-Holmes/dp/1848564910"><i>Sherlock Holmes’s War of the Worlds</i></a> make her Holmes’ love interest.
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<h4>
<b>Her first name may have been Martha.</b></h4>
<a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/02/episode-61-private-life-of-vincent.html#.Uxzxb859Kuk">Vincent Starrett's</a> essay "The Singular Adventures of Martha Hudson" in <i><a href="http://amzn.to/OA7VCr" target="_blank">Baker Street Studies</a></i> (an essential for any Sherlockian library) has had a profound influence on the popular conception of Mrs. Hudson. He writes:
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Whether she owned the building or rented it from another is not clear; but---although it is nowhere explicitly stated---there can be no reasonable doubt that she retired with Holmes in Sussex….Writing, in his retirement, of the curious mystery of The Lion’s Mane, it is Holmes himself who furnishes the clue. "My house is lonely," he tells us. "I, my old housekeeper, and my bees have the estate all to ourselves."</blockquote>
Starrett then baldly states that it was Mrs. Hudson that Holmes placed in Von Bork’s household (<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"That is Martha, the only servant I have left.") in "His Last Bow." There is no evidence to suppose Mrs. Hudson was either or both women and plenty to suggest she was neither. In LAST, there is no recognition or greeting from Watson that Martha is the old Baker Street landlady that he had probably not seen in ten years. And it seems
unlikely that Mrs. Hudson would voluntarily take a decrease in social rank from independent businesswoman to housekeeper to stay with a former lodger that "must have sorely tried her patience" over the years. Further, in LION, it seems more probable that Holmes is speaking of his <i>aged</i> housekeeper, not his <i>former</i> landlady-now-domestic. </span><br />
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If we look at the Canon as a series of plays we can see what a bit player she really was on the Baker Street scene. On-stage in 11 out of the 60 stories; out of 11 stories speaks only 3 times; 26 lines of dialogue. Contrast that with Professor Moriarty, who is in only one story out of 60, "The Final Problem" (although mentioned in several), and is off stage—present only in Holmes’ reminiscence—but has 21
lines of dialogue.</span><br />
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STUD  p offs nd         REIG                           WIST ons nd</div>
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SIGN  ons d               CROO                         BRUC</div>
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SCAN ons nd             RESI                           <span style="color: blue;">DEVI</span></div>
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REDH                         GREE                         REDC</div>
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IDEN                          NAVA ons nd              LADY np m</div>
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<span style="color: blue;">BOSC</span>                         <span style="color: red;">FINA</span>                          DYIN ons d</div>
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FIVE np m                  HOUN                        VALL ons nd</div>
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<span style="color: red;">TWIS</span>                          EMPT  ons d               <span style="color: blue;">LAST</span></div>
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BLUE np m                 NORW                        MAZA np m</div>
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SPEC  np m                DANC ons nd              THOR</div>
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ENGR                         SOLI                           CREE</div>
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NOBL                         PRIO                           SUSS</div>
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BERY                         BLAC ons nd               3GAR ons nd</div>
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COPP                         CHAS                         ILLU</div>
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SILV                           SIXN                          3GAB</div>
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CARD                         <span style="color: blue;">3STU</span>                           BLAN</div>
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YELL                          GOLD                         <span style="color: blue;">LION</span></div>
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STOC                          MISS                          RETI</div>
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GLOR                         ABBE                         VEIL</div>
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MUSG                        SECO  ons nd             SHOS</div>
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<span style="color: blue;">TITLE</span>---no action at Baker Street<br />
<span style="color: red;">TITLE</span>---no action at Baker Street, but Baker Street is mentioned</div>
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 m—mentioned   p—present     np—not present   ons—on stage   offs—off stage  d—dialogue   nd—no dialogue</div>
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<b>STUD </b>off-stage, no name given, present in sound effects only</div>
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<b>SIGN </b>on-stage, 10 lines of dialogue, delivers card on tray</div>
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<b>SCAN </b>on-stage, 0 lines of dialogue, “Mrs. Turner”</div>
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<b>FIVE </b>not present, mentioned by Holmes as “the landlady”</div>
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<b>BLUE </b>not present, mentioned by Holmes as “Mrs. Hudson”</div>
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<b>SPEC</b> not present, mentioned by Holmes as “Mrs. Hudson”</div>
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<b>NAVA </b>on-stage, 0 lines of dialogue, brings breakfast trays</div>
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<b>EMPT </b>on-stage, 3 lines of dialogue</div>
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<b>DANC </b>on-stage, 0 lines of dialogue, brings cablegram</div>
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<b>BLAC </b>on-stage, 0 lines of dialogue, mentioned by Watson as having prepared breakfast and later relaying the arrival of three visitors</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">
<b>SECO </b>on-stage, 0 lines of dialogue, brings card on tray<br />
<b>VALL </b>on-stage, 0 lines of dialogue, relays message that Cecil Barker is waiting</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">
<b>WIST </b>off-stage lets Gregson and Baynes in, on-stage, 0 lines of dialogue, lets Gregson, Baynes and Scott Eccles out</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">
<b>DYIN </b>on-stage, 13 lines of dialogue, visits Watson</div>
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<b>LADY </b>not present, mentioned by Holmes as “Mrs. Hudson”</div>
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<b>MAZA </b>not present, mentioned by Billy the page as “Mrs. Hudson”</div>
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<b>3GAR </b>on-stage, 0 lines of dialogue, brings card on tray</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">
Special note: in <b>ENGR </b>Watson brings Victor Hatherley to Baker Street where Holmes was "<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">lounging about his sitting-room in his dressing-gown, reading the agony column of <i>The Times</i>, and smoking his before-breakfast pipe….He received us in his quietly genial fashion, ordered fresh rashers and eggs, and joined us in a hearty meal." Mrs. Hudson--not present, not mentioned, not even a thought to Holmes or Watson; it's as if breakfast magically appeared.</span> </span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
Even in those adventures where she has a large part to play we are aware of her separateness from Holmes and Watson. In "The Dying
Detective," Mrs. Hudson goes to the home of the married Watson to seek help for the apparently dying Holmes. After seeing Holmes, Watson goes to Culverton Smith leaving Mrs. Hudson "waiting, trembling and weeping,
in the passage". At the end, after Smith is lead away from Holmes’ bedroom in handcuffs by Inspector Morton, do we get a scene with Mrs. Hudson relieved that Holmes is not dying and anger at him for being fooled ("It was very essential that I should impress Mrs. Hudson with the reality of my condition, since she was to convey it to you, and you in turn to [Smith]. You won't be offended, Watson?")? No, it’s off to Simpson's for the pair and the reader is left to conjecture on Mrs. Hudson's mental, emotional and physical state. </span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />In "The Empty House," after hours during which she crawled into a sitting room where an air gun bullet could fly at any moment, she is brusquely dismissed by Holmes.
<br />
</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"I hope you preserved all precautions, Mrs. Hudson?" said Holmes.</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"I went to it on my knees, sir, just as you told me."</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"Excellent. You carried the thing out very well. Did you observe where the bullet went?"</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"Yes, sir. I'm afraid it has spoiled your beautiful bust, for it passed right through the head and flattened itself on the wall. I picked it up from the carpet. Here it is!"</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Holmes held it out to me. "A soft revolver bullet, as you perceive, Watson. There's genius in that, for who would expect to find such a thing fired from an air-gun? <i><b>All right, Mrs. Hudson, I am much obliged for your assistance</b></i>. And now, Watson, let me see you in your old seat once more, for there are several points which I should like to discuss with you." </span></blockquote>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">
</span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">[<i>Emphasis added-- ed</i>.]</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In the Granada series, Mrs. Hudson brought up a bottle of champagne and three glasses to toast Holmes's return, but no such chummy scene in the Canon exists. Holmes and Watson were no cronies of the landlady, no matter how much affection they may have had for her. Perhaps the relationships between Holmes, Watson and Mrs. Hudson were governed more by Victorian class and social mores and gender politics than we care to think about. "The Man With the Twisted Lip" ends with Holmes saying, "I think, Watson, that if we drive to Baker Street we shall just be in time for breakfast." After spending several days at Neville St. Clair's home, The Cedars in Lee, Kent, Holmes expects to arrive at 221B unannounced, with Watson in tow, and get a hot cooked meal. The relationship is one of service provider and consumer, with "breakfast" being the closest thing to an acknowldgement of Mrs. Hudson and her role.
</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It is, then, the Sherlockian scholars, the pasticheurs, the writers of plays and screenplays, and the generation of readers who bring Mrs. Hudson into the inner circle of Baker Street life, who give the blank slate Watson presents us with any sort of detail. For indeed, "Mrs. Hudson, the landlady of Sherlock Holmes, was a long-suffering</span> woman." She not only had to put up with "the very worst tenant in London"
but a physician, who, in his writings, treated her like an extra in her own house. 
</div>
<br />
--<br />
<br />
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How Much Do We Really Know About Mrs. Hudson?

“Our worthy landlady” [SIGN] "Mrs. Hudson leave Baker Street? England would fall!"---Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holm...

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by James C. O'Leary

Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes - A Review

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"I have even heard that you go to the length of boxing" [LAST]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVawbpHwni7M8u7SwzotIdXuTgqDT4YzZ-5IV0G6rpq-YLCIAWGP6n8mjsCH6XdzqxN5pVr47RzXqsXGJvJyLRCtSyYo8Sf1gJz4NtqaRO-vG4NgiZmZFWwvZ1lcpZTQE4NpFAc3JINEc/s1600/Sherlock+Paperback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVawbpHwni7M8u7SwzotIdXuTgqDT4YzZ-5IV0G6rpq-YLCIAWGP6n8mjsCH6XdzqxN5pVr47RzXqsXGJvJyLRCtSyYo8Sf1gJz4NtqaRO-vG4NgiZmZFWwvZ1lcpZTQE4NpFAc3JINEc/s1600/Sherlock+Paperback.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
Many Sherlockians enjoy portrayals of Sherlock Holmes's deduction and intellectual skills, and tend to avoid his lesser-known expertise in fighting and hand-to-hand combat. However, as part of the <a href="http://fightcardbooks.com/"><b>Fight Card</b> series of novels</a> focusing on boxing, Andrew Salmon's <b><i>Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes</i></b> (<a href="http://amzn.to/1cOGC2u" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | A<a href="http://amzn.to/1dcZ0Nx" target="_blank">mazon UK</a>) focuses on both in equal measure, providing an entertaining read focusing on Holmes' ability to handle both physical and intellectual combat.<br />
<br />
Like its more contemporary books in the series, <i>Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes</i> focuses on boxing, but with a Victorian-era Holmes, it's bare knuckle, barely legal, and rife with storytelling possibilities. (This is one of the most well-researched books I've read - Salmon not only provides a glossary, but manages to integrate his research into Victorian boxing practices into the story without calling undue attention). <br />
<br />
<i>Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes</i> is one of the most gripping Holmes stories to be published, moving beyond pastiche into more full-blooded territory (and the pun is <i>fully</i> intentional). Imagine the scene: it's shortly before Christmas, 1884, and Holmes is engaging in a bout with an old friend. Shortly after the bout ends, someone enters the hall screaming "Murder!"<br />
<br />
The game, as Holmes would announce, is <i>definitely</i> afoot after that.<br />
<br />
Salmon's tale rips along at a breakneck pace as Holmes and Watson make their way through the seamier side of Victorian London. All manner of criminals abound, including a new classic Holmes villain in former fighter Tanner. <i>Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes</i> balances both the brutality of bare-knuckle fighting and the raw intellectual power of Holmes' deductions, coming to a climax that is well-earned and well-deserved.<br />
<br />
Plenty of pastiches mix Holmes and a variety of contexts and genres, but <i>Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes</i> accomplishes something far greater: expanding the context of Holmes' world, providing a much richer, deeper read that...well, let's just say that we now have a great Holmes boxing story as well as a great Holmes Christmas story.<br />
<br />
<i>Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes</i> is available both in print and electronic form. Either way, this is a definite must-read.<br />
<br />
<i>(Disclosure: a complimentary electronic copy was provided for review purposes)</i><br />
--<br />
<br />
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Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes - A Review

"I have even heard that you go to the length of boxing" [LAST] Many Sherlockians enjoy portrayals of Sherlock Holmes's de...

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by Gordon D

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and the Connection to Sherlock Holmes

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"I am accustomed to have mystery" [ILLU] </h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbiYol6niafmqGu_u_JiuhyV6FtgxB1WspuDo57pPB8JStDsgvamQJUQ9dflb5oerr-Q9jEr7kPq6Ntj4ehE70BwZ2xjIsX5aubeHZf0CWLWXyAmIHvkn3xu3wOlIue11RPr9YhgU5cEb/s1600/Andaman_Islands.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Andaman Islands have been included as a possible destination for Malaysian Airlines flight 370. They also contain a connection to Sherlock Holmes." border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbiYol6niafmqGu_u_JiuhyV6FtgxB1WspuDo57pPB8JStDsgvamQJUQ9dflb5oerr-Q9jEr7kPq6Ntj4ehE70BwZ2xjIsX5aubeHZf0CWLWXyAmIHvkn3xu3wOlIue11RPr9YhgU5cEb/s1600/Andaman_Islands.PNG" title="The Andaman Islands" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Unless you've been completely cut off from the news cycle over the past week, you know about the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 somewhere in the southern coastal areas of Asia. Of course the reason we use so broad a term is because there's very little clarity at this point exactly where the plane is, let alone what happened to it.<br />
<h4>
"mere surmise and conjecture" [STUD]</h4>
We know that the plane took off from Malaysia - a red-eye destined for Beijing - but that two hours after taking off, ceased communications with air traffic control. There has been some evidence of "pings" to satellites, but there is no definitive evidence of the plane's direction, who was responsible for the sudden disappearance, or whether those on board met a violent end. We've heard of conspiracy theories and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/satellite-locates-malaysian-flight-370-still-flying-seven-hours-after-takeoff/2014/03/15/96627a24-ac86-11e3-a06a-e3230a43d6cb_graphic.html" target="_blank">searches that are far-flung across a number of seas</a>. But at this point, there's nothing solid to go on.<br />
<br />
One of the places that was mentioned in connection with the plane was none other than the Andaman Islands. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?" target="_blank">According to CNN</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The suggestion -- and it's only that at this point -- is based on analysis of radar data revealed Friday by Reuters suggesting that the plane wasn't just blindly flying northwest from Malaysia. Reuters, citing unidentified sources familiar with the investigation, reported that whoever was piloting the vanished jet was following navigational waypoints that would have taken the plane over the Andaman Islands.</blockquote>
<div>
Sherlockians everywhere should recognize that geographic reference. Of course, it was on the Andaman Islands are where Major Sholto and Captain Morstan had been stationed and came into contact with Jonathan Small. And Small had Andaman Islander Tonga as his companion. We wrote about the islands previously in <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/04/isolated-phenomenon-gree_29.html#.UyUA5PldWSo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"An Isolated Phenomenon" [GREE]</a>. All very specialty in nature to the Sherlock Holmes fans among us. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But the general public has CNN's <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/travel/andaman-islands-india-five-things/" target="_blank">Five things to know about the Andaman Islands</a>, which include that the islands contained a penal colony and were a setting for <i>The Sign of Four</i>. Another is that they contain a landing strip large enough to accommodate a Boeing 777. Remote islands, a plane off course and incommunicado, a secret runway - one couldn't be blamed in thinking it's enough to qualify for a plot from a James Bond movie.<br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">
"when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" [SIGN]</h4>
As investigators continue to dig into the scant data, <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/03/13/how-mh370-could-have-disappeared-and-why-investigators-have-few-clues-on-where-it-went/" target="_blank">they're following the most famous mantra of Sherlock Holmes</a>. They're ruling out theories that are beyond the realm of possibility and focusing their efforts on what's probable given the facts. At this point, it looks like the pilots themselves were involved in the plot. As far-fetched as that may sound, it's certainly possible. But the entire thing is beginning to s<br />
<br />
We'll continue to follow the Mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with great interest and pray that the passengers are found safe and unharmed.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br /></div>

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and the Connection to Sherlock Holmes

"I am accustomed to have mystery" [ILLU] Unless you've been completely cut off from the news cycle over the past week, y...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlockian History: 29 Years Ago Today

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKNcoGkMc-3YukAQ8rUMNWJqdBwOva_Qu7fkHxc0GYF2E58llMKZVsfKg6Rhm-wDEZ6CvTAXSTPoSvPktSpyfpK_7I0CAuUEdMgwfdzqZlEpb-lNWYYlavqljDB-gifVBnNgS_6CVXXDa/s1600/Granada+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A press still from Granada's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Jeremy Brett and David Burke." border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKNcoGkMc-3YukAQ8rUMNWJqdBwOva_Qu7fkHxc0GYF2E58llMKZVsfKg6Rhm-wDEZ6CvTAXSTPoSvPktSpyfpK_7I0CAuUEdMgwfdzqZlEpb-lNWYYlavqljDB-gifVBnNgS_6CVXXDa/s1600/Granada+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" title="Granada's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Without a doubt, one of the most influential and memorable portayals of Sherlock Holmes in recent years was that of Jeremy Brett in the Granada production.<br />
<br />
Nearly 30 years ago today - on March 14, 1985 - <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1imscXc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</a></i> made its premiere on American television via PBS.<br />
<br />
Michael Cox was the brainchild behind the production, and with the assistance of John Hawkesworth and a number of other writers, brought the series to life in an authentic Victorian era setting. It was lavishly produced and is remembered (at least in the first two or three series) as being very faithful to the original Canon.<br />
<br />
Starring Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and David Burke as a level-headed, intelligent and ready-for-action Watson, the series burned an image of Sherlock Holmes into the minds of an entire generation. The series brought us guest stars that included such notables as Eric Porter, Roger Hammond, Jeremy Kemp, Joss Ackland, Gayle Hunnicut and more. <a href="http://amzn.to/1fxrpgV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The soundtrack to the Granada Sherlock Holmes</a> series is another reason that it rates highly to us.<br />
<br />
For a behind the scenes look at how the series came together and the challenges associated with mounting such a serious production, <i><a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/studyincelluloid.html" target="_blank">A Study in Celluloid</a></i> by Michael Cox himself does a wonderful job of getting into the details. [Disclosure: the book is published by <a href="http://wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, one of our sponsors. Please support them.]<br />
<br />
And while you're at it, we'd also suggest that you kick back this evening and celebrate three decades of Granada by watching one of those early episodes.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/studyincelluloid.html"><img alt="A Study in Celluloid - Michael Cox, producer of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series, takes readers behind the scenes with Jeremy Brett." border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQculGPSH9NlP6E-OGueAgqPyhYx63uOn1lN1zV4VnJ6OG-UtIms8O0b07DPWXmhoEPymZfMiIVoglU94utYUnYcPXvhLrJ3G7qbK56Faq4kXpuPb3J6u0RqNjR5XcXbXtWSsd2HHwSESp/s1600/celluloid350.jpg" title="A Study in Celluloid" width="128" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />

Sherlockian History: 29 Years Ago Today

Without a doubt, one of the most influential and memorable portayals of Sherlock Holmes in recent years was that of Jeremy Brett in the G...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Episode 62: Inside the BSI Weekend

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"those weekend parties" [SOLI] </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVF4zqaQGz-GBqRdclrrgA8WLrtw2YviEO16ewqkfL1ivBukvPlH5zmRGYGSxt9OPLa_zmwxpP6NX0GuYL58l2RIUdiUvEpMWNZ3owCMEqXkpnKt9AiYZzwxbj6QbpEY59iW7kCU0pqsu/s1600/2014+BSI+Dinner+-+Gruber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The #bsiweekend is comprised of a number of activities to celebrate the life of Sherlock Holmes." border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVF4zqaQGz-GBqRdclrrgA8WLrtw2YviEO16ewqkfL1ivBukvPlH5zmRGYGSxt9OPLa_zmwxpP6NX0GuYL58l2RIUdiUvEpMWNZ3owCMEqXkpnKt9AiYZzwxbj6QbpEY59iW7kCU0pqsu/s1600/2014+BSI+Dinner+-+Gruber.jpg" title="2014 BSI Weekend" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
While our last episode was recorded during the BSI Weekend in New York, we thought we'd cover some of the happenings in and around the <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">BSI Weekend</a> itself.<br />
<br />
Our opening comments center around collecting and what makes a collector, but then we quickly launch into actual audio clips with individuals we met during the weekend. Our audio files open with an interview with  Art Levine, who has been attending BSI dinners since 1954. He knew and associated with the likes of Edgar Smith, Christopher Morley, Rex Stout, Basil Davenport and more.<br />
<br />
We then flit from one newly minted BSI to another. You'll hear the excitement and energy in their voices that testify to the thrilling nature of receiving an investiture in this literary society.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
We reach deep into the mail (voice and e) for our listener comments. And this episode's Gas-Lamp from the March 1995 Baker Street Journal (Vol. 45, No. 1) harkens back to our previous episode and looks at the serendipity of collecting - particularly acquiring new books during the BSI Weekend - and touches upon the collection of one Mr. Vincent Starrett.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Links:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Gruber Photographers have been taking the BSI dinner photos for some years, using equipment that is over 100 years old. <a href="http://www.gruberphotographers.com/blog/baker-street-irregulars-banquet-2014/" target="_blank">Take a look at their setup and some photos from the dinner</a>. </li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.torontobootmakers.com/canadian-holmes/canadian-holmes-current-publication/" target="_blank">Canadian Holmes</a></i> - electronic edition</li>
<li><a href="http://www.christophermorley.org/knothole/knothole.html" target="_blank">The Christopher Morley Knothole Association</a></li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" target="_blank">The Baker Street Journal</a></i> spring edition will contain the BSI Weekend recap - be sure to subscribe.</li>
<li>Our <a href="http://flip.it/oxPOZ">Flipboard magazine</a> and <a href="http://www.scoop.it/t/sherlock-holmes">Scoop.it!</a> site aggregate lots of content for your enjoyment.</li>
</ul>
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Episode 62: Inside the BSI Weekend

"those weekend parties" [SOLI] While our last episode was recorded during the BSI Weekend in New York, we thought ...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Weekly Sherlock Links Compendium (February 15 - February 28, 2014)

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"...the gloom of winter evening had thickened into one gray curtain, a dead monotone of colour..." [REDC]</h4>
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This post is dedicated to east coast Sherlockian scion personality and recently departed friend Joe Moran - you will be dearly missed sir.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgNwHJVlJg6l8vwElROcHRwKYeF-isgQSRQ0VI70qo3U4oYrwZHsQdtxoc8MhsnmA-IJyXq2OU9e9MY5H2t3GtcCbiVIj4Np2nIsUjCX9ICfGEr9Ssb_koUX7va1wj2Tcgw_2JxRmF6k/s1600/Joe+Moran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgNwHJVlJg6l8vwElROcHRwKYeF-isgQSRQ0VI70qo3U4oYrwZHsQdtxoc8MhsnmA-IJyXq2OU9e9MY5H2t3GtcCbiVIj4Np2nIsUjCX9ICfGEr9Ssb_koUX7va1wj2Tcgw_2JxRmF6k/s1600/Joe+Moran.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">[Click the above photo to read Francine Kitts' </span><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/02/remembering-joe-moran-bsi_23.html" style="text-align: start;">I Hear of Sherlock</a><span style="text-align: start;"> remembrance of Sherlockian <b>Joe Moran</b>. Photo taken at the 1991 'Back To Switzerland' event sponsored by the </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shsl/12118766945/in/photostream/" style="text-align: start;">Sherlock Holmes Society of London</a><span style="text-align: start;">.]</span></span></td></tr>
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Wondering what happened in the Sherlockian world during the second half of February 2014? Gothic horror literature, a lifelong pursuit of Sherlockian-centric publishing, the minds behind UK Sherlock Con 'Elementary', a look at why someone wanted to exhume the body of Bertram Fletcher Robinson, role playing on <i>Baker Street</i>, Paget illustrations recreated in LEGO, combining five different Holmes adaptations to create one seamless video, Moriarty overload, a whimsical look at the 'rules' for writing a Sherlock pastiche, Keefauver on the Sherlockian brave new world, a discussion of whether or not BBC <i>Sherlock</i> has diminished strong female characters in the Canon and much more in the latest Weekly Sherlock Links Compendium by <a href="http://always1895.net/" target="_blank">Matt Laffey</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://mastersofhorroruk.blogspot.com/2014/03/interview-with-leslie-s-klinger-by.html" target="_blank">Masters of Horror recently interviewed</a> Sherlockian annotator extraordinaire <a href="https://twitter.com/lklinger">Leslie S Klinger</a> about how he first became interested in Sherlock Holmes, Dracula and the scholarly side of gothic horror literature, his work as the official technical advisor for the Warner Bros Guy Ritchie Sherlock Homes films, his favorite horror literature and films, what it is like being a recognized world-renowned expert and award-winning author in the Sherlockian world, and more. My favorite part of the interview is when Klinger discusses his greatest accomplishments as a writer so far: "I was deeply honored to receive the <a href="http://www.theedgars.com/">Edgar</a> for my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Annotated-Sherlock-Holmes/dp/0393059162"><i>New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories</i></a> [Edgar Award for 'Best Critical / Biographical Work', 2005]. I always explain, however, that I stood on the shoulders of <b>[William] Baring-Gould</b>’s work. I had three great advantages over Baring-Gould: (1) The Internet and its amazing depth of Victorian works (in GoogleBooks and elsewhere); (2) the Ronald B. De Waal bibliography of all things Sherlock Holmes (over 25,000 entries), published after Baring-Gould’s death; and (3) I got to start with the work of Baring-Gould! I spent 37 years reading about Holmes, and it was an incredible opportunity to be allowed to distill that reading into 3,000 footnotes! I’m immensely proud of every one of my books. A great highlight of my writing career was the amazing opportunity to study the manuscript of <i>Dracula</i>, owned by Paul Allen and seen (by 2007) by only one other scholar, who wrote nothing about it." Check out the entire interview for more insights into one of my favorite Sherlockians, Mr Leslie Klinger.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsOgLK-h_NbHp30SeOO9V_fycjjUHwx9reOpEnFRytTIJSUazJo5z15CKm71psKGrsgs1mkDzR0Iyo6_wvM99uBeE4q9CAQBTObgHhnG6Mm6mFFYCD5C_mjIi-FDgcKCjr0V2JUbSgig/s1600/Klinger-Annotated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsOgLK-h_NbHp30SeOO9V_fycjjUHwx9reOpEnFRytTIJSUazJo5z15CKm71psKGrsgs1mkDzR0Iyo6_wvM99uBeE4q9CAQBTObgHhnG6Mm6mFFYCD5C_mjIi-FDgcKCjr0V2JUbSgig/s1600/Klinger-Annotated.jpg" width="527" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Cover of Klinger's New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, an essential tome for any Sherlockian library and serious fans of the mystery genre in general.]</span></span></td></tr>
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Dan Andriacco <a href="http://bakerstreetbeat.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-few-words-with-steven-doyle.html" target="_blank">interviewed Sherlockian publishing powerhouse Steve Doyle, BSI</a> ("The Western Morning News") about his life and work in the Sherlockian world which started at the tender age of 14 when he first received facsimiles of the <i>Adventures</i> and <i>Memoirs</i> to when he began publishing and editing his the legendary <i>Sherlock Holmes Review</i> (at 27 years old), a project that led him to <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/">Wessex Press/Gasogene Books</a> and eventually becoming the publisher of the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/"><i>Baker Street Journal</i></a> and author of the acclaimed <a href="http://amzn.to/1csv7h8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Sherlock Holmes For Dummies</i></a>. For a sense of just exactly how long Mr Doyle has been in the game, check out this fantastic <a href="http://youtu.be/dLhe4tTl4bU">video interview from 1987</a> featuring a fresh-faced, 27 year old Steven Doyle discussing the <i>Sherlock Holmes Review</i>, the current state (c. mid-1980s) of the Sherlockian world, the ever-growing network of Sherlockian scholars and like-minded fans from around the world and how no detective will ever rival the powers of Sherlock Holmes. My favorite part of Andriacco's interview is the following:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Andriacco</b>: What is the best part of being a Sherlockian?<br />
<b>Doyle</b>: "Being a Sherlockian gives you a key to a community of simply the best people I've been privileged to know. Literate, loyal, amazingly generous, absolutely delighting in the intellectual game of Sherlock Holmes. There's absolutely nothing like it." </blockquote>
I concur. Lastly, make sure to mark your calendars for Steve Doyle's Wessex Press-sponsored event <b><a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/html/g2b4.html">From Gillette to Brett IV</a>: Basil, Benedict and Beyond</b> taking place in Bloomington, IN on September 12-14, 2014. The conference will feature rare Sherlockian films, vendors, and an all-star roster of distinguished speakers, presenters, and events, one major highlight being screenings of the 75th anniversary prints of Basil Rathbone's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031448/"><i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i></a> (1939) and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031022/"><i>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i></a> (1939) at the state-of-the-art <a href="http://www.cinema.indiana.edu/">IU Cinema</a>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkIoqt2r7LJhYXZFzS2IhC6Ou_LmvYzQoTPGFds5VZ3a9KoomOsVj6EC1phJJ3b_phFuhGXcziJOB5bm94Wqj4N9leLndmEKHFl8FGacwt-QGxyUenIIGM3FvufjQ4xV1dTZZ2w3XOsc/s1600/Doyle-27yearsold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkIoqt2r7LJhYXZFzS2IhC6Ou_LmvYzQoTPGFds5VZ3a9KoomOsVj6EC1phJJ3b_phFuhGXcziJOB5bm94Wqj4N9leLndmEKHFl8FGacwt-QGxyUenIIGM3FvufjQ4xV1dTZZ2w3XOsc/s1600/Doyle-27yearsold.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Screenshot of Steve Doyle at 27 years old reading from an issue of his <i>Sherlock Holmes Review</i> during a 1987 interview.]</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://bakerstreetbabes.com/podcast/episode-53-lars-mikkelsen-jonathan-aris-arwel-wyn-jones/"><b>The Baker Street Babes - Episode 53</b></a> finds Babes <a href="https://twitter.com/kafers">Kafers</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/orpheusetude">Taylor</a> making the trip to Birmingham, UK to attend a three day Sherlock Con (February 7 - 9, 2014) called 'Elementary' produced by <a href="http://www.starfury.co.uk/">Starfury Conventions</a> (a professional UK convention organizer) whose main attraction was an appearance by the one and only Benedict Cumberbatch. Also on the bill were a number of other BBC <i>Sherlock</i> personalities including actor Lars Mikkelsen who played the late, lamented Charles Augustus Magnussen ("His Last Vow"), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0034877/"><b>Jonathan Aris</b></a> better known as Anderson (wonder if he had the beard?) and set-designer <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1564536/"><b>Arwel Wyn Jones</b></a> - all three of whom appear on Episode 53. Find out what Mikkelsen and Aris think about the tremendous popularity of the show as well as how appearing on one of the most popular UK show's in history has changed their lives. Jones opens up about life behind the BBC <i>Sherlock</i> camera and names some of his favorite sets he's created. As a bonus, the Babes talk to a sampling of Sherlockian cosplay participants capturing the mood and spirit of the conference through the eyes of dedicated fans. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">["The clues and the evidence have all pointed in one direction, that the only solution for the growing army of fans for Sherlock is an unofficial event. Indeed, it's elementary! A three day celebration, featuring guest talks, panel, discussions, and a fantastic opportunity for fans to gather around and share their enthusiasm for one of the best shows on TV today!"]</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Conan-Doyle-murder-tale-totally-unreliable/story-11687514-detail/story.html"><b>Western Morning News</b></a> reported on the latest (and perhaps final) development in the controversial debate on whether or not Arthur Conan Doyle murdered author and journalist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_Fletcher_Robinson"><b>Bertram Fletcher Robinson</b></a> (who died on January 21, 1907) by purposely administering a fatal overdose of laudanum (via Gladys, Robinson's wife), opposed to Robinson's official cause of death which was typhoid fever and peritonitis following a visit to Paris. For those unfamiliar with this 'controversy', Doyle's alleged motive for murdering BFR was two-fold: the first was an attempt to cover up an adulterous affair [Doyle] had with his wife and the second was to hide the fact that [ACD] stole the plot of the <i>Hound of the Baskervilles</i>.<br />
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"The accusations were the results of research carried out by former driving instructor Rodger Garrick-Steele who wanted to exhume the corpse...and test it for traces of poison....Having examined the evidence, Sir Andrew [McFarlane, the chancellor of the ecclesiastical court] said: "This court has been driven to the conclusion that it cannot place any reliance on as assertion made by RGS which is not backed up by an independent piece of evidence or source. On the basis of the material that he has placed before this court he appears to be a totally unreliable historian." </blockquote>
Robinson expert <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskerville221B"><b>Paul Spiring</b></a> exhaustively explains the details of the controversy in the well-written "<a href="http://www.bfronline.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=251&Itemid=9">Conan Doyle, Fletcher Robinson and the Hound</a>" -  and for further background see "<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1494820/Did-Conan-Doyle-poison-his-friend-to-cheat-him-out-of-The-Hound-of-the-Baskervilles.html">Did Conan Doyle poison his friend to cheat him out of The Hound of the Baskervilles?</a>".<br />
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If you are unfamiliar with the work of Bertram Fletcher Robinson, I highly suggest checking out some of <a href="http://mxpublishing.com/product/BFRCollection/Bertram+Fletcher+Robinson+Collection">Paul Spiring's books published by MX</a> such as <a href="http://always1895.net/post/3333540699/bertram-fletcher-robinson-aside-acd"><i>Aside Arthur Conan Doyle</i></a> which features 20 illustrated short stories (1899-1907) by BFR. Spiring's <a href="http://www.bfronline.biz/images/pdf/BFletcherRobinsonBibliography.pdf">bibliography of BFR</a> is available as a PDF online as are a number of BFR's short stories which are in the public domain. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">[ACD's dedication to BFR in the published version of </span><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=5l8rUHN9STcC&dq=hound%20of%20the%20baskervilles&pg=PR6#v=onepage&q&f=false" style="text-align: start;">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a><span style="text-align: start;"> (1902). Spiring's essay on BFR and HOUN describes earlier and later versions of this dedication plus a variety of references made by ACD in letters to BFR's participation in the creation of HOUN, all of which make for fascinating reading, irregardless of the fantastic claims made by others regarding ACD and BFR.]</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fearlightgames/baker-street-roleplaying-in-the-world-of-sherlock"><b><i>Baker Street</i>: Roleplaying in the World of Sherlock Holmes</b></a> is a Victorian-era RPG designed for 3 to 5 players where you become an investigator working out of 221B Baker Street solving cases as Dr. Watson during the conspicuous absence of Sherlock Holmes, created by <b>Bryce Whitacre</b> for <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/fearlightgames">Fearlight Games</a>. [<b><i>Editor's note</i></b>: <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/02/a-quick-look-at-baker-street-rpg-on.html#.Ux6fovmwJcQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">reviewed here on February 14</a>.]<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Featuring over 30 careers, 25 unique criminal extras, and rules for making your own nefarious villains, <i>Baker Street</i> features a robust investigation mechanic, easy character generation, and rules for making your own mystery. Some of the unique features of <i>Baker Street</i> are The Sherlock Die, Investigation Scenes, Clue Cards, Social Status, and the Threat Meter." </blockquote>
To date this Kickstarter campaign has 451 backers who have pledged a total of over $25,000 (original goal was $3,500) - and there are still 5 days to go! If you're interested, there's still plenty of Kickstarter reward levels ranging from pledges of $1, $10, $15,....to major pledges of $100 (appear in the game's artwork), $150 (receive limited edition hardcover version of rule book). Personally, I don't know much about RPGs (think <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons"><i>Dungeon & Dragons</i></a> role playing games with a Sherlockian twist) but reading about <i>Baker Street</i> makes me want to find a few Sherlockians who are into RPGs. I'll probably buy this game once it's released regardless, if just to own the special <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/001/667/655/f77ec712f352f2b3294ba3c45a1587cf_large.jpg?1393167323">Sherlockian die</a> (multi-sided dice custom made for playing this game). For an in-depth look at <i>Baker Street</i> check out this dramatic <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fearlightgames/baker-street-roleplaying-in-the-world-of-sherlock/widget/video.html">video trailer</a>. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Rule book for <i>Baker Street</i> - for high level Kickstarter backers there is a special edition hardcover version bound in hunter green vellum with the official seal of the Conan Doyle estate embossed in gold foil on the front. Each book comes in a matching slipcover and will be hand-signed and numbered on the title page by the Baker Street designer, Bryce Whitacre.]</span></span></td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://mxpublishing.tumblr.com/post/76752761868/a-scandal-in-bohemia-illustrated-in-lego-all">"A Scandal In Bohemia" Illustrated in LEGOs</a></b> from MX Publishing is an attempt to capture the interest of younger readers by presenting the text of <a href="http://ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/scan.htm">"A Scandal in Bohemia"</a> with all the traditional Sidney Paget illustrations re-created in LEGO bricks! Available soon from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scandal-Bohemia-Adventures-Sherlock-Holmes/dp/1780926049">Amazon</a> and other outlets, this paperback release is one of the more creative presentations of a Canonical text I have yet to see. Other MX titles geared towards the younger Sherlockians of the world include: <a href="http://www.mxpublishing.com/product/9781780923161/Sherlock+Holmes+and+The+Missing+Snowman"><i>Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman</i></a> (2012) where "a young girl's snowman has gone missing. Where can it have gone? There is only one man who can help. Sherlock Holmes, the most famous detective in the world."; two other MX titles of possible interest to a younger crowd include <a href="http://www.mxpublishing.com/product/9781780925233/Is+That+My+Holmes"><i>Is That My Holmes?</i></a> (2013) and <a href="http://www.mxpublishing.com/product/9781780925264/Is+That+My+Watson"><i>Is That My Watson?</i></a> (2013) written by Andrew Murray and illustrated by Deakin Brook: "It’s so hard to choose, so spare a thought for poor Sherlock Holmes – faced with so many Watsons old and new, what will he do?  Who’s too techno-garish?  Who’s too teddy-bearish? Who’s maybe too pretty? Who’s in the wrong city? Who’s the right Watson in Holmes’s own view? And is Sherlock’s Watson the Watson for you?"</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JDQgoGFyRCISr3s_3jLsXlIhJVdimKJHWlovLHn4FZLsVS5bXhb9rKf98ATaB3Z3NIxH-33msRahF_uQNP8XcxpFCmyVV7UOmkQKVfZ56Ujz18u_AVESCugQLW-9PTb5BFq5M6WQsGI/s1600/SCAN-legos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JDQgoGFyRCISr3s_3jLsXlIhJVdimKJHWlovLHn4FZLsVS5bXhb9rKf98ATaB3Z3NIxH-33msRahF_uQNP8XcxpFCmyVV7UOmkQKVfZ56Ujz18u_AVESCugQLW-9PTb5BFq5M6WQsGI/s1600/SCAN-legos.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">[A Lego-ized <b>Irene Adler</b> bidding goodnight to a bemused Holmes and Watson at the end of SCAN - click </span><a href="http://ignisart.com/camdenhouse/images/scan-09.jpg" style="text-align: start;">here</a><span style="text-align: start;"> for the original Paget illustration.]</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/UCs6hjTwdSo"><b><i>The Sign of Four</i> 'mashup' video</b></a>, created by the talented Sherlockian from Iowa <a href="https://twitter.com/Sweeper887"><b>Monica Schmidt</b></a>, is an extremely clever video that combines dialogue scenes from various Sherlock Holmes adaptations including Jeremy Brett/Granada Series (1984-1994), Ian Richardson's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sign_of_Four_(1983_film)"><i>The Sign of Four</i></a> (1983), Charlton Heston's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101631/"><i>The Crucifer of Blood</i></a> (1991), Peter Cushing's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093971/"><i>The Sign of Four</i></a> (1968), Robert Downey Jr.'s <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988045/"><i>Sherlock Holmes</i></a> (2009), and Vasily Livanov's "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080263/">The Bloody Signature</a>" (1979). Played in full, Ms Schmidt has managed to re-create most of the dialogue from Chapter 1 "The Science of Deduction" of <a href="http://ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/sign-01.htm"><i>The Sign of Four</i></a>. Let's hope Ms Schmidt has more video cleverness in store for us in the future.<br />
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<b><a href="http://alistaird221b.blogspot.com/2014/02/keep-moriarty-dead-there-are-other.html">Doyleockian</a></b> makes the case for 'less Moriarty and greater use of non-Moriarty Canonical villains' when constructing new Holmes adaptations and pastiches. Instead of pitting Holmes against the, one again, resurrected (ad nauseum squared) Napoleon of Crime, <a href="https://twitter.com/alistaird221b"><b>Alistair Duncan</b></a> suggests a laundry list drenched in Canonical depravity, avarice and skullduggery made up of villains such as "Baron Gruner, Culverton Smith, Isadora Klein, John Clay and/or Sir George Burnwell." Missing from Duncan's list - though equally capable in the scoundrel department in my opinion - are Josiah Amberley (RETI, gassed his wife and his chess opponent to death), Jack Ferguson (SUSS, assuming Master Jacky's year at sea served only to refine his sociopathic tendencies), James Windibank/Hosmer Angel (IDEN, even Holmes predicted him destined for greater evils) and Parker the Garrotter and Jew's harp virtuoso (EMPT, because I'm pretty sure a garrotter is by definition a bad guy all around). As the above enumerations show, you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy (to paraphrase from Obi Wan Kenobi's description of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mos_Eisley_Cantina">Mos Eisley Cantina</a>) than in the Canon of Sherlock Holmes. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">[“<b>John Clay</b>, the murderer, thief, smasher, and forger. He’s a young man, Mr. Merryweather, but he is at the head of his profession, and I would rather have my bracelets on him than on any criminal in London. He’s a remarkable man, is young John Clay...His brain is as cunning as his fingers, and though we meet signs of him at every turn, we never know where to find the man himself." (</span><a href="http://ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/redh.htm" style="text-align: start;">REDH</a><span style="text-align: start;">)]</span></span></td></tr>
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Girl Meets Sherlock's <a href="https://twitter.com/Pickwick12">Amy Thomas</a> posted the whimsically titled "<a href="http://girlmeetssherlock.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/how-to-write-a-pastiche-that-sparkle/" target="_blank"><b>How To Write a Pastiche That Sparkle$!</b></a>" which includes a number of very 'helpful' hints regarding how to compose a successful Holmes pastiche. In light of Duncan's entry above, I think the most important point is tip #1 "Include TONS of historical people. It’s called playing The Game. Who wants to read a pastiche where Holmes interacts in-depth with one historical person or situation? Subtlety is boring. Namecheck at least ten real-life characters, or you don’t deserve to call yourself a pastiche artist." I would go even further and suggest that the greater the number of historical and fictional figures included, the greater chance one has of achieving literary fame and fortune. Whenever I get around to writing my pastiche, it will include all three Moriarty brothers plus a fourth James Moriarty (but unrelated to the Professor, Colonel and Station Master) and a James Moriarty-bot built by none-other-than Thorpe Holmes, the 'other' Holmes brother from that masterpiece of all Sherlockian cinema, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1522835/"><i>Asylum's Sherlock Holmes</i></a> (2010). My only complaint about Ms Thomas' list is that she forgot item #6 which goes something like 'Make sure to establish that your pastiche is truly authentic by mentioning that said manuscript was discovered in your great-grandmother's attic in a box marked "Grandma's Les Liaisons Dangereuses: or Doctor's I've Known and Loved." </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">[Thorpe Holmes, the cybernetic-ized brother of Sherlock Holmes, in </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1522835/" style="text-align: start;"><i>Asylum's Sherlock Holmes</i></a><span style="text-align: start;"> (2010).]</span></span></td></tr>
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On Sherlock Peoria, in "<a href="http://sherlockpeoria.blogspot.com/2014/02/standing-where-you-might-get-finger.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Standing Where You Might Get Finger Slipped</a>,"Brad Keefauver invites Sherlockians, perhaps dubious of the current Kickstarter campaign based around the notion of turning an obscure fan fiction piece into a web series, to pause for a moment and acknowledge the impressiveness of the <i>A Finger Slip</i> project:<br />
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"We live in an age where a young dreamer can get an idea to adapt an idea based on an idea, with both of the last two ideas based on two other ideas, then raise $13,000 to fulfill that dream, funded by folks who want to see that dream come true..." </blockquote>
Keefauver then takes his argument one step further by suggesting that those critical of the project need to remove their blinders and realize that an important aspect of the brave new Sherlockian world is the multiplicity of perspectives now available to Holmes enthusiasts. Keefauver also successfully addresses a point I raised in <a href="http://always1895.net/post/76517189042/weekly-sherlock-links-compendium-january-25-february">last week's post</a> regarding <i>Sherlock Peoria</i>'s ambiguity toward this brave new world: "I'm less and less sure of where I stand in our modern Sherlockian world for one simple reason: It's a much bigger place than it used to be and there are just so many, many places to stand now." Lastly, a point which should be unequivocally un-ambiguous is Keefauver's descriptive virtuosity as evidenced by the following turn of phrase: "And apparently, <i>A Finger Slip</i> has touched a lot of folks's mental private parts." Indeed it has.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[An artist's rendering of what the Sherlockian world of tomorrow will look like. If you look closely those are flying deerstalker cars.]</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://sherlockcares.com/scandal-baker-street-cam/" target="_blank">Sherlock Cares ran a reaction piece</a> to the recent <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/sherlock-bbc-moffat-milverton/"><i>Daily Dot</i></a> article "Sherlock Wrote a Female Character Out of a Classic Story, and Fans Aren't Happy" essentially agreeing with the notion that Moffat's adaptation "has modified the ending, and a critical moment, of an original Sherlock Holmes stories in which woman take decisive action and ultimately beat Sherlock Holmes in solving the problem." In the case of Irene Adler, instead of "beating" Holmes as occurs in the Canon, she must ultimately be saved from a beheading. With Mary Morstan, instead of shooting CAM Devil, she instead turns to Sherlock to 'save her' from CAM's blackmailing ways.<br />
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The crux of both articles comes down to this:<br />
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"In the original canon, there are many women whom even Sherlock Holmes admires for their strength of character, bravery, beauty, charm, and, yes, even their relative intelligence. But in BBC <i>Sherlock</i> it seems the women are there to serve “the boys.” And if the women are very, very lucky, “the boys” might rescue them and bestow a kiss...The moral in Sherlock is that women should not be smart, or if they are smart, they should not be ambitious for anything except love and marriage." </blockquote>
Is this evidence of Moffat and Gatiss' inherent sexism? Does BBC <i>Sherlock</i> systematically morph independent female characters into helpless victims while simultaneously re-asserting the patriarchal status quo? After teasing out the facts (i.e. the specific ways in which Moffat altered the Canon and portrayed various female characters) from the interpretation (i.e. are Moffat's alterations clear cut examples of sexism and/or a systematic strategy to put women 'back in their place'?), do the claims of either essay hold up under close scrutiny or are there alternate, gender-neutral interpretations of either adaptation? Whatever your stance on these issues, the points raised are worth thinking about and discussing. <br />
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The Consulting Detective <a href="http://sherlockcares.com/scandal-baker-street-cam/" target="_blank">wonders whether or not Steven Moffat is actually an Evil Genius</a>...or just a genius...or just evil. Actually, it only takes blog author Nick Cardillo half a paragraph to decide Moffat is "the world's most formidable evil genius", though later Cardillo defines 'genius' as knowing "how to tell a good story" and 'evil' as "showmanship and flair". Hmm, I was hoping for definitive proof that Moffat's ideas on relationships were cribbed from an ancient book bound and written on human skin or that he drinks the blood of virgin fanboys for inspiration, but no such luck this time. This post does make a good point regarding the somewhat ambiguous role of Mark Gatiss at the BBC and in relation to Moffat. Is it the case that Mycroft is to the British Government what Mark Gatiss is to Sherlock? Perhaps Gatiss is the true, bonafide super evil puppet master pulling and manipulating the millions of delicate threads controlling so-called 'feels', that as of yet undiscovered component to the autonomic nervous system no doubt produced in the medulla oblongata and responsible for pretty much anything on Tumblr similar to the sentiment "<a href="http://nerdfighters.ning.com/forum/topics/reichenbach-feels">I just finished re-watching "The Reichenbach Fall" and I had no idea I could feel so horrifyingly dead inside.... Anyone else?</a>" with a #feels tag - oh wait, <i>Sherlock</i> Season 3 has come and gone and I guess Sherlock coming back wasn't that big of a deal after all - certainly not as big of a deal as Sherlock shooting a dude in cold blood (but come on, he deserved it) and then sent off on a suicide mission only to be immediately recalled because of an animated GIF inexplicably appearing on everyone's screens. Now that's evil.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Is Mark Gatiss the real evil genius behind BBC <i>Sherlock</i>?]</span></span></td></tr>
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<b>Sherlockian Event Links:</b><br />
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<a href="http://prioryscholarsnyc.com/"><b>The Priory Scholars of NYC</b></a> will hold their next event on Saturday April 12, 2014 from 12:30 - 4:00 p.m. at The Churchill Tavern (45 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016). Please confirm your enrollment via email to Headmistress <a href="mailto:judith-freeman@hotmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Judith Freeman</a> no later than March 29, 2014. The discussion, led by Matt Laffey, will focus on "<a href="http://ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/spec.htm">The Adventure of the Speckled Band</a>." Quizmaster Nick Martorelli will moderate a SPEC quiz, where the highest scoring attendees will receive a selection of prizes including books, Sherlockian artifacts, comics, etc. All Sherlockian enthusiasts are welcome, from the hardcore Prioryists to the curious newcomers. Make sure to follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/PrioryNYC">Twitter</a> and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PrioryNYC">Facebook</a> for updated info and pre-game discussion. This event is dedicated to the memory of Joe Moran who, for a time, was the reigning headmaster of the Priory Scholars of NYC, circa 1994.<br />
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<a href="http://3garridebs.homestead.com/"><b>The Three Garridebs</b></a> of Westchester will hold their next meeting at 1:00 p.m. on March 22, 2014 at the <a href="http://www.hastingslibrary.org/">Hastings-on-Hudson Public Library</a>, NY. The discussion and quiz will be on "The Empty House" and attendees can expect the usual edifying lectures and always entertaining Sherlockian show-and-tell. Check out the <a href="http://3garridebs.homestead.com/">3Garridebs website</a> for more information. On a related check, check out the latest edition of the <a href="http://3garridebs.homestead.com/foolscapdocument.html"><i>Foolscap Document</i></a>, the newsletter of the Three Garridebs.<br />
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<a href="http://chatham.patch.com/groups/chatham-playhouse-news/p/sherlock-holmes-the-final-adventure_43b3e460"><b>Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure</b></a> a theater production put together by the Chatham Players opens on March 7th and runs through March 22nd, 2014 at the <a href="http://www.chathamplayers.org/">Chatham Playhouse</a> (23 North Passaic Ave, Chatham, NJ 07928). Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for youth/senior. "Join Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they face off against arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty, in the Stephen Dietz story inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The case takes Holmes on a final adventure, which includes kidnapping, numerous disguises, underhand plotting twists and turns and a whole series of clues which even has the super sleuth’s sidekick scratching his head..." According to the synopsis, the play combines elements of "The Final Problem," "A Scandal in Bohemia," and <i>A Study in Scarlet</i> with further inspiration drawn from William Gillette's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_(play)"><i>Sherlock Holmes</i></a> (1899). Available dates and times can be found <a href="http://ccp.ticketleap.com/sherlock-holmes/">here</a>. (Thanks to Peter McIntyre and Bea Makara for the tip.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-directions-in-sherlock-tickets-6900426361"><b>New Directions in Sherlock</b></a> is a free one day conference sponsored by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SherlockHolmesPastAndPresent">Sherlock Holmes Past & Present</a> happening on Friday, April 11, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (BST) London, United Kingdom. "In this one-day symposium, we will screen "His Last Vow", attend presentations, and discuss Sherlock Holmes, the BBC <i>Sherlock</i> and aspects of neo-Victorian detective writing. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Benjamin Poore of University of York." </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Spend the day discussing all things BBC Sherlock, focusing primarily on "His Last Vow".]</span></span></td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://www.amateurmendicantsociety.org/2014/02/winter-meeting-report.html">The Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit</a></b> convened for their annual Winter luncheon - populated by 44 brave Sherlockian souls who braved a harsh Midwestern winter - on February 1, 2014 in Birmingham, Michigan. Tantalus of the AMS, Robert Musial, reports on the various goings on including toasts by Gloria Longueil saluting The Woman, Mike Smith toasting Watson’s Second Wife, Rob Musial raising a glass to Mrs. Hudson, <a href="https://twitter.com/ReginaStinson"><b>Regina Stinson</b></a> saluting Mycroft Holmes and Jerry Alvin commemorating the mysterious Ezekiah Hopkins; a silent auction where a bottle of one of the <a href="http://221bcellars.com/">221B Cellars</a> wines (limited to 200 bottles total) went for $90; announcement of the winner of the highly coveted AMS Beggar's Cup, commemorating the best presentation given at an AMS event in the previous year, which went to both Jerry Alvin and Regina Stinson who both shared in the glory due to a tie; Chris Jeryan's “A Holmesian Menagerie” exploring the Canon's alphabetical bestiary (“adder” and “bee,” winding through “jellyfish,” “kipper,” “leech” and others and on to “petrel,” “venomous lizard” and “whale”); the outcome of the All-Canon Quiz; and finally concluding the luncheon with Anne Musial and David Mohan leading the group in the standard singing of “God Save the Queen” and Lascar Richard Jeryan with the traditional reading of Starrett's poem <a href="http://always1895.net/post/11857862603/starrett1-birthday-week-2011"><i>221B</i></a>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOumaIp4xxWst7-riYpGQ8t9FEb3dT8sFgc9sRkKo48VMBqMgzSEa5MVO0eUPGtbwB_auhs5sBEQPg1P8tuOa4o0tWkWUVkpnMgp-RlN9ljwgwLIK1wOb_hvUdQjXEZ8EQKdIv4n6Qv84/s1600/AMS2014Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOumaIp4xxWst7-riYpGQ8t9FEb3dT8sFgc9sRkKo48VMBqMgzSEa5MVO0eUPGtbwB_auhs5sBEQPg1P8tuOa4o0tWkWUVkpnMgp-RlN9ljwgwLIK1wOb_hvUdQjXEZ8EQKdIv4n6Qv84/s1600/AMS2014Cake.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Sherlock Holmes, 160 years young!]</span></span></td></tr>
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