Bombshell Interview with Author Mitch Cullin

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "tour de force of the author"<b> [CARD]</b></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0pBoEmL9eKFwEYxvbvjI0inrbuDER_jQtftaFmlzoqqFm8le8dftxMeaIhT2KBjQWW1xbLDx49bJTNLj3czjcwyvNDZzIDIxyT5Lg6GBMctmddpA4uLkvTL7_uthHWAoU_kT4J7jBm48/s1600/Mitch+Cullin.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0pBoEmL9eKFwEYxvbvjI0inrbuDER_jQtftaFmlzoqqFm8le8dftxMeaIhT2KBjQWW1xbLDx49bJTNLj3czjcwyvNDZzIDIxyT5Lg6GBMctmddpA4uLkvTL7_uthHWAoU_kT4J7jBm48/s640/Mitch+Cullin.PNG" width="640" /></a></div> <b><br /> </b><b>[Editor's note:</b> <i>after legal proceedings delayed our intended podcast interview with Mr. Cullin, we commissioned contributor <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Derrick%20Belanger" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Derrick Belanger</a> to conduct an interview via email. The following represents the unvarnished commentary of the author and his experience</i>.]<br /> <br /> Mitch Cullin did not set out to be known as the author of a controversial Sherlock Holmes novel.  In fact, the New Mexico native doesn't even consider himself a Sherlockian, and he'd rather be meditating than reading anything Holmes-related.  Yet, with the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. lawsuit against the film <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3g5szYt" target="_blank">Mr. Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2765668" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=1712ec62e2e245748a2eb162673ce34b&_cb=1448255881654" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> and Cullin's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3dtqu6Q" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind<img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5677355" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=7812f8d0788153deac205f67ecc84712&_cb=1448255891557" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></a></i>, the novel on which the film is based, Mitch Cullin has emerged, like <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/%23FreeSherlock" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Leslie Klinger</a>, as a Holmesian hero, fighting to protect the rights of pastiche authors and trying to keep Sherlock Holmes free.  After a strongly worded post on his Facebook page explaining the lawsuit settlement and his reasons against it, I contacted Mr. Cullin to ask him about the lawsuit, the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i>, and his current venture into photography.<br /> <br /> <h4> <b>I Hear of Sherock Everywhere:  Let's start with the settlement of the lawsuit the Conan Doyle Estate brought against <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i> and the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i>.</b></h4> <b>Mitch Cullin:</b> First off, I want to be clear on who we're talking about when we say the Conan Doyle Estate, particularly in terms of the U.S. and the Estate's business model for almost the past twenty years, what <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="SEARCH" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="79bfbb2ceaea7e6826d6a460688db0da" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Neil Gaiman" href="https://amzn.to/2Yz2Bqc" id="amznPsBmLink_3158717" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Neil Gaiman</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3158717" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=79bfbb2ceaea7e6826d6a460688db0da&_cb=1448256069127" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> called a "shakedown operation." When the lawsuit by the Estate against the film and my book was announced last May — in somewhat uber-nerdy fashion on the occasion of Sir Arthur's 156th birthday — I immediately wondered who was behind the lawsuit. In other words, I found myself asking, "Who exactly is the Conan Doyle Estate in this day and age?"<br /> <br /> Most people have no idea about what individuals loiter under the veil of the Estate, and I was no different. Knowing Conan Doyle has no living direct heirs, I assumed there must be some very distant Miss Havisham-like relative wandering about a country house in Scotland who was behind the lawsuit. But that idea turned out to be rather far from the truth. In fact, the remaining rights are owned by <a href="http://www.conandoyleestate.com/" target="_blank">Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd.</a>, a UK company, not individuals. The closest living heirs of Arthur Conan Doyle are Charles Foley, Richard Doyle, and Catherine Doyle Beggs, and Georgina Doyle, widow of Brigadier John Doyle, whose father Innes was Sir Arthur’s younger brother.<br /> <br /> However, the Estate "client" that is referred to in the lawsuit's claims against me is a fellow named Jon Lellenberg, a former defense strategist who is now retired and enjoying life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the city where I happen to have been born. Of course, once I learned this, I immediately Googled Mr. Lellenberg to attach a face to the name. It was a disappointment, actually, because I was expecting to glimpse an imposing foe with a steely-eyed glint and a walrus mustache. That was hardly the case. And as it happens, in spite of the fact that <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12301.Jon_Lellenberg?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">his Goodreads page</a> lists him as being from the United Kingdom, Mr. Lellenberg is an American from Missouri. It turns out, too, that many Sherlockians are aware of him as the U.S. representative for the Estate, as well as the editor and author of several decent books that pertain to Conan Doyle. So when talking about the lawsuit and who was responsible for it, I'm really talking about only one person, and that is Jon Lellenberg. <br /> <br /> A couple more important things to mention for context. Lellenberg had been the exclusive U.S. representative for Dame Jean Conan Doyle for years. After her death, the Conan Doyle Estate was incorporated into the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.. The CDE then took its business model cues in terms of copyright and trademark from the Disney Corporation, which had successfully lobbied Congress to extend copyright laws into what became known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act in 1998 — yep, that Sonny Bono — or, unofficially, as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act. There are a few good aspects of the Bono Act, but the bad part was that it brought back into copyright protection things that had lapsed, such as the <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0056JEL3W" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="35edd5fef6e3582eab9eb6546e6bb8e3" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes" href="https://amzn.to/31glHD8" id="amznPsBmLink_567124" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_567124" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=35edd5fef6e3582eab9eb6546e6bb8e3&_cb=1448256414297" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>. For those stories, the copyright period is now 95 years after publication. Thus, the last of the <i>Case-Book</i> stories won't relapse into the public domain until 2022.<br /> <br /> This extension in U.S. copyright laws then set the stage for how the the Estate has gone forward ever since. It's a business model that, in my opinion, seems to epitomize the neoconservative fixation with prizing unbridled corporate interests over reasoned free-market fairness, not to mention a disposition of low tolerance for diplomacy of any kind. Lastly, and not without significance, it must be pointed out that <b>Jon Lellenberg isn't just the U.S. representative for the CDE, but, in fact, he owns a certain percentage of the Estate</b>.<br /> <br /> [<b><i>Editor's note:</i></b> <i>let's just let that last sentence sink in, shall we? Given <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/7th-circuit-orders-conan-doyle-estate.html#.VlKlU_mrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">what we know about the methods of the CDE</a>, "these are very deep waters," as Holmes said.</i>]<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://rycardus.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/conan-doyle-seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://rycardus.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/conan-doyle-seal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE: What was the basis of the lawsuit?</b></h4> <b>MC:</b> The basis of the lawsuit by the CDE against me, my publisher, the film company, and director Bill Condon claimed that my novel was loaded with copyright violations from at least one of the copyrighted Holmes stories in <i>The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes</i>, and the CDE also asserted that there was a trademark violation for the usage of "Sherlock Holmes" since, it was claimed, they owned the trademark where it pertained to both film and books.<br /> <br /> That assertion, by the way, is flat-out untrue. The CDE has a trademark pending in that regard, but they don't currently own one, nor have they ever owned one. There's quite a good chance the trademark will be denied, as it should be. If the trademark is granted, then things will become very interesting, because the CDE will be able to metaphorically own the copyright to the name "Sherlock Holmes" for perpetuity. In theory, that would mean an individual would be free to make a film version of the public domain Conan Doyle Holmes stories — let's say <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1503312755" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="58e253e7f307a32290f0d1fec14bee80" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Hound of the Baskervilles" href="https://amzn.to/2B4fLmi" id="amznPsBmLink_4178344" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4178344" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=58e253e7f307a32290f0d1fec14bee80&_cb=1448257225452" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> — but that person would have to pay the CDE a licensing fee for the use of the trademarked name of "Sherlock Holmes".<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <h4> <b>IHOSE: Why did your publisher settle?</b></h4> <b>MC:</b> I'm legally bound to say nothing in regard to the specifics of the final agreement, so I can't speak to what the settlement entails. I can, however, talk about everything that led up to the final agreement. On face value, it would appear that my publisher caved to the CDE's demands. In reality, that was far from the case, regardless of how "very pleased" with the outcome the CDE's lawyer has stated to the press; that's just spin, that's what he's paid to say.<br /> <br /> In spite of whatever is right or wrong, the blunt reality is that it is cheaper for corporations to settle than to go to court, and I believe the CDE is not only keenly aware of that reality, but that they bank on it as an outcome. [<i><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/7th-circuit-orders-conan-doyle-estate.html#.VlKmMfmrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Judge Posner of the 7th Circuit Court believed the CDE was keenly aware as well</a>. - <b>Ed.</b></i>] The lawsuit was never intended or designed by the CDE to be litigated. For that matter, contrary to what the CDE has suggested, the film was never kept by them from having a U.S. release. In order for that to have occurred, an injunction against the film would have had to be filed well in advance of the film's release, which didn't happen because the Estate surely knew it wouldn't have received an injunction. The negotiations between the CDE and Random House and I went on for almost three months, but the majority of those negotiations between the Estate and Random House were non-starters and often rather childish.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE: With some of the Sherlock Holmes stories still under copyright in the U.S. did you or your publisher ever worry about copyright infringement when you wrote <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>? Did the estate ever question you or your publisher before the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i> was announced?</b></h4> <b>MC:</b> No, not all; neither my publisher nor I was worried, especially since 99.9% of the book had nothing to do with the specifics of the Conan Doyle canon, and those moments that did pertain to the stories were minor, with only <u>three</u> actual references that could be tied to the U.S. copyrighted stories — though those three references are all textbook examples of fair use.<br /> <br /> In other words, no readers are buying my book instead of a copyrighted Holmes story so they can find out that Watson moved to Queen Anne Street, nor did anything about my novel harm the sales or prospects of those copyrighted works — quite the opposite, probably. But then again, if public domain certainties have been ignored over and over by the CDE then why on earth would perfectly obvious examples of fair use be respected when doing so wouldn't benefit the CDE financially in any manner whatsoever? And as for the film, it doesn't even have any of those fair use references in it, so the lawsuit was truly without merit in terms of the movie.<br /> <br /> More to the point, the novel was written between 2000 and 2003, and it wasn't published until 2005, in which it received <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/books/review/a-slight-trick-of-the-mind-old-man-holmes.html" target="_blank">favorable reviews in the <i>New York Times</i></a> and other major publications, yet no one — not me or my publisher — heard as much as a peep from the CDE until the equivalent of a decade later when the film was announced; <b><i>that fact alone should speak volumes</i></b>. [<i>Emphasis ours. -<b>Ed.</b></i>]<br /> <br /> For that matter, both Laurie R. King and Michael Chabon, two writers I know, have written about Holmes in the same manner, with the same settings and references as I did in my book — with much greater success, I might add — but neither of them to date have heard from the CDE or been asked to pay bogus licensing fees. But let's see what happens in the future when either <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0060777109" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="2adbed5738420af1a78fa39f863f4d49" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Final Solution" href="https://amzn.to/3eB7epo" id="amznPsBmLink_6374138" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Final Solution</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6374138" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=2adbed5738420af1a78fa39f863f4d49&_cb=1448257867321" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> or <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1250055709" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="98f9955e59cccc5f0ac031cb23fedca2" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Beekeeper's Apprentice" href="https://amzn.to/3eCfuFv" id="amznPsBmLink_5612699" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Beekeeper's Apprentice</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5612699" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=98f9955e59cccc5f0ac031cb23fedca2&_cb=1448257876807" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> gets turned into a movie.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE: Tell us about the book you mentioned on your Facebook Page that you are working on chronicling the business methods used by the CDE.</b></h4> <b>MC:</b> If you don’t mind, I’m going to stay mum about that one for the time being. It’s in the works, and there’s a lot of research underway. It’ll take a good while to pull it all together, and, most likely, I’ll have to wait until one or two people depart this planet before I’ll get it out into the world. I will say, though, that the idea for the book began to take shape when the lawsuit came about, and when I was feverishly taking notes and trying to educate myself about the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. in anticipation of going to court--so there was a lot of immersive research involved during a relatively short period of time. I now have the basic framework for the book, so the next phase will be extensive research, interviews, and fact checking.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE:  Now that the dust has settled from the lawsuit, do you have any interest in writing a new Sherlock Holmes story? If so, would it involve a continuation of <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>?</b></h4> <b>MC:</b> No, no desire whatsoever. What else could I do with the character, aside from having him decompose in a rocking chair? I've been asked for years to write a sequel, and I was even offered a decent amount of money to do so at one time. But <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1400078229" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="872b5cb90a8ecbb4690660fa0645baad" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Slight Trick of the Mind" href="https://amzn.to/3dtqu6Q" id="amznPsBmLink_7659680" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7659680" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=872b5cb90a8ecbb4690660fa0645baad&_cb=1448258150330" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> had a very organic creation, so anything else would be disingenuous on my part. The novel was my way of dealing with my father's health issues as his sharp mind started to unravel. It's a literary novel, really, and a highly metaphorical yet personal one at that, touching on my own grappling with the definitive ending of my childhood.<br /> <br /> It's also a book about lost father figures, and a tribute to the late John Bennett Shaw who had been another great benign father figure to me as a boy. I was saying goodbye to a lot of things and a lot of people with that book, and that was the function it served for me. In fact, my mother died shortly before the book was published, so she became tied into the theme of vanishing loved ones that is at the core of the novel. Now I have no wish to revisit that part of my past, and I'm happy I'll never have to write that book again. Plus, the only preoccupation that holds my creative interest anymore is photography, both as an art form and a hobby; that's what sustains me as an artist and poet nowadays.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE: You have been bluntly clear that you are not a Sherlockian. In fact, you've said you're not really a fan of the canon, yet you've crafted what some people consider to be the greatest pastiche of the 21st century. Why did you settle on Holmes for your protagonist? Why didn't you invent your own character for the novel or even use a different fictional character as the focus of your novel?</b></h4> <b>MC:</b> My novel is a work of literary fiction that uses Sherlock Holmes as a device to explore other subjects that exist far beyond anything Conan Doyle could have conceived or written about, such as post-war Japan, atomic technology, the modern age of the mid-20th century. I wasn’t writing a genre mystery pastiche based on the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but rather a layered story with the underlying themes of memory loss, sons in search of lost fathers, and longing for lost loves and lost opportunities.<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/AVvXsEg98T6VHXQ3Z9NDA1npp4v80uAl6U5LMerR54Thaa6pH-GIr4PlBeCep9OLm-zpICXuEkdubI-MumA3RyAKtxJdgyYZEE3zFGAoyAE54jYCKXBT2xHd-gYQGLAt4MAFtolVkdzzgkeymCD0/s1600/Mitch+Cullin+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98T6VHXQ3Z9NDA1npp4v80uAl6U5LMerR54Thaa6pH-GIr4PlBeCep9OLm-zpICXuEkdubI-MumA3RyAKtxJdgyYZEE3zFGAoyAE54jYCKXBT2xHd-gYQGLAt4MAFtolVkdzzgkeymCD0/s640/Mitch+Cullin+Poster.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mitch Cullin at a Mr. Holmes screening. <i>Image credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/vRa1np" target="_blank">KCET.org</a></i></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> One of the things that the CDEL asserted in their claims against me was that “there will be no difficulty proving Cullin’s access to Conan Doyle’s works, as Cullin’s dedication to the late John Bennett Shaw of Santa Fe, one of this country’s most noted Sherlockians, notes that Shaw once left him in charge of his library.” Guilty as charged. I was 13 at the time, around the age of young Roger in my book. And, just like Roger did with Holmes in my novel, I got to explore John’s library while he and his wife went on vacation.<br /> <br /> I was a latchkey kid who lived with his single father in Santa Fe. By the time I turned 14, though, punk music and teenage male hormones moved my interests elsewhere. Many years later, when I learned that John had died, I began toying with the idea of writing a Sherlock book in his honor. At around the same time, my father began to exhibit signs of memory loss, something that was very difficult for me to deal with since my father was my hero and had always had such a sharp mind. Suddenly my childhood began to feel very far away from me, so I decided to incorporate what my father was going through into the book as its major theme: memory, and what happens to an individual when memory starts to go.<br /> <br /> The book took three years to write, and in that time my mother developed the ovarian cancer that would eventually kill her. And while she and my father had been divorced for years, they were both still quite close. What I then saw, as my mother’s illness progressed, was my father’s deepening regret for choices he had made in his life as a younger man. All of this I dealt with metaphorically through the novel. Elderly Holmes’s memory loss, his regrets and desire to love, the woman he once desired as a younger man and who suddenly died before he could make sense of his complicated feelings for her, and his affection for the very small boy he found himself spending time with alone: all of this came from my personal life, not from the ghost-mind of the CDE's beloved Conan Doyle. Furthermore, the mentorship that my elderly Holmes provides for the boy Roger is based on the dynamic I had with the late John Bennett Shaw. <br /> <br /> In a relatively short period of time, I had lost — and I was losing — my childhood father figures, and therefore I dealt with it through my writing, hence the theme of men in search of fathers that occurs throughout the book. Let’s not also forget that, for me, the character of Sherlock Holmes was also a childhood hero and father figure to me, hence my desire to use him as the main protagonist.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE: When conducting research for A Slight Trick of the Mind, which Holmes stories were most important in influencing your writing? What other sources were significant influences on your novel?</b></h4> <b>MC:</b> The outside influences were way more important to the writing of book than anything from Conan Doyle's pen, aside from those stories that pertained to Canonically important details that I felt should be there in order for the story itself to ring true for serious Sherlockians, not just the casual fan. For that, I relied much on <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="051703817X" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="7db24c7a15fe1236fce44383fa28e4e2" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="William S. Baring-Gould's book" href="https://amzn.to/381ytXD" id="amznPsBmLink_7173412" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">William S. Baring-Gould's book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7173412" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=7db24c7a15fe1236fce44383fa28e4e2&_cb=1448258778882" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> and things like Jack Tracy's <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="038046490X" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="3eb35dc4fc83ba417ef6d1561eff7856" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana" href="https://amzn.to/2NwJB5y" id="amznPsBmLink_6710914" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6710914" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=3eb35dc4fc83ba417ef6d1561eff7856&_cb=1448258767519" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, as well as revisiting H.F. Heard's wonderful amazing Mycroft mysteries. Apparently, this is a problem when it comes to the U.S. copyright issue because if you want to be canonically accurate with tiny details that are important then you run the chance of being sued.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> But, anyway, aside from research about post-war Japan, the main sources of influence during the creation of the novel were writers that I was reading at the time, such as Graham Swift and Kenzaburo Oe. I was also very much inspired by Hikaru Okuizumi's beautiful short novel <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0156011832" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="8916adef84a8dc3129ff77c9afae2ed2" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Stones Cry Out" href="https://amzn.to/2YAvWk5" id="amznPsBmLink_6613400" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Stones Cry Out</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6613400" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=8916adef84a8dc3129ff77c9afae2ed2&_cb=1448258812844" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, a writer who I'd throw my arms around in gratitude should I ever chance to meet him.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0156011832" class="amzn_ps_bm_il" data-amzn-link-id="439e39c30eb51bb6c9856c7ebc85d8f1" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="the stones cry out" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Stones-Cry-Hikaru-Okuizumi/dp/0156011832/ref=as_li_bk_ia/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=439e39c30eb51bb6c9856c7ebc85d8f1&linkCode=kia" id="amznPsBmLink_4257104" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUKjviOVoqNxE6VsBE_MbboAOKmN4LaLtjOnRMTIQec6zk8MPmvQvAIomTt2coJP_8nGlLvlnpAoL-ok9og3PT1iGeHHoOhQyRJGjfk0HH_wwDrnGsXuNYGGumy0b3eWIDhr_c-WVS9ky/s320/Okuizumi+-+Stones+Cry+Out.jpg" width="210" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4257104" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=kia&linkId=439e39c30eb51bb6c9856c7ebc85d8f1&_cb=1448258737632" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></div> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE: It has been noted that the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i> made some significant changes from the book <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>. Some changes seemed odd such as renaming the last name of important characters from Keller to Kelmot, and of course, the big change involved the boy, Roger. What did you think of the changes made to your book when it was transferred to the screen?</b></h4> <b>MC: </b>I'm philosophical about the changes. The book is the book, the film is the film, and my job was done over a decade ago. To say a film is "loosely based on a novel" should go without saying. All film adaptions of novels are loosely based, which is an understandable by-product of the narrative compression that occurs when moving a story from one medium to an entirely different one. But I've been aware of the changes that were to come for years now, and I believe the second draft of the script already had the big change for Roger.<br /> <br /> Then, of course, there are things in the film that I've kicked myself for not having thought of for the book, such as that great meta moment where Holmes goes to watch the film version of himself at a cinema. It kills me that I didn't think of that idea, which Bill Condon gets full credit for envisioning; I remember him telling me about the idea during a dinner together, and I thought to myself, "Damn you, that's good."<br /> <br /> You know, though, I never got around to asking why Keller became Kelmot. Maybe because it evoked Helen Keller? I don't know. But I'm very proud of the film, especially how it maintained the heart, soul, and integrity of my novel while still providing a more upbeat conclusion than my version. In truth, the positive outcome that the film provides is closer now to how I feel about life, as opposed to the rather dark, pessimistic place I was in when the novel was written.<br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE: One of the most famous books about Holmes is <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0014YL4WY" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="20b7f6616a802cc1d76f6df906c51717" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street" href="https://amzn.to/381ytXD" id="amznPsBmLink_9984719" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9984719" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=20b7f6616a802cc1d76f6df906c51717&_cb=1448258897197" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> by William S. Baring-Gould. In the book, Baring-Gould surmises that Holmes was taught meditation in Tibet during the Great Hiatus and possibly converted to Buddhism. We see Holmes using meditation to help deal with the deaths of his friends and family members in your novel. Did you come to a similar conclusion as Mr. Baring-Gould about Holmes when you wrote <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>? Do you believe he converted to Buddhism later in life?</b></h4> <b>MC:</b> To be honest, if anyone wanted to sue me for copyright infringement it should be the Baring-Gould Estate. When writing <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i> I used that book as my Holmes bible, not any of the Conan Doyle stories. It was Baring-Gould's timeline that I followed. I even gave a shout out to <i>Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street</i> in the acknowledgments of the novel. It's such a wonderful book. When Ian McKellen was readying to play Holmes for the film, I recommended the Baring-Gould one to him. I'm glad you mentioned <i>Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street</i> since it's my favorite Holmes book, and one of the few that has remained on my bookshelves over the years.<br /> <br /> Anyway, why not, I like that idea of Holmes being a Buddhist. Probably because I'm a Buddhist, and I've been practicing meditation daily for a long time now. On the other hand, though, I think my version of Holmes is less Buddhist and more transcendentalist in his beliefs, like my father was. So, in the world of my novel, I don't think Holmes would convert to Buddhism later in life, but in the alternate reality of Baring-Gould's vision I choose to believe he did. My Holmes would probably balk at anything that had even a remote religious component to it. Of course, someone can still meditate successfully and be an atheist; the two things aren't incompatible at all.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE: You've strayed from writing and are now delving into photography. Why the shift? When will we see your photographic work? </b></h4> <b>MC:</b> It is true that my creative success has been mostly as a novelist, something that I must admit doesn’t come natural to me. Writing novels is damn hard work, and, honestly, not much fun. But my first and enduring creative love has always been photography, a pursuit that has always given me great pleasure and freedom. I started taking photographs in 1985 when I was 16. My father gave me <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B002WG06RW" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="d757f96d95021488945d330d4ae429f0" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="35mm Minolta" href="http://www.amazon.com/Minolta-XG-1-35mm-Camera/dp/B002WG06RW/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=d757f96d95021488945d330d4ae429f0&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3952187" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">35mm Minolta</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3952187" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=d757f96d95021488945d330d4ae429f0&_cb=1448259354659" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> as a gift, and it didn’t take long for me to get the hang of shooting images of my friends and the environment of the small ranching town in West Texas where I was living.<br /> <br /> Jump to 2009 when I found myself feeling a bit lost, somewhat adrift as a person and as an artist. My mother had died a few years earlier, and my father was now sinking into his final days of dementia. I had finished a novel that no one was interested in publishing, but even before that, I had grown tired of the isolation, strain, and mental gymnastics that writing novels required; it was still challenging to write, though no longer fun or psychologically pleasing on any level. As a result of reaching this personal crossroad, I decided to take some time off and do what I hadn’t done in years, which was to get a normal job and ponder what to do next.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <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/AVvXsEi3GtEwULnXzSIO-H95L6OrTDj6Kxz9hLUrILWevbod9GTtDgJH50HcdpPFVuMUzbBE_iMwgY5AvYzJtx9l9KU5elsSsqiSLImQESS5AtCeFWtnOtjRrLNywbuMCF_wjb2xJEACklf8fY9X/s1600/Mitch+Cullin+Mother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GtEwULnXzSIO-H95L6OrTDj6Kxz9hLUrILWevbod9GTtDgJH50HcdpPFVuMUzbBE_iMwgY5AvYzJtx9l9KU5elsSsqiSLImQESS5AtCeFWtnOtjRrLNywbuMCF_wjb2xJEACklf8fY9X/s640/Mitch+Cullin+Mother.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">My Mother as Angela Davis © Mitch Cullin (used with permission)</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> By 2010, while working in a pretty miserable retail environment at a museum bookstore, I began taking pictures on my days off with a little Canon digital camera as way to keep myself feeling creatively engaged. The following year I quit the job, having come to the realization that the one thing I really wanted to do was the one thing I’d always been a natural at doing: making images with a camera.<br /> <br /> By the time I officially announced my retirement from fiction writing this past summer, I had already amassed hundreds of new images, and I had begun diving into the thousands of old negatives from the previous years that I’d kept hidden away in shoe boxes. So next year, fingers crossed, should see the publication of at least two limited-edition photobooks from me--one about my recent travels through Turkey, another showcasing my photographs from West Texas taken during the 1980s, both containing my images and a personal essay from me.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>IHOSE:  Any last thoughts?</b></h4> <b>MC:</b> If I can go back to the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. for a last moment, it's no news flash to suggest that there's something undermining and unkind in nature about how the current Estate behaves toward a variety of writers and editors, though the sad fact is that knowing this can cast a big chill over a person's desire to create anything new or original about Sherlock Holmes, lest she or he end up being threatened with legal action should their work find a publisher. Believe me, if I had known there was the possibility that I was going to be sued, I'd have likely reconsidered writing <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i> in the first place.<br /> <br /> Even so, it must be remembered that these Holmes books by others are the lifeblood of the Sherlockian world; these novels, pastiches, anthologies, movies, television shows — these are the things that draw the majority of people back to the original canon in the first place — as well as introduce thousands of people to the character of Sherlock Holmes, and it has been that way since at least the middle of the previous century. I would argue that it's <i>because</i> of these outside works that Holmes has remained such a vibrant, modern character. The CDE should be grateful for that, and they should honor those who aid Conan Doyle's legacy and do so without seeking unwarranted monetary reward; they should be respectful of the people who have kept the character alive all these years later. Without us, they'd have nothing.<br /> <br /> <br /> See also: <a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/a-santa-fe-question-who-owns-sherlock-holmes/article_a0e72388-1bfa-5a03-b8b0-26e70735da4d.html?mode=jqm">related article from the <i>Santa Fe New Mexican</i></a>.<br /> <br /> <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Cullin" target="_blank">Mitch Cullin</a></b> is the author of eight books of fiction, including the novel-in-verse <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1579620612" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="168b1f9522166381a614c11d1745fe2e" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="branches cullin" href="https://amzn.to/2NxYswt" id="amznPsBmLink_9141587" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Branches</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9141587" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=168b1f9522166381a614c11d1745fe2e&_cb=1448259699311" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00TUPLU14" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="e240cc1539f99f30a62606e58d352b45" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Cosmology of Bing" href="https://amzn.to/3fWpFFa" id="amznPsBmLink_2122347" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Cosmology of Bing</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2122347" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=e240cc1539f99f30a62606e58d352b45&_cb=1448259710602" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00TUPLSLQ" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="689b8d7a9f7e447a76b4210bd4c13f07" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="undersurface cullin" href="https://amzn.to/2YzarjN" id="amznPsBmLink_8394876" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Undersurface</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8394876" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=689b8d7a9f7e447a76b4210bd4c13f07&_cb=1448259732801" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, and the globe-spanning story collection <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B005IISQQE" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="387da1fca076ab535c6d7e036facbc85" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="From the Place in the Valley Deep in the Forest" href="https://amzn.to/2YDu4Hv" id="amznPsBmLink_8384187" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">From the Place in the Valley Deep in the Forest</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8384187" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=387da1fca076ab535c6d7e036facbc85&_cb=1448259743261" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>. To date, his books have been translated into 14 languages.<br /> <br /> <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>, his revisionist account of an elderly Sherlock Holmes in retirement, is currently in pre-production with Focus Features. The film adaptation of his novel <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="080231340X" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="e290bd8cbbf1305841bbd51a0e2af3e8" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="tideland mitch cullin" href="https://amzn.to/2NxsoZq" id="amznPsBmLink_533474" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tideland</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_533474" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=e290bd8cbbf1305841bbd51a0e2af3e8&_cb=1448259676864" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> was directed and co-scripted by former Monty Pythoner Terry Gilliam, produced by Jeremy Thomas, and starred Jeff Bridges, Janet McTeer, and Jennifer Tilly. Besides slowly loosing his hair and writing novels in increasingly smaller and expensive dwellings throughout southwestern America, he continues to collaborate in all things with his long-term partner Peter I. Chang.<br /> <br /> With Chang as director/editor, he produced <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B015QGEKDA" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="4bf5d22ef5980101d148f2c0591725e7" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="I Want to Destroy America" href="https://amzn.to/2BIQHAV" id="amznPsBmLink_7528616" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Want to Destroy America</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7528616" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=4bf5d22ef5980101d148f2c0591725e7&_cb=1448259819068" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, a documentary about the street musician Hisao Shinagawa that premiered at the 2006 Atlanta Underground Film Festival and went on to have multiple screenings at the 2006 Santa Fe Film Festival. In 2009, a second Chang-Cullin documentary feature, <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0159HRTPW" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="7c1ea06cf43973ec1649ed1013e67a55" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Tokyo Is Dreaming" href="https://amzn.to/3i5mRHR" id="amznPsBmLink_1773388" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tokyo Is Dreaming</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1773388" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=7c1ea06cf43973ec1649ed1013e67a55&_cb=1448259852712" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, had its premiere at the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival in the U.K., and features a soundtrack by Calexico's John Convertino.<br /> <br /> He continues to write novels in decreasing spurts and increasing sputters, but usually he can be found ambling around his garden in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County.<br /> <br /> <br /> <i>Image source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIP5uSPdvxE" target="_blank">YouTube</a></i><br /> <br /> --<br /> <script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "1400078229"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "0a6ec7aafc980b1b742e95949853bb6a"; </script><br /> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B011U0HWEK"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "7397fb3395088cab26287bb23325285c"; </script><br /> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script><br /> <br />

Bombshell Interview with Author Mitch Cullin

"tour de force of the author"  [CARD] [Editor's note:   after legal proceedings delayed our intended podcast intervie...

+ Read more »

by Belanger Books

Is Alcohol Permitted?

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "I broke my blue ribbon and began to drink again" [CARD]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QPGA1LTFdw4zUFgkEjK-lGof2wRRsvztpp7YBJqClCKTgMW4i5V8r8T78Igu5ZgZnV_mR1_OpMpflt9T8wxyQeWSSBSbCMn3ti-EBpomMYhw7Hy_tIG8Sft8ENBEuA5GtfWUda0kH1ZM/s1600/BSI-Pratt-Morley-Stout-1944+-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pratt, Morley and Stout #BSI1944" border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QPGA1LTFdw4zUFgkEjK-lGof2wRRsvztpp7YBJqClCKTgMW4i5V8r8T78Igu5ZgZnV_mR1_OpMpflt9T8wxyQeWSSBSbCMn3ti-EBpomMYhw7Hy_tIG8Sft8ENBEuA5GtfWUda0kH1ZM/s640/BSI-Pratt-Morley-Stout-1944+-cropped.jpg" title="Fletcher Pratt, Christopher Morley and Rex Stout at the 1944 BSI Dinner" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> When I was a teenage Sherlockian I got into a good deal of trouble by writing a priggish article about alcoholic drinks and publishing it in Baker Street Pages, the newsletter of the time for younger Sherlockians. Without going back to read it now (a proceeding that would bring me acute embarrassment, I'm afraid), I can safely say it made the customary argument that fun can be had without booze. I had not much experience of fun in those days, I'm afraid, and no experience at all of drinking liquor. The article brought me a prompt, eloquent and humiliating response from one of the established Sherlockians of the time, Dean Dickensheet, who told me very clearly that I didn't know what I was talking about, that Sherlockians were not drunks, and that I was entitled to adhere to "Methodism and total abstinence" if I wanted to, but shouldn't expect everybody to follow suit.<br /> <br /> He was right, of course, although there is some evidence that the Sherlockians of earlier generations were able to sock the stuff away rather impressively. Sherlockian history records that at <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/03/the-1946-bsi-dinner.html" target="_blank">the Baker Street Irregulars dinner of January 1946</a>, the bar bill for 60 gentlemen added up to "96 cocktails, 243 scotches, 98 ryes and 2 beers".<br /> <br /> After all, the BSI of the 1930s had codified drinking in their <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2010/04/curious-constitution-sign_17.html#.VlFEWvmrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Constitution and Buy-Laws</a>, listing several customary toasts to be drunk at every gathering, "after which the members shall drink at will." There were also rules, honoured chiefly in the breach, about who should buy the next round; and the Commissionaire, in those days of speakeasies, was assigned "to telephone down for ice, White Rock, and whatever else may be required and available." This is no surprise; Christopher Morley, who founded the BSI, also established the <a href="http://www.online-literature.com/morley/plum-pudding/8/" target="_blank">Three Hours for Lunch Club</a> — but not only because he was a slow eater.<br /> <br /> Decades later, probably around the time I was writing my juvenile tirade in Baker Street Pages, that great Sherlockian John Bennett Shaw started telling people that "All you need for a scion are two people and a bottle. In a pinch, you can dispense with one of the people." It's become conventional wisdom, and most Sherlockian societies honour its spirit, or spirits, by having drinks available, if not quite compulsory. I heard recently about one society which has suffered a drop in attendance since having to move its meetings from a restaurant to a (dry) library.<br /> <br /> These thoughts come to mind because, in preparation for the <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">BSI Weekend</a> in New York in January, a number of people have been chatting online about gatherings at which, so it seems, liquor will be available. (I don't know that many people mix their beverage of choice with White Rock these days, but some do still require ice.) A certain pub on W. 45th Street, a short walk from what was once Christopher Morley's office on W. 47th Street, has been mentioned as a place where one might possibly find Sherlockians at late hours during the weekend festivities.<br /> <br /> Let's hope they have a great time. Let's also acknowledge that there are Sherlockians who drink very little, and some who drink not at all. I know more than one Sherlockian who can't tolerate alcohol for medical reasons. There are probably some who stay away from drinking on religious or moral grounds, some who can't afford to drink, some who don't like the stuff, possibly even some who admit to being alcoholics and are supported by AA in their determination not to relapse. For the sake of those people, and even of light drinkers like me, I sometimes look askance at Sherlockian events that offer an open bar and an accordingly elevated ticket price.<br /> <br /> That's right, I'm not a total abstainer any more. But my primary beverage is one apparently not consumed at that 1946 dinner — red wine — and I generally consume so little of it that I doubt whether, if I were to show up one evening on W. 45th Street, the diehards would think me eligible to play Drunk Canon. However, I promise not to be reproachful of those who do get merry and drink more than the traditional toasts, as long as they in turn will tolerate those who don't. Fun can, you know, be had without booze.<br /> <div> <br /></div> [<b><i>Editor's note</i></b>: <i>we can't help but think of Frank Sinatra in this situation, who said, "I feel sorry for people that don't drink, because when they wake up in the morning, that is the best they are going to feel all day."</i>]<br /><br />--<br /><br /><br /><br />

Is Alcohol Permitted?

"I broke my blue ribbon and began to drink again" [CARD] When I was a teenage Sherlockian I got into a good deal of trouble b...

+ Read more »

by Chris Redmond

Mr. Arquette Goes to Washington

<div style="text-align: center;"> <h4> "...we might appear to be two theatre-goers, homeward bound." [CHAS]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQh5hbogTo4H8iM1GquXDaREatHLf3B_E4etrXdSC8fC0HbjSYQavuXT9B6tOnV4f8ogre7Z-J-SXJ3YELNiFQulDUXHkShwWXrKehoNgUKHCgaWesfP7FoAz6fhGzSDEV3CFkBho4dsj/s1600/Arquette+as+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQh5hbogTo4H8iM1GquXDaREatHLf3B_E4etrXdSC8fC0HbjSYQavuXT9B6tOnV4f8ogre7Z-J-SXJ3YELNiFQulDUXHkShwWXrKehoNgUKHCgaWesfP7FoAz6fhGzSDEV3CFkBho4dsj/s640/Arquette+as+Holmes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /></div> <br /> This week, David Arquette has been starring in Greg Kramer's "Sherlock Holmes" at Washington, D.C.'s Warner Theatre for a limited engagement that runs November 17-22.<br /> <br /> The show premiered in Montreal in 2013 at The Segal Centre directed by Andrew Shaver, who is remounting the show for a North American tour which launches in Los Angeles, followed by engagements in Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Chicago, with other cities planned into 2016 and to be announced shortly.<br /> <br /> Arquette said:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "I am beyond excited to play one of the most loved characters in all literature, stage and screen, Sherlock Holmes. Some may think I'm an odd choice. I am. I'm odd, but thankfully so is he."</blockquote> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-gs-8jliYiaVOJBtO30BeM4RWf3tkC40-AfbBeETQEPOXheIPsZHTP1j0Otg-opDZdw-KkvZ1jyi2Ob5qULnK3xfjCSJqKnOWWtOK5GoaQ0lBAIzphSPyYKigSxAPzQw0rrgs2m4vFwE/s1600/David-Arquette-Sherlock-Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-gs-8jliYiaVOJBtO30BeM4RWf3tkC40-AfbBeETQEPOXheIPsZHTP1j0Otg-opDZdw-KkvZ1jyi2Ob5qULnK3xfjCSJqKnOWWtOK5GoaQ0lBAIzphSPyYKigSxAPzQw0rrgs2m4vFwE/s640/David-Arquette-Sherlock-Holmes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> This production received five prestigious Montreal English Theatre Awards, including Outstanding Production and Outstanding Director.<br /> <br /> Plans for a film version and other live day-date viewing or streaming options are being considered.<br /> <br /> The play has already been staged in October at the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Los Angeles and the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto. Next week, the troupe heads to Chicago for an engagement at the Oriental Theatre from November 23-29.<br /> <br /> For more information see <a href="http://www.sherlockholmesonstage.com/">www.SherlockHolmesOnStage.com</a>.<br /> <br /> <div> --</div> <div> <br /></div>

Mr. Arquette Goes to Washington

"...we might appear to be two theatre-goers, homeward bound." [CHAS] This week, David Arquette has been starring in Greg Kr...

+ Read more »

by Third Pillar

Qualify for the Quiz on Our Next Show

<div> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> "a seven-per-cent solution. Would you care to try it?" [SIGN] </h4> <div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP2pkOptUUjTQrQh9uKzl3loiHGuVhUqtz0ugcMY0aZDfnkvER68DjggV7TNRezPwIDKgvY4CCHG_hKFVAwdUE2v6BNjk9GGivPxfCDwjsY3R1iYao217fM9N99WlNrf0lqbVyUzmNw9Y/s1600/SEVE-screencard10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP2pkOptUUjTQrQh9uKzl3loiHGuVhUqtz0ugcMY0aZDfnkvER68DjggV7TNRezPwIDKgvY4CCHG_hKFVAwdUE2v6BNjk9GGivPxfCDwjsY3R1iYao217fM9N99WlNrf0lqbVyUzmNw9Y/s640/SEVE-screencard10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /></div> <div> With the continued interest shown in "Mental Exaltation," the quiz segment on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, along with the masterful writing abilities of our quizmaster Nick Martorelli, we're continuing the tradition. If you'd like a flavor of how this works, you can listen to <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose82" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 82</a>, in which a contestant played along (annotated below at 55:51).<br /> <br /> <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/228483505&color=ff5500" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div> <br /></div> <div> <span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">If you've listened to NPR shows like </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> and </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Weekend Edition Sunday</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">, you'll know that there are opportunities for listeners to participate in quizzes. In the former, a guest typically plays on behalf of a listener; on the latter, the listener plays live on the air.</span><br /> <br style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;" /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Here's how "</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Mental Exaltation</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">" works:</span></div> <ul style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> <li>Each month, we'll post a qualifying question to determine a listener who'll play / be played for on the program. Winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries.</li> <li>If you'd like to enter, you must <a href="http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub&publisher=445106&sitescope=45933" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">subscribe to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere by email</a>.</li> <li>We'll either have a guest play on your behalf or we'll patch you into the show to have you play over the phone or Skype.</li> <li>If your player or you succeeds in passing the test, you'll win a random item from our I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Grab-Bag of Goodies (that's the IHOSE GBG).</li> </ul> <div> <span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /> </span></span></div> <div> In our very next episode (Episode 85), our guest will be Nicholas Meyer, the author and screenwriter of <a href="http://amzn.to/1ltXAsw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>The Seven Per-Cent Solution</i></a>, and he'll be playing on behalf of one very lucky listener.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0393311198" class="amzn_ps_bm_il" data-amzn-link-id="30b9325a73f0b173d29d740e0c1c300d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="seven percent solution" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Seven-Per-Cent-Solution-Reminiscences-Paperback/dp/0393311198/ref=as_li_bk_ia/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=30b9325a73f0b173d29d740e0c1c300d&linkCode=kia" id="amznPsBmLink_6069898" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlmpffa1XPpT2ICDwUgA_wd-RVOVACI7iGbDJUdYT6dqhp8yQqbLeGghqMqut1L5qEjDYoWL7Cj7Em8TP5iookIH0dZnQSHGwK8xp2r0afg3pqO1t5Xr6igfJpS3-eCBHwwx7rl_4ndW9/s1600/SEVE-dust+jacket.jpg" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6069898" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=kia&linkId=30b9325a73f0b173d29d740e0c1c300d&_cb=1447820978829" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></div> <br /></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <b style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 18.2px;">Qualify now</b><br /> <b style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 18.2px;"><br /> </b></div> <div> <iframe frameborder="0" height="880" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1opGgTInjavf9gYIt7Ad2o4h0tgrWWoOMZCewdCS-jb4/viewform?embedded=true" width="760">Loading...</iframe><br /> <br /> Good luck!</div> </div> <br /> <div> </div> <br /> <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"> --<br /> <div> <br /></div> <div> </div> </div>

Qualify for the Quiz on Our Next Show

"a seven-per-cent solution. Would you care to try it?" [SIGN]  With the continued interest shown in "Mental Exalt...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Episode 84: Our Favorite Sherlockian Things

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "the opportunity of showing those curious gifts" [VEIL]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSW8haVqDtPm6Vp-anh4vXm-gTfZpR_K435LZ0LQpCwS9o4XN0m7z0uJyZRSpcx-FP_4lm8-6TgxygtXNnkSdGRS0eRM5Y9n3DmTqE-BQH6hy10xCqq1O2NDSBW1UtTqMhz4oMKO4rVkg/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSW8haVqDtPm6Vp-anh4vXm-gTfZpR_K435LZ0LQpCwS9o4XN0m7z0uJyZRSpcx-FP_4lm8-6TgxygtXNnkSdGRS0eRM5Y9n3DmTqE-BQH6hy10xCqq1O2NDSBW1UtTqMhz4oMKO4rVkg/s640/Sherlock+Holmes+Museum.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3951016/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/ce0000/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe></div> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> As the holiday shopping season nears, we thought it was a great time to create <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.com/merchandise" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a shopping guide for the Sherlock Holmes fan</a> in your life.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> If you're into Sherlock Holmes in any way, it's likely that you have a wish list. Whether it's an early edition of the stories, a complete collection of <a href="ttp://amzn.to/1Sqid36" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arthur Wontner films</a>, a <a href="http://amzn.to/1Sqi6o7" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes chess set</a>, or something else.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> We recently asked <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/11/help-us-create-ultimate-sherlockian.html#.VkZbDPmrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">your assistance in creating the ultimate Sherlockian gift guide</a>, and you responded in force. We took those suggestions and ran with them, and created a show to highlight some of the many things for the Sherlock Holmes fanatic in your life, whether it's you or a loved one.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Of course, we cover the latest Sherlock Holmes news and enjoy a little banter to boot. We also mention a contest — leave us a review <a href="http://bit.ly/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">on iTunes</a> and show us the proof (screenshot or similar) — and we'll enter you for a chance to win a 1950s-era Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> Listen closely and you may hear who our next interview guest is. And remain on the lookout for our regular Easter Egg feature.<br /> <br /> <br /> As a reminder, consider supporting our show through <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, for as little as $1 per episode.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNkzaBv0IoRQOSYT07nvGs_LDb5Xjyr7Jd9XzV9KKQB_Dhhsu0xxl-D6byiL7fmEqDktS1UamBhTads_a7AX5ywKqw0dHzO_EyirA977tH6wLLR_2ZQEuLtp98stiNRwghn0aQ8xuqdJj/s320/patreon.png" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> And thank you to Mary Miller and Christian Mongaard for your extraordinary support!<br /> <br /> We've been enjoying your photos and plan to post a number of them soon, so if you want to be part of this effort, please purchase as many of of our <a href="http://ihose.co/221Bstickers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">221B or 1895 oval stickers</a> as you like and then <a href="mailto:comment@ihearofsherlock.com" target="_blank">send us a picture</a> of where you've put it.<br /> <div> <br /> <h3> Notes:</h3> </div> <div> 1:35 Hello<br /> 3:45 Just the two of us<br /> 7:07 iTunes review and contest<br /> 8:26 The Sherlock Holmes News<br /> 21:21 Our holiday gift recommendations, powered by our readers and listeners, beginning with books.<br /> 41:50 Recommended DVDs<br /> 47:15 Ephemera: physical objects<br /> 59:56 What Burt and Scott want<br /> 1:07:02 Wrapping up</div> <div> </div> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock084.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 31.9 MB, 1:09:39</h4> <div> <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/233125082&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div> </div> <div> <br /> <h3> Links:</h3> <ul> <li>Our <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.com/merchandise" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlockian Gift Guide</a> - pick out your gifts now! <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.com/merchandise" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ihearofsherlock.com/merchandise</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/11/stan-lee-of-marvel-fame-and-sherlock.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stan Lee was inspired by Sherlock Holmes</a></li> <li><a href="http://bsiweekend.com/">BSI Weekend</a> announcement - site updated</li> <li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/10/the-gillette-luncheon-has-new-home.html#.VjzHj_mrTb1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The new home of the William Gillette Luncheon</a> (and a history of the event)</li> <li>Elementary <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/10/elementary-season-4-is-coming.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Season 4 has begun</a>, with John Noble as Morland Holmes, Sherlock's father.</li> <li>Sherlock: The Abominable Bride will air on January 1 in the US and UK, and <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/10/extended-sherlock-special-trailer-and.html#.VjzG4_mrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">will have limited theatrical releases around the globe</a>.</li> <li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/oct/31/dartmoor-devon-hound-of-baskervilles-tour-halloween?__scoop_post=2f954570-8140-11e5-e9ee-00221934899c&__scoop_topic=286051#__scoop_post=2f954570-8140-11e5-e9ee-00221934899c%26__scoop_topic=286051">A spooky tour of Dartmoor</a>, courtesy of The Guardian.</li> <li>The <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Patreon</a> page</li> </ul> </div> <div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <center> <iframe border="0" frameborder="0" height="90" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=48&l=ur1&category=primemain&banner=097TDSG20MH99VMHNX82&f=ifr&linkID=2RSKRXWDQ6YHW2GD" style="border: none;" width="728"></iframe><br /> </center> <br /> Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard and Scoop.it sites at <a href="http://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a> and <a href="http://www.scoop.it/t/sherlock-holmes" target="_blank">ihose.co/scoopsherlock</a>, as well as on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/114565123495685504221" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Community</a> on Google+ (now over 2,800 members), as well as through our accounts on <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /> Please <a href="http://bit.ly/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">subscribe to us on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Soundcloud</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/i-hear-of-sherlock-everywhere?refid=stpr" target="_blank">Stitcher</a> or <a href="http://www.spreaker.com/user/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Spreaker</a> and be kind enough to leave a rating or review for the show. And please tell a friend about us, in any fashion you feel comfortable.<br /> <br /> Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323).<br /> <br /> <h3> Sponsors</h3> This episode includes our two longtime sponsors that deserve your attention:<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a> (check out ) and <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Baker Street Journal</i></a>, where you should get <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/subscriptions.html" target="_blank">your annual subscription</a> in now to secure all four issues and a very special Christmas Annual about <i>The Seven Per-Cent Solution</i>.<br /> <br /> Interested in becoming an advertiser? You can find <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more information here</a>.</div> <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin: 0px;"> <i><br /> </i>--<br /> <br /></div> <div style="margin: 0px;"> <br /></div> </div>

Episode 84: Our Favorite Sherlockian Things

"the opportunity of showing those curious gifts" [VEIL] As the holiday shopping season nears, we thought it was a great ...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "Seen the Paris news?" asked Lestrade. [SECO]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjIEHSAZOzLff6P9Jm_8FR2ypQBbTgyRePSsJzw7zizbaRr8DSrDs0DUM_iiJyqnp49cZeWy5p89BOzhpF040t6O7_ZWmlvySZJoMu90K9Daq7E9h3pLQvD8GXYJvHlklO1LQUGknEYhs/s1600/republique-francaise.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjIEHSAZOzLff6P9Jm_8FR2ypQBbTgyRePSsJzw7zizbaRr8DSrDs0DUM_iiJyqnp49cZeWy5p89BOzhpF040t6O7_ZWmlvySZJoMu90K9Daq7E9h3pLQvD8GXYJvHlklO1LQUGknEYhs/s640/republique-francaise.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> We here at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere wish to express our sincere concern and regret over the terrorist acts committed last night in Paris. We stand united with the people and Holmesians of France as they deal with this national tragedy.<br /> <br /> In particular, our thoughts go out to our friends at the <a href="http://www.sshf.com/">Société Sherlock Holmes de France</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CercleHolmesienDeParis/" target="_blank">Le Cercle Holmesien de Paris</a>, who work and reside in the Paris area. They are among the most passionate and fun of Sherlockians worldwide, and we sincerely hope for their safety.<br /> <br /> Sherlock Holmes spent some time in the south of France researching coal-tar derivatives during the Great Hiatus. He was also the recipient of the Legion of Honour from France, as well as an autographed letter from the President of France for his service regarding Huret, the Boulevard assassin, as documented in "The Golden Pince-Nez." And Holmes himself had French blood in his veins, as his grandmother was "the sister of Vernet, the French artist." [GREE]<br /> <br /> These literary bonds, as well as the bonds of humanity cause us to take the time to reflect on our admiration for the French people and the anguish for their situation.<br /> <br /> Sincèrement préoccupé,<br /> I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

"Seen the Paris news?" asked Lestrade. [SECO] We here at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere wish to express our sincere concern an...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

The Unseen Watchers — Twitter and Sherlock Holmes on TV

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> "Was he also out in that deluge — the unseen watcher, the man of darkness?" [HOUN]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbZH6MQS017EAMR4-3cI9puqL8K5bof-Cst3bEO2WlUkISsKTxStk1HUsfT7AQTNqsQfsQggsJ8bC0Gevj3luabe3lld-NpQGTFsFnRGFV2QiTfytbPxgn3MrgwmP-vV0T7lpnDgXuc0z/s1600/MUSG+-+Granada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbZH6MQS017EAMR4-3cI9puqL8K5bof-Cst3bEO2WlUkISsKTxStk1HUsfT7AQTNqsQfsQggsJ8bC0Gevj3luabe3lld-NpQGTFsFnRGFV2QiTfytbPxgn3MrgwmP-vV0T7lpnDgXuc0z/s640/MUSG+-+Granada.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> Everybody waits for the appointed hour — typically 8 or 9 p.m. Eastern time — and watches Twitter for the message: "Press play!" And another tweetalong (or the more commonly-used phrase "Twitter chat") is under way.<br /> <br /> The golden age of Sherlockian tweetalongs was the two years from fall 2012 to fall 2014, when nearly every Thursday evening a Twitter account and a Web browser (or mobile app) would let you watch one of the Granada episodes starring Jeremy Brett and trade comments with fellow enthusiasts across the United States and in Canada, Argentina and the UK. There have been fewer tweetalongs since then, but it's still "a thing," as they say online.<br /> <br /> They're not all based on Brett's performances — I've been involved in tweetalongs of Peter Cushing's Holmes, <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00PX7SVRY" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="67e87d6843a23763d657fb3bf45bfa09" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="They Might Be Giants dvd" href="http://www.amazon.com/They-Might-Giants-George-Scott/dp/B00PX7SVRY/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=67e87d6843a23763d657fb3bf45bfa09&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_1537530" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">They Might Be Giants</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1537530" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=67e87d6843a23763d657fb3bf45bfa09&_cb=1447427253923" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, and even "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0569913/" target="_blank">The Sting of Death</a>", and there have even been tweetalongs of BBC's <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B004132HZS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="0cc752e4d0141fd07c32714a0c298f64" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Season-1-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B004132HZS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=0cc752e4d0141fd07c32714a0c298f64&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_2839786" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2839786" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=0cc752e4d0141fd07c32714a0c298f64&_cb=1447427299421" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>. But the 51-minute length of a Granada episode is comfortable for the high intensity of watching in one screen window and dashing out scholarly or smart-alecky comments in another. (Besides, many people think Brett is the greatest and most authentic of all Sherlock Holmeses.) This fall several Granada tweetalongs are being organized by <a href="http://%28artintheblood.net/" target="_blank">Art in the Blood</a>.<br /> <br /> What sort of thing do tweetalong enthusiasts say to one another? It ranges from perceptive comments about filmography ("<i>I love this piece of business: camera on JB, retelling the ritual, his graceful fingers reassembling the crown just so</i>") to affectionate remarks about Brett and Hardwicke/Burke. "<i>Epic sideburns</i>," somebody said when a minor character appeared in a full-face shot. <br /> <br /> Sometimes — tweetalongs are predominantly a female sport, it seems — there are wistful or angry comments about how women were treated by society in the 1890s and, by extension, even today. During a tweetalong of "The Musgrave Ritual," someone tweeted:  "<i>This shows how self-absorbed both Holmes/Brunton are: I can use her, but she won't catch on</i>." Or just: "<i>What a sleazeball.</i>"<br /> <br /> And sometimes the comments show a characteristic that has been attributed to Twitter as a whole: they're so cryptic, or such inside jokes, that few know what they mean. "<i>Holmes: IRL LOL #MUSG,</i>" somebody tweeted at one point. LOL is "laughing out loud", IRL is "in real life", and #MUSG, with the # at its beginning, is a "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashtag" target="_blank">hashtag</a>" identifying what Twitter conversation the comment belongs to. But with all that glossing, I'm still not quite sure what the speaker was saying.<br /> <br /> Sherlockian tweetalongs (and if there are non-Sherlockian movie tweetalongs, I'm not aware of them) started in September 2012. That was when the PBS station in Washington, DC, launched an all-British channel, WETAUK, and started broadcasting a Granada episode every Thursday. Local enthusiasts June Matics and Susan Bailey, doing business as <a href="http://twitter.com/sherlock_DC" target="_blank">@sherlock_DC</a>, started livetweeting what they were watching, and soon folks far from the District of Columbia joined in.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcO4kOQFqk_MeJfHRhd4U626bpZRXn2ymhZwM-b40fqvrMmSXVwAaw7p4q6lckRjl0xu9pJOqDmlVrPHqoagdbvM_uwaTNinWYHajK662fO1P6fdryZpi41kLhtpsxghW5Y6snFWns4bs/s1600/Sherlock_DC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcO4kOQFqk_MeJfHRhd4U626bpZRXn2ymhZwM-b40fqvrMmSXVwAaw7p4q6lckRjl0xu9pJOqDmlVrPHqoagdbvM_uwaTNinWYHajK662fO1P6fdryZpi41kLhtpsxghW5Y6snFWns4bs/s1600/Sherlock_DC.png" /></a></div> It was never a big crowd, maybe a dozen on a good night, but the enthusiasm was contagious, and friendships developed, some of which continue strong. There were also running jokes — every week one participant pointed out Brett's lusciously rolled R's, another identified the many, many scenes in which Granada cinematographers made use of mirrors, and of course a few people noted every affectionate word between Holmes and Watson with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23consultinghusbands&src=typd" target="_blank">#consultinghusbands</a>. (Maybe that last one wasn't meant as a joke.)<br /> <br /> "After a year of this," Bailey says now, "the TV station switched up its program schedule, and I kept up the tweeting with my own schedule for almost another year. I like to think that we were both reverential and irreverent. I also enjoyed my research beforehand. I used to look up relevant factoids to tweet and Paget illustrations of scenes."<br /> <br /> But then, she says, "participation started to wane, and I wasn't free on Thursday evenings any more." The final blow came when YouTube, which had been many viewers' easiest source of the Granada episodes, was scrubbed clean of Jeremy Brett for copyright reasons. The last DC-based tweetalong came October 30, 2014, and a Sherlockian era was over.<br /> <br /> Since that time,  <a href="http://twitter.com/art_intheblood" target="_blank">@Art_intheBlood</a> has been staging #GranadaHolmes and #Elementary tweetalongs. We'll see how it continues to grow!<br /> <br /> --<br /> <div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /></div>

The Unseen Watchers — Twitter and Sherlock Holmes on TV

"Was he also out in that deluge — the unseen watcher, the man of darkness?" [HOUN] Everybody waits for the appointed hour —...

+ Read more »

by Chris Redmond

Financial Assistance for the BSI Weekend

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "to defray whatever expenses I may be put to" [SPEC]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQ6NzdNlbvo6h_28U9FiknzN3n03o_G6KxgtncfJd2bXpJx3HSrTMnHFYnm50zDxxnDYSdtF8Xdsv9JhWrLX20xm0x7ayqkAcnrOpQVnXOQaPG-0DqvYQzCtbmOkoLyb1dEHQDl2wCWZm/s1600/BERY+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Alexander Holder's surprise [BERY]" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQ6NzdNlbvo6h_28U9FiknzN3n03o_G6KxgtncfJd2bXpJx3HSrTMnHFYnm50zDxxnDYSdtF8Xdsv9JhWrLX20xm0x7ayqkAcnrOpQVnXOQaPG-0DqvYQzCtbmOkoLyb1dEHQDl2wCWZm/s640/BERY+2.jpg" title="Alexander Holder, The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet" width="512" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> With the recent spate of invitations to the <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">Baker Street Irregulars Weekend</a> in New York came a sense of surprise, relief and even trepidation. Yes, trepidation. For some people, attending the Weekend is a difficult and onerous task.<br /> <br /> Some simply don't like to be around crowds, or perhaps detest the (often) harsh weather of New York in January. Others boycott for personal reasons. But there are some who simply can't afford the price of the accumulated events and the travel required to get there.<br /> <br /> In the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s under Tom Stix, Jr.'s ("The Norwood Builder") term as Wiggins of the Baker Street Irregulars, Tom created the <b>Dr. John H. Watson Fund</b>, a financial assistance package for the BSI Weekend, and credited it as his most proud achievement of leading the BSI.<br /> <br /> According to the BSI:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <b>The Dr. John H. Watson Fund</b> offers financial assistance to all Sherlockians (membership in the BSI is not required) who might otherwise not be able to participate in the weekend's festivities. A carefully pseudonymous John H. Watson presides over the fund and welcomes contributions, which can be made by check payable to John H. Watson and sent (without return address on the envelope) to <b>Dr. Watson, c/o The Baker Street Irregulars, at 7938 Mill Stream Circle, Indianapolis, IN 46278</b>; your letters are forwarded unopened, and Dr. Watson will acknowledge your generosity. Requests for assistance should also be mailed (quickly) to Dr. Watson at the same address.</blockquote> <br /> It is a wonderful resource that enables more people to enjoy one of the most important aspects of our hobby: spending time in the company of like-minded people. And while there are plenty of opportunities around the world to do this on a local level, the BSI Weekend happens just once a year and celebrates a long-standing (82 years!) tradition that was started by Christopher Morley.<br /> <br /> Each year, the Fund is self-liquidating, meaning that assistance is granted to whatever extent is possible to the supplicants, and that generous Sherlockians are responsible for replenishing it every year. Traditionally this was done through simple check-writing, but then the BSI Cocktail Reception added <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/bsiweekend/auction.html" target="_blank">an auction and drawing</a>, which also raise money for the Fund. Raffle tickets are sold throughout the weekend for some choice items and Peter Blau, BSI ("Black Peter") holds forth as an auctioneer <i>sine qua non</i>.<br /> <br /> So if you're <b>in need</b> of some financial assistance, please write to Dr. Watson at the address above with a budget that outlines what you need. And if you're <b>able to support</b> this important effort to enable your friends and colleagues attend, by all means, so do.<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <br />

Financial Assistance for the BSI Weekend

"to defray whatever expenses I may be put to" [SPEC] With the recent spate of invitations to the Baker Street Irregulars We...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

The #BSIWeekend Site Is Updated

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "I was invited to a week-end gathering" [LAST]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_RhyAw8AyiypUPICbCj778SGCAN_M-Ku7o2xkXRiw7XTkF3OwHp_2idIUk428xuHJi8gI9OQzFms7H1iXjgX8jajaSadKIeqRA1znBjDn56hS-cYKa9LPSdPaHIKXYzY-7ylWnlWMmao/s1600/BSI+Dinner+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_RhyAw8AyiypUPICbCj778SGCAN_M-Ku7o2xkXRiw7XTkF3OwHp_2idIUk428xuHJi8gI9OQzFms7H1iXjgX8jajaSadKIeqRA1znBjDn56hS-cYKa9LPSdPaHIKXYzY-7ylWnlWMmao/s640/BSI+Dinner+2010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Judging from the excitement we've seen in the last 24 hours on the Web, it's clear that the invitations to the annual BSI Dinner are out, and as such, the <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">BSI Weekend website</a> is updated for your use.<br /> <br /> There you'll find all of the information related to the Weekend, from the schedule of events to resources and reservation forms, as well as a neatly summarized section with a single page to print out.<br /> <br /> A few things to note here:<br /> <ol> <li>If you're sharing this on social media, please use the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BSIWeekend&src=typd" target="_blank">#BSIWeekend</a>. This makes it easier to follow the topic (despite <i>who</i> you're following), makes photos easier to find, and increases the chances of creating a trending topic that could get media attention.</li> <li>Feel free to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/869834353130921/" target="_blank">join the event posted on Facebook</a>.</li> <li>If you have any suggestions for people attending for the first time, please email us or leave a comment below; we'll be posting our annual <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/12/how-to-get-most-out-of-bsiweekend.html#.VkKjcPmrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tips for getting the most out of the BSI Weekend</a>, and it would be great to include yours.</li> </ol> <div> Don't miss our episode earlier this year <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose74" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">recapping the 2015 BSI Weekend</a>:<br /> <br /></div> <div> <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/191368218&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <br /> --

The #BSIWeekend Site Is Updated

"I was invited to a week-end gathering" [LAST] Judging from the excitement we've seen in the last 24 hours on the Web, it...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

When I Spend a Long Evening With Holmes

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "It has been a long evening" [WIST]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eJ0pJ_2WTZmHLeZ5l7SWpj8A4InkmZRfE3MRKM3L1Kt_sbJNINW0259nqWQg6udVdIQQALAKyU97AIN3C5rSa7gIGOoAsRCqNmtFaD1O59ygEJ8QXqKcZLs4TCXn3_CxRHlURz7js_h_/s1600/Bookshelves+fireplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eJ0pJ_2WTZmHLeZ5l7SWpj8A4InkmZRfE3MRKM3L1Kt_sbJNINW0259nqWQg6udVdIQQALAKyU97AIN3C5rSa7gIGOoAsRCqNmtFaD1O59ygEJ8QXqKcZLs4TCXn3_CxRHlURz7js_h_/s640/Bookshelves+fireplace.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> There are a few traditions that you'll come across in many Sherlockian society meetings. One is the reading of the Musgrave Ritual — not the story, but the actual ritual itself ("Where was the sun?" "Over the oak." etc., etc.)<br /> <br /> A common recitation at such meetings is Vincent Starrett's classic "<a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/10/celebrate-national-poetry-day.html#.VkFnyPmrTb1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">221B</a>," which stands as something of a Sherlockian monument, particularly with its closing line "And it is always 1895."<br /> <br /> But on occasion, you'll here another poem — one that we would dare to say is a modern classic — written by Bill Schweikert in 1984 and first recited at Autumn In Baker Street. Way back on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose12" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 12</a>, we asked our guest Bob Thomalen, BSI ("The Three Garridebs") to read the piece for us, and he came through. Bill was his friend and comrade-in-arms, and Bob manages to convey the emotion that this poem brings to those of us who worship at the altar of Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes.<br /> <br /> <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/134345558&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div> <br /> Here we provide the text to it, but if you'd like to listen to Bob as you read, he starts talking about his friendship with Bill at the 13:48 mark above, and he reads the poem at 24:47.<br /> <br /> <h3 style="text-align: center;"> A Long Evening With Holmes</h3> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> by Bill Schweikert</h4> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> When the world rushes in with worries and cares,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> And my problems and headaches are coming in pairs,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> I just climb in my mind up those seventeen stairs,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> And spend a long evening with Holmes.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> The good doctor greets me and motions me in,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Holmes grasps my hand and lays down his violin,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Then we sit by the fire and sip a tall gin</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> When I spend a long evening with Holmes.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> And while we're discussing his cases galore,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> If I'm lucky there comes a loud knock at the door,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> In stumbles a client, head spattered with gore</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> When I spend a long evening with Holmes.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Watson binds up the client's poor face</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> While Holmes soon extracts all the facts of the case,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Then off in a hansom to Brixton we race</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> When I spend a long evening with Holmes.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> The adventure is solved, Holmes makes it all right.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Then, back to the lodgings by dawn's early light,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> And a breakfast by Hudson to wind up the night</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> When I spend a long evening with Holmes.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> So this modern rat-race can't keep me in a cage.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> I have a passport to a far better age,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> As close as the bookshelf, as near as a page,</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> I can spend a long evening with Holmes.</div> <br /> <br /> We think we'll take Bill (and Bob) up on that offer of a tall gin.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodS1feFEJkIATtEYVGojRD07faehDuKQwX0NBkKFKaPFw5qmmcILVbhyphenhyphenYUTsU9V1mm9sYoyHfX5D1yiYypyt_joslULsoB3NQW1CmgtnR-chBTW5tkxs2d-v_pkC1GWSDF5jpE0MGLbr0/s1600/20151105_004821601_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodS1feFEJkIATtEYVGojRD07faehDuKQwX0NBkKFKaPFw5qmmcILVbhyphenhyphenYUTsU9V1mm9sYoyHfX5D1yiYypyt_joslULsoB3NQW1CmgtnR-chBTW5tkxs2d-v_pkC1GWSDF5jpE0MGLbr0/s320/20151105_004821601_iOS.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalmX7CLxJpVCMH_SVZtdxuGMZ8meqImCLSlJkTnu2tFz6QlOTm2DALPYZKN5owUHlrfuZRChe2yV_iuspGfRCCAzGI8mu7zp_WmOKu0s3t_DKD1t69hO6hL_7IUeWUs_8tdPti0Yx8WhN/s1600/20151105_004757415_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalmX7CLxJpVCMH_SVZtdxuGMZ8meqImCLSlJkTnu2tFz6QlOTm2DALPYZKN5owUHlrfuZRChe2yV_iuspGfRCCAzGI8mu7zp_WmOKu0s3t_DKD1t69hO6hL_7IUeWUs_8tdPti0Yx8WhN/s320/20151105_004757415_iOS.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Do you have any particular traditions at your local society's meetings?<br /> <i><br /> </i> <i><br /></i><br /> <i>Image credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/grx3gB" target="_blank">Peter (Flickr)</a></i><br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <br />

When I Spend a Long Evening With Holmes

"It has been a long evening" [WIST] There are a few traditions that you'll come across in many Sherlockian society meetin...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes Opens in Denver

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> "travelled from town to town through the United States" [STUD]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://41.media.tumblr.com/486af76ab9433bb1e51d2f3b1ae84f3c/tumblr_nw7vtqAtS61uv1wmko1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mrs. Hudson had her secrets" border="0" height="524" src="http://41.media.tumblr.com/486af76ab9433bb1e51d2f3b1ae84f3c/tumblr_nw7vtqAtS61uv1wmko1_1280.jpg" title="A recreation of the sitting room at 221B Baker Street" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> On October 23, the <a href="http://sherlockholmesexhibition.com/" target="_blank">International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes</a> opened at the <a href="http://www.dmns.org/the-international-exhibition-of-sherlock-holmes/" target="_blank">Denver Museum of Nature and Science</a>.  The exhibit is an exceptional recreation of life in Victorian England which includes a recreation of 221B Baker Street, a mystery which you have to solve, a recreation of a crime scene, plus an interesting study of the forensics of the late 19th century. <br /> <br /> We had an opportunity to ask Jodi Schoemer, director of exhibits and digital media, about the display. She said:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "The techniques the Sherlock Holmes character uses are exactly what scientists use: observation, knowledge of different science disciplines (chemistry, forensics, medicine, etc.), deductive and inductive reasoning, rigorous experimentation, and drawing conclusions based on observation, objects, and data. This exhibition not only celebrates those techniques, but gives our guests the chance to practice all those skills themselves while in the exhibition. Sherlock Holmes is one of the greatest popularizer of science techniques of all times, and as a science and nature museum, we think that is a great fit."</blockquote> <div> <br /></div> <div> One begins the exhibit in The World of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  When you enter this first room, you are greeted by a video message from Richard Doyle, the grand nephew of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, welcoming you to the exhibit and explaining  the exhibit features.  In this room, you learn about the influences on Doyle's life that led to the creation of Sherlock Holmes.  Artifacts in this room include an original Beecher's Christmas Annual which contains the first publication of a Sherlock Holmes story in <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1599866749" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="67b5fb1af2818bb9f51830a592eb4e81" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Study in Scarlet" href="http://www.amazon.com/Study-Scarlet-Arthur-Conan-Doyle/dp/1599866749/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=67b5fb1af2818bb9f51830a592eb4e81&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_1140397" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Scarlet</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1140397" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=67b5fb1af2818bb9f51830a592eb4e81&_cb=1446912232524" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>.  It is interesting to note that only 11 copies of this magazine exist in the world.  There are also original pages from Doyle's <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0486282147" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="7fed9885d3c59fc06c35dbb8f19a1122" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Hound of the Baskervilles" href="http://www.amazon.com/Hound-Baskervilles-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486282147/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=7fed9885d3c59fc06c35dbb8f19a1122&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_236223" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_236223" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=7fed9885d3c59fc06c35dbb8f19a1122&_cb=1446912260900" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> manuscript including handwritten notes from the author in the margins.  You also get to know Dr. Joseph Bell, the model for Holmes's deductive reasoning skills, Edgar Allan Poe and his detective Dupin, and some of the crime literature of the time period such as <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1484095960" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="3e0c402fc82c4296e8571d32b3692dc9" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Mystery of the Hansom Cab" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Mystery-Hansom-Fergus-Hume/dp/1484095960/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=3e0c402fc82c4296e8571d32b3692dc9&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_9109033" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Mystery of a Hansom Cab</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9109033" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=3e0c402fc82c4296e8571d32b3692dc9&_cb=1446912287349" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> which Doyle derisively called, "a swindle."<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://i2.wp.com/geekdad.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sherlock-booths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="http://i2.wp.com/geekdad.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sherlock-booths.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> The second room of the exhibition is where the science of Sherlock Holmes becomes front and center. This room is a recreation of a Victorian train station and contains various "shops" where you can learn about the ballistics, entomology, photography, optics, and cosmetics of the time period.  Here is where each museum guest receives their detective's notebook, and one uses that notebook for the remainder of the exhibit to help solve a mystery. In this room, one gets to track the trajectory of a bullet, discover that perfume in the time period often contained highly toxic substances, and discover the strict requirements to become a constable at Scotland Yard.<br /> <br /> Once you leave the train station you enter the gem of the show, a recreation of 221B Baker Street. This is a wonderful recreation of Holmes's sitting room, and I probably would have spent hours just going through every piece of the display if I wasn't moving along with the flow of the crowd to the remainder of the exhibit.  In my brief time in the room, I noticed the wax bust of Holmes with the bullet hole in the forehead, the bearskin rug upon the floor, the whaling harpoon, the riding crop, the photograph of "<i>the</i> woman," and even an open container of syringes.  Any Holmes fan <b>must</b> see this room! <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.dmns.org/media/2390757/sherlock-745x495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://www.dmns.org/media/2390757/sherlock-745x495.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> At the very end of the 221B room is the beginning of the mystery.  Holmes requires your assistance, you learn via a Victrola recording. There has been a disturbance at the home of  American newspaperman Izzy Persano. When the police arrived at Persano's home, they found a scene of chaos. A bullet hole was in the wall, a destroyed bust of Napoleon on the floor, drag marks in the sand outside the home as if a body (or bodies) were dragged away. Persano's wife and daughter were nowhere to be found, and Persano himself was found with a head wound, raving incoherently about a worm. There was a seedpod discovered that was in the shape of a worm, but Persano could not indicate if he was referring to the seedpod or something else. It is up to you to go through the crime scene and solve this baffling case. Of course, readers of Sherlock Holmes will note that this is one of the untold tales from the canon, the case of Isadora Persano "<i>the well-known journalist and duellist, who was found stark staring mad with a matchbox in front of him which contained a remarkable worm, said to be unknown to science</i>," as mentioned in the "The Problem of Thor Bridge." <br /> <br /> Next up is the actual crime scene.  Here, one gets to study the the Persano home, check the bullet's trajectory, check the worm-shaped seed pod, and note the pattern of the blood splatter upon the painting on the wall. This then leads to one of the most enjoyable parts of the exhibit, the solving of the mystery by going to another set of shops and stations. In the butcher shop, for example, you study various types of blood splatters to discover what led to the pattern of blood discovered on the wall.  In "The Bank of the Thames" evidence checking station, you use a wheel device with different types of shoes to discover how the tracks were made in the sand.  There is also a penny arcade and a conservatory where one tests evidence. Visitors collect data in their notebooks, draw conclusions, then test their theories at the room's exit. <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.dmns.org/imagegen.ashx?width=1920&image=/media/2531157/sherlock-homepage-hero-nowopen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="http://www.dmns.org/imagegen.ashx?width=1920&image=/media/2531157/sherlock-homepage-hero-nowopen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> After exiting, one comes to the shed where an actor in Victorian costume tells you his theory of what happened at Persano's home. This actor was playing a medicine salesman and his answer had to do with poison. I won't give away the actual reveal, but I will say that it is tough to figure out — near impossible actually — and I found the answer one of the few letdowns of the exhibit. I suppose if Watson's voice were explaining the revelation, it probably would have been much more satisfying. On an interesting note, the mystery was created with the collaboration of Sherlockian scholar <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose13" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Daniel Stahower, BSI ("Thurston")</a>.<br /> <br /> The very last part of the exhibit makes up for the reveal.  This is the Sherlock Pop Culture room, with artifacts from advertisements, films, games, shows, and other types of pop culture all featuring Sherlock Holmes.  There are some wonderful artifacts from Sherlock, the two recent Sherlock Holmes films, and the show <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00CL151G4" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="7132eff55a8a32b0d072047741644383" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Elementary" href="http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Season-Jonny-Lee-Miller/dp/B00CL151G4/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=7132eff55a8a32b0d072047741644383&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3292454" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elementary</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3292454" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=7132eff55a8a32b0d072047741644383&_cb=1446912815121" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>.  I enjoyed seeing the Woodstock (from Peanuts) Sherlock Holmes stuffed animal as well as some of the funny advertisements from the 1960s and 70s. <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.dmns.org/media/2483656/sherlock-224x275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.dmns.org/media/2483656/sherlock-224x275.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Overall, this exhibit is a dream come true for any fan of Sherlock Holmes, science, and Victorian culture. Don't miss it!<br /> <br /> The exhibit runs in Denver from October, 23rd, 2015 - January, 31, 2016.  For more information visit the <a href="http://www.dmns.org/the-international-exhibition-of-sherlock-holmes/" target="_blank">Denver Museum of Nature and Science</a> website. <br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /></div>

The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes Opens in Denver

"travelled from town to town through the United States" [STUD] On October 23, the International Exhibition of Sherlock Ho...

+ Read more »

by Belanger Books

His Last Bow — The Power of Women

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "he used to make merry over the cleverness of women" [SCAN]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprPNJbjre3W_d_ENP7PzQ_HB8LzPINpqft1Puv_SGdz12qH-Nfya6RKjEL8Ah1bRmtCuVIxDzLczwqVKvvaS4pIE_ULc6xaqW2jtmTbCD87g-C6eXdzy75F-wY2DxZEpUuVfNi2spguyI/s1600/His_Last_Bow-Colliers-1917-09-22-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprPNJbjre3W_d_ENP7PzQ_HB8LzPINpqft1Puv_SGdz12qH-Nfya6RKjEL8Ah1bRmtCuVIxDzLczwqVKvvaS4pIE_ULc6xaqW2jtmTbCD87g-C6eXdzy75F-wY2DxZEpUuVfNi2spguyI/s640/His_Last_Bow-Colliers-1917-09-22-cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Name two things mentioned in the story "His Last Bow" that wouldn't be there without the achievements of a couple of women most people have never heard of.<br /> <br /> Both back-stories emerge from some research I've been doing (for which, as they say, the world is not yet prepared) about interesting figures of Holmes's era. And let no one think that all the women of that period were either quiet wives, bland royalty, or greedy courtesans. Here, based on that one short story, are two remarkable examples. Both, interestingly, date from the year 1886.<br /> <br /> <h3> "the sounds of a distant car" [LAST]</h3> First, then, the "huge 100-horse-power Benz car" belonging to Baron Von Herling, the secretary of the German legation in London. This vehicle, in 1914, might have been one of the new six-cylinder models, or one of almost two dozen four-cylinder cars the Benz company had produced by that time. Karl Benz (1844-1929) is generally recognized as the inventor of the petroleum-powered automobile, receiving a patent in 1886 for a workable three-wheeled design. <br /> <br /> But the prototype might never have become a marketable car if it were not for the woman. In this case the woman is Bertha Ringer (1849-1944), who had saved Benz's machine shop from bankruptcy with the help of money from her family while she was still his fiancée. They married in 1872, and she continued to be a loyal supporter of his work over the years.<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/AVvXsEhCFFgrDJFhReKDTz-dJhjIgGv1BsKZZyYXlxNT1LBVtx_7TFQfu8I8LYzIM89VwZCy78wgN1W6gvTXC3AgS2beB8BpKRV25RkXkZ7LuALtNKXt2EZmOQe-eJIOPGARraGqTL_bXApEwqmi/s1600/Bertha+Benz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFFgrDJFhReKDTz-dJhjIgGv1BsKZZyYXlxNT1LBVtx_7TFQfu8I8LYzIM89VwZCy78wgN1W6gvTXC3AgS2beB8BpKRV25RkXkZ7LuALtNKXt2EZmOQe-eJIOPGARraGqTL_bXApEwqmi/s640/Bertha+Benz.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bertha Benz on the Patent-Motorwagen, c. 1886 (via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/the.vintage.everyday/photos/a.470957502943384.100739.263420163697120/750586894980442/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Timeless Photos</a>)</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> When Karl Benz completed and patented his car in 1886, he had given no thought to publicity and sales. It was Bertha who realized that buyers would not come unless they had a chance to hear about the car and see that it worked. So one morning, without telling her husband, she bundled her teenage sons into the one-and-only Benz car and took off to visit her mother. She sent a telegram to Karl to let him know of her safe arrival at Pforzheim, 65 miles from home in Mannheim. On the way she had to buy fuel from a pharmacy, get a chain mended by a blacksmith, and have leather pads fastened in place to smooth the action of the brakes — in other words, she invented brake linings. And 28 years later, Baron Von Herling was a satisfied customer of Benz thanks to her pioneering effort at marketing.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h3> "I live and keep bees upon the South Downs" [LAST]</h3> The other item in "His Last Bow" that could hardly exist without a woman's work is Sherlock Holmes's own alleged book, the fruit of pensive nights and laborious days: <i>Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with Some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen</i>. Perhaps Holmes really did write a volume on beekeeping — perhaps. Or perhaps what he jestingly showed off to Watson was the definitive book on that topic, published in 1886 under the catchy title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-About-Bees-Principles-Bee-Keeping/dp/1330730836/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=32433db049441b050a7e19ca157b5578&linkCode=ktl" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>A Book about Bees:</i> </a><i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1330730836" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="32433db049441b050a7e19ca157b5578" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Their History, Habits, and Instincts; Together with the First Principles of Modern Bee-Keeping" href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-About-Bees-Principles-Bee-Keeping/dp/1330730836/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=32433db049441b050a7e19ca157b5578&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_404992" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Their History, Habits, and Instincts; Together with the First Principles of Modern Bee-Keeping</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_404992" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=32433db049441b050a7e19ca157b5578&_cb=1446786029409" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>.<br /> <br /> If Holmes did keep bees, he surely had this volume near at hand. Written by the Rev. F. G. Jenyns, it was "published at the request, and under the sanction, of the British Bee-Keepers' Association", and came with an introduction written by the long-time president of that association, Angela Burdett-Coutts (1814-1906).<br /> <br /> She was a granddaughter of Thomas Coutts, the millionaire banker, and spent her life giving much of her inherited wealth to charity, including a home for women escaping "a life of immorality", church schools, projects to relieve suffering in Africa and Borneo, and social housing. The Bee-Keepers' Association was only one of her enthusiasms; she also served as president of the British Goat Society and was a founder of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She also paid for Edinburgh's landmark fountain and statue of the dog Greyfriars Bobby. <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/AVvXsEi-hqr1uQmL5L4ZBqv6XXKirz4ZB47oOn5IyTC21Acrnf3ZwQGKb8eUT-QU5HbexAOA8SkQgYMKEXhq3ThH8k25-oMpwAbAel7BzNhEkN8GvpuvG0jK9v_QjkQaKJvXUL_MLt3gU9k1vI1w/s1600/Angela+Coutts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hqr1uQmL5L4ZBqv6XXKirz4ZB47oOn5IyTC21Acrnf3ZwQGKb8eUT-QU5HbexAOA8SkQgYMKEXhq3ThH8k25-oMpwAbAel7BzNhEkN8GvpuvG0jK9v_QjkQaKJvXUL_MLt3gU9k1vI1w/s640/Angela+Coutts.jpg" width="496" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I like goats as well as bees. You have a problem with that?"</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> In 1871 she was made a baroness, becoming the first woman in modern times to receive a peerage in her own right, becoming Baroness Burdett-Coutts. And at age 67 she married William Bartlett, her American-born secretary, who was 29.<br /> <br /> <br /> Two women with remarkable achievements, both of them reflected in a single tale of Sherlock Holmes. Who knew?<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <br />

His Last Bow — The Power of Women

"he used to make merry over the cleverness of women" [SCAN] Name two things mentioned in the story "His Last Bow" t...

+ Read more »

by Chris Redmond

Remembering Our Very First Time

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "You will excuse me, however, if I speak frankly to you." [DANC]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GM6QQpTeGOo4i9ADBx1JIWwwdJ6LSpMPuct63Z6Wtvzr7PbTGn9tWRlTlZexl1wfT3G9dKBGJzO_JS4FUbEdKeU_ZCr_gVMMXHgrrGMuvCuhNlo1BE_mPYjS0y_0v-IhqXNQfaRPbUkE/s1600/BSI+logo+full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GM6QQpTeGOo4i9ADBx1JIWwwdJ6LSpMPuct63Z6Wtvzr7PbTGn9tWRlTlZexl1wfT3G9dKBGJzO_JS4FUbEdKeU_ZCr_gVMMXHgrrGMuvCuhNlo1BE_mPYjS0y_0v-IhqXNQfaRPbUkE/s640/BSI+logo+full.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Early November marks an exciting time in our own Sherlockian calendar. This is historically the time of year that we find out about the specifics of the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The annual gathering in New York City happens every January (as it has for over 70 years), with Sherlock Holmes devotees assembling from all over the world. The Weekend — and really, it's more than a weekend, with events starting as early as Wednesday — is open to all interested Sherlockians and is something of a movable feast as attendees east and drink their way through New York. We'll be updating <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">the BSI Weekend website</a> soon with all of the official information and reservation forms, so stay tuned for that.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> While the BSI Dinner is still an invitation-only affair, the rest of the weekend is as inclusive an event as anyone can imagine. Whether you're attending for the first time or the 51st time, you're greeted with open arms and plentiful introductions to other like-minded individuals. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> We've heard many fellow Sherlockians say that to them, the BSI Weekend is something of a second Christmas. The prospect of connecting and reconnecting with so many friends from cities and years past, as well as from online interactions, is really what our little hobby is all about.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> So we hope you'll indulge us this personal memory of the very first BSI Dinner invitation we received from Tom Stix, "Wiggins" of the BSI at the time. It arrived exactly 20 years ago today and our excitement is still just as strong today as it was then.</div> <div> <br /></div> <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/AVvXsEi7wFUwqp1jN38BXAHJvYZuBTBPscD0hHDMg1LS9fTI-iR7RBb7NNNG4L1JbEP0pBw4Zh696oeiWQ_TKWqOalltxJSjv_SK1gJEDvLE8HxzJpgaAiQT1ax4fL4zi13Oa8AW_S0Rio06kiJX/s1600/BSI002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wFUwqp1jN38BXAHJvYZuBTBPscD0hHDMg1LS9fTI-iR7RBb7NNNG4L1JbEP0pBw4Zh696oeiWQ_TKWqOalltxJSjv_SK1gJEDvLE8HxzJpgaAiQT1ax4fL4zi13Oa8AW_S0Rio06kiJX/s640/BSI002.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> But you don't need an invitation to attend the Weekend events overall. We hope you'll make your own plans to descend on New York and join your fellow revelers at the oldest and most expansive annual Sherlockian event.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere will be covering the BSI Weekend, capturing images, sounds and impressions that we'll be sharing in January and February of 2016. Perhaps we'll see you there!</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> --</div> <div> <br /></div>

Remembering Our Very First Time

"You will excuse me, however, if I speak frankly to you." [DANC] Early November marks an exciting time in our own Sherlocki...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Help Us Create the Ultimate Sherlockian Gift Guide

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"I think that I could be of assistance to you." [BLUE]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyEWQjnFPNlUHhp88YrdWrKaRlp8EI5gAd2kNW7Z2XKHC-s6QfGDk0TwTyMIf_ygBCiNRnRPOj6pa88_APmsCFnCnOd7QIDQZpXL_WhiUzzcZH3ufGS263dYoGk03IsmYS-PXoyUUTvc6/s1600/BLUE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyEWQjnFPNlUHhp88YrdWrKaRlp8EI5gAd2kNW7Z2XKHC-s6QfGDk0TwTyMIf_ygBCiNRnRPOj6pa88_APmsCFnCnOd7QIDQZpXL_WhiUzzcZH3ufGS263dYoGk03IsmYS-PXoyUUTvc6/s640/BLUE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> In the next audio episode of <a href="http://ihose.co/ihoseshows" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a>, we'll be discussing the best holiday gifts of the season for Sherlockians.<br /> <br /> Rather than relying on the limited knowledge and taste of Burt and Scott, we thought we'd throw the doors open to you, dear reader, and get your suggestions for Sherlockian gifts this year. Embedded below you'll find a form to submit your ideas for books, videos, ephemera, etc. of what you'd like to see appear in your Persian slipper.<br /> <br /> On the show, we'll compile the results and have a great discussion about the suggestions. And who knows? We might even invite you on if we want to hear more about your gift idea.<br /> <br /> <br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="850" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vhCEeNSnbVwO8iFTomuWQapHuvAPNCqv5P3tMIa0W-0/viewform?embedded=true" width="710">Loading...</iframe><br /> <br /> <script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thebakerstree-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "33feba32ccdbb0cc49a733f016ad7c0a"; amzn_assoc_asins = "1101870893,0008130833,1783291532,B00NB9Y0US,B00XOAPFH6,B00L2YXV2W,B000BBOUGI,B003NF97NA,B001TE6P78"; amzn_assoc_title = "Our Picks"; </script><br /> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script><br /> <br /> --

Help Us Create the Ultimate Sherlockian Gift Guide

"I think that I could be of assistance to you." [BLUE] In the next audio episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere , we'll be ...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty