Books About Sherlockians, By Sherlockians

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: start;">"Bring me the books" [BLUE]</span></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnX-k_woEfb6U_cd5Q5u0AWvtiMEs93hZGZgod32j5CXV6KTbzr21IVCSEB-Svv7i0LWfmJtq-eYgsTCpWyaBLvRCk-pLvihijuJN9UDtaJTwv_RtFln2uDBrxraokh9HdAAhtQN_qEHgn/s1600/Sherlockian+Books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnX-k_woEfb6U_cd5Q5u0AWvtiMEs93hZGZgod32j5CXV6KTbzr21IVCSEB-Svv7i0LWfmJtq-eYgsTCpWyaBLvRCk-pLvihijuJN9UDtaJTwv_RtFln2uDBrxraokh9HdAAhtQN_qEHgn/s640/Sherlockian+Books.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br />Sherlockians are about the most interesting people anywhere, so it's not surprising that other Sherlockians want to read (and write) books about them. Anthony Boucher, himself a prominent Sherlockian, met the demand brilliantly with <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0786702214" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="172666c342684c048c9c190433506106" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Case-Baker-Street-Irregulars/dp/0786702214/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=172666c342684c048c9c190433506106&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5316859" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5316859" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=172666c342684c048c9c190433506106&_cb=1456547929359" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> in 1940. Maybe it's just the glow of that golden age, but I'm inclined to think that novel, just past it 75th anniversary, remains one of the greatest Sherlockian books of all.<br /><br />Later came Nathan Bengis's fragment with the title <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B000738FBQ" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="5a30a5c75c31682ca22511bd86298f49" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Marked Down: Irregular" href="http://www.amazon.com/Marked-down-irregular-problem-Sherlock/dp/B000738FBQ/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5a30a5c75c31682ca22511bd86298f49&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3018095" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marked Down: Irregular</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3018095" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=5a30a5c75c31682ca22511bd86298f49&_cb=1456548036578" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, a roman à clef about an incident that could have occurred at the Baker Street Irregulars' dinner in 1964. More recently, <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose29" rel="nofollow">Jon Lellenberg's <i>Baker Street Irregular</i></a> features a number of real BSIs along with a regrettably fictional one. Terry Fallis's <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0771036167" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="2192c607392075180e0b523c54d3bbc9" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="No Relation" href="http://www.amazon.com/No-Relation-Terry-Fallis/dp/0771036167/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=2192c607392075180e0b523c54d3bbc9&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_1305926" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">No Relation</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1305926" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=2192c607392075180e0b523c54d3bbc9&_cb=1456548228425" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> leads its central character to visit the <a href="http://www.torontobootmakers.com/">Bootmakers of Toronto</a>. And Graham Moore's popular <i><a href="http://ihose.co/ihose30" rel="nofollow">The Sherlockian</a></i> is based in part on real events in the world of Sherlockian life and death and copyright. There have been others.<br /><br />Unsurprisingly, most books about Sherlockians have been in the mystery genre — most, but not all. An odd little gem in the collection is the work of Jerry Neal Williamson, a Sherlockian (and Baker Street Irregular) from Indianapolis. His 1980 book <i>The Tulpa</i> is a supernatural thriller (one hesitates to use the word "potboiler") about a demon which, among other things, works bloody mayhem on a formal dinner of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Illustrious-Clients-of-Indianapolis-184841455301/">Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis</a>. <br /><br /><div> There should be room for books in other genres too. What about a romance novel (proposed title <i>The Gasogene's Dark Desires</i>)? Quite a number of real-life romances have grown out of Sherlockian activities, after all. What about a social problem novel (if anybody still writes those) about the great divide between the fangirls and the literati? Yeah, okay, I'm kidding. Sort of.<br /><br />What is needed most of all, though, is a bibliography of the novels-about-Sherlockian-life that already exist. There are many I haven't listed here, and probably some I don't know about. I wish someone would get busy creating an annotated list of them.<br /><br />All these observations bring us to the work of Dan Andriacco, a talented Sherlockian from Cincinnati who has turned out a series of accomplished mystery novels featuring Sebastian McCabe, an eccentric English professor and Sherlockian, and his brother-in-law Jeff Cody. He began with <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="178092206X" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="5bb225aa7e51d3eb7596caceabaf65fa" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="No Police Like Holmes" href="http://www.amazon.com/Police-Like-Holmes-Dan-Andriacco/dp/178092206X/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5bb225aa7e51d3eb7596caceabaf65fa&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_8442558" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">No Police Like Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8442558" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=5bb225aa7e51d3eb7596caceabaf65fa&_cb=1456548560228" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> in 2011 and has followed it with five sequels (five and a half, really, counting an electronic short story). Information about them is at his blog, <a href="http://www.bakerstreetbeat.blogspot.com/">Baker Street Beat</a>.<br /><br />This commentary was originally supposed to be a review of the most recent novel, <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1780928947" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="5e7ffe52ab896908624b245b4bf5281f" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Bookmarked for Murder" href="http://www.amazon.com/Bookmarked-Murder-McCabe-Cody-Book/dp/1780928947/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5e7ffe52ab896908624b245b4bf5281f&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5522548" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bookmarked for Murder</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5522548" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=5e7ffe52ab896908624b245b4bf5281f&_cb=1456548582325" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, but plans changed when I happened to notice that it isn't really all that Sherlockian. McCabe and Cody do mention the sleuth of Baker Street occasionally as they go about their detection, and they do pay a visit to a thinly disguised Murder Ink bookstore in New York and notice its shelves of Sherlockiana, but that's about as authentic as it gets. For the most part, it's a novel about Sherlockians who happen to be doing non-Sherlockian things — something that, alas, most Sherlockians find themselves doing most of the time.<br /><br />(Let it be noted, however, that it's still a very enjoyable book. The cover blurb quotes Roger Johnson, of the <a href="http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/">Sherlock Holmes Society of London</a>, as saying that it's "excellent, intelligent entertainment", and he speaks the truth. One hopes that <a href="http://mxpublishing.com/">MX Publishing</a>, which has issued all of Andriacco's novels, is finding a way to get them into the hands of the broader public of "cozy" mystery readers, not just those of confirmed Sherlockians. Surely they would approve of using a Maltese Falcon replica as a murder weapon just as much as we do.)<br /><br />For serious Sherlockian content, the most on-target book of Andriacco's series is <a href="http://www.sherlockian.net/books/reviews/phillimore.html"><i>The Disappearance of Mr. James Phillimore</i></a>, set among elite (and surprisingly murderous) British Sherlockians. But all of the McCabe and Cody adventures read like chronicles of the family of which we're happy members. Here's to much more Sherlockian fiction, from many more authors!<br /></div> <div> --</div> <div> <br /></div>

Books About Sherlockians, By Sherlockians

"Bring me the books" [BLUE] Sherlockians are about the most interesting people anywhere, so it's not surprising that other...

+ Read more »

by Chris Redmond

Episode 90: Love in the Canon

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "I loved with such a love as comes once in a lifetime" [PRIO]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOijgt4-lZ-z9AADiXc0ZvNDyyuyhnnygR2La9J05TF751ox4IPIzKQgfDOd_fzAog7m1LU0PsbapdcoBlhhYkYnTstZlz4woZjXl_HRlBjWfiMNjG5oiJdSCk8d5wMmLXaUPwFXpob02g/s1600/The+Naval+Treaty+rose.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="431" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOijgt4-lZ-z9AADiXc0ZvNDyyuyhnnygR2La9J05TF751ox4IPIzKQgfDOd_fzAog7m1LU0PsbapdcoBlhhYkYnTstZlz4woZjXl_HRlBjWfiMNjG5oiJdSCk8d5wMmLXaUPwFXpob02g/s640/The+Naval+Treaty+rose.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> We're aware of the quotes "to Sherlock Holmes, she was always <i>the</i> woman," and "I have never loved, Watson," but what was Sherlock Holmes's relationship with love? Was he truly "an automaton — a calculating machine," or was he more familiar with the emotion than we've previously considered.<br /> <br /> In honor of Valentine's Day (yesterday), we discuss this and the various relationships in the Sherlock Holmes stories that involved couples, whether they were husbands and wives, intended spouses or spurned lovers. There is a good deal of love that runs through the Canon, some of it good and decent, some of it passionate and infatuated, and some of it selfish. But it all adds up to some fascinating situations that we're left with.<br /> <br /> We have our monthly news update, listener comments, "Mental Exaltation" featuring contestant John Sherwood, and an Editor's Gas-Lamp taken from the March 1991 (Vol. 41, No. 1) issue of <i>The Baker Street Journal</i>, titled "Women," in a nod to the holiday and to the <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose89" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">last episode</a>. And be sure to stay tuned for another gem of an Easter egg.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> Our special thanks go out to Mary Miller and Christian Mongaard for their Patreon support!<br /> <br /> <div> <div> <h3> Sponsors</h3> This episode includes our two longtime sponsors and a special sponsor with us for the first half of this year:<br /> <br /> The <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, featuring <i>A Curious Collection of Dates</i>, 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 - now accepting 2016 subscriptions. Also, Paula Berinstein's <a href="http://amandalester.net/" target="_blank">Amanda Lester, Detective</a> series for young adults and the <a href="http://johnhwatsonsociety.com/" target="_blank">John H. Watson Society Manuscript Series</a>.<br /> <br /> Would you care to become a sponsor? You can find <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more information here</a>.</div> <div style="font-family: "times new roman";"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> </div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> </div> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock090.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 48.8 MB, 1:44:36</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/247190283&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div> </div> <div> <h3><br /></h3><h3> Links:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-man-murdered-sherlock-holmes-ent-0202-20160201-column.html#" target="_blank">"The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes"</a> is the hot new musical in Chicago </li> <li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/02/remembering-frank-finlay.html#.VsIJUvIrLb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Remembering Frank Finlay</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/02/the-great-detective-pikachu-evolution.html" target="_blank">The Great Detective Pikachu</a> and the evolution of Sherlock Holmes in Japan</li> <li>When in Edmonton, be sure to see <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/life/travel/sherlock-holmes-exhibition-headed-to-edmonton-for-only-stop-in-canada" target="_blank">the International Sherlock Holmes Exhibition</a></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 /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at <a href="http://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a>. You can find all of our social media links at <a href="http://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock">linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock</a>.</div> </div> <br /> <br /> Please subscribe and follow us <a href="https://pod.link/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">wherever you get podcasts</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).</div> <br /> --

Episode 90: Love in the Canon

"I loved with such a love as comes once in a lifetime" [PRIO] We're aware of the quotes "to Sherlock Holmes, she was...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

The Sign of Eight

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "Eight others were wriggling on the top of each other on the floor." [GLOR]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8EqvDj0OhUgLcdNmYqh33haf4Vx_6CMBF-0I5FPhpRoDMwUqlrvUhJoO_tNW084rffmrSS9yyB5mTuTtVsFwY_dAPzVDV1dyN8mjiNdfDol2wQbeGRP9cc1RNcgLt1FgUa-NtbR4eC75/s1600/Dinner_at_Haddo_House%252C_1884_by_Alfred_Edward_Emslie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8EqvDj0OhUgLcdNmYqh33haf4Vx_6CMBF-0I5FPhpRoDMwUqlrvUhJoO_tNW084rffmrSS9yyB5mTuTtVsFwY_dAPzVDV1dyN8mjiNdfDol2wQbeGRP9cc1RNcgLt1FgUa-NtbR4eC75/s1600/Dinner_at_Haddo_House%252C_1884_by_Alfred_Edward_Emslie.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> I had a wonderful time at the annual banquet of the <a href="http://www.torontobootmakers.com/" target="_blank">Bootmakers of Toronto</a> the other day, thanks for asking. And one reason it was so pleasant, I am certain, is the symmetry of the group who were seated at my table.<br /> <br /> The banquet, was held on January 30 at the York Masonic Temple, just outside Toronto's downtown area. Both the Cornish hen and the salmon were generally agreed to be excellent, and so was the guest speaker, Rosemary Aubert, who chiefly talked about how Sherlock Holmes has influenced her as the author of the six <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1882593731" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="00d94da26d3f48bcec1532cb8cb97c22" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Ellis Portal novels" href="http://www.amazon.com/Leave-Me-By-Dying-Mysteries/dp/1882593731/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=00d94da26d3f48bcec1532cb8cb97c22&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_4394533" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ellis Portal novels</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4394533" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=00d94da26d3f48bcec1532cb8cb97c22&_cb=1455022112193" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6315131" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=6c559104e598d2cb85906ce5062a44b2&_cb=1455022079669" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1225456" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=2fabaefd41539e2ca6a71c82d11fee66&_cb=1455022064257" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> as well as other fiction. (Spoiler: A lot.) <br /> <br /> Those attending were seated at tables for eight, and I'm confident that was the mystic ingredient as far as my enjoyment was concerned. I have maintained for many years that the perfect casting for a Sherlockian meal is eight people in a circle, four of them men and four of them women, some of them in couples but not all. This would be a familiar formula to Victorian hostesses and hosts, and when I have encountered it in the past, it did wonderful things for the conversation and bonhomie. I do realize that I am being heteronormative here, and I'm sure other gender assignments and combinations could also work, but I am talking from my own narrow experience.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdovx1aWq2zeD6JoP9NtNzJxTt6iYlg0YGmpmj5eyh2-w5Xs4CpACIYtfjr41K4gp7Zny0E6o3OJaNOxjR5fhAunEfkwIdy8J_WqP8pOsNjH0U1q__clm0k47hIEyBWsuwg2Srsv_NA2E/s1600/Victorian_Dinner_Scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdovx1aWq2zeD6JoP9NtNzJxTt6iYlg0YGmpmj5eyh2-w5Xs4CpACIYtfjr41K4gp7Zny0E6o3OJaNOxjR5fhAunEfkwIdy8J_WqP8pOsNjH0U1q__clm0k47hIEyBWsuwg2Srsv_NA2E/s1600/Victorian_Dinner_Scene.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> At any rate, our table had great fun on Saturday night — two married couples, one unmarried couple, and two singletons (or rather, married but not to each other). We didn't totally alternate the sexes, but almost, and that probably added to the joie de vivre.<br /> <br /> I talk about this experience at such length partly because, although we think of dinner parties as the characteristic events of Victorian society, there is not much evidence of them in the Sherlock Holmes canon. The expression "dinner party," either singular or plural, is not to be found there at all, and although Trelawney Hope of "The Second Stain" made a point of "dressing for dinner," it sounds as though he dined alone. Similarly, when John Scott Eccles dined at Wisteria Lodge, the event was, he reports, "tête-à-tête." The sort of people who held or attended dinner parties, and those who employed Mrs. Bridges of <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B004H0ZHD4" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="3ab42fda0f7b74794d45a3f97379af0a" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Upstairs, Downstairs" href="http://www.amazon.com/Upstairs-Downstairs-Complete-Anniversary-Collection/dp/B004H0ZHD4/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=3ab42fda0f7b74794d45a3f97379af0a&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3172812" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Upstairs, Downstairs</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3172812" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=3ab42fda0f7b74794d45a3f97379af0a&_cb=1455023240901" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> or Mrs. Patmore of <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0102K6NVW" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="fd98ea6230a68ca0be7034c501f3897b" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Downton Abbey" href="http://www.amazon.com/Masterpiece-Classic-Downton-Abbey-Seasons/dp/B0102K6NVW/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=fd98ea6230a68ca0be7034c501f3897b&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_2052871" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Downton Abbey</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2052871" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=fd98ea6230a68ca0be7034c501f3897b&_cb=1455023259546" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> to cook them, apparently did not move in the same circles as Sherlock Holmes.<br /> <br /> There's also something about the number eight. I sent out a note to Sherlockians on Twitter the other day, asking for help finding incidents in the Canon when exactly eight people came together, with or without a table, and the pickings were slim. One clever researcher turned up the moment in <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0140439080" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="c76520c73e72ed4fe26789edea725129" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Study in Scarlet" href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Study-Scarlet-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140439080/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=c76520c73e72ed4fe26789edea725129&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_4525769" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Scarlet</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4525769" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=c76520c73e72ed4fe26789edea725129&_cb=1455023309001" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> when "six dirty little scoundrels", constituting the Baker Street Irregulars, joined Holmes and Watson in their suite. Dinner was not served. <br /> <br /> The only other example offered to me was even less savoury. It comes from <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0486282147" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="2b50cbe13534ee8aaf7d9cf804700e85" 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=2b50cbe13534ee8aaf7d9cf804700e85&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7005588" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7005588" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=2b50cbe13534ee8aaf7d9cf804700e85&_cb=1455023299186" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, which records that Sir Hugo Baskerville and "five or six of his idle and wicked companions" rode out in search of the yeoman's daughter who was to be his, or their, victim. Make it six companions and the total at the scene of the outrage is eight — but I hardly think an incident of rape, the only indisputable one in the entire canon, is a suitable model for a Sherlockian social occasion. It is an extreme example of what can happen when one sex dominates the other and neither Victorian etiquette nor morality restrains behaviour.<br /> <br /> So it's not just the presence of eight people that makes an evening a success — it's the presence of eight pleasant people (eight Sherlockians, in fact) and the circumstances under which they dine. The Bootmaker dinner was a success, and I look forward to other occasions that fall out in the same way.<br /> <i><br /></i> <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/AVvXsEjHXkdFORkZzhrRNKhhBEQR1qD7Cp0NomdZ9vjCUx1vVdtveAQc_Egjp6wChS6msX2sbyoJTZRRa7AB20uCuyzI0BHJjDi6knP9OHDPrVJIj9TADMukDijdHDU7tkLn6z6mB2OAPzxsOHgb/s1600/Bootmakers+dinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXkdFORkZzhrRNKhhBEQR1qD7Cp0NomdZ9vjCUx1vVdtveAQc_Egjp6wChS6msX2sbyoJTZRRa7AB20uCuyzI0BHJjDi6knP9OHDPrVJIj9TADMukDijdHDU7tkLn6z6mB2OAPzxsOHgb/s1600/Bootmakers+dinner.JPG" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A scene from the Bootmakers dinner (credit: Bruce Aiken)</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <i><br /></i> <i>Top image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dinner_at_Haddo_House,_1884_by_Alfred_Edward_Emslie.jpg" target="_blank">Dinner at Haddo House (Wikimedia Commons)</a></i><br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

The Sign of Eight

"Eight others were wriggling on the top of each other on the floor." [GLOR] I had a wonderful time at the annual banquet of t...

+ Read more »

by Chris Redmond

Behind the Latest Volume of the World's Largest Sherlock Holmes Collection

<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;"> "when, for the fourth time" [BRUC] </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAfHTKbYvA-WyvNUUKine9u5WVeHvZy87cNZ7IgM68RQWIw48GWMNdmSHcQX6tpta4YMuJIONnYjvo4aC7aWYTTwclfQTdeOYPZupCHpalvULebHu8M7j4Tdmn3QOpA7nWk2Myyl6FDN0/s1600/MX+Part+IV+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAfHTKbYvA-WyvNUUKine9u5WVeHvZy87cNZ7IgM68RQWIw48GWMNdmSHcQX6tpta4YMuJIONnYjvo4aC7aWYTTwclfQTdeOYPZupCHpalvULebHu8M7j4Tdmn3QOpA7nWk2Myyl6FDN0/s1600/MX+Part+IV+cover.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Philip K. Jones said it was "... the best Sherlockian fiction anthology ever published." With over 60 original Sherlock Holmes pastiches in three volumes, <a href="http://www.mxpublishing.com/product/MXBOOKHB3/The+MX+Book+of+New+Sherlock+Holmes+Stories+-+Full+Collection+-+Hardcover"><i>The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories</i></a> was a groundbreaking, record setting collection. The books, released on October 1, 2015, quickly sold thousands of copies, and all of the royalties went to restore <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Undershaw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Undershaw</a>, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's former estate which had fallen into woeful disrepair. <br /> <br /> Now to raise more funds for Undershaw and to keep feeding the appetites of all lovers of Holmes pastiches, a fourth volume of stories has been compiled and is currently being offered through a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1229605719/the-mx-book-of-new-sherlock-holmes-stories-part-iv">Kickstarter campaign</a>.  We asked Steve Emecz, the book's publisher, and David Marcum, the editor, about Volume IV, the Kickstarter campaign, and if we can expect to see more volumes in the future.<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/AVvXsEgEhjzpwzeRHXCE2wLNiv7FOUtkCZdLRCGHtzTjG7aRO__AJBMXaMtlhy0HekPQ7EmUNVXI2KbdzKvbquNUJB1c31M1GyncRcrzK6b12ikdqVTyfqF5TO9jIAZCzG9CRq912VBtLFUsewmt/s1600/Main+Window+View.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhjzpwzeRHXCE2wLNiv7FOUtkCZdLRCGHtzTjG7aRO__AJBMXaMtlhy0HekPQ7EmUNVXI2KbdzKvbquNUJB1c31M1GyncRcrzK6b12ikdqVTyfqF5TO9jIAZCzG9CRq912VBtLFUsewmt/s1600/Main+Window+View.JPG" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">View from the main window at Undershaw. </td></tr> </tbody></table> </b></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <h3> <b>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: <i>The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories</i> was a huge success. The book was considered one giant collection broken up into three volumes. What made you decide to add a </b><b>Volume IV?</b></h3> <br /> <b>Steve Emecz (SE): </b>As a publisher the collection has been one of our most successful projects on all fronts so when David raised the chance to do a fourth volume we jumped at it.<br /> <br /> <b>David Marcum (DM): </b>When I was very fortunate enough to go to London last fall for the launch party of the first three books, several people came up and asked about future volumes. Additionally, some others mentioned that they wished that they had participated the first time around, and that they would like to do so if there was going to be anything like it in the future. At the time, I had thought that the original anthology was a one-shot, never to be repeated.<br /> <br /> But in mid-October, just a few weeks after I got back from London, it suddenly hit me that there was no reason not to continue. Steve and I had done all the heavy lifting with the first set, deciding on formats, styles, covers, and so on. The template was there waiting for future stories. I contacted Steve, and he was very enthusiastic. So I put out a call in mid-October for stories, with a late December deadline. That isn’t much time at all, but everyone responded fantastically and immediately, with many setting aside other projects to participate.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <h3> <b>IHOSE: The proceeds of this collection, like the previous three, will go in helping with the preservation of Undershaw. Can you give the readers an update on how the restoration is proceeding and how the funds from the anthologies are being used to assist with the preservation?</b></h3> <b>SE: </b>The restoration is well underway and the launch of the new school will happen in July. The funds from the anthologies, which will start to flow in around April, will go towards the Conan Doyle specific projects at the house. These include the stained glass windows, ACD’s study and many projects that will be related to enabling Holmes fans to enjoy visiting the house outside term time.<br /> <br /> <b>DM:</b> Like everyone else, I’ve greatly enjoyed seeing how Undershaw has been rescued, and for such a great reason. I hope someday to get back over the England and make my way down to see the renovated building. I’m so thankful to and proud of all of the participants in this anthology project for donating their royalties to such a good cause.<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/AVvXsEjlbGAtELkYQ6KbODsEaEUoRCmrKRsbbPyKkP7UNTfehFJLRl6CGo-KTkBUwnKjmUAboasubN7lC65pK5xvJj9ulFvPqiL7lWN9xBSLXhS647HP0SvrIvQOXAuRpHKhfDgEf-imOr2Cz4q_/s1600/New+Bay+Windows.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbGAtELkYQ6KbODsEaEUoRCmrKRsbbPyKkP7UNTfehFJLRl6CGo-KTkBUwnKjmUAboasubN7lC65pK5xvJj9ulFvPqiL7lWN9xBSLXhS647HP0SvrIvQOXAuRpHKhfDgEf-imOr2Cz4q_/s1600/New+Bay+Windows.JPG" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New bay windows as part of the restoration project at Undershaw</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <h3> <b>IHOSE: What makes this anthology different from the previous three?</b></h3> <b>SE: </b>The fourth volume shares the same DNA of the first three in that they are traditional Holmes and Watson stories. They are however spread across the entire canon timeline. When we had the initial volumes with 1300+ pages, David split them by the date in which they occur.<br /> <br /> <b>DM:</b> The only real difference between this volume and the previous three is that this year’s offering has 22 new Holmes stories, where last year’s massive collection was 63, spread over three books. There is more that’s the same than different. The books will be the same size, with a similar cover that has been adapted from a John Atkinson Grimshaw painting – if you have the first three books, then this one can sit on the shelf beside them and perfectly match. This one is about 475 pages, actually a little bigger than the previous volumes. Once again, the stories will all feature the true and traditional Holmes, set within the correct time period. Like before, these are all wonderful narratives that are arranged chronologically, which to me – being the intense Holmes Chronologist that I am – is a great way to approach them. The book begins with several stories from Holmes’s early career, moving through the years to the final tale in the book, set just before Holmes’s retirement in 1903, when an ancient mystery holds a threat for England’s future. This is really a first-class Holmes collection, and upholds the standards of the previous books perfectly.<br /> <br /> <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/AVvXsEhKv4lY7hLfRm_2xtuCpXrPwHGU0XSgta_sWZKz2JS3rjkxQU-6VKK6NFYUkFTolTZPgDjkXnsWUTKTFCJDP7kvUmFE75RBCA3bA9OTa_ic3RK6_8v94TyoP-qOMnbP87bDqr5JPSbkR6gu/s1600/Part+IV+-+Cover+%2528Final+Version%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKv4lY7hLfRm_2xtuCpXrPwHGU0XSgta_sWZKz2JS3rjkxQU-6VKK6NFYUkFTolTZPgDjkXnsWUTKTFCJDP7kvUmFE75RBCA3bA9OTa_ic3RK6_8v94TyoP-qOMnbP87bDqr5JPSbkR6gu/s1600/Part+IV+-+Cover+%2528Final+Version%2529.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <h3> <b>IHOSE: There are 22 new stories in this collection plus a poem. What are some highlights?</b></h3> <b>SE: </b>For me the highlights include the story from Bonnie MacBird who is in the middle of writing the sequel to <i><a href="http://ihose.co/ihose83" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Art In The Blood</a></i>. Bonnie made it to the big launch of the collection in October and we weren’t sure if her writing schedule would enable her to contribute – but somehow she managed it. There’s also stories from new authors to the collection and existing ones.<br /> <br /> <b>DM: </b>As always, the first highlight for me as an editor is getting to work with and know such great authors. Then of course, there is the thrill of getting to read these stories when they are fresh out of Watson’s Tin Dispatch Box. As with the first collection in 2015, I’m the only one for a little while who gets to read all of these stories in one place, and it’s like an incredible secret that I can’t wait to share with the world.<br /> <br /> Included in this volume are some returning participants, as well as several people who are joining the party for the first time. All have a wonderful understanding of what makes Holmes so popular, and also what makes a good Holmes story. Readers are going to be pleased with this collection.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </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/AVvXsEhpML_QNGAqirGBV3qPAr3B0sEGFgpOBQyxL2J0F-Wh-h6CEfRrCMcErVcyd2cj2Peva5Y6aXFfSwkKW66TykEJuH4LwU4nnbCd_YkEl1rn-pBP9Nm1_Ve-xgUKCb9VjyFYtTfXD-hzUsmv/s1600/Front+Door+Refurbished.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpML_QNGAqirGBV3qPAr3B0sEGFgpOBQyxL2J0F-Wh-h6CEfRrCMcErVcyd2cj2Peva5Y6aXFfSwkKW66TykEJuH4LwU4nnbCd_YkEl1rn-pBP9Nm1_Ve-xgUKCb9VjyFYtTfXD-hzUsmv/s1600/Front+Door+Refurbished.JPG" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Front door of Undershaw refurbished</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <h3> <b>IHOSE: Any plans for future collections?</b></h3> <b>SE:</b> While the fans want more collections we will keep going. At the moment it looks like we have the momentum for two more beyond this one. One of the Kickstarter backers commented today that we could put him down for as many as we ever produce which is wonderful. We’re hoping there is ongoing interest enough to have one every year which is why we’ve gone for the title 2016 Annual for this one.<br /> <br /> <b>DM:</b> When I put out the call for new stories in mid-October 2015, the response was incredible. In fact, there was so much interest in participation that I had more than I could initially use. I’d already had the idea of making this a yearly collection – <i>2016 Annual</i>, <i>2017 Annual</i>. But I had more writers than I could use in 2016, and it didn’t make sense to have a 2016 Annual Part I and Part II. Therefore, there will be a book in the fall of 2016 called <i>Part V – Christmas Adventures</i>.<br /> <br /> This one will be along the lines of those great Holmes collections from the 1990’s, Holmes for the Holidays and More Holmes for the Holidays. I already have about 30% of the stories edited for that one, and the submission deadline isn’t until the middle of this year. And on top of that, I already have commitments and one story in hand for the 2017 Annual.<br /> <br /> I believe that the enthusiasm for this project can keep it going for a long time – as I’ve written to the contributors, for as long as there is gas in the tank. There are a lot of great Holmes writers out there who want to help with the Stepping Stones School at Undershaw, and the school can always use our support. Additionally, the original MX Anthology from 2015, while making a big splash at the time, might tend to fade from notice somewhat, but by continually renewing interest with the ongoing anthology series, it will remain viable and keep raising funds for the school. And finally, additions to the anthology series assures still more new traditional adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and there are never enough of those!<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/AVvXsEhMAGo969fQnJpcVDv3Njd2krNTqKcbc4RO15Eg9ubi5Q0i0NgsTn5yQERNRY1mGWkJ7X_Nd_KoE5-yMx_phr_tsBn806WnGUqp8tCGUsnWmBoPEB9oufBCUF1pWA7jOJbUonHIV5sOzyul/s1600/Fireplace+Restoration.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAGo969fQnJpcVDv3Njd2krNTqKcbc4RO15Eg9ubi5Q0i0NgsTn5yQERNRY1mGWkJ7X_Nd_KoE5-yMx_phr_tsBn806WnGUqp8tCGUsnWmBoPEB9oufBCUF1pWA7jOJbUonHIV5sOzyul/s1600/Fireplace+Restoration.JPG" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Restoration in progress on this room at Undershaw</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <br /> <i>The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories Volume IV</i> can be <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1229605719/the-mx-book-of-new-sherlock-holmes-stories-part-iv" target="_blank">backed at Kickstarter here</a>.  For more information on the Undershaw restoration and Stepping Stones, please <a href="http://www.steppingstones.org.uk/Stepping-Stones-is-growing/" target="_blank">visit the Stepping Stones website</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /> <i>Derrick Belanger is the author of the #1 bestselling book in its category <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1519511957" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Adventure-Peculiar-Provenance/dp/1519511957/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3292728" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3292728" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&_cb=1451973203084" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />, which was in the top 200 bestselling books on Amazon. He also is the author of the MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes books, the latest of which is <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B017862MVS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur" href="http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Dinosaur-MacDougall-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B017862MVS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7842789" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7842789" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&_cb=1451973247482" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />, and he edited the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle horror anthology <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00P4E8AVI" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural" href="http://www.amazon.com/Study-Terror-Revolutionary-Stories-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B00P4E8AVI/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5010397" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5010397" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&_cb=1451973259426" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />. Mr. Belanger also is a frequent contributor to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. He resides in Colorado and continues compiling unpublished works by Dr. John H. Watson.</i><br /> <div> <br /> --<br /> <br /></div>

Behind the Latest Volume of the World's Largest Sherlock Holmes Collection

"when, for the fourth time" [BRUC]  Philip K. Jones said it was "... the best Sherlockian fiction anthology ever pub...

+ Read more »

by Belanger Books

The Great Detective Pikachu — The Evolution of Holmes in Japan

<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br /> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> "the Japanese system"[EMPT]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogXk67VscLEn3LLWn08XqL9NTTkzdES5whh3V43yXv8CNhjjX5XbXNmHEeivpfA2935MHBGMth3fsOKSCvMOmdCfWzCiQ7qIj8aPs290gv9-lSD99U89Wgau4DmTYjbT7AdIh_9cOLJAU/s1600/Pikachu+Holmes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogXk67VscLEn3LLWn08XqL9NTTkzdES5whh3V43yXv8CNhjjX5XbXNmHEeivpfA2935MHBGMth3fsOKSCvMOmdCfWzCiQ7qIj8aPs290gv9-lSD99U89Wgau4DmTYjbT7AdIh_9cOLJAU/s1600/Pikachu+Holmes.png" /></a></div> <br /> The likes of Basil Rathbone, John Barrymore, Jeremy Brett, and Benedict Cumberbatch are about to welcome an unexpected member to their ranks: Pikachu, the cuddly Pokémon mascot.<br /> <div> <br /> February 3 marked the Japanese release of Nintendo’s newest 3DS video game, <i><b>Great Detective Pikachu: The Birth of a New Duo</b>.</i> No plans for an international expansion have been announced, but the game trailer, released on January 26, gained over 2 million views <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9j9RWkPstc" target="_blank">on YouTube</a>, saw <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2016/1/26/10832782/great-detective-pikachu-trailer-release-date-nintendo-3ds" target="_blank">widespread coverage</a> in Western media outlets, and even inspired a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-nintendo-of-america-get-danny-devito-to-voice-the-english-version-of-detective-pikachu" target="_blank">fan petition</a> advocating for actor Danny DeVito to voice the title role in English.<br /> <br /> Casting Pikachu as the celebrated detective may seem downright bizarre to fans of both Pokémon and Holmes, especially when combined with an initial viewing of the trailer. Not only are critical characters and plots from the Canon seemingly ignored, but crucial elements of the anime franchise have also been completely jettisoned. There are no traces of Pokémon World to be found, as the action unfurls in a modern-day city. Ash, Pikachu’s loyal friend, has been supplanted by a young man identified on <a href="http://www.pokemon.co.jp/ex/TANTEI-PIKA/" target="_blank">the game’s website</a> as Tim. The gaming icon himself has undergone the most drastic changes; donning a deerstalker cap, Pikachu now drinks coffee and speaks full sentences in a deep baritone that is a far cry from his traditional shrill cries.<br /> <br /> <div> These surreal changes make the experience of watching Great Detective Pikachu hilariously weird, but multiple viewings of the video reveal that the creators of this game have read their Conan Doyle. Sherlockians will be pleasantly surprised to discover that the trailer captures key atmospheric details straight from the Canon. Detective and assistant still prowl foggy streets cast with ominous shadows. A glimpse of our hero’s study reveals a distinctly Holmesian style of clutter, complete with stacks of paper, leather-bound books, and a microscope perched on a nearby shelf. <br /> <br /> The ad even contains pointed nods to other prominent Sherlock adaptations; as <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/26/pokemon-great-detective-pikachu-trailer" target="_blank">Entertainment Weekly</a> notes, the trailer’s music is remarkably similar to David Arnold and Michael Price’s celebrated score for their BBC television hit. An observer with knowledge of Martin Freeman’s role on <i>The Office</i> might wonder if it is purely a coincidence that the game’s Watson-esque character shares a name with the beleaguered Tim Canterbury. Reviews for the game are yet to come, but there are plenty of reasons to anticipate a loving, respectful, and clever result that simultaneously subverts and surpasses expectations for such a crossover.</div> <div> <br /> <br /> <div> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y9j9RWkPstc" width="640"></iframe></center> </div> <div> <br /> But perhaps one might not be too surprised to see these two beloved characters united, as Sherlock Holmes has left an impression akin to that of Pikachu upon Japanese culture. While Pokémon has risen to prominence in the last twenty years, the Holmes stories have been in Japanese circulation since 1894, becoming so popular that they rank among the most requested books in junior high libraries, according to the <a href="http://www.holmesjapan.jp/english/history.html" target="_blank">Japan Sherlock Holmes Club</a>. The Canon has also been incorporated into national learning materials, with certain stories used as examples of proper deductive methods in the “Textbook of Logic” studied by high school seniors.</div> </div> <div> <br /> Holmes's influence also goes beyond the classroom, extending into Japanese culture and media. The country boasts thirty Sherlockian societies, with its largest, the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club, supporting <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=X3OIoRbJFhAC&pg=PA283&lpg=PA283&dq=sherlock+holmes+connections+to+japan&source=bl&ots=4rw63G4oE8&sig=nYMmveSP7B9KJhwdMg2e0vl_Sso&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjvxcKpt8vKAhWERyYKHfWpCFA4ChDoAQgiMAE#v=onepage&q=sherlock%20holmes%20connections%20to%20japan&f=false" target="_blank">over one thousand members</a> and eleven separate branches. Many Japanese authors have written pastiche novels and scholarly articles, many of which have seen publication in <i><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/" target="_blank">The Baker Street Journal</a></i>. And of course, their scholarship has also been included in the first volume of the Baker Street Irregulars Manuscript Series, <i><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/japan.html" target="_blank">Japan and Sherlock Holmes</a></i>.<br /> <br /> Even before Pikachu’s arrival on the Sherlockian scene, the familiar English characters were adapted in popular television and comic series. Celebrated director Hayao Miyazaki, the mind behind later classics <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00V3QQF6I" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="f7e69d5d32bb693ca4a3124826dda935" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Spirited Away" href="http://www.amazon.com/Spirited-Away-2-Disc-Blu-ray-Combo/dp/B00V3QQF6I/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=f7e69d5d32bb693ca4a3124826dda935&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_9328026" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spirited Away</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9328026" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=f7e69d5d32bb693ca4a3124826dda935&_cb=1454732707919" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> and <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B002ZTQV8Y" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="ef50b129f026ef832359273ec0810322" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="My Neighbor Totoro" href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Neighbor-Totoro-Mark-Henley/dp/B002ZTQV8Y/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=ef50b129f026ef832359273ec0810322&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_1904702" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My Neighbor Totoro</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1904702" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=ef50b129f026ef832359273ec0810322&_cb=1454732714362" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, directed episodes of 1984’s <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00N1JQ0BK" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="5de8c0603762252c47f5b4c8e4fce40d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Hound" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Hound-The-Complete-Series/dp/B00N1JQ0BK/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5de8c0603762252c47f5b4c8e4fce40d&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_475983" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Hound</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_475983" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=5de8c0603762252c47f5b4c8e4fce40d&_cb=1454732645795" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, which saw the detective and his companions depicted as anthropomorphic dogs. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ <i>Sherlock</i> scripts have been the basis for <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-09-01/bbc-tv-sherlock-re-imagining-gets-japanese-manga" target="_blank">an ongoing manga saga</a>. And in summer 2015, film audiences saw Ian McKellan’s aging Holmes travel to post-war Hiroshima in <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B014PIQYIO" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="47ae4e7baa41cfbbb19f54527a244c20" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Mr. Holmes" href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Holmes-DVD-Digital-McKellen/dp/B014PIQYIO/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=47ae4e7baa41cfbbb19f54527a244c20&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5610613" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mr. Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5610613" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=47ae4e7baa41cfbbb19f54527a244c20&_cb=1454732696910" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, which was itself an adaptation of Mitch Cullin’s excellent novel <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1400078229" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="10344e9bf9a684594d123729fa8bc2c2" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Slight Trick of the Mind" href="http://www.amazon.com/Slight-Trick-Mind-Mitch-Cullin/dp/1400078229/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=10344e9bf9a684594d123729fa8bc2c2&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_2045024" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2045024" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=10344e9bf9a684594d123729fa8bc2c2&_cb=1454732688310" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>.<br /> <br /> Holmes warned Watson of the dangers of seeing without observation, and in this instance, it may seem easy to dismiss <i>Great Detective Pikachu</i> as a simple if confounding publicity stunt. But when one looks at how deep Holmes’ connections to Japan run, the pairing of Sherlock and Pikachu doesn’t feel like a pairing of opposites, but rather a unique meeting of cultural icons that is both amusing and satisfying for all involved parties. <br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /></div> </div>

The Great Detective Pikachu — The Evolution of Holmes in Japan

"the Japanese system"[EMPT] The likes of Basil Rathbone, John Barrymore, Jeremy Brett, and Benedict Cumberbatch are about to...

+ Read more »

by Unknown

Remembering Frank Finlay

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "I never doubted that Frank was really dead" [NOBL]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM71xdIo959dkVgJ831PSiaI-qFM6ynlu0KesHryHeJ0_ZvD9dQrQws2RHeen9wE2pVhveo7B4Z2gEhuPAeT-rUSguaCqmNv0OSh4fS5baL2rqFbXgqiCJdDksFR4uAzOaZHVFYqJIfSmU/s1600/GOLD+-+Frank+Finlay.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM71xdIo959dkVgJ831PSiaI-qFM6ynlu0KesHryHeJ0_ZvD9dQrQws2RHeen9wE2pVhveo7B4Z2gEhuPAeT-rUSguaCqmNv0OSh4fS5baL2rqFbXgqiCJdDksFR4uAzOaZHVFYqJIfSmU/s640/GOLD+-+Frank+Finlay.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Actor <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0277975/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Frank Finlay</a> has passed away at the age of 89.<br /> <br /> Finlay portrayed a wide variety of roles across the stage, television and film, from Jean Valjean in the TV miniseries <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B002XK46FK" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="c62a6b9d4c101588a0ebfbcaed2b4044" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="les miserables miniseries" href="http://www.amazon.com/Miserables-Spanish-Import-latin-America-Depardieu/dp/B002XK46FK/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=c62a6b9d4c101588a0ebfbcaed2b4044&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7040877" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Les Miserables</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7040877" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=c62a6b9d4c101588a0ebfbcaed2b4044&_cb=1454472708902" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> to Porthos in <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B005GJTLCS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="9e9c976d1a5e97afa58b1e38dc5cad14" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="the three musketeers 1973" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Three-Musketeers-Four-Revenge/dp/B005GJTLCS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=9e9c976d1a5e97afa58b1e38dc5cad14&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_9926141" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Three Musketeers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9926141" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=9e9c976d1a5e97afa58b1e38dc5cad14&_cb=1454472655376" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>. He got his start on the small screen in the mid-1950s and remained a television regular for the next decade or more. But it is his connections to Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that interest us in particular.<br /> <br /> In 1965, he starred as Iago opposite the legendary Laurence Olivier in <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B000QGE8IS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="fd04ce72072a279f1e2b622c3c888790" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="othello 1965" href="http://www.amazon.com/Othello-Laurence-Olivier/dp/B000QGE8IS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=fd04ce72072a279f1e2b622c3c888790&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_4462624" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Othello</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4462624" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=fd04ce72072a279f1e2b622c3c888790&_cb=1454472628510" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />, and in that very same year he made the first of his handful of Sherlock Holmes connections as he played Inspector Lestrade in <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0048NRQH0" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="dd900740787765887a6d38fb48c9b782" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Study in Terror" href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Study-Terror-John-Neville/dp/B0048NRQH0/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=dd900740787765887a6d38fb48c9b782&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7764246" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Terror</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7764246" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=dd900740787765887a6d38fb48c9b782&_cb=1454472613336" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, in which Sherlock Holmes chases down Jack the Ripper. Holmes was played by John Neville and Dr. Watson was played by Donald Houston. [Incidentally, Judi Dench appeared in the film as Sally; Dench would later play Mrs. Hudson on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose69" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the BBC radio series</a> and was married to Michael Williams, who played Dr. Watson in that series.]<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/AVvXsEjFuovXj-FlZyCuVQ1D2LwvHMbdZX9GDXwBWRESeVV87bXbRxM6GZagyEEd0m8d5_7fObdm79dmsrhGx2Dm6cANZr1QkQ7jyqrRoET4UdzyTdT-nGk-MIcAewqcbK6GgAUroqaS_rpPhUJH/s1600/STUD+-+Frank+Finlay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuovXj-FlZyCuVQ1D2LwvHMbdZX9GDXwBWRESeVV87bXbRxM6GZagyEEd0m8d5_7fObdm79dmsrhGx2Dm6cANZr1QkQ7jyqrRoET4UdzyTdT-nGk-MIcAewqcbK6GgAUroqaS_rpPhUJH/s1600/STUD+-+Frank+Finlay.JPG" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank Finlay as Inspector Lestrade in <i>A Study in Terror</i> (1965)</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> But this was not to be his last association with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation. In 1970, Finlay co-starred with Sean Connery in <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00D4OUSFG" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="8e61ee79c98323f148e9c38ccc68e4dd" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Molly Maguires" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Molly-Maguires/dp/B00D4OUSFG/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=8e61ee79c98323f148e9c38ccc68e4dd&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_9899170" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Molly Maguires</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9899170" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=8e61ee79c98323f148e9c38ccc68e4dd&_cb=1454474326371" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6068149" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=afc15059f8de93de2ef2862abc39435f&_cb=1454474308996" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, a dramatization of the secret Irish group in Pennsylvania in the 1870s — the same group upon which <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="048644533X" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="60de16625a8dd521041877bc7a07ad4e" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Valley of Fear" href="http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Fear-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/048644533X/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=60de16625a8dd521041877bc7a07ad4e&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_681910" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Valley of Fear</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_681910" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=60de16625a8dd521041877bc7a07ad4e&_cb=1454474298573" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> was based.<br /> <br /> Then in 1979, Finlay was tapped to return to the role of Inspector Lestrade in <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00CLNVOQ8" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="485187bf8067a0eed5eefb9633dbfb04" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Murder By Decree" href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-By-Decree-Christopher-Plummer/dp/B00CLNVOQ8/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=485187bf8067a0eed5eefb9633dbfb04&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_834132" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Murder By Decree</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_834132" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=485187bf8067a0eed5eefb9633dbfb04&_cb=1454474289475" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> with Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as Watson. Once again, Holmes was tasked with discovering the identity of Jack the Ripper, and in this case, it proved to be a shocking conspiracy.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLvsa_HJhf8eeS7qXmueJaI86BsJ5f-PQYs1zstip3gwnNWMF_nc0qjaB9gDMf846Smt5KhKGaRZY2ZNwoZ70vf0g5W26VQD0sShyphenhyphen2geua7g2VsqTl_X2oW7XP07kKBy1ZY1QZtrNmRuL/s1600/DECR+-+Frank+Finlay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Frank Finlay returns as Inspector Lestrade in Murder By Decree" border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLvsa_HJhf8eeS7qXmueJaI86BsJ5f-PQYs1zstip3gwnNWMF_nc0qjaB9gDMf846Smt5KhKGaRZY2ZNwoZ70vf0g5W26VQD0sShyphenhyphen2geua7g2VsqTl_X2oW7XP07kKBy1ZY1QZtrNmRuL/s640/DECR+-+Frank+Finlay.jpg" title="Frank Finlay as Inspector Lestrade in Murder By Decree" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> But we're not done with the Sherlockian / Doylean associations, oh no.<br /> <br /> In 1992, Finlay took on the person of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the television movie <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1722470/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_41" target="_blank">The Other Side</a></i>, of which we have no working knowledge. If we had to guess, we'd say it was a look at Doyle's commitment to spiritualism and how that flew in the face of his scientific creation, Sherlock Holmes. Incidentally, Holmes made an appearance in <i>The Other Side</i>, played by Richard E. Grant, who played Mycroft Holmes in the 2002 thriller <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B000H2UGL4" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="e18102e5d3e24e95745c1a0dfa2b6db1" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="sherlock 2002" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Case-Evil-James-DArcy/dp/B000H2UGL4/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=e18102e5d3e24e95745c1a0dfa2b6db1&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7590295" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Sherlock : A Case of Evil</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7590295" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=e18102e5d3e24e95745c1a0dfa2b6db1&_cb=1454475902922" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> with Vincent D'Onofrio as Moriarty and James D'Arcy as Holmes; and Grant played Jack Stapleton opposite Richard Roxborough as Holmes in <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0000797E7" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="52ca34967607e2d3c4c7defd0d713117" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="the hound of the baskervilles 2002" href="http://www.amazon.com/Hound-Baskervilles-The-BBC-Various/dp/B0000797E7/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=52ca34967607e2d3c4c7defd0d713117&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7919163" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7919163" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=52ca34967607e2d3c4c7defd0d713117&_cb=1454475889332" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> (2002).<br /> <br /> Finally, in 1994, the Granada producers tapped Finlay to play Professor Coram in an adaptation of "<a amzn-ps-bm-asin="6304025904" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="da5a9f5e20f976ed580e3f4b2817a225" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="the golden pince-nez brett" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Golden-Pince-Nez-VHS/dp/6304025904/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=da5a9f5e20f976ed580e3f4b2817a225&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_9312280" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Golden Pince-Nez</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9312280" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=da5a9f5e20f976ed580e3f4b2817a225&_cb=1454474940196" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />." This version brought Mycroft out of his lethargic path and paired him with Sherlock for an awkward episode (Edward Hardwicke was unavailable, due to being on location filming <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0783113315" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="bcb02fc9932b1e33c7de92ac78437e26" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Shadowlands" href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadowlands-Anthony-Hopkins/dp/0783113315/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=bcb02fc9932b1e33c7de92ac78437e26&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_871211" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shadowlands</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_871211" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=bcb02fc9932b1e33c7de92ac78437e26&_cb=1454474914036" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>).<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/AVvXsEjiNistt6soS6sG3kK9MTlwAnGgqWyKbCBZZCDugfrcsk6I3xAo-ynpN2fqohPbGHFWqJBU-fxUw-rg13lHlX1Br2-8dfYUpoOqG95wXLChG2YGZbaJI_R-aC-psCXRjhGoTuaA_dCR00rW/s1600/Frank+Finlay%252C+Charles+Gray%252C+Jeremy+Brett+-+GOLD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNistt6soS6sG3kK9MTlwAnGgqWyKbCBZZCDugfrcsk6I3xAo-ynpN2fqohPbGHFWqJBU-fxUw-rg13lHlX1Br2-8dfYUpoOqG95wXLChG2YGZbaJI_R-aC-psCXRjhGoTuaA_dCR00rW/s640/Frank+Finlay%252C+Charles+Gray%252C+Jeremy+Brett+-+GOLD.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Charles Gray (Mycroft Holmes), Frank Finlay (Professor Coram), Nigel Planer (Inspector Hopkins), Jeremy Brett (Sherlock Holmes). Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FalkArchive/" target="_blank">The Falk Archive-KFA</a>.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> One other minor association: Finlay read as Conan Doyle in the BBC Radio production of <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0385039182" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="a1b76ab115bfdb958790dcf6f547a18c" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="the man who was sherlock holmes hardwick" href="http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Was-Sherlock-Holmes/dp/0385039182/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=a1b76ab115bfdb958790dcf6f547a18c&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_8114054" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8114054" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a1b76ab115bfdb958790dcf6f547a18c&_cb=1454476140588" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> (1980).<br /> <br /> Special thanks to Peter Blau and Roger Johnson for the connections.<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048NRQH0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0048NRQH0&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=J5W6QXFWYI5GQKV6" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0048NRQH0&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0048NRQH0" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />   <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CLNVOQ8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00CLNVOQ8&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=Y7N7DDI6GK3UE7LL" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00CLNVOQ8&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00CLNVOQ8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /> <br /> <br />

Remembering Frank Finlay

"I never doubted that Frank was really dead" [NOBL] Actor Frank Finlay has passed away at the age of 89. Finlay portrayed ...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Qualify for the Quiz on IHOSE #90

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "revenge upon his old sweetheart" [NORW]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IHearofSherlock/photos/a.10152292129633047.1073741826.6723878046/10153333195628047" target="_blank"><img alt=" click for the hidden message" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCFXDhBd3zIILmyKrw9hBtFOhzdxca-O9nWcq8tEAU-KdMlDeS7zOFQcYVM-Ksp_4aYMPRZjhO_x3UWvz3wLQaii8hegtnsov8IwsDMHfTE3eT1eWUrmaKePgAVwRob9TObL9LWybLuQt/s640/CROO+-+crop.jpg" title=" click for the hidden message" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> We're gearing up to record Episode 90 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, which will air on February 15. As it will be the day after Valentine's Day, we'll still have love on our mind, so our topic will be romance in the Canon — true love, near misses, the fair sex, etc.<br /> <br /> To that end, the our "Mental Exaltation" quiz (written by resident IHOSE quizmaster Nick Martorelli) on Episode 90 will be tied to love and romance. And our qualifying quiz below is an extension of that.<br /> <br /> <div> If you've listened to NPR shows like <a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/">Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!</a> and <a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/">Weekend Edition Sunday</a>, 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.</div> <br /> Here's how Mental Exaltation works:<br /> <br /> <ul> <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">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 you or your player succeed 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> <br /> <div> <h3> <br />Qualify Now</h3> </div> <div> <iframe frameborder="0" height="880" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Z49Bj4k13OYhlfaDUzJeLg4xmhUYTot_QGtjT4rrGj0/viewform?embedded=true" width="760">Loading...</iframe><br /></div> <div> <br /> <br /> Good luck!<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /></div>

Qualify for the Quiz on IHOSE #90

"revenge upon his old sweetheart" [NORW] We're gearing up to record Episode 90 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, which wi...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Episode 89: The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "the cleverness of women" [SCAN]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </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/AVvXsEixcyUQE11fiY9YRPnAq5K9cLnbpmJpbG2vrMUZiNBHhN3IhVlBqPil0SXxmdd71jlEv6O13fmzvXJVxT4q913C5BYFBKDytAgL4tGCAaK6SdBR84WH75089_vF6pOObpRm3x36ml_URLaw/s1600/ihose89+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1600" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcyUQE11fiY9YRPnAq5K9cLnbpmJpbG2vrMUZiNBHhN3IhVlBqPil0SXxmdd71jlEv6O13fmzvXJVxT4q913C5BYFBKDytAgL4tGCAaK6SdBR84WH75089_vF6pOObpRm3x36ml_URLaw/s640/ihose89+cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div> When the Baker Street Irregulars finally made the watershed decision to admit women to its membership in 1991, Evelyn Herzog, BSI ("The Daintiest Thing Under a Bonnet"), ASH ("Violet Hunter") and Susan Rice, 2s., BSI ("Beeswing"), ASH ("A Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with Some Observations Upon the Segregation of the Queen") were there. And yet the history of what led up to that moment is not widely known.<br /> <br /> From Evy's and Susan's perspectives, it began some three decades or more earlier, gaining momentum as they entered their college years in the Northeast and Midwest, respectively. And from the BSI's perspective, it was rooted in the traditionalism of a longtime leader. How the two vastly different outlooks clashed and eventually collaborated is what we discuss.<br /> <br /> We've had the pleasure of knowing Evy and Susan for—well, let's just say for longer than any of us can remember. Together we explore the history of their journeys and uncover exactly what it was like to be outsiders in a world that very much should have included them much earlier. The story of Julian Wolff, BSI ("The Red-Headed League") and Tom Stix, Jr., BSI ("The Norwood Builder"), the leaders of the Baker Street Irregulars at the time, is both complex and delicate, and Evy and Susan do them both justice in the matter.<br /> <br /> The history of the ASH is the subject of the 2004 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual, and it its still available for sale. Also included in our interview are audio clips [courtesy of the <a href="http://bsitrust.org/" target="_blank">BSI Trust</a>] from the 1991 BSI Cocktail Reception, during which women first received investitures. And we might have another Easter egg for you.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=2318606&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fihearofsherlock.com%2Fpodcast"><br /> </a></div> <br /> Our special thanks go out to Mary Miller and Christian Mongaard for their Patreon support!<br /> <br /> <div> <div> <h3> Sponsors</h3> This episode includes our two longtime sponsors and a special sponsor with us for the first half of this year:<br /> <br /> The <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, featuring <i>A Curious Collection of Dates</i>, 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 - now accepting 2016 subscriptions. And Paula Berinstein's <a href="http://amandalester.net/" target="_blank">Amanda Lester, Detective</a> series for young adults.<br /> <br /> Would you care to become a sponsor? You can find <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more information here</a>.</div> <div style="font-family: "times new roman";"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin: 0px;"> <i><br /> </i></div> </div> <h3> Notes:</h3> </div> <div> 1:53 Welcome and introduction<br /> 8:27 We're joined by Evelyn Herzog and Susan Rice<br /> 10:17 First meetings with Sherlock Holmes<br /> 16:04 The initial formation of ASH at Albertus Magnus College<br /> 19:01 Getting to the BSI Weekend<br /> 22:02 Protesting the BSI dinner<br /> 31:11 Lurch chimes in<br /> 36:36 What happened after graduation<br /> 38:05 The origins of the first "alternative" dinner<br /> 42:47 Evy's doubts about the growth of ASH<br /> 46:50 The first male investitures of ASH<br /> 48:08 ASH Wednesdays<br /> 53:38 Ka-ching!<br /> 57:44 That fateful day in 1991<br /> 59:34 A Stygian remark<br /> 1:06:04 Hey Burt!<br /> 1:08:42 Balancing ASH membership with BSI membership<br /> 1:11:46 What the future of ASH holds<br /> 1:13:05 <i>The Serpentine Muse</i><br /> 1:14:20 Ladies! That famous call-to-order<br /> 1:15:21 Final thoughts<br /> <br /> <br /></div> <div> </div> <h4 style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock089.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 38.3 MB, 1:22:37</h4> <div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4113629/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/970000/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes" height="192" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" style="border: none;" data-dashlane-frameid="963" data-dashlane-rid="03b14e9eb2d03df6" data-form-type=""></iframe>><br /> <br /></div> </div> <div> <h3> Links:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.ash-nyc.com/" target="_blank">The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes</a> (they have a new website!)</li> <li>Susan's <a href="mailto:susan221bee@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">email address</a> (for ASH Wednesday notifications)</li> <li><i><a href="https://ash-nyc.com/the-serpentine-muse/" target="_blank">The Serpentine Muse</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/christmasannuals.html" target="_blank">Dubious and Questionable Memories: A History of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes</a></i> — the 2004 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual</li> <li><a href="http://bsitrust.org/" target="_blank">The BSI Trust</a></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 /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> 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>.</div> </div> <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).</div> <br /> --

Episode 89: The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes

"the cleverness of women" [SCAN] When the Baker Street Irregulars finally made the watershed decision to admit wom...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty