I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Years: Timbuktu — A Review

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
“a pathway traced out across the desert” [STUD]</h4>
<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/AVvXsEj5ypKHh4hUizawZfpooWPFJqheTIFV_hEgkB4hrxRLo1SbUfm_iOyCFd1DE9GEX5Ee0dlE3JO6mH4EH21RqWN5bqAILKvLnXi9Pjv0qrRAuH_HNUQfbFpN2iQLUidMmYrP6cqEFPKg2SKi/s1600/SH+Missing+Years+Timbuktu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ypKHh4hUizawZfpooWPFJqheTIFV_hEgkB4hrxRLo1SbUfm_iOyCFd1DE9GEX5Ee0dlE3JO6mH4EH21RqWN5bqAILKvLnXi9Pjv0qrRAuH_HNUQfbFpN2iQLUidMmYrP6cqEFPKg2SKi/s640/SH+Missing+Years+Timbuktu.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
The three years Sherlock Holmes spent “dead” have been a favorite topic of speculation among Sherlockians for ages. His Great Hiatus has been the subject of a variety of pastiches over the years, imagining the Great Detective in locations such as Tibet, India, the United States, suffering amnesia, or even travelling through time.<br />
<div>
<br />
<i>Sherlock Holmes, the Missing Years: Timbuktu</i> is the second Great Hiatus book written by Vasudev Murthy, the first being <i>Sherlock Holmes, the Missing Years: Japan</i>. Despite the similarity in title, this is neither a sequel, nor a prequel. As the foreword explains, this is intended as an alternative version of events, and stands completely on its own.<br />
<br />
The plot of the novel revolves around the recovery of an ancient map, which may lead to a fountain of youth. Whether or not it actually does is not really the point, as the sociopolitical and theological ramifications for such a discovery could be immense. More importantly, the people who know of the map’s existence are willing to kill for it, and one of those people searching is Professor Moriarty.<br />
<br />
The search takes Holmes and Dr. Watson through Morocco, across the Sahara, and down the Nile. The author often switches perspectives between Watson, Holmes, their associates, and the people pursuing them, permitting the reader to see all sides of the argument, as it were. There are also footnotes, though many add nothing by way of plot or flavor. The historical clarifications were welcome and helpful. The jokes tended to fall flat as mere distraction.<br />
<br />
Mr. Murthy makes good use of the time period, vibrantly painting the setting with details of the state of Morocco at the end of the nineteenth century, and giving historical context for every region the characters travel through. By far the most interesting descriptions are of the Tuareg tribe Holmes and Watson travel with through the Sahara. Songs and stories are woven into the narrative, along with simple scenes of domestic life for a nomadic people that add color and atmosphere to the story.<br />
<br />
The author does border on being too ‘meta’ with some of Watson’s commentary. He repeatedly references a public interested only in sensationalism and violence, excessively justifying the lack of such in this work. While timely the first few occasions, it quickly became overdone. Apart from that, Watson fulfills his stereotypical role here; he’s the narrator for most of the book, as per usual, and documents his experience faithfully and with literary flair. <br />
<br />
While Watson remains as steadfastly British as he can without offending anyone, Holmes goes native. Holmes is delightful, throwing himself into a variety of roles through the story, from Polish priest to nomadic Tuareg, with energetic fervor. He doesn’t have many occasions to show off his deductive prowess, but when he does, he doesn’t disappoint.<br />
<br />
Even though Holmes and Watson individually are fine, my greatest criticism of the book lies in their interactions with each other. I felt there was such a missed opportunity here, in that I never had a sense of exactly why Holmes summoned Watson in the first place. Holmes has a line about Watson’s ability to put him back on track with casual observations, a take on the ‘great conductor of light’ business from the Canon, but I still found myself wondering on multiple occasions why Watson was there. I don’t mean from a practical standpoint; Watson’s medical skills are put to good use, and indeed he does serve his function as unwitting muse to Holmes, but a sense of camaraderie and even friendship is either missing, or it feels like a one way street. They come across as coworkers, rather than one of literature’s most enduring friendships.<br />
<br />
Even if something is lost in translation regarding Holmes and Watson, the adventure itself makes for a fun story. Since the premise of the book supposes that Reichenbach, and the events leading up to it, were entirely fabricated, it means that Holmes and Moriarty have never met. Moriarty is still a presence, but entirely behind the scenes up until the climax. Without giving anything away, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue between Holmes and Moriarty, especially with Watson watching two great intelligences at opposite ends of the moral spectrum have a perfectly pleasant conversation. There is no waterfall at the end of this meeting, but the end holds just as much significance for all parties involved. It’s a well-crafted ending, with a charming denouement.<br />
<br />
This is an entertaining novel loaded with historical details and social commentaries that takes a slightly different angle than many other Great Hiatus pastiches. It is not the sort of book that I wanted to devour in one sitting, but I did keep coming back to it. <i>Sherlock Holmes, the Missing Years: Timbuktu</i> is available from <a href="http://www.poisonedpenpress.com/sherlock-holmes-timbuktu/">Poisoned Pen Press</a>, and you can find it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-The-Missing-Years-ebook/dp/B018UZPEQG/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51WAjrbSX9L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_&refRID=0D6CQ39MP8DZ2KYBH9AQ">Amazon</a>. <br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>

Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Years: Timbuktu — A Review

“a pathway traced out across the desert” [STUD] The three years Sherlock Holmes spent “dead” have been a favorite topic of speculati...

+ Read more »

by Katie Magnusson

The New Sherlock Holmes Pub

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"comparing notes with publicans" [MISS]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFn7j86HKjmr1X1CNEgZkabpQfq5so1vGRAZFJhpDeOWoie_lSHQN24o466e_rOL1e9uns-IrNTr4abaQzkrQv87dQ-9fPVho3MhtzbRRaVdvvwosn_W0aoXBnrp5Ud08WrGvMODWlTmJb/s1600/The+Sherlock+Holmes+Pub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFn7j86HKjmr1X1CNEgZkabpQfq5so1vGRAZFJhpDeOWoie_lSHQN24o466e_rOL1e9uns-IrNTr4abaQzkrQv87dQ-9fPVho3MhtzbRRaVdvvwosn_W0aoXBnrp5Ud08WrGvMODWlTmJb/s640/The+Sherlock+Holmes+Pub.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
After weeks of being closed for renovations, the relaunch of our beloved <a href="http://www.sherlockholmes-stjames.co.uk/">Sherlock Holmes Pub</a> on Northumberland Avenue in London was quite a fun way to spend an evening.  The downstairs isn’t as dark as it used to be and still remains a friendly atmosphere to get a drink with a healthy mix of tourists and mates taking the time for a pint after work. The restaurant upstairs was always a comfortable area, but after a much needed facelift, feels even more welcoming.<br />
<br />
When first climbing the very familiar stairs you’re immediately transported into the home of our favourite detective. The once ‘L’ shaped room has been transformed into two separate dinning areas that are split with a set of shelves that contain many new treasures including different types of books, glass bottles and a beautiful violin. One of my favourite paintings of a smirking Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has now moved out of a small alcove and given its rightful place above the mantle. And to much amusement many people throughout the night, attendees could be seen posing with the deerstalker wearing stag head that now adorns one wall and looks down on you while you eat your dinner. Don't worry though there is no venison on the menu.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij68L2ILUa4Csp3lMqR3WIbzT0yRWc0dF_Wqo9H_jeK2oqYTTxMs3voTyWhBzRBHuQVWP-m5vBJ2l3pu9QYnHd6I-sKi8rG4C_dPyj6bn-Bl7XXK9N37jTG1y2AHl_I5qOzbhbxtQEqRyj/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij68L2ILUa4Csp3lMqR3WIbzT0yRWc0dF_Wqo9H_jeK2oqYTTxMs3voTyWhBzRBHuQVWP-m5vBJ2l3pu9QYnHd6I-sKi8rG4C_dPyj6bn-Bl7XXK9N37jTG1y2AHl_I5qOzbhbxtQEqRyj/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDzvRfJ6DRyEPS601a4S9P5sYpwZovnBS25-4R8nPuZ1bkUJNZVJNv6bRT1JpA7_PEimDizU-Y3MAWYWh_qBBN4QUVrGnvh8XJNts59heMxorKGfinNOkb8dMRHWhCu-tERMT8PpaySuh/s1600/IMG_4448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDzvRfJ6DRyEPS601a4S9P5sYpwZovnBS25-4R8nPuZ1bkUJNZVJNv6bRT1JpA7_PEimDizU-Y3MAWYWh_qBBN4QUVrGnvh8XJNts59heMxorKGfinNOkb8dMRHWhCu-tERMT8PpaySuh/s640/IMG_4448.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
They have also added in a very ornate bar to the upstairs space. No longer do calls have to be made downstairs for ciders and spirits. There are special craft cocktails, one of which that has to be stirred constantly for over five minutes, that have joined the drinks menu. We’ve already decided a few trips back during the daily happy hour will be needed to try them all. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RNiVWIyHWy6kvLVH9qgZDVYlyRBUwIQb-6Ik0iULyg3NR1gMQBCuKesXcQ8oN3-1djRXBwkEvi7Tg-2xFvX1EPAuIYCC3RvviuQCFHBf-_4n1ekCiG8oPJHKb85ZBubHmemlzJccPAk1/s1600/IMG_4445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RNiVWIyHWy6kvLVH9qgZDVYlyRBUwIQb-6Ik0iULyg3NR1gMQBCuKesXcQ8oN3-1djRXBwkEvi7Tg-2xFvX1EPAuIYCC3RvviuQCFHBf-_4n1ekCiG8oPJHKb85ZBubHmemlzJccPAk1/s640/IMG_4445.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The museum is a lot more accessible. You still are on the outside looking in, however the walls that at one time surrounded the place have become windows. This allows you to see many more treasures than you did before, my personal favourite being John’s footlocker. We were informed that some items that have been broken over the years have been replaced, and more period specific pieces added. We were allowed a peek inside for a few minutes, but this was something that isn’t offered to the general public (also a fangirl’s dream come true to pose with John’s revolver).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiIk9CJsg27azfI-JfHUwTVegC1DqcsJ-GFZWEEQviakou-bBczzfmBp9xQXx6VXKmGke4RaLeSBghDMOD32ZHC5SP7ilNMyqehZV0tAYdik8K19eb3x3PXbEm16xnc-W4XD4BrgVRrmi/s1600/FullSizeRender2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiIk9CJsg27azfI-JfHUwTVegC1DqcsJ-GFZWEEQviakou-bBczzfmBp9xQXx6VXKmGke4RaLeSBghDMOD32ZHC5SP7ilNMyqehZV0tAYdik8K19eb3x3PXbEm16xnc-W4XD4BrgVRrmi/s640/FullSizeRender2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The event itself consisted of teams solving a murder mystery, a sampling of some of the new (and old) menu items, an option to try some of their new drinks and of course time for general mingling with many other local Sherlockians. Members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, the London Sherlockians, the Baker Street Babes, Sherlock Unravelled, MX Publishing, and even Bert Coules  himself were in attendance, just to name a few.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg4jjrsdYKiuM1ri1D3Eg20WhG3NC_XyVd7Ecr_lXbAMM12fFGOZh-2UwueuBzMfmaztRzdUWfvhZJ4AxPatVD9xNLKUgjSZoOM4Q9eEJI7EnBDTpKHO2kggkA00zV407HoagUU1ZRJJX/s1600/IMG_4433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg4jjrsdYKiuM1ri1D3Eg20WhG3NC_XyVd7Ecr_lXbAMM12fFGOZh-2UwueuBzMfmaztRzdUWfvhZJ4AxPatVD9xNLKUgjSZoOM4Q9eEJI7EnBDTpKHO2kggkA00zV407HoagUU1ZRJJX/s640/IMG_4433.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCS0gdwQdbMej_WQl_-G0oRyJKswBqdf3IAEC6VRhP5w97jgzBgv_J3N14RJE6SB6RNe4tydqkg1L2l36TGk4owGxEAFV8j9QeYt_21oiH-kOBBPRxBMbxjt1dtCBEZ0JhLwBiP1ckeuy/s1600/IMG_7502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCS0gdwQdbMej_WQl_-G0oRyJKswBqdf3IAEC6VRhP5w97jgzBgv_J3N14RJE6SB6RNe4tydqkg1L2l36TGk4owGxEAFV8j9QeYt_21oiH-kOBBPRxBMbxjt1dtCBEZ0JhLwBiP1ckeuy/s640/IMG_7502.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This classic London spot still retains its Victorian charms, yet the refurbishment has given it just the bit of polish it needed for the next generation of Sherlockian tourists. I would encourage fans old and new to go see the changes, and see what new items you can spot in Sherlock’s sitting room. I’m sure Sir ACD would approve.<br />
<br />
All in all, a good time was had by all. And it was nice to be reminded that I should never be a detective, my partner and I only scoring one point on the mystery. A special thank you to the pub for the invitation. <br />
<br />
To find out more, including the new menu, you can visit <a href="http://www.sherlockholmes-stjames.co.uk/">The Sherlock Holmes Pub online</a>, on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sherlockspub">Facebook</a>, and Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/thesherlockpub">@TheSherlockPub</a>.<br />
<br />
Photo credits: Crystal Noll and Deidre Parker<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Top image credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/4nhnR6">Chris Yu (Flickr)</a></i><br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<br />

The New Sherlock Holmes Pub

"comparing notes with publicans" [MISS] After weeks of being closed for renovations, the relaunch of our beloved Sherlock Hol...

+ Read more »

by LadyRedCrest

Episode 92: An Irish Stew

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"dreaming of the bright green fields" [CROO]</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/AVvXsEjftdl1dNflz5cZRHtSzy-pmxIJz6dt8b1grLMShdYgKh6gb5VuZJvjQLcK1Xp2JJxJQKxEeFQrklEEN1kXxiA9USkVYEyQrD1MU3IEXuGrn-YMqONbTYrI9B_5KFCNsj7pFr2-GBycgGiY/s1600/Header.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftdl1dNflz5cZRHtSzy-pmxIJz6dt8b1grLMShdYgKh6gb5VuZJvjQLcK1Xp2JJxJQKxEeFQrklEEN1kXxiA9USkVYEyQrD1MU3IEXuGrn-YMqONbTYrI9B_5KFCNsj7pFr2-GBycgGiY/s640/Header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<center><br />
</center>
<br />
Mid March means it's time for the wearing of the green, as St. Patrick's Day approaches. Accordingly, we grab our shillelaghs and affect a brogue as we discuss some of the Irish connections in the Sherlock Holmes stories.<br />
<br />
While there are many Irish references, both subtle and overt, we concentrate primarily on two of the stories where the Irish connection is a central plot point. And interestingly enough, both involved some sort of Irish secret society and the need to go undercover.<br />
<br />
We also include a bit of history of some musical instruments, discuss a handful of news items that have come to our attention, and welcome Al Gregory, BSI ("The Grimpen Postmaster") to the show as a contestant on Mental Exaltations. We of course wrap things up with another Editor's Gas-Lamp, this time "The Fortunate Ones" from Vol. 2, No. 3 of <i>The Baker Street Journal</i> (OS).<br />
<br />
<div>
Easter is later this month, and we've got another Easter egg for you.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a div="" gt="" href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=2318606&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fihearofsherlock.com%2Fpodcast"><br />
<img height="40" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/widget-images/become-patron-widget-medium%402x.png" width="204" /></a></div>
<br />
Our special thanks go out to Mary Miller and Christian Mongaard for their Patreon support! Won't you join them?<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<h3>
Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes our two longtime sponsors and a special sponsor who is supporting us for the first half of this year:<br />
<ul>
<li>The <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, featuring <i>A Curious Collection of Dates</i>, </li>
<li><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 plus the Christmas Annual. </li>
<li>And 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>.</li>
</ul>
<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>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock092.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 38.1 MB, 1:22:36</h4><div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="1994" data-dashlane-rid="344a41cacb31f95d" data-form-type="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="//play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4221673/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/02ae05/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<div>
<h3>
<br />
</h3>
<h3>
Links:</h3>
<ul>
<li>The Morris Museum's <a href="http://www.morrismuseum.org/the-guinness-collection-of-instruments-automata/" target="_blank">Murtogh D. Guinness collection of mechanical musical instruments and automata</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.rinaudosreproductions.com/antique-photoplayer.html" target="_blank">Joe Rinaud's American Photoplayer</a></li>
<li>Jack Benny and "<a href="http://www.oldradioworld.com/media/Jack_Benny_-_1952-03-16_-_A_Return_Visit_From_The_IRS.mp3" target="_blank">The Return Visit from the IRS</a>" (March 16, 1952)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCpPJwNzdnM" target="_blank">The story behind the missing footage of <i>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://beaconsociety.com/index.php/awards/the-jan-stauber-grant-winners/jan-stauber-grant" target="_blank">Apply for a Jan Stauber Grant</a> from the Beacon Society</li>
<li>Music: <a href="http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder8362" target="_blank">Irish Washerwoman - medley of jigs</a> from the UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive</li>
<li>The <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Patreon</a> page</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>If you enjoyed this, check out our Trifles episode in the <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/sets/international" target="_blank">International Series</a> on <a href="https://ihose.co/trifles116" target="_blank">Irish and Sherlock Holmes</a>: </div><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/592849857&color=%2302ae05&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Sherlock Holmes: Trifles">Sherlock Holmes: Trifles</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/irish-and-sherlock-holmes" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Irish and Sherlock Holmes">Irish and Sherlock Holmes</a></div></div><div><br /></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>, as well as through our accounts on <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</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 92: An Irish Stew

"dreaming of the bright green fields" [CROO] Mid March means it's time for the wearing of the green, as St. Patrick...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes, Julius Caesar, and the Ides of March

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"He was once Senator" [THOR]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aEtnUIKlqgvwgSM_IBChyBOmQ9_nvfmf9z9_SSsmOxj_SUaeG9AOkuSBy6gW2T1bRn8Iv-Jf3jmRxURzy1feV3YoIvWXEBEmrb1HsJin5xkXDWDNEwS37KUpoRAgkipDu1cUFRwMufMq/s1600/Charles+Gray+as+Julius+Caesar.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aEtnUIKlqgvwgSM_IBChyBOmQ9_nvfmf9z9_SSsmOxj_SUaeG9AOkuSBy6gW2T1bRn8Iv-Jf3jmRxURzy1feV3YoIvWXEBEmrb1HsJin5xkXDWDNEwS37KUpoRAgkipDu1cUFRwMufMq/s640/Charles+Gray+as+Julius+Caesar.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My high school Latin teacher was a great admirer of Julius Caesar, and I suspect secretly felt that she, who ruled the classroom with an iron hand, might have managed the Roman republic and empire better than Caesar himself had done. Certainly she might have avoided the assassination at the hands of a political cabal that famously took place on the steps of Rome's senate-house on March 15 in the year 44 BC — the Ides of March.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow is the Ides, and a few admirers of Julius Caesar may be wearing black in his memory, though not the "complete mourning" that was customary for the bereaved in the 1890s (as mentioned in "The Greek Interpreter"). The Ides are a crucial part of the Roman calendar, which numbered days not from the beginning of the month but in a countdown like the reckoning of shopping days left before Christmas. The crucial days were the mid-month Ides, the Nones about a week before, and the Kalends at the beginning of the next month. <br />
<br />
Today would be recorded as "<i>ante diem i Idibus Martius</i>", the day before the Ides. Sherlock Holmes probably knew that; he could read Latin — he quotes it once or twice, and bought a book in Latin, as noted in A Study in Scarlet. He describes it: "<i>De Jure inter Gentes</i> — published in Latin at Liege in the Lowlands, in 1642. Charles's head was still firm on his shoulders when this little brown-backed volume was struck off." Struck off, like the head of King Charles I, executed for treason in 1649, the victim, like Caesar, of a conspiracy or a popular uprising, whichever you choose to consider it.<br />
<br />
It is easy to forget nowadays that Caesar was a dictator, a tyrant, possibly a proto-fascist; that's why Brutus and the other assassins decided he had to go. One of my classics professors in university remarked tellingly that "No one really understood Caesar until Hitler came along." He has, though, been compared to Napoleon — whom Sherlock Holmes also knew well. Interestingly, too, my textbook edition of Caesar's autobiography, the Gallic Wars, had footnotes comparing his military strategy in northwest Europe with the lines of the trenches in Belgium during World War I, 1,900 years later, terrain familiar to Arthur Conan Doyle.<br />
<br />
Julius Caesar is not mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories. There are a couple of characters named for his adopted son, Augustus, but that's the closest it comes. (No Brutuses (Bruti?), either.) Holmes and other figures often refer to "assassins," but generally use the word as a synonym for murderers. Possible political assassinations that do get a mention are "the Trepoff murder"[SCAN] and the work of "Huret, the boulevard assassin" [GOLD]. Sherlock Holmes says in <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>: "Political assassins are only too glad to do their work and to fly. This murder had, on the contrary, been done most deliberately." <br />
<br />
Best of all is this passage in "The Bruce-Partington Plans": "It is well they don't have days of fog in the Latin countries — the countries of assassination. By Jove! here comes something at last to break our dead monotony." There could hardly be a more Latin country than Rome, and Holmes drives the point home <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/04/by-jove-thor-and-jupiter-in-sherlock.html#.VuZaOfkrLb0" rel="nofollow">when he swears by Jove, or Jupiter</a>, the Roman king of the gods.<div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Related <a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/2023/11/episode-360-by-jove.html" target="_blank"><i>Trifles </i>episode</a>:</h3><div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1677808707&color=%239d982e&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Sherlock Holmes: Trifles">Sherlock Holmes: Trifles</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/by-jove" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="By Jove!">By Jove!</a></div><br />
<br />
One other note about the Ides of March: one of the ugliest murders in the Canon takes place on that date, March 15, in (probably) 1897. It is the precipitating event of "The Devil's Foot." And it is set, oddly but indisputably, on the day when Arthur Conan Doyle met, and apparently instantly fell in love with, his second wife, Jean Leckie.<br />
<br />
<div>
--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>

Sherlock Holmes, Julius Caesar, and the Ides of March

"He was once Senator" [THOR] My high school Latin teacher was a great admirer of Julius Caesar, and I suspect secretly felt t...

+ Read more »

by Chris Redmond

The Man Who Loved Women — and Equality

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"The laws were more harshly administered thirty years ago than now." [GLOR]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PSrSoCZoY36Opb1uUtbZIbCMNPCy7v7V6FLGNSszbbe2QqrgWRlyoY1XiTz_kwGIIVlRmCDwQGQnFLDdRG9GNQIxKVxI8kgaDHHGJgwrnmw-2XjVQrJEgtLq8b78Y0CSNr8fcnNrueQ6/s1600/bsi-dinner-1979-v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span id="goog_2112309950"></span><img alt="The 1979 BSI Dinner, courtesy of www.bsitrust.org" border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PSrSoCZoY36Opb1uUtbZIbCMNPCy7v7V6FLGNSszbbe2QqrgWRlyoY1XiTz_kwGIIVlRmCDwQGQnFLDdRG9GNQIxKVxI8kgaDHHGJgwrnmw-2XjVQrJEgtLq8b78Y0CSNr8fcnNrueQ6/s640/bsi-dinner-1979-v1.jpg" title="The 1979 BSI Dinner, courtesy of the BSI Trust" width="640" /><span id="goog_2112309951"></span></a></div>
<br />
There's been much talk in recent weeks of <a href="http://pca.st/Sb9u#t=3465">the dramatic scene in 1991</a> when women were first admitted to the ranks of the Baker Street Irregulars. The story of the picket outside the 1968 BSI dinner, conducted by six venturesome Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, has also been told and retold. I wasn't present for either historic event, and so I have little to add to the telling.<br />
<br />
Ah, but I was on hand January 5, 1979, when a smaller, but still significant, step was taken towards the integration of women and men in the Sherlockian world. Fill up my glass, if you would, and I'll tell you the tale.<br />
<br />
Starting in 1975, the <a href="http://ash-nyc.com/">Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes</a> — now more generally known as ASH — held a small (but gradually less small) dinner in New York on the same evening as the BSI were performing their traditional rites somewhere across town. By the late 1970s the venue for the BSI was the Regency Hotel on Park Avenue, and the ASH dined at the Biltmore Hotel, which was also the place where some men and some women mingled afterwards to enjoy a further libation, catch up on the news, and pursue personal relationships ad lib.<br />
<br />
It began to be evident that in addition to women who were <i>ipso facto</i> excluded from the BSI dinner, there were men who had not been invited to the Regency — men who might, in fact, enjoy dining in the company of women. I understand that there was some controversy among the ASH (a smaller and more cohesive group then than now, of course) as the organization's policies were discussed during 1978. <br />
<br />
It is even possible that my existence was noticed in those discussions, as I had formed a rather close relationship with one Adventuress in particular and was hinting that I might come to New York in January — something I had not hitherto done — if I might be able to eat dinner in good company. As an investitured Irregular I would have been welcome at the Regency, but on principle I wasn't about to attend a dinner where women could not take part. A desire to keep a close eye on my Adventuress might possibly also have been a factor in my determination. <br />
<br />
The decision, probably not unanimous among the ASH, was that yes, I could come, and so could other men, if invited by individual ladies. The 1979 ASH dinner was arranged at Rosoff's 1899 Restaurant, an establishment on West 43 Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The BSI gathered at the Regency again.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhztVgSbCkQ75aeQRQ3vg5hMt7eAfj7vBSiW_uiOB-pyPV_Id5_KFmiXf-lkwx6dACu3h6ftMZxaxo0_rzEkdUlcotHlvf8YAp6Pc3jN7__dVv3eTOh8vim_JXkZiaRXr1DVY7l0S_s5a1/s1600/Rosoff%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rosoff's of 43rd St. New York" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhztVgSbCkQ75aeQRQ3vg5hMt7eAfj7vBSiW_uiOB-pyPV_Id5_KFmiXf-lkwx6dACu3h6ftMZxaxo0_rzEkdUlcotHlvf8YAp6Pc3jN7__dVv3eTOh8vim_JXkZiaRXr1DVY7l0S_s5a1/s1600/Rosoff%2527s.jpg" title="Rosoff's restaurant" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
"Many of the members brought along legally invited male guests," said the ensuing report in the ASH journal <i>The Serpentine Muse</i>. "The meal itself was excellent," although oddly, "an awful lot of ice cream was left to melt in dejection." The <i>Muse</i> regrettably does not indicate how many people of either sex were present; my fuzzy memories suggest maybe forty or fifty. It does, however, summarize the events of the evening, from toasts to presentations and finally the singing of "Aunt Clara". <br />
<br />
No one who knows me will be totally surprised to hear that I found an excuse to make a speech. Officially I was giving a toast to Dr. Watson, but the Muse kindly describes my remarks as "an excellent speech praising the ASH's move to have men to The Dinner. He went on to outline the many benefits that would come of joining the male and female factions of the New York Sherlockian scene. Let's face it, the entire Sherlockian world would gain by it. Besides, remember Morley and those few lines in the BSI Buy-Laws?"<br />
<br />
The full text of what I said that evening (1,100 words, very long indeed for a toast) can be found in my book <i><a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/quicksuccession.html">A Quick Succession of Subjects</a></i>, just published by <a href="http://wessexpress.com/">Wessex Press</a>. Forgive me if I think of it as my contribution to Sherlockian history — and equality.<br />
<br />
<div>
<i>Image credit: <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2016/02/the-1979-bsi-dinner.html">The BSI Trust (1979 BSI Dinner)</a></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>

The Man Who Loved Women — and Equality

"The laws were more harshly administered thirty years ago than now." [GLOR] There's been much talk in recent weeks of the...

+ Read more »

by Chris Redmond

Celebrating the Silver Anniversary of the Baker Street Breakfast Club

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"In twenty-five years' experience I have learned my lesson" [3GAB]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnMgvXffMC9E3eLfGaxm8sY6uJJV1nemLZrjZJXpY6niWzYIW3fEC9kyhAwyiUSZ1wZOTgkck-oHPtXZdWLqYr2P4RoehjAcoRL0Jort882ueHI7JSRRJlBtfFepNWq-T1ZrU1dwPmlOO/s1600/21dff349-4939-4f76-b8b3-b66e8946251c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnMgvXffMC9E3eLfGaxm8sY6uJJV1nemLZrjZJXpY6niWzYIW3fEC9kyhAwyiUSZ1wZOTgkck-oHPtXZdWLqYr2P4RoehjAcoRL0Jort882ueHI7JSRRJlBtfFepNWq-T1ZrU1dwPmlOO/s640/21dff349-4939-4f76-b8b3-b66e8946251c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
When one thinks of the whereabouts of Sherlock Holmes, one often thinks of his humble digs at 221B Baker Street, not the rolling hills of the rural New England State of Vermont. But according to some members of the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetbreakfastclub.org/">Baker Street Breakfast Club</a>, Mr. Holmes spent some of his time during the Great Hiatus in the Green Mountain State. This was just one of the interesting facts we learned when we interviewed Sally Sugarman, BSI ("The Three Gables"), the current president of The Baker Street Breakfast Club, a highly active scion society which just celebrated its 25th anniversary. We asked Ms. Sugarman about the group, how it came to be, how its changed over the years, and where they are headed in the future.<br />
<br />
[<b><i>Editor's note:</i></b> Sally was a guest on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose24" rel="nofollow">Episode 24</a> of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere]<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere:</b> How did your group form 25 years ago?  Why are you called the Baker Street Breakfast Club?</h4>
<b>Sally Sugarman:</b> A colleague of mine at Bennington College, Tony Carruthers and I found out that we were both Holmes aficionados. We called a meeting on a cold January 6 in a local historic house, <a href="http://parkmccullough.org/prod/">The Park McCullough House</a> in North Bennington. We had a good crowd of people who showed up. Tony, who had red hair at the time, read the "The Red Headed League" in his British accent. We had several toasts before hand, with Irving Adler, a mathematician toasting Professor Moriarty. After that my husband and I invited friends over for dinner for several years on January 6. After about two or three years of this, our friends said we should start a group. We had a meeting of a group of friends and discussed a slew of different names. I still have the list. We decided on The Baker Street Breakfast Club because breakfast is the most frequently mentioned meal in the Canon. Since we planned on meeting at night, this was properly irregular.<br />
<br />
I then contacted the Goose Club of the Alpha Inn, the only other Holmes society in Vermont, and Bill Wicker, who headed it, was most helpful. I also had read an article in National Geographic about John Bennett Shaw and I contacted him. I still treasure the hand written letter I got from him. I applied for membership as a scion society in <a href="http://www.bakerstreetirregulars.com/">The Baker Street Irregulars</a> and our acceptance is framed on my wall. This was in 1990.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: </b> What are some of your favorite memories of the group?</h4>
<b>SS: </b>I have so many great memories. The meetings we had planning the conference is one of them. That was also true for the second conference. Our trips to the Gillette State Park, our trip to England, all the Holmes plays we have seen together. The Holmes plays my husband writes for our December meeting each year. We used to meet annually in June with members of The Goose Club of the Alpha Inn in June. I remember those meetings fondly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqROpNGqDcLOjwXEKEqj1yNXJhFuM708qQhm1cYvyWE7jDxhj0gwDr-wE4_qTNRR_xoOVD7sgrCMKLRLB5bVxA7E-Wvcq5mu0j9HZyVmdpSFv0CMwg2WJZUfrHrIuiCuatLRb4vRiCKKSl/s1600/unnamed+%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqROpNGqDcLOjwXEKEqj1yNXJhFuM708qQhm1cYvyWE7jDxhj0gwDr-wE4_qTNRR_xoOVD7sgrCMKLRLB5bVxA7E-Wvcq5mu0j9HZyVmdpSFv0CMwg2WJZUfrHrIuiCuatLRb4vRiCKKSl/s640/unnamed+%252812%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: </b>You mentioned that Nicholas Meyer was the speaker at your group's first conference.  Tell us a little about that conference?  Do you still have conferences today?</h4>
<b>SS: </b>At one of our meetings at Moriarty's in Saratoga, a restaurant which sadly is no longer there, we decided that the 100th anniversaries of events in the Canon were quickly going by. We decided that we would celebrate one with a conference that celebrated Holmes return from the Great Hiatus. We would reveal that he really spent those three years in Vermont. We involved the Chamber of Commerce in sponsoring a contest about how those years were spent in Vermont. I still have copies of those stories. We also had a contest for students among other community activities.<br />
<br />
The way we got our speakers was fun. I would read a Sherlock Holmes book and note that the author didn't live that far away and we would contact him. Our son, Paul, noted that Nicholas Meyer had just published a new Holmes book and suggested we contact him. We had the conference at Bennington College. It was very inexpensive. We had 170 attendees and gained new members for our group.<br />
<br />
We had a second conference to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Now, whenever I say to the group, I have an idea, they all yell, "No more conferences!" because it was a lot of work, particularly since I like involving the entire Bennington Community in activities. With our second conference, we had an official Season of Mystery with many activities beyond the conference happening in the community.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE:</b>  What is the format for your monthly meetings?  Is any month different from others?</h4>
<br />
<b>SS:</b> We meet at a member's home for a pot luck supper. Before we eat we have various toasts, culminating in a toast to the Master. Then we eat, but we don't have dessert until we have discussed the story of the evening. Members bring questions. Recently, we have instituted a Tantalus who sends some questions ahead of time. We have gone through the Canon several times and are amazed at how many new insights we get each time we read a story again.<br />
<br />
We do have a few breakfast or brunch meetings throughout the year. The Master's Birthday is usually a Sunday Brunch. The July Pool Party is a brunch. As I noted earlier we used to meet in June for brunch with The Goose Club of the Alpha Inn. In later years the brunch included The Upper Valley Club from New Hampshire, but it has become more difficult to get the three groups together in the past few years.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1GnJc8OF4C9SjY2EdbFjDT1JqK7RwnGQ-dQTnGf7QZyrGhp4BufCxTKLC1F5ZtmYdQO25S-KI0M5VCKWDCjoGS-KdX2Yy32SS5r2ArdVUgi4ZViJT7yGEw-QDA2t2LkOsxDserzEUg9n/s1600/c617ab7c-d8fc-43be-bf3c-24d97bb9c83e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1GnJc8OF4C9SjY2EdbFjDT1JqK7RwnGQ-dQTnGf7QZyrGhp4BufCxTKLC1F5ZtmYdQO25S-KI0M5VCKWDCjoGS-KdX2Yy32SS5r2ArdVUgi4ZViJT7yGEw-QDA2t2LkOsxDserzEUg9n/s640/c617ab7c-d8fc-43be-bf3c-24d97bb9c83e.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: </b> You have a quarterly newsletter with the title, Groans, Cries, and Bleatings. How did the newsletter come about and why did you use that title?</h4>
<b>SS: </b>One of our members, Stephen Seitz started it with help from another member Rich Nethercott. The title comes from "The Red Circle" when Holmes is commenting on the newspapers he has been reading. Steve came up with the title. He did a fine job and there are many articles I would like people to see.We hope to get the old issues up on the web site. When Steve and Rich moved, they could no longer continue it, so I took it over. With the Internet, it is easier to get contributions from people and they don't have to be members of our group.<br />
<br />
(I posed this question to Stephen Seitz as well.  His response:  The newsletter's name comes from one of the Conan Doyle stories:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Dear me!” said he, turning over the pages. “What a chorus of groans, cries and bleatings! What a ragbag of singular happenings! But surely the most valuable hunting ground that was ever given a student of the unusual.” -- Sherlock Holmes, “The Red Circle”</blockquote>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE:</b>  How did you celebrate your group's 25th anniversary? </h4>
<br />
<b>SS:</b> We celebrated with a range of activities. We gave two knapsacks of Sherlockian materials to the local children's library. We had four programs at the  Bennington  Free Library.  One was a presentation by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (aka Jeffry Bradway one of our members) a presentation of two play readings by our local Bennington Community Theatre, a film showing of 100 years of different actors playing Holmes on film and a Powerpoint presentation, "The Children in the Canon," which I gave. At the Arlington Library I also gave a Powerpoint presentation of "The Women in the Canon" and at the Manchester Library, I gave a Powerpoint presentation on "Sherlock Holmes the Great Detective." We were fortunate that two regional theatres put on Holmes plays this season that we attended. We had an anniversary banquet at the local country club. We have an exhibit of Sherlock Holmes Posters and Pictures at the Left Bank in North Bennington, a local gallery.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: </b> And what do you have planned for the future?</h4>
<br />
<b>SS:</b> We want to work more on our web site and extend our range of scholarship. We are particularly interested in encouraging children to enjoy the Canon. As we get new members we get new ideas. We have been extremely fortunate in having a combination of new and old members. We still have members who were with us on that first cold night at the Park McCullough house.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: </b> Any last thoughts?</h4>
<br />

<b>SS:</b> The world of Sherlock Holmes is a fascinating one. It is also a welcoming one and we have met wonderful people through it. We appreciate all the contributions to our group that our members have made over the years. They each bring their special perspectives and we keep learning from each other.<br />
<br />
For more on the Baker Street Breakfast Club, please visit their <a href="http://www.bakerstreetbreakfastclub.org/">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>

Celebrating the Silver Anniversary of the Baker Street Breakfast Club

"In twenty-five years' experience I have learned my lesson" [3GAB] When one thinks of the whereabouts of Sherlock Holmes...

+ Read more »

by Belanger Books

Episode 91: The Confidence Game

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"it is a likely ruse" [ENGR]</h4>
<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/AVvXsEhcb01AoVGhWREY6Js9nametqop5wI8mzxUyDqH4nmDOl0u1UTSZTcmdBSZDF18yppTKs9Qr2Hvqmv7PJ8uWYadDTEAjqr5KZnvxzA7OyV0833bAj2VFKuaic2ojkH66mQtP5U13d2mC9ZE/s1600/The+Tale.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcb01AoVGhWREY6Js9nametqop5wI8mzxUyDqH4nmDOl0u1UTSZTcmdBSZDF18yppTKs9Qr2Hvqmv7PJ8uWYadDTEAjqr5KZnvxzA7OyV0833bAj2VFKuaic2ojkH66mQtP5U13d2mC9ZE/s640/The+Tale.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="100" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4182546/height/100/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/cf212b /" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe><br />
</center>
<br />
February is a shorter month, so the latest episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere comes to you a day earlier.<br />
<br />
We're joined by Maria Konnikova, whom you may remember as the author of <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="014312434X" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="da4f8313ed25b621dff90db67fe6e91d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes" href="https://amzn.to/3wkprk3" id="amznPsBmLink_1166168" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1166168" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=da4f8313ed25b621dff90db67fe6e91d&_cb=1456726259607" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" /></i>. She first appeared on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose54" rel="nofollow">Episode 54</a> to discuss that very book. Maria is a contributing writer for <i>The New Yorker</i>, where she writes a regular column with a focus on psychology and culture, and her work has appeared in <i>The Atlantic</i>, <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>Scientific American MIND</i>, and <i>Smithsonian</i>, among numerous other publications.<br />
<div>
<br />
Maria's latest book is <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0525427414" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="74d050e9b047b76b0a781743198683c4" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It... Every Time" href="https://amzn.to/31AqDBQ" id="amznPsBmLink_7203976" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It... Every Time</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7203976" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=74d050e9b047b76b0a781743198683c4&_cb=1456726388048" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" />. </i>While cheats and swindlers may be a dime a dozen, true con men are elegant, outsized personalities, artists of persuasion and exploiters of trust. How do they do it? Why are they successful? And what keeps us falling for it? <i>The Confidence Game</i> not only asks why we believe con artists; it also examines the very act of believing and how our sense of truth can be manipulated by those around us, leaving us to fall for it - over and over again.<br />
We explore the dark triad — psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism — and probe Maria's research process as she shares with us how a con works and how con artists manage to get away with what they do. From religions and cults to marketers and storytellers, it comes down to intent, and they all prey on the very trusting nature of people.<br />
<br />
Our conversation with Maria delved into these issues, as well as cons in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and the ultimate question: was Sherlock Holmes a con man?<br />
<br />
Be sure to stay tuned for another gem of an Easter egg.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a div="" gt="" href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=2318606&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fihearofsherlock.com%2Fpodcast"><br />
<img height="40" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/widget-images/become-patron-widget-medium%402x.png" width="204" /></a></div>
<br />
Our special thanks go out to Mary Miller and Christian Mongaard for their Patreon support!<br />
<br /></div>
<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: <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>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock091.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 38.9 MB, 1:24:02</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/249432545&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://newyorker.com/"><i>The New Yorker</i></a></li>
<li>"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BX56syrmWQ">Mr. Popeil</a>" - Weird Al Yankovic</li>
<li><i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0525427414" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="4e998d9234a79b6d04996e42e7b1c4d7" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Confidence Game" href="https://amzn.to/31AqDBQ" id="amznPsBmLink_5785905" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Confidence Game</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5785905" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=4e998d9234a79b6d04996e42e7b1c4d7&_cb=1456725962400" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" /></i> by Maria Konnikova</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093223/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">House of Games</a></i>, directed by David Mamet</li>
<li><i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0385495382" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="0fd8ee72ea618039249096bc0cb3216b" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Big Con" href="https://amzn.to/39uYrEQ" id="amznPsBmLink_1477181" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Big Con</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1477181" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=0fd8ee72ea618039249096bc0cb3216b&_cb=1456727552026" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" /></i> by David Maurer</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 3,400 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 91: The Confidence Game

"it is a likely ruse" [ENGR] February is a shorter month, so the latest episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere comes...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Qualify for the Quiz on IHOSE 92

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"his glib Irish tongue" [VALL]</h4>
<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/AVvXsEim5bX5i32nMhaXoiDratPNCsjusoXQeaViTQXLi7UDDur5A4b3AVSpQC8FHqTQsspaeXZue6e86GMDdovn4E9Ku6-ko6FW_HRERGOcn2z3twYkNRNf9xTWhZMws60j2FvZI1S2nVX9Z8Ig/s1600/SH+Pub+Irish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5bX5i32nMhaXoiDratPNCsjusoXQeaViTQXLi7UDDur5A4b3AVSpQC8FHqTQsspaeXZue6e86GMDdovn4E9Ku6-ko6FW_HRERGOcn2z3twYkNRNf9xTWhZMws60j2FvZI1S2nVX9Z8Ig/s640/SH+Pub+Irish.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We're preparing to record Episode 92 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, which will air on March 15. This will be our main show for March, so we'll be focused on celebrating St. Patrick's Day and all things Irish.<br />
<br />
So our Mental Exaltation quiz (written by resident IHOSE quizmaster Nick Martorelli) on Episode 92 will be tied to Ireland, all things Irish in the Canon and the wearin' o' the green. As you can imagine, 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 />
<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="890" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QOoc0PJwb_HlozcQy0YvjtA9Mr4tVupn0cEIT2T16wE/viewform?embedded=true" width="660">Loading...</iframe><br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
Good luck!<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Image credit: <a href="http://www.fest.md/en/places/pubs/sherlock-holmes">Fest</a></i><br />
<br />
--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>

Qualify for the Quiz on IHOSE 92

"his glib Irish tongue" [VALL] We're preparing to record Episode 92 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, which will air on...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

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>