I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

A Look at the Original Fandom

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"We have, of course, wired." [CARD]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdXiQUklaLVmASKrrl5XiPHunGDaLp-2rwNlnlbbVnsqFTH5xfD3ZitpjxYsD7-WqVvSBIT2ejt8UDJb5uUCgMrQ9xRnTLG1nWYB2wLZG56LSWJZmpmpBXmNie7F5VK2bCPTTc6hu4LOH/s1600/Telegraph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sherlock Holmes was partial to telegrams" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdXiQUklaLVmASKrrl5XiPHunGDaLp-2rwNlnlbbVnsqFTH5xfD3ZitpjxYsD7-WqVvSBIT2ejt8UDJb5uUCgMrQ9xRnTLG1nWYB2wLZG56LSWJZmpmpBXmNie7F5VK2bCPTTc6hu4LOH/s1600/Telegraph.jpg" title=""he has never been known to write where a telegram would serve" [DEVI]" width="640" /></a></div>
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There's a new article out in <i>Wired</i> magazine that takes a look at our little hobby: <b><a href="http://archive.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-05/pl_brown" target="_blank">Scott Brown on Sherlock Holmes, Obsessed Nerds, and Fan Fiction</a></b>.<br />
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He mentions the cult-like approach of other fans - namely invoking <i>Lost </i>and <i>Star Trek</i> as examples of enthusiasts gone wild. But he notes that before any of those came along, there was the cult of Sherlock Holmes, in which these "19th century proto-nerds" sought out parodies and pastiches and obsessed over details and continuity in the 60 tales.</div>
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It makes for an interesting read, but I'm not sure if I object more to the "nerd" or the "obsessed" label.<br />
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<i>Image credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/6c8N7f" target="_blank">nostri-imago (Flickr)</a></i><br />
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A Look at the Original Fandom

A Look at the Original Fandom

"We have, of course, wired." [CARD] There's a new article out in Wired magazine that takes a look at our little hobby: S...

"A Man of Excellent Birth and Education" [SILV]

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pHK5PN41WnfdUVWEy2-uJ1jYR-L5m_3x2K8NGLnz5fuPG0uWVuOSFO-JfqvM-39_QAaZA-inV2OEYp2N_Z9O7xi9sIUqIpZnZj-cU_WOefFKLy6Mh0GEYEBSCtopwSWARp4_QRwswoYq/s1600-h/conandoyle-pic03.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339263329402025522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pHK5PN41WnfdUVWEy2-uJ1jYR-L5m_3x2K8NGLnz5fuPG0uWVuOSFO-JfqvM-39_QAaZA-inV2OEYp2N_Z9O7xi9sIUqIpZnZj-cU_WOefFKLy6Mh0GEYEBSCtopwSWARp4_QRwswoYq/s200/conandoyle-pic03.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 143px;" /></a>Today marks a very special day: May 22, 2009 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.<br />
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<b>Recent Happenings:</b><br />
Daniel Stashower, BSI ("Thurston") and Peter Blau, BSI, ASH ("Black Peter") were both on NPR's <a href="http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/05/20.php#26166">The Diane Rehm Show</a> to discuss <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199536961?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0199536961">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0199536961" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> in the lead-up to Conan Doyle's birthday. You can listen to the show by clicking on the link above.</div>
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In the news, the <i>Telegraph</i> reminds us that <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/5363777/We-still-believe-in-Sherlock-Holmes-even-in-the-age-of-DNA.html">We still believe in Sherlock Holmes, even in the age of DNA</a>; the Scotsman remembers its native son with <a href="http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features/-Elementary-my-dear-Edinburgh.5275147.jp">Elementary, my dear Edinburgh</a>; and Harvard follows up on the Sesquicentennial proceedings with <a href="http://www.hcl.harvard.edu/news/2009/doyle_symposium.html">Symposium Studies Doyle's Contributions to Literature</a>. </div>
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<b>Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: a Sesquicentennial Assessment</b></div>
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<a href="http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/events/doyle_symposium.cfm" target="_blank">A major symposium was held from May 7 - May 9, 2009</a>, at which about 125 people gathered from around the world to hold forth on Conan Doyle's life, influence and output. While it was co-sponsored by the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/">Baker Street Irregulars</a>, it was about more than just Sherlock Holmes. Here are some of the highlights.</div>
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Dan Stashower talked about the buzz around the new movie, "Sherlock Holmes," coming out later this year (<a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2009/05/i-was-sure-you-would-pick-up-trail-veil.html">see the trailer here</a>). He suggested some other other movie titles:<br />
<ul>
<li>Last Tonga in Paris</li>
<li>My Big Fat Greek Interpreter</li>
<li>The Engineer's Thumbelina</li>
<li>Reichenbach to the Future</li>
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<a href="http://www.ias.edu/about/faculty-and-emeriti/constable">Dr. Giles Constable</a>, former H.C. Lea Professor of Medieval of History at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Studies, made an interesting observation about Holmes that could equally apply to Conan Doyle. While many people gave credit to each for their prescience in divining the future, Dr. Constable noted: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Foresight is not the ability to predict the future, but a keen understanding of the present."</span><br />
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Tom Francis, BSI ("The Imperial Opera at Warsaw") gave a tour de force on the breadth of Conan Doyle's writing. Tom was introduced by Costa Rossakis, who noted that Tom collects lots of non-Sherlockian Doyle – many of which were bought by his wife Diana. As an aside, Costa said it was entirely appropriate, as Diana was the Greek goddess of the hunt. Tom noted that Sherlock Holmes material only represented only about 10-12% of Doyle's total literary output.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Historical novels</span><br />
In Conan Doyle's historical work, characters come alive, descriptions are vivid, sense of humor is evident. During the war, the government made sure there was enough paper in supply to keep the White Company in print, to keep up morale.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Spiritualism</span><br />
He still writes well on spiritualism, Tom says. While we may be resentful that this topic took him away from the other areas that we enjoy, spiritualism was a major movement during his time, and Doyle's writing on the topic was detailed and methodical.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Science fiction</span><br />
An area where Doyle excels: science fiction. <a href="http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/lotno249.htm">"Lot No. 249"</a> & the <a href="http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/2657/">"Ring of Thoth"</a> inspired <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002NRRQU?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0002NRRQU">"The Mummy"</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0002NRRQU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0938501232?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0938501232">The Lost World</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0938501232" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> was written after he researched fossils, science and paleontology, and the realism of the book was made more real by the inclusion of maps and drawings. This further influenced movies and books such as <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6ESEY?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000E6ESEY">Planet of the Apes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000E6ESEY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span> and <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345370775?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0345370775">Jurassic Park</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0345370775" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span>. When Doyle wrote <span style="font-style: italic;">The Land of Mist</span>, he used Professor Challenger to bring together his interests in science fiction and spiritualism.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Poetry</span><br />
Tom read a couple of poems by Doyle – an area that the author doesn't get much credit for but that he was very proficient in.</blockquote>
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Dan Posnansky, BSI ("Colonel Hayter") gave a talk titled <span style="font-style: italic;">America, America Here I Come</span> – on Doyle's 1894 tour of the United States. Dan noted that Doyle had a great love of America, best represented in this letter than Conan Doyle wrote in 1894:<br />
"The people are far more loveable than I expected…more affable than our own folk. There never was a country so maligned than this one. We have got to go into partnership with them, or else be overshadowed by them. The center of gravity has shifted and we have got to readjust ourselves."<br />
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Eve Mayer, a graduate student at Harvard, compared history with fiction as she covered <span style="font-style: italic;">Conan Doyle's Mormons: A Study in Black, White and Scarlet</span>. She noted the many inconsistencies with fact, but also posited that rather than accidentally misrepresenting the facts, it could have been deliberate on Doyle's part – in fact, it was common in the late 19th century to misconstrue Mormon culture.<br />
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Glen Miranker, BSI ("The Origin of Tree Worship") took a long look at <span style="font-style: italic;">Sherlock Holmes in American Popular Culture. </span>How pervasive is it? Glen compared references to <a href="http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS310US311&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=sherlock+holmes">Sherlock</a> (8.7 million) and "<a aq="f&oq=&aqi=g10"" href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS310US311&q=">New Testament</a>" (20.3 million) on Google. There are 8,000 books on or about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3D%2526%252334%253Bsherlock%2520holmes%2526%252334%253B%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Sherlock Holmes on Amazon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. The Canon has been translated into more than 83 different languages (including Klingon and Pitman Shorthand – "a vital part of running Britain's empire").<br />
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The Dramatic Holmes: uncountable stage productions and radio appearances; 150+ TV shows, 130+ appearances on movie screens. Made an appearance in a Harvard club play in 1894 with one character being named as "a disciple of Sherlock Holmes." The ver first film, <span style="font-style: italic;">Sherlock Holmes Baffled</span>, was made in 1900, distributed in 1903.</div>
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On the screen, we see Sherlock Holmes portrayed by (among others): William Gillette, Eille Norwood, John Barrymore, Arthur Wontner, Clive Brook, Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing. Jeremy Brett are most well known. Others: Maurice Costello, Raymond Massey, Peter Granger, Ronald Howard, Leonard Nimoy, Michael Caine, Robert Hardy, Nicol Williamson, Tom Baker, Robert Stephens, Roger Moore, Charlton Heston, Ian Richardson, Rupert Everett, Robert Downey, Jr., Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, the Three Stooges, Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello, George C. Scott, John Cleese, Brent Spiner animated versions.<br />
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On television today, Holmes informs today's detectives. House, CSI, Law & Order Criminal Intent, Monk - even The Simpsons, where Lisa investigated the Mutton Chop murderer as Sherlock Holmes.<br />
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In advertising, we see the image of Holmes used for soda, clothing, shoes, head lice, enemas, food, tobacco (including cigarette cards, cigar box labels, cigar bands, pipes, chewing tobacco, etc.), home inspection, gas companies, insurance, detective services, automotive products, games (the Parker Bros card game appeared in 1904 and stayed on the market until 1923), balloon animal modeling, computer games, video games.<br />
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Glen concluded that the only areas not yet affected by Sherlock Holmes are NASCAR, rap music and baseball.<br />
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We also heard from Andrew Lycett, the biographer of Conan Doyle on a survey of <span style="font-style: italic;">Conan Doyle's Biographers</span>. Leslie Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange") shared the connection between Dr. Watson and his literary agent: <span style="font-style: italic;">Partners in Crime: Arthur Conan Doyle and John H. Watson</span>. And Boston University English professor Charles Rzepka analyzed the Canon for influences of Homer's Odyssey in <span style="font-style: italic;">Holmes-Coming for What-Son</span>. It was a fascinating talk that I was too ensconced in to even take notes.<br />
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John Bergquist, BSI ("The King of Scandinavia") ran through the Baker Street Irregulars' publishing history, especially looking at the BSI's <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/bsiinternationalseries.html">International Series</a> and <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/bsimanuscriptseries.html">Manuscript Series</a>, the newest volume of which is now available.<br />
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Randall Stock, BSI ("South African Securities") did <span style="font-style: italic;">A Sherlock Holmes Census: What's Really Out There?</span>, where he led us through the whereabouts of  the manuscripts and Sidney Paget illustrations. If you've never visited Randall's very comprehensive and informative web site, <a href="http://www.bestofsherlock.com/">The Best of Sherlock Holmes</a>, you're missing out.<br />
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Looking at some of the early enthusiasts who gave Conan Doyle his due and worshipped at the altar of Sherlock Holmes, Steve Rothman, BSI ("The Valley of Fear") reminisced on <span style="font-style: italic;">Christopher Morley: Reading, Reviewing and Reichenbach</span> and Peter X. Accardo, the Houghton Library specialist who put together the symposium, remembered Boston's own <span style="font-style: italic;">H.W. Bell: A Chronology of His Adventures</span>.<br />
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Finally, Richard Olken, BSI ("Bob Carruthers") took a page from the <a href="http://beaconsociety.com/">Beacon Society</a> with <span style="font-style: italic;">'Children Yet Unborn' (How We Envy Them!): Teaching Conan Doyle</span>. I understand the Beacon Society has published Richard's paper - you can <a href="http://beaconsociety.com/Children%20Yet%20Unborn%20website.pdf">download the PDF directly here</a>.<br />
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If you're remotely interested in more of what went on at the truly fascinating symposium, all of the papers will be published and you can <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/acdpapers.html">place your order for a hardcover edition</a>. They will also be part of <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/acdboxedset.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">a limited edition box set</span></a> that comes with a gold-stamped slipcase and includes:<br />
<ol>
<li>So Painful a Scandal - the manuscript for "The Three Students". This is also <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/painfulscandal.html">available in a standard edition</a>.</li>
<li>Papers at an Exhibition - the proceedings from the symposium</li>
<li>Ever Westward: Arthur Conan Doyle and American Culture - an annotated catalog of the exhibition edited by Peter Accardo.</li>
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More information is available on the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/">Baker Street Journal website</a>.</div>
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Not a bad way to celebrate 150 years, is it?<br />
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"A Man of Excellent Birth and Education" [SILV]

"A Man of Excellent Birth and Education" [SILV]

Today marks a very special day: May 22, 2009 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Recent Happenings: Daniel ...

A New Generation's Sherlock Holmes Is Here

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"I was sure you would pick up the trail" [VEIL] </h4>
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Every generation has its definitive <a href="http://sherlockian.net/stage/index.html">Sherlock Holmes on stage or screen</a>. In the early 1900s it was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gillette">William Gillette</a>; the 1920s brought us <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636385/">Eille Norwood</a>; the '40s was <a href="https://amzn.to/2PlHfKc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Basil Rathbone</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000EXZFRQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />'s time to shine, followed by <a href="https://amzn.to/2ZyR6QO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Cushing</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0001P1B9I" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> in the late '50s / early '60s. Most recently, <a href="https://amzn.to/2Zz6gBq">Jeremy Brett</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000RPCJB6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> had our attention in the '80s and '90s.<br />
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As Sherlockians, our interest has been constant for the past 75 years or so (let's recall that the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://ihose.co/BSJ">Baker Street Journal</a></span></span> has now been published for some six decades), but to the general public, there have been times when interest waned. The late 1960s was one time, as was the early 1980s. In the first instance, we saw vast public interest in Sherlock Holmes resurrected thanks to Nicholas Meyer, BSI ("A Fine Morocco Case") and his novel/screenplay <a href="https://amzn.to/2PCSBtN" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>The Seven-Per-Cent Solution</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=6305078009" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.</div>
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And here we stand, late in the first decade of 2000. Jeremy Brett has been gone for some 15 years, and while there have been no lack of novels, serious scholarship or one-off small screen productions, nothing has yet captivated the collective mind.</div>
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Today, we bring you the first of two things that we believe will bring a renaissance to the Sherlock Holmes movement.<br />
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Coming this Christmas is the long-awaited film by Guy Ritchie, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988045/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><i>Sherlock Holmes</i></span></a>. While the casting of Robert Downey, Jr. has brought "a chorus of groans, cries, and bleatings" from the purists, there are some who are waiting to pass final judgment until the movie is released.</div>
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Here is the world premiere of the official trailer for the new movie (via <a href="http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/05/18/must-watch-first-trailer-for-guy-ritchies-sherlock-holmes/">First Showing</a>).</div>
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Personally, we think the trailer looks damn good. We'd be interested to hear your opinions - in the comment section below.</div>
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P.S. We listened to the trailer on these - it was phenomenal. <br />
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A New Generation's Sherlock Holmes Is Here

A New Generation's Sherlock Holmes Is Here

"I was sure you would pick up the trail" [VEIL] Every generation has its definitive Sherlock Holmes on stage or screen . In ...

"The Martrydom of Man" [SIGN]

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UXrWDrRNrDKHHuMNcSfanNZOnMim8B6xkdVLIcKDjhXmuAfQiVULYvA4I7j3F_51Io9ApQcRx7v1JRLMZCWt95gxz6ZF1emBqSao3isSereoew54hz0fd4Ink6hDp8UWwQcPBn9QM3oF/s1600-h/joefink.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334094266691738898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UXrWDrRNrDKHHuMNcSfanNZOnMim8B6xkdVLIcKDjhXmuAfQiVULYvA4I7j3F_51Io9ApQcRx7v1JRLMZCWt95gxz6ZF1emBqSao3isSereoew54hz0fd4Ink6hDp8UWwQcPBn9QM3oF/s200/joefink.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 163px;" /></a>The Irregulars have lost another one of our own. Joe Fink, BSI ("The Martyrdom of Man") passed away yesterday after many years of declining health. I first met Joe many years ago at an "Autumn in Baker Street" weekend, where I was impressed with his rapier wit and deadpan delivery. To say Joe had a dry sense of humor is akin to saying that Sherlock Holmes liked tobacco.<div><br /></div><div>One of the things that always struck me about Joe was that he as such an unassuming, seemingly retiring and quiet man, yet he could bring the house down with a single line or an unexpected quip that everyone could appreciate. He was a giant in the world of humor. Unfortunately, it's been too long since I actually witnessed him in action, so I don't have a specific anecdote to share - perhaps someone reading this would like to contribute?</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of anecdotes, Joe had plenty to say, and he made some of his talks and papers available in 1998 when he wrote <a href="http://www.batteredbox.com/SherlockianScholarshipWhimsical/JoeFink.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Fink Tells Tall Sherlockian Tales</span></a>, published by the Battered Silicon Dispatch Box. </div><div><br /></div><div>Joe was a member of a number of Sherlockian societies - most notably the Baker Street Irregulars and the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes (investitured as "Tonga") - as well as a few local societies such as the Epilogues of Sherlock Holmes, Mrs. Hudson's Clifdwellers of New York and the Montague Street Lodgers of Brooklyn.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please share a story (the funnier the better) about Joe below in the comments section. Our collective memories will help him live on for future generations.</div><div><br /></div>

"The Martrydom of Man" [SIGN]

"The Martrydom of Man" [SIGN]

The Irregulars have lost another one of our own. Joe Fink, BSI ("The Martyrdom of Man") passed away yesterday after many years of ...

"The Likeness, Which You Could Not Fail to Observe" [STOC]

"The Likeness, Which You Could Not Fail to Observe" [STOC]

"The Likeness, Which You Could Not Fail to Observe" [STOC]

If you've been following the movie news lately, you probably couldn't help but see the publicity that Sherlock Holmes with Robert Do...

"A Strange Ship" [HOUN]

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/2557191233_007dae7767_m.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/2557191233_007dae7767_m.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 171px;" /></a>Here's an opportunity that might interest a number of aspiring playwrights. I received a query from a publicist who is looking for someone to write a mystery-themed play for a cruise ship audience - and there's some money involved.<div><br /></div><div>Here's the official description of what they're looking for:<br /><blockquote>My company provides entertainment for several cruise lines. I have a cruise line client that is looking for a writer who can put together a Sherlock Holmes Mystery play for a cruise ship audience – this play would be performed during the cruise by the onboard cast of singers and dancers and cruise staff and would repeat every cruise. It could either take place all in one evening (like a typical Murder Mystery Event) or spread out over the course of the cruise with different things happening each day culminating at the end of the cruise.  The line is initially interested in placing this show on one ship with a 12 night itinerary in Europe.<br /><br />The cruise line would prefer to purchase this as a one time cost and then hire a choreographer to stage it on onboard.  If it goes well, they may want to purchase additional shows down the road.</blockquote>Think you've got what it takes? The contact for this is Robin Cahill and she can be reached at robin [AT] doncasino [DOT] com or (305) 931-7552.</div><div><br />If you know of anyone with the talent to pull this off, please let them know by clicking on that little green "Share This" button below the post - you'll be able to email them, bookmark it, or post it on other sites. What a great opportunity this is for the right person!</div><div><br /></div>

"A Strange Ship" [HOUN]

"A Strange Ship" [HOUN]

Here's an opportunity that might interest a number of aspiring playwrights. I received a query from a publicist who is looking for someo...

"Taking the Queen's Shilling" [SIGN]

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_0_1Atw7BP0vVAWXiABpLMTsiL0xV-jz-K-YF2aJTvCEN8AnBgXBdpnk3LdFJooeXOSDQGo5Ji_GyBjPK517R0tt0dpycPFGHez4jH0m7ZfSlHlOCWxSvwxiI-R8eYCuURGkBN79nnUc/s1600-h/BSI+Rosette.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264144173950728322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_0_1Atw7BP0vVAWXiABpLMTsiL0xV-jz-K-YF2aJTvCEN8AnBgXBdpnk3LdFJooeXOSDQGo5Ji_GyBjPK517R0tt0dpycPFGHez4jH0m7ZfSlHlOCWxSvwxiI-R8eYCuURGkBN79nnUc/s200/BSI+Rosette.png" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 93px; height: 92px;" /></a>As you may have seen in the <a href="http://twitter.com/S_Holmes">Twitter stream</a> (the section on the right titled <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Holmes Was a Very Busy Man"</span>), the coveted Baker Street Irregulars investitures were awarded tonight at the BSI Dinner. It was a banner evening, celebrating 75 years of the BSI being in existence, and saying farewell to a large number of Irregulars who left us over the past year.<br /><br />Mike Whelan, the current "Wiggins" of the BSI, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search?q=whelan">states that it's his favorite part of the dinner</a> - and I can certainly believe him. Much joy was given, much joy was received.<br /><br />While the dinner is about much more than the investitures, it's clearly the thing on everyone's mind at the dinner. Having been someone who attended a number of dinners before I was called up to the podium, I can honestly say that the old Oscars cliche "it's an honor just to be nominated" does in fact ring true. I hope that this year's attendees feel the same.<br /><br />This year, all of the Investitures were story titles - coveted titular investitures to be sure - and Wiggins spent some time discussing who previously held each title and in what year.<br /><br />In the order they were announced, here are the latest Baker Street Irregulars:<br /><ul><li>Bill Barnes, "The Gloria Scott"<br /></li><li>Susan Dahlinger, "The Bruce-Partington Plans"<br /></li><li>Robert Ellis, "The Illustrious Client"<br /></li><li>Walter Jaffee, "The Resident Patient"<br /></li><li>Allan Devitt, "The Dancing Men"</li><li>Greg Darak, "The Engineer's Thumb"<br /></li><li>Jeff Bradway, "A Case of Identity"</li><li>Michael Pollock, "The Blue Carbuncle"</li><li>Sebastian LePage, "The Six Napoleons"</li><li>Jens Byskov Jensen, "The Blanched Soldier</li><li>Joel Schwartz, "The Three Students"</li><li>Barbara Rusch, "The Mazarin Stone"<br /></li></ul>And this year, Mike gave the coveted Two-Shilling Award to an individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to the BSI. The Two-Shilling Award went to:<br /><ul><li>Dan Posnansky, for his incredible work with the BSI Trust and Archives.</li></ul><br /><br />In addition, Mike also presented a special golden door encrusted with diamonds to his wife, Mary Ann Bradley, for her assistance with the BSI weekend administrative work for the last 12 years.For anyone who knows the hard work that Mary Ann puts into all of the BSI events, ensuring registration and organization, it's a well-deseeved honor. <br /><br />All of the recipients of shillings were people who have been at this for years and were incredibly worthy of the honor. And Wiggins noted that much would be expected of them in the future.<br /><br />My hope is that all of the new BSIs already subscribe to <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/">The Baker Street Journal</a>. It's not a requirement to become an Irregular, nor are all Irregulars required to subscribe. But it's something everyone should consider. You <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/subscriptions.html">subscribe</a> to the BSJ, don't you?

"Taking the Queen's Shilling" [SIGN]

"Taking the Queen's Shilling" [SIGN]

As you may have seen in the Twitter stream (the section on the right titled "Holmes Was a Very Busy Man" ), the coveted Baker Str...

"The Night of January 6th" [VALL]

Well, that time of year is upon us again! Today marks the 155th birthday of the world's first unofficial consulting detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.<br /><br />You may recall that in "His Last Bow," Holmes was described as "...a tall, gaunt man of sixty..." and that the story took place in 1914. In addition, of the Shakespearean plays he quoted, Holmes referenced <span style="font-style: italic;">Twelfth Night</span> twice. These facts taken together have led scholars to believe that Holmes was born on <span style="font-weight: bold;">January 6, 1854</span>.<br /><br />To help celebrate this event, I'll be in New York City later this week - but only for the BSI dinner, and not the entire weekend festivities. My work schedule is keeping me otherwise occupied.<br /><br />And while that means I won't be on hand to document the entire weekend, I'll be posting the latest recipients of BSI investitures on this blog late Friday night/early Saturday morning - and, for those of you interested following along <span style="font-style: italic;">live</span>, right below in the graphical widget. Expect the news to break around <span style="font-weight: bold;">9:30 - 10:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 9</span>.<br /><br />If you don't follow along here, you can watch http://twitter.com/S_Holmes<br /><br /><center><br /><div style="width: 280px; text-align: center;"><embed src="http://balloon.korelab.com/twitter_balloon2.swf?image_url=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3085%2F2557887368_53a672d4b2.jpg&twitter_id=S_Holmes&image_align=right_bottom&bgcolor=0066CC&fgcolor=FFFFFF&balloon_x=25&balloon_y=2&balloon_width=180&balloon_height=110&balloon_bgcolor=FFFFFF&balloon_fgcolor=000000&balloon_fontsize=11&hige_direction=center_bottom_right&cache=true" quality="best" name="twitter_balloon" scale="noscale" salign="lt" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="280" height="700"></embed><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 204);font-size:x-small;" ><a href="http://twitter.com/S_Holmes" target="_blank">follow S_Holmes at http://twitter.com</a></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 204);font-size:x-small;" >developed by <a href="http://korelab.com/" target="_blank">korelab</a></span></div></center>

"The Night of January 6th" [VALL]

"The Night of January 6th" [VALL]

Well, that time of year is upon us again! Today marks the 155th birthday of the world's first unofficial consulting detective, Mr. Sherl...

"The Second Morning After Christmas" [BLUE]

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Jwr9Z2Fdf-y1YMmLQC3Kp2lGpcXfPkk9-2AF_mgMAi-rTY-6T1ViuA0vUwGvMgy9x9u4AYZpjmiruzRaYdjAqg9HeCasLALMEctcdT3PFVE_RhSLEjL5y95fgJKCiQOhHoqcAa-_87N-/s1600-h/blue-05.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013328828577409250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Jwr9Z2Fdf-y1YMmLQC3Kp2lGpcXfPkk9-2AF_mgMAi-rTY-6T1ViuA0vUwGvMgy9x9u4AYZpjmiruzRaYdjAqg9HeCasLALMEctcdT3PFVE_RhSLEjL5y95fgJKCiQOhHoqcAa-_87N-/s200/blue-05.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This is a repost of an entry from 12/27/2006. I've decided to make it a regular annual feature here.</span><br /><br />In 1995 I penned a seasonal ode to <a href="http://camdenhouse.ignisart.com/canon/blue.htm">The Blue Carbuncle</a> in the style of Clement Moore's <a href="http://iment.com/maida//familytree/henry/xmas/poemvariants/troysentinel1823.htm">A Visit from St. Nick</a>.  Since then, it has been an annual tradition to share this gem (sorry, I couldn't help myself) in my Sherlockian circles.<br /><br />Enjoy. Please note that you are free to use this at your own society meetings; according to the Creative Commons license below, you just have to give attribution for for it.<br /><br />And allow me to wish you "compliments of the season."  May all your carbuncles be blue.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Two Days After Christmas</span></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11;"  ></span></p></div><div style="text-align: center;">'Twas two days after Christmas and in one part of town,<br />Sherlock Holmes was lounging in his purple dressing gown.<br />A felt hat was hung on the wood chair with care,<br />Looking seedy and cracked and much worse for the wear.<br />The forceps and lens were an arm’s length away,<br />So Sherlock Holmes was engaged well today.<br />Peterson was the giver, Holmes was the taker<br />Of the hat and goose, "For Mrs. Henry Baker."<br />Holmes began to infer from the battered old hat<br />Grizzled hair, self-respect, and odd things like that.<br /><br />Then Peterson entered, astonished and dazed,<br />And showed us upon what the goose must have grazed.<br />When what to my wondering eyes should appear,<br />But a bonny blue thing in the shape of a tear.<br />With facets that twinkled, sparkled, and shone,<br />I knew in a moment it was the Countess’ stone. <br /><br />Holmes sprang to the Times to review all the history<br />Of the Hotel Cosmopolitan jewel thief mystery.<br />The crime was fixed on a plumber named Horner.<br />No Christmas pie, no plumb; for him, a corner.<br />More rapid than lightening, Holmes’s orders now came,<br />As he wrote an advert and called the papers by name:<br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Evening News</span>, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Star</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Globe</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Pall Mall</span>!<span style="font-style: italic;"><br />St. James’s Gazette</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Standard</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Echo</span>, et al."<br /><br />The stone which Holmes held was the devil’s pet bait,<br />With a sinister history for a forty-grain weight.<br />Robberies, vitriol, three people now dead;<br />And all for a stone which should have been red. <br /><br />Henry Baker called on the street with his name,<br />Wearing a tam o’shanter, much to his shame.<br />Holmes gave him his hat and then the bad news:<br />That we were compelled to eat his fine goose.    <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11;"  ></span></p>"To eat it!" said he, as he rose from his chair,<br /><div style="text-align: center;">"Do not fret, Mr. Baker, we have one more there."<br />Holmes offered to him the <span style="font-style: italic;">disjecta membra</span>,<br />Relics of an adventure he still could remember.<br /><br />And taking his items, Baker turned with a jerk,<br />As Holmes and I set straight to work.<br />To the Alpha we went, then on to Covent Garden<br />Where Breckinridge against our pleas seemed to harden.<br />But finally we found the origin of the geese,<br />From one Mrs. Oakshott of Brixton Road, east.<br />We overheard Ryder, who was hot on the trail,<br /><br />So as a four-wheeler passed, we decided to hail.<br />Riding to Baker Street, of the mystery, no mention,<br />But all the way there, we could sense Ryder’s tension.<br />As he saw the truth, our guest stifled a howl:<br />The stone had been rescued from his bar-tailed fowl.<br />At Holmes’s request, I helped the small imp,<br />To whom Holmes referred as simply "a shrimp."<br />The little man clutched at the detective’s knees,<br />Shrieking and begging and putting forth pleas.<br /><br />For Sherlock Holmes, the case held no glory,<br />He was simply looking for an end to the story.<br />Cusack, the maid and Maudsely, who went bad  -<br />Both wanted the stone that Holmes just now had.<br />The hotel attendant did the deed of evil,<br />Fed the stone to a goose, in the hopes of retrieval .<br />There were two that matched, but he hadn’t looked.<br />So now it seemed that Ryder’s goose was cooked. <br /><br />Holmes said "No more words," and turned to the lout,<br />Ryder opened the door and then ran straight out.<br />The crisp rattle of footfalls, up from the street,<br />Told me Ryder knew that Holmes had him beat.<br />"I am not here to perform the policeman's role,<br />But it is just possible that I’m saving a soul.<br />It’s the season of forgiveness, a time to have heart,<br />Let us begin another case, in which a bird will take part."</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11;"  ><o:p></o:p></span></p>  <div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><br /><br /><a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0pt;" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5  License</a>.

"The Second Morning After Christmas" [BLUE]

"The Second Morning After Christmas" [BLUE]

This is a repost of an entry from 12/27/2006. I've decided to make it a regular annual feature here. In 1995 I penned a seasonal ode to ...

Camden House is Back Online

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"we are in Camden House" [EMPT]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNk1CG9kpC77Y5yv_rKoZ57W-X3YFOUnd7xb-Y-njRPKsWhDFW4IqzBy-w49cnQILVk_V9OtPzoxJ-sQY_3ir54YhJhGiS8-C-S0O2Kv-i9Hl2Eto-RIDut9BiCcnHCRH8WhOF9DSWjXx/s1600/EMPT+-+Camden+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNk1CG9kpC77Y5yv_rKoZ57W-X3YFOUnd7xb-Y-njRPKsWhDFW4IqzBy-w49cnQILVk_V9OtPzoxJ-sQY_3ir54YhJhGiS8-C-S0O2Kv-i9Hl2Eto-RIDut9BiCcnHCRH8WhOF9DSWjXx/s1600/EMPT+-+Camden+House.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
For anyone who's spent some time poking around this site, you may have frequented one of the links in the References section (aptly titled "His Encyclopedia of Reference"). And there, for a long time, we had linked to <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/main.htm">Camden House</a>, a site that contained images and text from the Canon.<br />
<br />
At some point over the last year, the site went down with no explanation. Many online Sherlockians were concerned that something might have happened to the site owner or that there were unpaid bills that they might be able to assist with. It was a site that clearly meant a great deal to people.<br />
<br />
We're happy to report that <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/main.htm" style="font-weight: bold;">Camden House</a> is no longer an Empty House. It has reopened under the same management. The site administrators share this message on the sidebar of their site:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
We're back online!<br />
<br />
For reasons I still haven't been able to get an answer on, my web provider had locked this site out. I got tired of trying to get them to respond and just wiped it out and restarted.<br />
<br />
It's been too long.</blockquote>
<br />
To which we say, hear, hear! If you haven't had a chance to explore the site, please do so. There you'll find the <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/gallery/index.html">largest collection of Holmesian graphics</a> online, a <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/index.html">comprehensive listing of all stories</a> that are in the public domain, as well as a number of other nifty features that may inspire you.<br />
<br />
It's good to see the site back again. We can think of no better quote to honor the reopening than what Sherlock Holmes himself said in"<a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/empt.htm">The Adventure of the Empty House</a>,"<br />
<blockquote>
"Once again Mr. Sherlock Holmes is free to devote his life to examining those     interesting little problems which the complex life of London so plentifully     presents."</blockquote>
Only we'd put it this way: "Once again we are free to devote our lives to examining those interesting little pages which the comprehensive site of <a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/main.htm">Camden House</a> so plentifully presents."<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />

Camden House is Back Online

Camden House is Back Online

"we are in Camden House" [EMPT] For anyone who's spent some time poking around this site, you may have frequented one of ...

Christopher Morley on 'Information, Please'

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"getting some information" [SILV]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2ESZa4AFK2iN5O2V9cKzZJCpHWu9-ZyQSdyxFw8ZbBw9zwNm7_pO9ILWQ7AFCXh8VznEMpiovhmz6b_lyObTxSBNV9cUHSWKGZa3AzxpJW5Fanuy4ZdlDdcRubd74_DDkWCUzzsRKggT/s1600/Christopher+Morley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2ESZa4AFK2iN5O2V9cKzZJCpHWu9-ZyQSdyxFw8ZbBw9zwNm7_pO9ILWQ7AFCXh8VznEMpiovhmz6b_lyObTxSBNV9cUHSWKGZa3AzxpJW5Fanuy4ZdlDdcRubd74_DDkWCUzzsRKggT/w535-h640/Christopher+Morley.jpg" width="535" /></a></div>
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<br />
The founder of the Baker Street Irregulars, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Morley">Christopher Morley</a>, BSI ("<i>The Sign of the Four</i>") was a man of many interests and talents. And while he may be known in these parts for his whiskey-and-sodality through the BSI, he was more widely known and appreciated than that in his time.<br />
<br />
He was probably most widely known for his novels <a href="https://amzn.to/2Y4Y2WY" rel="nofollow" style="font-style: italic;">Parnassus on Wheels</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0559272219" style="border: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />, <a href="https://amzn.to/3kSOKWX" rel="nofollow" style="font-style: italic;">The Haunted Bookshop</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/3zTqA2D" rel="nofollow" style="font-style: italic;">Kitty Foyle</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000BYA4FG" style="border: medium none; font-style: italic; margin: 0px;" width="1" />, which became an Oscar-winning film. As a founder of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Saturday Review of Books</span>, he was in a unique position to be able to see and observe much of the literary world. This is in part what led to him being one of the first judges for the Book-of-the-Month Club.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to hear Morley's voice, it's available on an old-time radio recording of <a href="https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/quiz/information-please/christopher-morley-1942-09-18" style="font-weight: bold;">Information, Please</a>. <br />
<br />
"<a href="http://www.factmonster.com/spot/time-radiohistory.php?type=radio">Information, Please</a>" was a radio quiz show that was extremely popular in the Golden Age of radio. The fact that it was hosted by Morley's contemporary, Clifton Fadiman, the book review editor for <span style="font-style: italic;">The New Yorker</span>, made Morley's appearance a near certainty. It probably didn't hurt that Fadiman was an early attendee of the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/dinner-summary.html" target="_blank">BSI dinners</a>, either.<br />
<br /><br />
<i>Image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christopher_Darlington_Morley_cph.3b14371.jpg#/media/File:Christopher_Darlington_Morley_cph.3b14371.jpg">Wikipedia</a></i><br />
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Christopher Morley on 'Information, Please'

Christopher Morley on 'Information, Please'

"getting some information" [SILV] The founder of the Baker Street Irregulars, Christopher Morley , BSI (" The Sign of...

Remembering Paul Churchill, BSI

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" a genuine Corot" [SIGN]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdM86JP0d3T_-wYpUMgfrNWNRRYd17EI7Cs2qAXwLJm8EJmQzmhlWC2K1cyw-VAZuBfmRvPLvCyzGOOiTyaOcLWTrXZHVyJuaon4MMvJtMULpynMFlkZalH9DgSKDHLkkGteMCuXadQy1/s1600/Paul+Churchill+and+Richard+Olken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Paul Churchill ("Corot") with Richard Olken ("Bob Carruthers")" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdM86JP0d3T_-wYpUMgfrNWNRRYd17EI7Cs2qAXwLJm8EJmQzmhlWC2K1cyw-VAZuBfmRvPLvCyzGOOiTyaOcLWTrXZHVyJuaon4MMvJtMULpynMFlkZalH9DgSKDHLkkGteMCuXadQy1/s640/Paul+Churchill+and+Richard+Olken.jpg" title="Paul Churchill (L) and Richard Olken (R)" width="640" /></a></div>
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In his annual letter to all Irregulars, the current "Wiggins" Mike Whelan noted that the Baker Street Irregulars have lost 16 of our own in the last 15 months. I know I've detailed many (but not all) of them here. And today I'm tasked with documenting another.<br />
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Only this time, it's someone I knew fairly well.<br />
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Paul Churchill ("Corot") passed beyond the Reichenbach over the weekend. He had announced earlier this year that he was suffering from incurable cancer; the end came much too quickly for anyone who knew Paul.<br />
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Paul received his investiture in the BSI in 2006, but for anyone who knew him, it was a long time coming. He was involved in many Sherlockian societies from the mid-Atlantic states to New England, and his presence was always a jovial and warm one.<br />
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Among Paul's many talents was illustration, document creation, and the compilation of "evidence boxes" - his term for artifacts he found, created, and assembled into collections that supported each of the 60 Canonical stories.<br />
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In <a href="http://www.sh-whoswho.com/index.php?page=search&criteria=member&id=521">Paul's own words</a>:<br />
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I have illustrated several Sherlockian books by authors such as Steve Clarkson, Steve Tollins, Joe Fink, Don Izban Susan Diamond, David Hammer, Patrick Campbell and Chris Redmond, and did covers for a reprint boxed set of August Derleth's Mill Creek Irregulars. With a colleague, I translated the story The Musgrave Ritual into Latin, the first and, so far, only Latin translation of an entire Sherlock Holmes story to be published.<br />
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My main specialism is the amassing of Canonical evidence boxes. There is a box for each of the sixty tales. The boxes contain any letter, telegram, weapon, note, receipt, newspaper clipping, or piece of realia mentioned or hinted at in the Canon. My secondary specialism is the creation of genuine faux documents, many of which have seen their way into the packets given out at the annual BSI dinner in NY. Among these documents are Watson's commission, the charter of The Diogenes Club, the citation for Holmes' Legion of Honour Medal, the Bruce Partington plans and a patent for same, the hack licence for John Clayton, the Hotel Cosmopolitan receipt for the Countess of Morcar, the Stapletons' receipt for the Mexborough Hotel in Craven Street, one for the New Street, Birmingham hotel where Hall Pycroft stayed, Watson's chequebook which Holmes kept locked in his desk, the Capital and Counties Woolwich Branch chequebook belonging to Cadogan West and the very naval treaty copied by Percy Phelps.</blockquote>
He was a longtime friend of Steve Clarkson, another Irregular (author of the <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/christmasannuals.html">2003 BSJ Christmas Annual</a>) who was taken from us too early by cancer. He spent many long hours with Steve, sharing memories and just being a friend. Paul was like that. He was a friend to many, and was never too busy or too involved to chat with or make time for fellow Sherlockians.<br />
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Jacqueline Morris, Gasogene XIX of <a href="http://www.geocities.com/jhwatson221b/wtb1.htm">Watson's Tin Box</a> shared the details of Paul's memorial service:<br />
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Saturday, November 15, 1:00 p.m.<br />
<a href="http://www.burrier-queen.com/">Burrier-Queen Funeral Home</a><br />
1212 W. Old Liberty Road<br />
Winfield, MD<br />
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Following the service there will be a gathering at <a href="http://www.alpost223.com/">American Legion 223</a> in Sykesville. Directions from the funeral home will be provided at the memorial service.<br />
<br />
Greg has asked that in lieu of flowers you might choose to donate to one of Paul's favorite charities, the <a href="http://www.alsa.org/">ALS Association</a>. Many of you know that Paul's beloved wife died from ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease many years ago.<br />
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For those who would like to send cards of condolence:<br />
Greg Churchill<br />
Mark Churchill (Mark lives in Nebraska)<br />
3300 Appleton Avenue<br />
Parkville, MD 21234 </blockquote>
This January at the BSI dinner, the task that has traditionally been solemnly and dutifully performed by Irv Kamil will twice as difficult one as the volume of Irregular deaths has nearly doubled. More than that, the prestige, magnitude and general likability of these Irregulars makes these passings that much more doleful.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">UPDATED</span>: <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-md.ob.churchill13nov13,0,7542668.story">Paul's obituary from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Baltimore Sun</span></a>.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have memories of Paul that you'd like to share? Please consider adding a comment below. It's free and you don't need to register.</span><br />
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Remembering Paul Churchill, BSI

Remembering Paul Churchill, BSI

" a genuine Corot" [SIGN] In his annual letter to all Irregulars, the current "Wiggins" Mike Whelan noted that t...

A Sherlock Holmes Symphony

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"in the aggregate" [SIGN]</h4>
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There are a number of videos and programs that have explored the various actors who have portrayed Sherlock Holmes over the years. Here's a nice 6-minute summary with a music soundtrack that features some of the favorites.<br />
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As featured on YouTube, the creator describes <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm2yud0SUFA">A Sherlock Holmes Symphony</a> as:<br />
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<blockquote>
So, on this video you can see several various moments (films, cartoon, TV series, etc..) and a lot of various actors played the Great Detective, like Jeremy Brett, Ian Richardson, Christopher Lee, Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing, Ronald Howard, Rupert Everett, Michael Pennington, Matt Frewer and others ...</blockquote>
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A Sherlock Holmes Symphony

A Sherlock Holmes Symphony

"in the aggregate" [SIGN] There are a number of videos and programs that have explored the various actors who have portrayed Sh...

Recent Sherlock Holmes Appearances in Some Comic Strips

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"all this is amusing" [IDEN]</h4>
Even though we haven't been wriing here regularly, there have been a number of items that have come to our attention that we've either bookmarked or archived for future publication. A number of them have been humorous in nature, so we're lumping them together for you here.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="189" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264151251742342866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPq-ynj55cp_4JomY-G4_GbARuAGnKf2gZzUgn8yLXh0yXPp03uIsxLnrlZWrdZondtGyvJHTg0rCa5oqgmXDBHB6iIeAntOqCguZNkRhcTjSbu43SIDGu3eNpfN0ykUrN99xMBVWVuJx/s640/BeetleBailey.gif" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /><br />
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Recent Sherlock Holmes Appearances in Some Comic Strips

Recent Sherlock Holmes Appearances in Some Comic Strips

"all this is amusing" [IDEN] Even though we haven't been wriing here regularly, there have been a number of items that have ...

Halloween Wishes from IHOSE

Halloween Wishes from IHOSE

Halloween Wishes from IHOSE

"no ghosts need apply" [SUSS] We hope you had an enjoyable Halloween, whether you were out in costume or home handing out free...

A Note about the 2009 BSI Weekend

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" a week-end gathering" [LAST]</h4>
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Even though professional life has occupied our daily routine for the past 5 months or so and our commitment to various Sherlockian pursuits has suffered, our interest has not abated. <br />
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When one receives an invitation in the mail to the annual <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/">Baker Street Irregulars weekend</a>, the thrill of your first time comes flooding back. So if you've not yet had the opportunity to attend, we suggest you take note.</div>
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For many of us, it's been nearly a year since we rubbed shoulders with each other from venues such as the Algonquin Hotel, Ollie's Noodle House, a city club or two, or just the streets of New York.<br />
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As we did last year, rather than reproduce the entire schedule on this site, we've posted all of the information on <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/">a separate site</a> where you can find all of your BSI Weekend information - from schedules, to maps, to links to travel site and the general RSVP form for download. You can find this and more at <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend site</span></a>.<br />
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Because of our responsibilities, we'll only be attending the BSI Dinner, so we won't be giving updates from all of the events, but you can still follow along on Friday evening in real-time if you'd like to see to whom the investitures go. These updates can be found in the upper-left section of the BSI Weekend site. Just think - if you can't make it to the event, you can be the first to know who receives their BSI Investitures, without having to wait for the listserv, Yahoo groups, or disussion forums to update.<br />
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We hope to see you in New York in January. If you have any suggestions as to how to improve the BSI Weekend site, or if you have questions about the weekend, please drop us a line.</div>
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A Note about the 2009 BSI Weekend

A Note about the 2009 BSI Weekend

" a week-end gathering" [LAST] Even though professional life has occupied our daily routine for the past 5 months or so and o...

Moriarty, John Gardiner's Last Book, Is Available

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"I can tell a Moriarty when I see one" [VALL]</h4>
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You may recall the <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/08/had-reached-bottom-of-reichenbach-fall_6.html#.VTXMDCFVikq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">death of author John Gardner, BSI</a> ("Moriarty") in August of 2007. He was well known for where he picked up with the James Bond novels, as commissioned by the Ian Fleming estate.<br />
<br />
Of course, one of the reasons he was inducted into the Baker Street Irregulars was his Sherlockian work in the 1970s, in which he looked at life as a Victorian criminal through the eyes of Professor James Moriarty. His first entry in this series was <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425050939?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0425050939" name="evtst|a|0425050939" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Return Of Moriarty</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0425050939" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>; the second was <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425050920?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0425050920" name="evtst|a|0425050920" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Revenge Of Moriarty</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0425050920" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>, which picked up where the Return left off. There were rumors of a manuscript for a third installment in the series, but the book never made it to bookstore shelves before Gardner's demise.<br />
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Well, the wait is over - the final installment in the trilogy is titled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0151012520?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0151012520" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Moriarty</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0151012520" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and will be available in November 2008. You can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0151012520/thebakerstree-20" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">pre-order it from Amazon.com by clicking here</a>. You can also <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0151012520/thebakstrblo-21" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">pre-order it from Amazon.co.uk by clicking here</a>. The description of the book, courtesy of Amazon:<br />
<blockquote class="quote">
It is the turn of the century and, having survived the struggle with Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls, Professor James Moriarty is alive and well and about to realize his plans to establish crime syndicates in the major cities of the United States. But suddenly he is called back to London, where his vast criminal society has been overrun by a rival concern led by the shadowy Sir Jordan Jack Idell—or Idle Jack—a supposed gentleman hoodlum acting on behalf of criminal elements in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany.<br />
As Moriarty fights back—against both the unruly crime families and the forces of law and order—readers are thrown in among the lurkers, punishers, dippers, cracksmen, and the professor's elite guard.<br />
Moriarty lives again and revolts against those who attempt to oust him from his rightful place as king of “Napoleon of Crime.”</blockquote>
While you won't be able to get a signed copy, you might want to act early on this, as it's likely to capture a lot of attention and fly off the shelves early. This is yet another piece in what I like to think is a Sherlockian Renaissance that's about to begin.<br />
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Moriarty, John Gardiner's Last Book, Is Available

Moriarty, John Gardiner's Last Book, Is Available

"I can tell a Moriarty when I see one" [VALL] You may recall the death of author John Gardner, BSI ("Moriarty") in...

Two New Sherlock Holmes Films

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"the colossal schemes of Baron" [REIG]</h4>
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While it's encouraging to know that Sherlock Holmes is being considered for cinematic outings from time to time - the last big screen flourishes having occurred with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AUHPC?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000AUHPC" rel="nofollow"><i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000AUHPC" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00015HVN8?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00015HVN8" rel="nofollow"><i>Without a Clue</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00015HVN8" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> - the latest round of Hollywood rumors leaves a little to be desired.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sherlock Holmes Reinvented</span></h4>
<a href="http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/robert-downey-jr-a-swashbuckling-sherlock-holmes.php">The first announcement</a> occurred a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that none other than Warner Bros. were interested in backing a film by Madonna's soon-to-be-ex Guy Ritchie. In this gritty, action-based dramatization, we'll see a "reinvention" of the character as Ritchie rewrites an upcoming comic book by Lionel Wigram. According to the article, the focus will be on adventure, with Holmes's skills as a boxer and swordsman being highlighted. Rumor has it that Robert Downey, Jr. will take the lead.<br />
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If you ask us, the stories already have a good deal of adventure to them, and Holmes is already imbued with superhero-like powers that he doesn't need to be rewritten or sexed-up for the big screen. When will screenwriters and directors realize that they've got the makings of the perfect hero the way the character was written?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">"Frankly Hilarious"?</span></h4>
The latest ugly rumor is that none other than Sacha Baron Cohen - yes, that's right, Borat - will team up with Will Ferrell to <a href="http://www.dailystab.com/will-farrell-and-sacha-baron-cohen-take-on-sherlock-holmes/">play Holmes and Watson in a comedy</a>. How they'll manage to work the potty humor for which they're known into a treatment about the detective and his colleague is a mystery to me. One of the producers is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0031976/">Judd Apatow</a>, who's been responsible for recent comedies such as <i>Walk Hard</i>, <i>Knocked Up</i>, <i>Talledega Nights</i>, and <i>The 40 Year-Old Virgin</i> (all titles meant to inspire confidence in his comedic judgment, we suppose).<br />
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But according to the co-president of Columbia Pictures, "Sacha and Will are two of the funniest and most talented guys on the planet, and having them take on these two iconic characters is frankly hilarious."<br />
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At least they're sticking to the right genre.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Has It Come to This?</span></h4>
We're not trying to be spoilsports here - publicity for the great detective is important as we try to keep his name in the spotlight - but think of the children! In these days when books are getting less attention and kids get more information through video games, the Web, multimedia and text messaging, we need to be circumspect with the material we're presenting to them.<br />
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What will coming generations think if they're introduced to Holmes and Watson via recent questionable productions like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AOEMVY?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000AOEMVY" rel="nofollow"><i>Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000AOEMVY" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R349HK?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000R349HK" rel="nofollow">Sherlock Holmes and Baker Street Irregulars</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000R349HK" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>, or the above-mentioned projects? We can only hope that creative devotees will find a way to integrate more Canonically faithful movies.<br />
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Think of what the world would have been like if the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RPCJB6?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000RPCJB6" rel="nofollow">Granada Television series with Jeremy Brett</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000RPCJB6" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> hadn't come along in the early 1980s. We would have been relegated to memories of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000A5L2D?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000A5L2D">John Cleese in <i>The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It</i></a><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000A5L2D" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i> and Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LLLLLU?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000LLLLLU">The Hound Of The Baskervilles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000LLLLLU" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>. We shudder at the thought.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">What do you think? Chime in with a comment below.</span><br />
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P.S. In case you're wondering, this is no joke, unlike our successful hoodwinking of many outlets with <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/04/is-long-row-veil_1.html#.VbEE2_lViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an April Fool's Day prank</a>.<br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>Image credit: <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Borat_Sacha_Baron_Cohen.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></i><br />
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--<br />
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Two New Sherlock Holmes Films

Two New Sherlock Holmes Films

"the colossal schemes of Baron" [REIG] While it's encouraging to know that Sherlock Holmes is being considered for cinem...

Remembering Bruce Montgomery, BSI

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"a remarkably rich tenor voice" [VALL]</h4>
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It came as a great surprise and shock to to receive notice of the passing of Bruce Montgomery, BSI ("The Red Circle") on Saturday, June 21. He was, for many years, the voice and spirit of the Baker Street Irregulars annual dinner in New York, where he would invariably sing the BSI's unofficial anthem, "Aunt Clara."<br />
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Monty, as he was known by all (a name we both shared) picked up where his father, James Montgomery, BSI ("The Red Circle") left off. The elder Montgomery was also a gifted tenor and provided musical entertainment during the BSI's early years. He passed away very suddenly and very prematurely in 1955, as his Christmas Annual was being printed. As a side note, I actually own a copy of that annual, with a note from Jim's wife:<br />
<blockquote>
"My husband died very suddenly on November 9th. It was his expressed wish, however, that I should get out this little booklet in the envelopes which he had already addressed."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
Constance P. Montgomery<br />
Christmas, 1955</div>
</blockquote>
Like his father before him, Monty was a victim of heart failure - which is ironic, because he had a big heart that was dedicated to bringing joy to all around him. A more upbeat and friendly man I have yet to meet. He brought his special variety of joy in a variety of settings, from the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club (which he brought to a BSI dinner one year), to the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia, to the artwork he took up upon his retirement.<br />
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An example of his artwork, which for a time could be ordered as notecards, reminds us of one of the illustrations from "The Lion's Mane":<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwdmWHlZQSRwef3qI8t1ZVZWyfIMOzacG-ML7oJBKlNMMp_n4KOaxICAifThQCZz4nlf6FDQoFHAovI7jq4YrBwCN_RTqV1som39kFM4uXEF0h9uhDUO-1L1yQcXieEyXqB1MyGflmDiJ/s1600/Watercolors-Bass-Harbor-Sentinel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwdmWHlZQSRwef3qI8t1ZVZWyfIMOzacG-ML7oJBKlNMMp_n4KOaxICAifThQCZz4nlf6FDQoFHAovI7jq4YrBwCN_RTqV1som39kFM4uXEF0h9uhDUO-1L1yQcXieEyXqB1MyGflmDiJ/s1600/Watercolors-Bass-Harbor-Sentinel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thankfully, Monty's contributions will not be forgotten. His artwork lives on and the <a href="http://www.brucemontgomery.org/" target="_blank">Bruce Montgomery Foundation for the Arts</a> has been established in his memory.<br />
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And of course his voice will live on in the BSI's archives - which will now include digital media. And you can hear Bruce give <a href="http://www.spreaker.com/user/ihearofsherlock/bruce-montgomery-at-the-2008-bsi-dinner" target="_blank">his last BSI performance</a>, recorded at the BSI dinner in New York City on January 11, 2008.<br />
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We were honored to stand in his presence on a number of occasions and share the microphone with him. While our singing voice is fairly good, it paled in comparison to the consummate professional who stood beside me. Good night, Monty. You'll be terribly missed.<br />
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You can read <a href="http://www.obitsforlife.com/obituary/413388/Montgomery-Bruce.php" target="_blank">his obituary here</a>.<br />
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Do you have your own memories of Bruce Montgomery? Please share them as a comment below.<br />
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</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">--</span><br />
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</span></div>

Remembering Bruce Montgomery, BSI

Remembering Bruce Montgomery, BSI

"a remarkably rich tenor voice" [VALL] It came as a great surprise and shock to to receive notice of the passing of Bruce ...

"In a Flash We Caught a Glimpse" [RETI]

I recently shared a short video with you that described social media. As you may know, the essence behind social media is sharing information - text, audio, video, photos, etc.<br /><br />I just found an interesting application that allows me to share a stream of mentions of anything on <a href="http://twitter.com/S_Holmes">Twitter</a> with a background of Flickr photos. I've set it to stream mentions of "Sherlock" while backed with images tagged with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Sherlockian&w=all&m=tags&sourceid=firefox">Sherlockian</a>. See what people are saying and what images show up:<br /><br /><center><object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-4445535100" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="400" id="twitterfountain" width="400"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="movie" value="http://www.twitterfountain.nl/twitterfountain.swf?fv_event=Sherlock&fv_flickr=Sherlockian&fv_kleur=FFFF0"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="scale" value="noscale"><param name="salign" value="lt"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFF0"><embed src="http://www.twitterfountain.nl/twitterfountain.swf?fv_event=Sherlock&fv_flickr=Sherlockian&fv_kleur=FFFF0" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="lt" bgcolor="#DC1689" name="twitterfountain" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" width="400" height="400"></embed></object></center><br /><br />This is also a good time to remind you: if you take photos at any Sherlockian events, please consider uploading them to Flickr and tagging them with "Sherlockian," to share them with other like-minded individuals. You might find that you'll connect with some interesting people that way.

"In a Flash We Caught a Glimpse" [RETI]

"In a Flash We Caught a Glimpse" [RETI]

I recently shared a short video with you that described social media. As you may know, the essence behind social media is sharing informatio...

"Nearly Passed Over a Little Ford" [LAST]

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEIyoDNFUPEDoPIYTo2YuD9l84AdKA23IvzyvgQeJygz5I9beMn2a4fHrA2y6k30rbyS-Kes7MbvTJpPv6pqVGX6iP-lhFP-RDAzTlAXGMRBji-YkSWPQsFmpEEL9Mop30HPB-rl8RVbg/s1600-h/ford-model-t.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205182839764648978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEIyoDNFUPEDoPIYTo2YuD9l84AdKA23IvzyvgQeJygz5I9beMn2a4fHrA2y6k30rbyS-Kes7MbvTJpPv6pqVGX6iP-lhFP-RDAzTlAXGMRBji-YkSWPQsFmpEEL9Mop30HPB-rl8RVbg/s200/ford-model-t.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>One of the reasons you've been hearing less from me in these parts is that my professional life has been keeping me very busy. For the last year or so, I've been working for a small start-up that specializes in social media - all of the fancy schmancy stuff you see here, like social networks, podcasts, blogs, etc. Think of it as new technology that makes communicating easier.<br /><br />After some very long and difficult days this year, I was feeling burned out. As fate would have it, I was approached by one of the most storied brands in America - and quite possibly the world. <a href="http://www.ford.com/">Ford Motor Company</a> asked me to become the head of social media in their Global Communications department.<br /><br />As you may know, there are some Sherlockian connections to Ford. There's the reference in the headline above, from "His Last Bow," where Von Bork's secretary is leaving the seaside cottage:<br /><blockquote>"The secretary lay back in the cushions of the luxurious limousine, with his thoughts so full of the impending European tragedy that he hardly observed that as his car swung round the village street it nearly passed over a little <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ford</span> coming in the opposite direction."<br /></blockquote>And if you've been to a society meeting or two, you may have heard "<a href="http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiAUNTCLAR;ttAUNTCLAR.html">We Never Mention Aunt Clara</a>." If so, you'll recall that Aunt Clara's sister drove in a second-hand Ford. Let's just say that the Ford I'll be driving will be anything but second-hand.<br /><br />Moving to Michigan is going to be an adventure, but I won't be leaving my Sherlockian pursuits behind. I know I'll be in good hands with the likes of the <a href="http://www.amateurmendicant.blogspot.com/">Amateur Mendicant Society</a> and the blog and podcast will continue.<br /><br />And if you'd like a quick run-through of what social media is all about, take a look at this:<br /><center><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MpIOClX1jPE&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MpIOClX1jPE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></center><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo courtesy of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdunn/391930663/">Andrew Dunn</a>

"Nearly Passed Over a Little Ford" [LAST]

"Nearly Passed Over a Little Ford" [LAST]

One of the reasons you've been hearing less from me in these parts is that my professional life has been keeping me very busy. For the l...

The Annotated Dracula is Available for Pre-order

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"vampires in Transylvania" [SUSS]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamCQsYPJItwkMx5TvjHdU2TYYFuMEJMvM3DJu9yLzQ02EVrro5dB0GtGpeXceRIcVZVNIA-BC0RnHczhHX8Mzc_kwZMIk4N1F3uq00dzHbxeP0tnaIKsI-FL9a-qzbye32f9wbWqiURxK/s1600/IHOSE47.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamCQsYPJItwkMx5TvjHdU2TYYFuMEJMvM3DJu9yLzQ02EVrro5dB0GtGpeXceRIcVZVNIA-BC0RnHczhHX8Mzc_kwZMIk4N1F3uq00dzHbxeP0tnaIKsI-FL9a-qzbye32f9wbWqiURxK/s1600/IHOSE47.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of the most intriguing of the later Sherlock Holmes stories - those from the collections known as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1853260703/105-4993020-3918022?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1853260703"><i>His Last Bow</i></a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1853260703/105-4993020-3918022?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1853260703"><i>The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes</i></a> - has to be "The Sussex Vampire." The title alone arouses interest and imagination of a morbid gothic scene.<br />
<br />
Certainly vampires have been right up there in popularity with Sherlock Holmes, with plenty of movies, novels and popular culture that center on Dracula and the like. And when you consider that Bram Stoker was an acquaintance of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and that his novel was released in the spring of 1897 - in the midst of Doyle's hiatus from writing the Holmes stories - it fits right in with the time and place of our hero.<br />
<br />
If you have even the most passing interest in Dracula, then you'll be happy know know this news: Leslie Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange") - probably most well-known for his three-volume series <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393059162/105-4993020-3918022?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0393059162" style="font-weight: bold;"><i>The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes</i></a> (which if you don't own, you should; just click the link) - just announced that his latest opus, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393064506/105-4993020-3918022?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0393064506" style="font-weight: bold;"><i>The Annotated Dracula</i></a>, is now available for preorder on Amazon.<br />
<br />
If you're familiar with Les's fine and thorough work in NASH, you'll know what to expect from his new book. Personally, I don't know enough about Dracula or vampires - just the usual stake-in-the-heart and garlic stuff - so this will be an interesting volume to peruse.<br />
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Related posts:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/10/episode-47-re-vampires.html#.VPknwPnF8Xc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 47: Re: Vampires</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />

The Annotated Dracula is Available for Pre-order

The Annotated Dracula is Available for Pre-order

"vampires in Transylvania" [SUSS] One of the most intriguing of the later Sherlock Holmes stories - those from the collection...

"Took Out His Manuscript" [MUSG]

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_p3O53-a_TDZAloZhzd5oro64WP2lMhSXhwk6jXCrGFfbJ2iNMOpK89MzA1OtOLMQuihlXj91n_Dck8olE7vXL0MH1t4eaXwOxuU13ilt7xeqmtFR51HOo3CbtUwJG7pbdFXEvcZbCNk9/s1600-h/lady-02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208994834352718914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_p3O53-a_TDZAloZhzd5oro64WP2lMhSXhwk6jXCrGFfbJ2iNMOpK89MzA1OtOLMQuihlXj91n_Dck8olE7vXL0MH1t4eaXwOxuU13ilt7xeqmtFR51HOo3CbtUwJG7pbdFXEvcZbCNk9/s200/lady-02.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>Every once in a while, there's an item that puts Sherlockian collectors into a fervor. Whether or not the item is within everyone's reach, it creates an aura of excitement and anticipation, wondering what the market will bear. And it almost certainly ends in a battle at the auction house (maybe not as physically violent as the image on the left, but definitely an emotional one).<br /><br />The most recent item to undergo such scrutiny was an original 1887 <span style="font-style: italic;">Beeton's Christmas Annual</span> - famous for <span style="font-style: italic;">A Study in Scarlet</span>, the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes in print. A copy was found in a pile of books at an Oxfam shop in the U.K. and subsequently was put up for auction, eventually bringing in £18,600 (approx. US$36,500). You can read about <a href="http://members.aol.com/shbest/ref/bonhams-2008-beetons.htm">the entire backstory as well as the auction results here</a>.<br /><br />Now it seems that there's an original manuscript of one of the Holmes stories up for sale. The 28-page manuscript for "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax" is expected to bring nearly £250,000 when it goes under the hammer, according to <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4076103.ece?Submitted=true">an article in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Times</span></a>.<br /><br />I'm not so certain. The comparable sale they reference is the manuscript for <span style="font-style: italic;">The Sign of Four</span>, which sold for  $470,000 (£243,000) at Sotheby's in New York in 1996. I would think that the novels - remember there are only four, and the MSS of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hound of the Baskervilles</span> was divided up for publicity purposes when the book went on sale - would command a higher premium than any of the 56 short stories. Then again, when collectors have a shot at a true rarity, sanity often times is checked at the door.<br /><br />For more information about original Doyle manuscripts - Sherlock Holmes-related and otherwise -  the definitive resource is <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://members.aol.com/shbest/ref/rfms.htm">Randall Stock's web site</a>. There's a wealth of information available there.

"Took Out His Manuscript" [MUSG]

"Took Out His Manuscript" [MUSG]

Every once in a while, there's an item that puts Sherlockian collectors into a fervor. Whether or not the item is within everyone's ...

"Like a Little Empty Attic" [STUD]

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeYcnN3jb35q0hvIbWJ1QEjLDhHyMMNkzSolR4Qz0UU7V7sgnqC0Ck3kmzqszoidKPX1hbc4CDOdbq2N80BFuog9DnOmPVrb_XwsxViqhEE78rzAD4A3lB7qGop0sbhgZp7Xb_8ZILRsf/s1600-h/card-01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205480811710743602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeYcnN3jb35q0hvIbWJ1QEjLDhHyMMNkzSolR4Qz0UU7V7sgnqC0Ck3kmzqszoidKPX1hbc4CDOdbq2N80BFuog9DnOmPVrb_XwsxViqhEE78rzAD4A3lB7qGop0sbhgZp7Xb_8ZILRsf/s200/card-01.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>In A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes opined that he had no room for useless knowledge (in that particular case, it was the fact that the Earth revolves around the Sun). He remarked to Watson:<br /><blockquote>"You appear to be astonished," he said, smiling at my expression of surprise. "Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it."<br /><br />"To forget it!"<br /><br />"You see," he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it...It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones."</blockquote>We're all familiar with information overload (especially these days), but I wonder if this was the hubris of a younger Holmes speaking. Recent research shows that the older brain can actually process information much better than previously thought, and is better at filtering out distractions than a younger brain.<br /><br />From a recent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/health/research/20brai.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=science&pagewanted=print">New York Times article</a>:<br /><blockquote>Such tendencies can yield big advantages in the real world, where it is not always clear what information is important, or will become important. A seemingly irrelevant point or suggestion in a memo can take on new meaning if the original plan changes...<br />"A broad <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/mental-status-tests/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Mental status tests.">attention span</a> may enable older adults to ultimately know more about a situation and the indirect message of what’s going on than their younger peers," Dr. Hasher said. "We believe that this characteristic may play a significant role in why we think of older people as wiser."</blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">What do you think? Does this match with your experience? Does Holmes's claim seem like juvenile boasting to his easily-astonished new friend? Would the older Holmes agree?</span>

"Like a Little Empty Attic" [STUD]

"Like a Little Empty Attic" [STUD]

In A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes opined that he had no room for useless knowledge (in that particular case, it was the fact that the E...

"We Shall Know a Good Deal" [SUSS]

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BPsDJ9M83OQGEUL7OUm69ciGv3KqgcWSK_xGh_-MrQPoa_GiLNlVu0vA7gfLIDQICobcCyEmWLc6xpTtpl9uzWowgGxxC5jXxWtu2qwuWeX2TQDKYgtDXbOdSVdhg_OQlrJp_Y1rc7Rw/s1600-h/Picture+2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205305053059056674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BPsDJ9M83OQGEUL7OUm69ciGv3KqgcWSK_xGh_-MrQPoa_GiLNlVu0vA7gfLIDQICobcCyEmWLc6xpTtpl9uzWowgGxxC5jXxWtu2qwuWeX2TQDKYgtDXbOdSVdhg_OQlrJp_Y1rc7Rw/s200/Picture+2.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>One of the benefits of the volunteer work that I do with the <a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/">Baker Street Journal</a> (yes, the BSJ is primarily a volunteer-led enterprise; only our printing and distribution are handled by a professional firm) is that I get to interact with customers. What it means is that I correspond with hundreds of people via email throughout the year and that I get to greet nearly everyone who enters the vendors' room during the <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/">BSI Weekend</a>.<br /><br />Occasionally I have to break bad news to people - that a shipment is delayed or that we've sold out of an item. And while I don't like disappointing anyone, I do like the little surprises that come with the territory. And have I got one such surprise for you.<br /><br />The Baker Street Irregulars have become a publishing powerhouse in recent years. The Journal is and will continue to be the mainstay, but when you think about the other complementary publications that have some along, it's pretty impressive:<br /><ul><li>Five volumes in our <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/bsihistoryseries.html">History Series</a><br /></li><li>Five volumes in the <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/bsimanuscriptseries.html">Manuscript Series</a><br /></li><li>Two volumes in the <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/bsiinternationalseries.html">International Series</a><br /></li><li>An <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/murderland.html">expedition publication</a> (with another to follow)</li><li>A <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/thequarteringpress.html">joint imprint</a> with the Sherlock Holmes Society of London<br /></li><li>10 years worth of <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/christmasannuals.html">Christmas Annuals</a></li></ul>And we've sold out of two of our hardcovers and 4 of our Christmas Annuals along the way. Not bad for a 300 member literary society!<br /><br />The good news is that I've opened new section of <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/">bakerstreetjournal.com</a> called <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/dealtable.html">Deal Table</a> where I offer specials on items from time to time. Items may include extra copies of items that were thought to have been sold out, or perhaps bundled titles that we need to move. Take a look for yourself from time to time to see what we've got. You might be able to "fill that gap on that second shelf."

"We Shall Know a Good Deal" [SUSS]

"We Shall Know a Good Deal" [SUSS]

One of the benefits of the volunteer work that I do with the Baker Street Journal (yes, the BSJ is primarily a volunteer-led enterprise; on...

"Put Into Plain Words" [HOUN]

When Burt Wolder and I started the podcast <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a></span> - the first Sherlockian podcast - nearly a year ago, we were immediately faced with one daunting problem: how to explain to people what a podcast is. We tried to do so - but we made a mistake by using the medium itself to explain what it is.<br /><br />Well, eighteen episodes and nearly a year later, I think I have the solution. The very creative team over at <a href="http://www.commoncraft.com/">CommonCraft</a> are in the business of providing explanatory videos. They've done a particularly remarkable job with their "plain English" series, which you may have seen if you clicked on the "RSS in Plain English" link over in the sidebar.<br /><br />Their newest video is <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://commoncraft.com/podcasting">Podcasting in Plain English</a></span>, which you can watch right here on the blog or by clicking on the link. Either way, this should help you to understand what we're doing over at <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a> and to hopefully subscribe to our free audio show.<br /><br /><center><object allowfullscreen="true" data="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fthecommoncraftshow%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F850856%3Freferrer%3Dblip%2Etv%26source%3D1&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Fscripts%2Fflash%2Fshowplayer%2Eswf" height="255" id="showplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fthecommoncraftshow%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F850856%3Freferrer%3Dblip%2Etv%26source%3D1&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Fscripts%2Fflash%2Fshowplayer%2Eswf"><param name="quality" value="best"><embed src="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fthecommoncraftshow%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F850856%3Freferrer%3Dblip%2Etv%26source%3D1&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Fscripts%2Fflash%2Fshowplayer%2Eswf" quality="best" name="showplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="255" width="400"></embed></object></center>

"Put Into Plain Words" [HOUN]

"Put Into Plain Words" [HOUN]

When Burt Wolder and I started the podcast I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere - the first Sherlockian podcast - nearly a year ago, we were immed...

Remembering Will Elder

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"to humour your guilty elder" [PRIO]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9UjZAr7MU47Kbvjvfq-a5MIoBOgZPhJWRxIz0uCdFdd0ZTx_udCjN9KAPbNuZBOYP4rsBV-qDHP6we5bOoRwOkegRvN2Xpti9KTpp_cAN7Q7Z6RMQE6vpHEUNv_h6ax_RhfXRlL4l1IX/s1600/Will+Elder+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Will Elder Sherlock Holmes" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9UjZAr7MU47Kbvjvfq-a5MIoBOgZPhJWRxIz0uCdFdd0ZTx_udCjN9KAPbNuZBOYP4rsBV-qDHP6we5bOoRwOkegRvN2Xpti9KTpp_cAN7Q7Z6RMQE6vpHEUNv_h6ax_RhfXRlL4l1IX/s1600/Will+Elder+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" title="Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson by Will Elder" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Our updates have been sporadic at best lately (thanks to a demanding job) and the posts we've been able to write have been morbidly focused. Well, today we regret that we have to continue in that vein, but at least it's not announcing the death of another Irregular.<br />
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Fans of the audio portion of <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a> will know that there are a number of artists who have done their fair share of Sherlockian illustrations. This was made the most clear in <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/12/episode-16-collectors-corner-jerry.html">our interview with Jerry Margolin</a> ("Hilton Cubitt"), who has made a serious hobby out of collecting original Sherlockian art. The artwork above is from Jerry's collection.<br />
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As you listen to the interview, you'll hear that one of Jerry's heroes was <a href="http://www.willelder.net/" target="_blank">Will Elder</a>, one of the original MAD Magazine artists and the creator of Little Annie Fanny for Playboy. We us the past tense - "was" - because Will Elder passed away late last week. You can read a full profile of him on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Elder" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>. In the meantime, enjoy the Sherlockian images here by Elder.<br />
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<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/AVvXsEghnWyk1SKVEqynKRu3YKDgqruyqVdvqx75eJ9vnTu4Bg72Km__U1asNzPYka2QDIkFD4RZ0-oaxkgUXGgWIhhLCZat2mfIFCWhM9ExwOubqoG6_Li8m9-pZh6R_PcRIH2ixCaUWiApR4EK/s1600/Watson+Annie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnWyk1SKVEqynKRu3YKDgqruyqVdvqx75eJ9vnTu4Bg72Km__U1asNzPYka2QDIkFD4RZ0-oaxkgUXGgWIhhLCZat2mfIFCWhM9ExwOubqoG6_Li8m9-pZh6R_PcRIH2ixCaUWiApR4EK/s1600/Watson+Annie.jpg" width="372" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"By Jove, Holmes - what a remarkable disguise!"</td></tr>
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Remembering Will Elder

Remembering Will Elder

"to humour your guilty elder" [PRIO] Our updates have been sporadic at best lately (thanks to a demanding job) and the post...

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