I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

The Curse of Doone — The Sincerest form of Flattery?

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<b>"A fraudulent imitation, Watson." [RESI]</b></div>
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I have just been reading a thrilling novel set on Dartmoor, about mysterious doings in a lonely house with only candles and lamps to illuminate it, a house where the butler and his weeping wife are secretly providing food to a criminal on the run who happens to be a family member, a house that is the subject of many local legends about a monster, a curse.</div>
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<br />And it isn't <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>.<br /><br />It's <i><a href="https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?kn=The+Curse+of+Doone&sts=t" target="_blank">The Curse of Doone</a></i>, by Sydney Horler, one of four novels he wrote in 1928 (and more than 150 that he churned out over a career of more than 30 years). I stumbled onto it by chance at a used-book sale a while back, and I would have guessed that it was utterly forgotten 90 years after its publication, but in fact it has two reviews on Goodreads, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17236490-the-curse-of-doone" target="_blank">one of which warns</a> that it's "a more laid back mystery with slower pacing than you may be used to."<br /><br />Well, that's as may be. I'd say in fact that it is implausibly full of incident: fistfights, kidnappings, attacks by a vampire bat (which of course turns out to be bogus), car crashes, druggings, hypnotizings, disguises, break-ins, heart attacks, and cameo appearances by dullish police officers. There is also, as one might expect, a love affair, in which the heroic hero falls for the feminine female, kissing her only after she turns out to be the rightful owner of a golden treasure trove found in a deserted attic.<br /><br />If it seems that the treasure business is reminiscent of <i>The Sign of the Four</i>, and the bat of "The Sussex Vampire," while pretty much everything else in the book suggests <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>, that's only because I don't have the space to enumerate the book's other features, including the secret invention which will, rather like the Bruce-Partington submarine, render future warfare impossible within its operating radius. No wonder, then, that the German spies are frantic to gain possession of it (see also "His Last Bow"). It would be an understatement to say that the book was clearly heavily influenced by the tales of Sherlock Holmes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sydney Horler</td></tr>
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<br /><i>The Curse of Doone</i>, and I suspect most of Horler's other books, are firmly in a genre that is probably best known now for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulldog_Drummond" target="_blank">Bulldog Drummond</a> books by "Sapper." The central figures are upper-class young men who are rather at loose ends following their life-changing experiences in the First World War, and who join the secret service as Ian Heath does here, or dabble in espionage, or solve crimes that just happen to come their way. They are strikingly clean-cut and clean-living, they have no use for Germans (or, probably, Jews), they can find their way across country in pitch darkness, and their only vulnerability is to petite blonde girls in distress. One may see some of these traits, though not all of them, in the exploits of Dorothy Sayers' <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Peter_Wimsey" target="_blank">Lord Peter Wimsey</a>, who is widely thought to have similarities to Sherlock Holmes a generation earlier.<br /></div>
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Arthur Conan Doyle famously wrote fast — knocking off <i>The Hound</i> in a couple of months in 1901 — and is known for inconsistencies and plot holes, from Watson's wound to the impossible dates in "The Red-Headed League." One likes to think, however, that he would not have his heroine bound hand and foot at a climactic moment (like Beryl Stapleton) and nevertheless allow her to "stretch out her hands" to her tormentor, as Horler does. The best way to read this kind of material is fast — very fast. </div>
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"Slower pace," my eye.</div>
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The Curse of Doone — The Sincerest form of Flattery?

"A fraudulent imitation, Watson." [RESI] I have just been reading a thrilling novel set on Dartmoor, about mysterious doi...

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by Chris Redmond

Baker Street Elementary — Happy 100th

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<b>"one of a hundred" [GLOR]</b></h4>
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Today is a banner day for our friends behind <b>Baker Street Elementary</b>. This marks their 100th strip since beginning the project two years ago.<br />
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To celebrate the occasion, along with posting the 100th strip, we have a brief history from Joe Fay and Steve Mason, two of the creators of Baker Street Elementary.<br />
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Three Sheets to Baker Street and Straight on 'Til Morning</h3>
<i>by Joe Fay and Steve Mason</i><br />
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Deep into the night, on a Thursday morning about 4:00 a.m., during the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend 2014, the grade school world of Holmes and Watson came to life inside a cramped room at the Roosevelt Hotel. Joe was slightly inebriated. OK, he was feeling no pain. He had just thrown down about a dozen pints at O’Lunney’s with Don Hobbs and that crew. Steve was impressed Joe was still functioning and alert. For those who’ve been there, we salute you.<br />
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And we had just inhaled two outsized slices of corner-shop pizza (open 24 hours). We were rooming together because New York City is expensive for two regular ol' Texas boys.<br />
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Joe had been thinking about a certain concept for a while. He knew Holmes and Watson could present well as a three-panel comic strip arranged basically like this: intro / punchline / smartass remark. Joe had played around on Strip Creator for years, and had much more fun with creating comic strips than he ever thought possible before.<br />
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Joe had also always wanted to explore the lives of Holmes and Watson as kids. Growing up, both of us had an unusual attachment to <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i>. The idea of the boy-genius-becomes-eccentric-genius-detective was always intriguing. He also knew the bully had to be Moriarty. And Mrs. Hudson to be the lunch lady.<br />
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But Joe was stuck. That’s really all he had. “I wanted to start a simple comic strip with Holmes and Watson in elementary school.Elementary school,” I thought. “Holmes, Watson, ELEMENTARY school! It was just too good to be true, right?”<br />
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So Joe gave the idea a moniker: <b>Elementary Elementary</b>.<br />
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“I thought it was clever at the time. But it turned out to be one of those titles that seemed like a good idea at the time, and ultimately just wasn’t.”<br />
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But as far as we knew, and still know, there hadn’t been a comic strip to explore the Deductive Duo in grade school (and if we’re wrong,we expect to hear about it any minute now).<br />
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Joe decided to bring the idea up to Steve that night while we lay in separate beds (just thought that should be clarified, not that there is anything wrong…) And as soon as the words were out of Joe’s mouth, Steve, jumped on the idea like Holmes on a coke vial. Steve suggested characters, scenarios, compositions, and so on. Lestrade and Gregson would be the hall monitors. Irene would be the red-headed girl on the playground with whom the great boy detective was smitten, Conan Doyle would be included, and of course, Stamford would be the loveable character that never quite gets it straight. And so on.<br />
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Steve suggested “It’s Elementary, Sherlock,” as a working title, but once Joe came up with “Baker Street Elementary,” we both agreed that was the perfect title.<br />
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We quickly realized neither of us could draw, though. And drawing is kind of important for a comic strip.<br />
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“Not to fear,” Steve said, “I have a son for that.” His name is Rusty. And Rusty Mason became the artist, and now creative partner in the strip.<br />
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We all decided against detailed backgrounds and long narratives. Instead, we would focus on the dialogue and expressions of the characters, following the example set by the great <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schulz" target="_blank">Charles Schultz</a>.<br />
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So we volleyed ideas back and forth (almost all of the strips would be set at an outdoor stone wall overlooking the playground, or in the classroom), until we both passed out that night, and Baker Street Elementary was born. Now, we’re 100 installments into the game,with Rusty doing the illustrations, and all of us writing the scripts.<br />
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So many good ideas come to lubricated Sherlockians during BSI Weekend. Thank goodness that Joe had the wonderful original idea, that Steve is a teetotaler, that Joe mentioned the little idea to Steve, and that Baker Street Elementary made it home.</div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Baker Street Elementary</i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at </span><a href="http://www.bakerstreetelementary.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #006f85; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">www.bakerstreetelementary.org</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">.</span></div>
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Baker Street Elementary — Happy 100th

"one of a hundred" [GLOR] Today is a banner day for our friends behind Baker Street Elementary . This marks their 100th str...

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by Scott Monty

Review — An Improbable Truth: The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

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"It seems most improbable" [BRUC] </h4>
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Holmes and the paranormal may at first seem a bridge too far. The rational detective always found a solution to his mysteries grounded in the real world, and as he famously stated in "The Sussex Vampire" when faced with a possible case of vampirism, "No ghosts need apply."<br />
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Yet below the surface of some of Doyle's work, one can see some cases with not so logical conclusions. Take, for example, these unfinished tales mentioned in "The Problem of Thor Bridge":<br />
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"Among these unfinished tales is that of Mr. James Phillimore, who, stepping back into his own house to get his umbrella, was never more seen in this world. No less remarkable is that of the cutter Alicia, which sailed one spring morning into a small patch of mist from where she never again emerged, nor was anything further ever heard of herself and her crew. A third case worthy of note is that of Isadora Persano, the well-known journalist and duellist, who was found stark staring mad with a match box in front of him which contained a remarkable worm said to be unknown to science." </blockquote>
Men and women disappearing into thin air may have some logical explanation...or not. And a worm which drives people insane seems to come straight from science fiction.<br />
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I mention the above to give credit to A.C. Thompson, the editor of  <a href="http://mochamemoirspress.com/spookylock/" target="_blank"><i>An Improbable Truth: The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i></a> for finding an excellent balance of paranormal stories which range from those with logical conclusions to those with monsters from other worlds, and most which fall somewhere in the middle. Take for example Lucy Blue's "The Fairy Pool," a story in which a girl goes missing in the Lake District. What starts out as a straightforward case delves into the realm of magic, or does it? This author does an excellent job keeping the reader guessing.<br />
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Then there is "Sherlock Holmes and the Hungry Ghost," written by the wonderfully talented young Sherlock Holmes author Katie Magnusson. Ms. Magnusson, even when she delves into Holmes cyberpunk, always stays close to the Canon in her approach to Holmes. This tale is the most traditional story in the collection, and I believe strict canonical Holmesians will find it to be the best.<br />
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The story I personally found to be the best in the collection was "The Arendall Horror," by Thomas Olbert. This story involves a young Miss Corbett who seeks Holmes help in fending off a demonic attacker. The story grows in its complexity, and by the end I found it to be downright terrifying. This story does the best job of balancing the traditional Holmes mysteries with the horrors of paranormal monstrosities. Both Doyle and H.P. Lovecraft would be proud.<br />
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Other standout stories in the collection include the humorous "The Diamond Carter Ghost" by Matthew Wilson. In this story Holmes uses his boxing skills to take on an opponent with supernatural powers. In "The Canaries of Clee Hill Mines" by Robert Perret, Holmes and Watson investigate the disappearance of three men. Holmes believes it will be fun to identify an underground murderer, but the case does not develop in the way he predicts. Finally, we cannot have a paranormal collection today without having at least one story involving zombies, and we get tat from Trenton Mabey's "The Case of the Rising Dead."<br />
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Overall, this is a fun and exciting collection of stories perfect for the Halloween season. I do have to add one disclaimer. The editor does start her introduction by stating "I am NOT a devout Sherlockian." Beyond the fact that this book involves the paranormal, it also has many stories in which Watson calls Holmes "Sherlock" and Holmes calls Watson "John." For some purists, that will be hard to swallow. If you are open to different takes on the Holmes and Watson relationship and certainly, if you are a fan of the BBC Sherlock series, you should be able to see past the disclaimer and enjoy these stories. Just make sure you don't read them in the dark!<br />
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<b><i>An Improbable Truth: The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i></b> is available from <a href="http://mochamemoirspress.com/spookylock/" target="_blank">Mocha Memoir Press</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Improbable-Truth-Paranormal-Adventures-Sherlock/dp/0984004262" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "times new roman";">Derrick Belanger is the author of the #1 bestselling book in its category <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1519511957" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-asin="1519511957" data-amzn-link-id="9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Adventure-Peculiar-Provenance/dp/1519511957/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3292728" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance</a><span style="border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-width: initial;"><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3292728" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&_cb=1451973203084" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" /></span>, which was in the top 200 bestselling books on Amazon. He also is the author of the MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes books, the latest of which is <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B017862MVS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-asin="B017862MVS" data-amzn-link-id="5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur" href="http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Dinosaur-MacDougall-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B017862MVS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7842789" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur</a><span style="border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-width: initial;"><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7842789" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&_cb=1451973247482" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" /></span>, and he edited the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle horror anthology <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00P4E8AVI" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-asin="B00P4E8AVI" data-amzn-link-id="a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural" href="http://www.amazon.com/Study-Terror-Revolutionary-Stories-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B00P4E8AVI/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5010397" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural</a><span style="border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-width: initial;"><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5010397" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&_cb=1451973259426" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" /></span>. Mr. Belanger has recently started the publishing company <a href="http://www.belangerbooks.com/" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Belanger Books</a> which released the Sherlock Holmes anthology <a data-amzn-asin="1533202273" href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Watson-Sherlock-Anthology-Stories/dp/1533202273/" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Beyond Watson</a>. He resides in Colorado and continues compiling unpublished works by Dr. John H. Watson.</i><br />
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Review — An Improbable Truth: The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

"It seems most improbable" [BRUC] Holmes and the paranormal may at first seem a bridge too far. The rational detective alway...

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by Belanger Books

Smart Women Don't Have To Be Evil

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<b>"</b>She was as good as she was beautiful, and as intelligent as she was good.<b>" [MISS]</b> </h4>
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One of the things I love most about BBC's <i>Sherlock</i> is Benedict Cumberbatch. Sorry, I meant, Benedict Cumberbatch. Darn it all. I need to fix this auto-correct. Let me start again.<br />
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One of the things I love most about BBC's <i>Sherlock </i>is that it has featured some of the most fascinating female characters I have seen on television. You have Mrs. Hudson, the matron of Baker Street, you have Mary, you have Molly, whom I featured <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2017/01/molly-hooper-and-romanticizing-of.html">in my last post</a>, Eurus, who came on the scene rather suddenly, and of course you have, well, <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose41" target="_blank"><i>the</i> Woman</a>. There is a problem, though. The smarter the woman on <i>Sherlock</i>, the more likely it is that she has, at best, a checkered past. Maybe more like a crazy quilt past and a checkered present.<br />
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<b>"You see, but you do not observe." [SCAN]</b></h3>
Irene Adler is a fascinating female character because she uniquely combines femininity and sexuality with power. This is something many writers, of books and of visual drama, tend to avoid, because, well, that's just too much! Given her uniqueness, the writers could have framed Irene Adler to be a force for good, and it would not have weakened her character in the slightest. With the royal family and other top names at her beck and call, Irene Adler could have used her power to bring warring factions to a peace summit if she had wanted.<br />
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Instead, the writers made the Woman manipulative, weak, devious, and generally a sour character. While I suppose her infatuation with Sherlock is meant to show her complexity, the fact remains that she is one of the few characters in the show who is able to match wits with Sherlock, and she even beats him. Why must she come across as a villain rather than a hero?<br />
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The same sad truth applies to Eurus. The idea of a Holmes sibling even smarter than Sherlock and Mycroft was exciting, but it seems that in this world, the more brilliant a woman is, the more psychotic she must be. In fairness, Sherlock certainly represents a parallel between genius and psychosis, but John is his foil, and as such is very smart but not as manipulative and devilish. Eurus is supposed to be the most brilliant character in the Sherlock universe, but she also proves to be the most disruptive and evil. The writers easily could have had her cast away in a convent instead of a top secret asylum. She could have used her mind control powers for good, or she could have separated herself from her brothers in the interest of being kinder to humanity.<br />
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Finally, there is Mary. While I would not say that she is a genius in the same way as the Woman, and certainly not in the same way as Eurus, she is another woman who can meet Sherlock where he is on his mental plane. She can also confidently call John and Sherlock on their crap. Yet when push comes to shove, even Mary proves to have a dark and shadowy past, complete with a fake identity and mad ninja skills. She is smart, powerful, clever, and more, but in the end she just proves to be another woman with personality issues.<br />
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<h3>
<b>"I never make exceptions. An exception disproves the rule." [SIGN]</b></h3>
In fact, there are two notable exceptions to this theme of smart women having no choice but to be evil. Molly Hooper must be smart since she works as a medical scientist, but she is presented as being slightly flighty, awkward, unsure of herself, and naive. This is as disappointing as the smart women who must be evil in order to show off their knowledge. It would be wonderful to see Molly rattle off some of her knowledge to shut up John or Sherlock. You get the feeling that she is brilliant, but for some reason the writers do not let her present that way.<br />
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The other exception is Mrs. Hudson, who seems likewise to be somewhat flighty and perhaps ignorant of her surroundings, yet she falls more into the miscreant category with her gangster husband and her sordid history. The car introduced at the end of the last series seemed unnecessary, and I am still not really sure what the writers were trying to prove or suggest with that scene. Does Mrs. Hudson need to be "racy" in order to be an interesting female character?<br />
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I would love for the writers of <i>Sherlock </i>to give us a female character who is smart, clever, maybe a little weird, but who is able to match John and Sherlock's wits without being a murderous lunatic. Is that so much to ask?<br />
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Smart Women Don't Have To Be Evil

" She was as good as she was beautiful, and as intelligent as she was good. " [MISS] One of the things I love most about BB...

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by Margie Clayman

Baker Street Elementary — An East Wind Coming

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<b>"a horrible, poisonous exhalation" [GREE]</b></h4>
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Sunday arrives, and with it, our bi-weekly installment of Baker Street Elementary. In this instance, we share a strip that is Rusty Mason's top pick. We're not sure what that says about Rusty, but we think you'll enjoy it nearly as much as he.</div>
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And here, in honor of your inner 12 year-old, is Baker Street Elementary.</div>
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No doubt inspired by <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As I entered, however, my fears were set at rest, for it was the acrid fumes... which took me by the throat and set me coughing.<br />   "Caught cold, Watson?" said he.<br />   "No, it's this poisonous atmosphere."<br />   "I suppose it is pretty thick, now that you mention it."<br />   "Thick! It is intolerable."<br />   "Open the window, then!</blockquote>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Baker Street Elementary</i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at </span><a href="http://www.bakerstreetelementary.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #006f85; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">www.bakerstreetelementary.org</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">.</span></div>
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Baker Street Elementary — An East Wind Coming

"a horrible, poisonous exhalation" [GREE] Sunday arrives, and with it, our bi-weekly installment of Baker Street Elementary...

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by Scott Monty

Stephen Fry Reads the Complete Sherlock Holmes Stories on Audible

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"There are numerous small fry, but few who would handle so big an affair" [BRUC] </h4>
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Stephen Fry is the new voice of the Sherlock Holmes stories.<br />
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Audible Studios, the parent company of Audible.com, contracted the actor, author and life-long Sherlock Holmes fan to read all 60 of the Sherlock Holmes stories in an audio format it is simply calling <b><i><a href="http://adbl.co/Holmes" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes</a></i></b>. The collection was released by Audible on March 1 and is available at <a href="http://adbl.co/Holmes">adbl.co/Holmes</a> See the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/audible/videos/10154228136765812/" target="_blank">trailer below</a>, from their Facebook page:<br />
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<b>“I really do owe Holmes everything"</b></h4>
As a portrayer of Jeeves in the inimitable <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098833/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Jeeves and Wooster</a></i> series from the early 1990s and of <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2011/07/much-larger-and-stouter-man-gree_18.html#.WLmRrvkrLb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mycroft Holmes</a> in <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1515091/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_41" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows</a>, </i>Fry has a keen understanding of the cerebral approach that these characters require. And he is clear that Conan Doyle's stories were an essential part of his own development as an author, screenwriter and storyteller:<br />
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“I think it was reading the Sherlock Holmes stories as a boy that first turned me on to the power of writing and storytelling. I felt myself inside the world of Baker Street, sitting alongside Holmes and Watson in their snug quarters, listening to a new case being told them by a new client. Now to be able to read those stories again, but this time out loud, is giving me more pleasure than ought to be allowed. A job of work really shouldn’t be so delightful.”</blockquote>
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In addition to the actual stories themselves, Fry has written and narrated eight insightful, intimate and deeply personal introductions to the story collections. In fact, the introduction to the <i>Memoirs</i> taps into the current craze of superheroes in popular culture:<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Heroes with remarkable gifts are as in vogue now as they have been since they first appeared, perhaps even more in vogue. But although the very first one was launched in serial published form just like his masked and body-suited successors, it was not in DC or Marvel comic books that he made his appearance, rather it was in the sedate and respectable pages of <i>Mrs Beeton’s Christmas Annual</i> in the mid-Victorian year 1887."</blockquote>
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"This caped crusader’s cape was made of finest British tweed. His magical gifts were not the ability to fly or X-ray vision – his superpower was that he had trained his mind into a uniquely powerful weapon which could solve mysteries, unmask the guilty and right wrongs."</blockquote>
Stephen Fry is no stranger to the Holmesian world, either. We chronicled <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2010/09/one-of-queerest-men-gree_27.html#.WLmRsPkrLb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">his many qualifications</a>, which included his support of the bequest of Richard Lancelyn Green to the city of Portsmouth and his narration of the BBC documentary "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6127518/" target="_blank">The Man Who Loved Sherlock Holmes</a>." In fact, he has been a member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London since his teenage years and presided over the Society's 2005 dinner.<br />
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Below are two excerpts from the stories, to give you a flavor of his narrative style:</div>
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<b><i>The Sign of Four</i></b><br />
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<b>"The Final Problem"</b><br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/307527052&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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The collection is priced at $82.77, or $14.95 with an Audible membership.<br />
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Stephen Fry Reads the Complete Sherlock Holmes Stories on Audible

"There are numerous small fry, but few who would handle so big an affair" [BRUC] Stephen Fry is the new voice of the Sherl...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Episode 115: Sherlock Holmes and the Theater

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"we might appear to be two theatre-goers"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: x-small;"> </span> [CHAS] </h4>
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Tim Greer, BSI ("The Ragged Shaw") joins us for this episode in which we explore some of the intricacies and challenges of producing Sherlock Holmes on the stage.<br />
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For anyone who's been to a major gathering of Sherlockians in the last few years, Tim should be no stranger. From his home base in Memphis to 221B Con and the BSI Weekend, he's been seen in exquisite and faithful costumes inspired by William Gillette, Jeremy Brett an Basil Rathbone. Tim is an award winning Sherlockian, having been honored with the Beacon Award from the <a href="http://www.beaconsociety.com/" target="_blank">Beacon Society</a> and the <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/morleymontgomeryaward.html" target="_blank">Morley Montgomery Award</a> for the best article in the <i>Baker Street Journal</i> in 2014.<br />
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Tim's specialty is the theater, and he shares his inspiration with us, ranging from the difficulty in physically portraying a cerebral character to the proper staging and set decoration of the sitting rooms at 221B Baker Street. Sherlock Holmes has been presented on stage in one way or another for 125 years and there continue to be many interpretations and inspirations ahead.<br />
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Plus, a new Sherlock Holmes Brand ad and a special Easter egg.</div>
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And please consider joining our <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Patreon community</a>. Your support helps us to ensure we can keep doing what we do, covering file hosting costs, production, and this year, transcription services.</div>
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Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes our two longtime sponsors. Please support our sponsors by visiting their sites:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, where you can find the complete <i><a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/html/shrl.html" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes Reference Library</a></i> by Leslie S. Klinger.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">The Baker Street Journal</a>, where you can find inclusiveness, a repose from the busy world, and connections with like-minded individuals. </li>
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Would you care to become a sponsor? You can find <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more information here</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock115.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 34.5 MB, 1:14:49</h4>
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<b>Notes</b></h3>
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1:33 Aging like a fine French wine<br />
2:40 February is the cruelest month<br />
6:40 What's going on over at Trifles<br />
7:34 Wessex Press<br />
8:50 Welcome to Tim Greer<br />
11:20 Early inspirations<br />
16:31 Turning toward the theater<br />
19:15 "This may be controversial..."<br />
29:30 One of the biggest challenges of portraying Sherlock Holmes<br />
33:52 The influence of Jeremy Brett<br />
37:26 <i>The Baker Street Journal</i><br />
39:34 Set design - from cartonniers to Moroccan tables<br />
46:15 Bringing the sitting room to life on set<br />
53:32 A stage production inspiring one of the original Sherlock Holmes stories<br />
57:35 About that set from <i>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</i>...<br />
1:04:04 Sherlock Holmes Brand spot<br />
1:05:03 Other thoughts on Holmes and the theater<br />
1:10:00 The game's afoot!</div>
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1:10:47 Frozen Peas, Fish Fingers and Beef Burgers, oh my!</div>
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Links</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/" target="_blank">Trifles</a>, our other show</li>
<li><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_(1932_film)">Sherlock Holmes</a></i>, starring Clive Brook (1932)</li>
<li><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Baker-Street-Consulting/dp/051703817X">Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective</a></i> by William S. Baring-Gould</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w-r-pWGCeo">Frank Langella as Sherlock Holmes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBUu7cy-5Iw">Jeremy Brett in Number 10</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/sherlockian-als-icebucketchallenge.html#.WK-dzPkrLb0">Sherlockian Ice Bucket Challenge</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=cartonnier+file+cabinet&biw=1275&bih=614&tbm=isch&imgil=zcNUDVc71A8b-M%253A%253By3zRRmnbUG4ijM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.1stdibs.com%25252Ffurniture%25252Fstorage-case-pieces%25252Fcabinets%25252F19th-century-french-mahogany-notaires-cartonnier-filing-cabinet%25252Fid-f_6320313%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=zcNUDVc71A8b-M%253A%252Cy3zRRmnbUG4ijM%252C_&usg=__wmpG8hPK24IEc-d8X5oZh2izE-8%253D&ved=0ahUKEwiC19rV26fSAhUH2oMKHcIOCz8QyjcISA&ei=ZZ6vWMKQOIe0jwTCnaz4Aw#imgdii=9wotMI51MhRnWM:&imgrc=zcNUDVc71A8b-M:">Cartonnier</a> (filing cabinet)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/07/design-decoded-and-sherlock-holmes.html#.WLUv_vkrLb0">Design Decoded</a> (commentary on <i>Smithsonian</i> article)</li>
<li><a href="http://ihose.co/ihose73">Episode 73: Ken Ludwig</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ihose.co/ihose10">Episode 10: The Secret of Sherlock Holmes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFevH5vP32s">Orson Welles Paul Masson outtakes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhWM4_pIKVg" target="_blank">Orson Welles at his finest</a><br />
</li>
</ul>
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Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at  <a href="http://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a>, as well as on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/114565123495685504221" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Community</a> on Google+ (with over 4,100 members), as well as through our accounts on  <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/ihearofsherlock">Instagram</a>, and <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div>
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Episode 115: Sherlock Holmes and the Theater

"we might appear to be two theatre-goers" [CHAS] Tim Greer, BSI ("The Ragged Shaw") joins us for this...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Baker Street Elementary — An Ignoble Beginning

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"not the celebrated author" [VALL] </h4>
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It's Sunday, and that means it's time for another of our bi-weekly installment, Baker Street Elementary.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Baker Street Elementary</i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at </span><a href="http://www.bakerstreetelementary.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #006f85; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">www.bakerstreetelementary.org</a>.<br />
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Baker Street Elementary — An Ignoble Beginning

"not the celebrated author" [VALL] It's Sunday, and that means it's time for another of our bi-weekly installment, ...

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by Scott Monty

Episode 114: Escape with Sherlock Holmes

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"Has anything escaped me?"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: x-small;"> </span> [HOUN]  </h4>
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There's a reason Vincent Starrett wrote "Here, though the world explode, these two survive,/ And it is always eighteen ninety-five." Whether it was in the 1940s or today, the world offers a up a variety of stressors and developments that cause one to wish to simply forget about it all for a while.<br />
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Hence, the concept of escapism. The pastime of Sherlock Holmes is a form of escapism, and we explore what it means, the origin of the phrase, and how it differs from procrastination. And there were a number of individuals in the Canon who were escaping from something or who wished to bury themselves in some sort of distraction or hobby. From Irene Adler to Selden, Hugh Boone to Brunton, J. Neil Gibson to Elsie Cubitt, there were reasons to withdraw and escape; and Stapleton, Baron Gruner, and Sherlock Holmes himself had hobbies that kept them otherwise occupied from time to time.<br />
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Plus, we wrap up with an escapist Gas-Lamp: Bill Schweikert's "A Long Evening with Holmes."</div>
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And please consider joining our <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Patreon community</a>. Your support helps us to ensure we can keep doing what we do, covering file hosting costs, production, and this year, transcription services.</div>
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Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes our two longtime sponsors. Please support our sponsors by visiting their sites:<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, with <i><a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/watsonchronicles.html" target="_blank">The Watson Chronicles</a></i> by Ann Margaret Lewis.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">The Baker Street Journal</a>, where you'll find many reasons to escape in every issue. </li>
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Would you care to become a sponsor? You can find <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more information here</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock114.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 32.2 MB, 1:08:40</h4>
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<b>Notes</b></h3>
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1:33 Hello there and a brainstorm<br />
6:25 Wessex Press<br />
7:39 Our other show</div>
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10:26 Escapism and the Sherlock Holmes stories<br />
18:48 Hobbies as escapes<br />
22:35 Polyphonic motets of Lassus<br />
23:41 The great hiatus — escapism at its most extreme<br />
29:10 The likelihood of Watson cramming for a Chinese pottery exam<br />
33:45 Conan Doyle's interests and hobbies<br />
35:26 Peter Carey was ahead of his time<br />
39:54 <i>The Baker Street Journal</i><br />
41:22 The Sherlock Holmes News<br />
57:50 Editor's Gas-Lamp<br />
1:00:33 Listener comment<br />
1:03:49 The game's afoot!</div>
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1:04:39 The Procrastination Song</div>
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Links</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/" target="_blank">Trifles</a>, our new show</li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palimpsest" target="_blank">Palimpsest</a>, via Wikipedia</li>
<li>Maria Konnikova on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose54" target="_blank">Episode 54</a> and <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose91" target="_blank">Episode 91</a></li>
<li>Bonnie MacBird on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose83" target="_blank">Episode 83</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi8xtqSqJHSAhXMMSYKHVlrDrYQFggcMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fthe-man-cave-has-a-new-neighborthe-she-shed-1485885279&usg=AFQjCNFI7Z2uA7JKjoeqQ9-Gn6WSh4hFgA&sig2=UWEgA57FZH3kckLlYNUbCw">The Man Cave Has a New Neighbor —  the She Shed</a> (WSJ)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/detecting-the-origins-of-sherlock-holmes/2017/01/24/1e90a3dc-d838-11e6-9f9f-5cdb4b7f8dd7_story.html">Detecting the Origins of Sherlock Holmes</a> (Washington Post)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Sherlock-Conan-Creation-Holmes/dp/1632860392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487135616&sr=8-1&keywords=arthur+and+sherlock"><i>Arthur and Sherlock</i></a> by Michael Sims (Amazon)</li>
<li>Graham Moore on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose30">Episode 30</a></li>
<li>Debate: <a href="http://alistaird221b.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/victorian-holmes-done-to-death.html">has Victorian Sherlock Holmes been done to death?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/nyregion/at-mysterious-bookshop-in-tribeca-a-hunt-for-clues-and-diversions.html">At Mysterious Bookshop in TriBeCa, a Hunt for Clues and Diversions</a> (NY Times)</li>
<li>Otto Penzler on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose17">Episode 17</a> and <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose87">Episode 87</a></li>
<li><a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/festivals/goteborg-finnish-american-snapper-films-sherlock-north-1201976388/">Sherlock North features a Finnish Sherlock Holmes</a> (Variety)</li>
<li><a href="https://unbound.com/books/the-continuity-girl/updates/coffee-at-midnight-with-christopher-lee">An interview with an extra from <i>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</i></a> (Unbound)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/812039-holmes-and-watson-release-date">Holmes & Watson release date set for Summer 2018</a></li>
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Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at  <a href="http://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a>, as well as on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/114565123495685504221" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Community</a> on Google+ (with over 4,100 members), as well as through our accounts on  <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/ihearofsherlock">Instagram</a>, and <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div>
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Episode 114: Escape with Sherlock Holmes

"Has anything escaped me?" [HOUN] There's a reason Vincent Starrett wrote "Here, though the world expl...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

The Other London: A Great Place for a Sherlockian Society

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<b>"I shall probably return to London" [BOSC] </b></h4>
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When I move from western Ontario to eastern Ontario this spring, one of the things I'm going to miss most is the monthly pub lunches of an improbable group that names itself after a sewer.<br />
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Dr. Watson describes his London (in <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>) as "that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained," and when a group of Sherlockians got together in the namesake city of London, Ontario, and decided to form a society, what better name could there be than the <b>Cesspudlians</b>? (Liverpool, Liverpudlian; cesspool, cesspudlian; it's obvious after a round of drinks.)<br />
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It all got started in 2015 when I realized that there were a few members of the <a href="http://www.torontobootmakers.com/" target="_blank">Bootmakers of Toronto</a> who lived in or near London, which is far enough away from the big city (120 miles) that they wouldn't often get to meetings. I sent out a note suggesting that we meet for lunch and see what happened, and one Saturday in August we assembled at the <a href="http://www.thewaltzingweasel.com/" target="_blank">Waltzing Weasel</a> pub on London's Adelaide Street. By the time the meal was over, we were forming a society.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First gathering of the Cesspudlians: Margot Northcott, Mark Hanson, Chris Redmond, Liz Bardawill</td></tr>
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Saturday lunches have been happening monthly since that beginning, mostly at another pub, the <a href="http://www.thechurchkey.ca/" target="_blank">Church Key</a> in the city's downtown. The most recent one, in January, drew an amazing eight participants, and if everybody on the email list showed up at once, the Church Key would have to find seats for as many as a dozen of us. Besides London, members drive in from Woodstock, Stratford, Guelph, and in my case Waterloo. We have managed without any sort of formal organization, other than Mark Hanson's obliging service in keeping a list of email addresses and sending out a note now and then to remind us of the next get-together.<br />
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"the conversation drifted away into other channels" [STUD]</h3>
Conversation at the lunch table sometimes touches on Sherlock Holmes, but we're not compulsive about it; there's also lots of talk about movies, travel, the challenges of teaching and the problem of crowded bookshelves. Some of us are Bootmakers; two of us are Baker Street Irregulars; no fewer than six of us wrote essays for the <i><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/10/about-sixty-eliminates-improbable.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">About Sixty</a></i> anthology, and we occasionally talk about that too. <br />
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Oh, and we talk about London, which is a pleasant, prosperous, rather conservative city of 350,000, the home of Western University and several insurance companies. It's the county seat of Middlesex County, it sits on the Thames River, and its points of interest include Covent Garden Market and Oxford, Pall Mall, and Piccadilly Streets. It's better known for snow, however, than for yellow fog.<br />
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"my knowledge of the history of crime" [STUD]</h3>
It also turns out that the Church Key is just steps away from the sites of two of Canada's most legendary crimes. One is the 1919 disappearance of impresario <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Small" target="_blank">Ambrose Small</a>, who owned the Grand Theatre straight across Richmond Street from the pub. The other is the murder of waitress Kate Gardener, whose body was found in May 1879 (not August as Wikipedia claims) in a shed behind a house on Queens Avenue, just around the corner. The house was the home and place of business of <a href="http://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/cream-thomas-neill.htm" target="_blank">Dr. Neill Cream</a>, who would eventually be hanged for other murders in the other London far away. After the inquest learned that Gardener's death was not suicide, as first suspected, but murder, Cream found it convenient to abandon his practice as sawbones and abortionist, and to leave town on the Great Western Railway. Neither he nor anyone else was ever charged in the case. The Cesspudlians will get around to doing more intensive research on the matter, one of these days.<br />
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I'm going to miss all this friendship and erudition when I make the move to Carleton Place, near Ottawa. Waterloo is a substantial distance from London — an hour if you drive with determination, two hours if you amble the way I like to — but from my new home it would be an overnight trip. I suspect the Cesspudlians will get along fine without me, but I'm certainly not going to forget them. I think the Cesspudlian Society is, in fact, the best Sherlockian group I've ever belonged to. Thanks, guys.<br />
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<i><b>Editor's note: </b>Forming a Sherlockian society is a relatively easy thing to do. And there are a variety of ways to structure the meetings. For more information about getting started, please listen to <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose05" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 05: Sherlockian 101 (Part 2)</a> and for some examples of what goes on at other societies, listen to <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose110" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 110: Sociable and Clubbable</a>.</i><br />
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The Other London: A Great Place for a Sherlockian Society

"I shall probably return to London" [BOSC] When I move from western Ontario to eastern Ontario this spring, one of the thin...

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by Chris Redmond

Missing Dates in "The Missing Three-Quarter"

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"a puzzled quarter of an hour" [MISS] </h4>
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If you've ever read a Sherlock Holmes story, you know that the reminiscences of John H. Watson, MD can be hazy at times. At least when it comes to details.<br />
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The plots are usually gripping, even though some are completely devoid of crime. The narrative around setting and surroundings are consistently artistic and descriptive. But, "the devil is in the details," as the adage goes, and "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter" is no exception.<br />
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In the opening paragraph, Watson clearly tells us that the case began on "a gloomy February morning." And yet, as we learn, the player was missing from a key game — a game typically played in another month.<br />
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Fear not! Plenty of chronologists have trod this ground before, and a number of them helpfully point out the actual date. And it's the topic of <a href="http://ihose.co/trifles06" target="_blank">the latest episode of Trifles</a>.<br />
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Missing Dates in "The Missing Three-Quarter"

"a puzzled quarter of an hour" [MISS] If you've ever read a Sherlock Holmes story, you know that the reminiscences of J...

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by Scott Monty

New Feature — Baker Street Elementary

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"It belongs to the same elementary class" [LADY] </h4>
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<br />
We're pleased to offer a new regular feature to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. One of our long-time listeners, Steve Mason, approached us with this singular opportunity, and we couldn't pass it up.<br />
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Steve and his son Rusty are big fans of <a href="http://ihose.co/ihoseshows" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">our show</a> (they listen on cross-country trips!) and are keen students of the Sherlock Holmes stories. So keen, in fact, that they've developed an education-related creation of their own. <a href="http://www.bakerstreetelementary.org/" target="_blank">Baker Street Elementary</a> is a comic series that they, together with Joe Fay, created two years ago and brought to life online on the website of their Dallas / Fort Worth-based Sherlockian society, Crew of the Barque Lone Star.<br />
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We'll let Don Hobbs, BSI ("Inspector Lestrade"), a longtime Crew member, describe it further:<br />
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"<b><i>Baker Street Elementary</i></b> is one of those rare treats, taking all of the familiar Sherlockian characters and presenting then in a completely original manner. This marvelous creation, the brainchild of <b>Joe Fay</b> (creator & writer), <b>Steve Mason</b> (writer & editor), and <b>Rusty Mason</b> (artist), features Holmes and Watson during their formative years at that long-ago elementary school that might have been…somewhere on Baker Street. The magic this trio produces is evident in every panel of every strip of <b><i>Baker Street Elementary</i></b>. There is nothing close to South Park envy here, in fact many of the South Park residents most likely wish they could attend Baker Street Elementary."</blockquote>
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With that in mind, and keeping with the tradition of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_comics" target="_blank">Sunday comics</a>, we've decided to syndicate Baker Street Elementary every other Sunday here on IHOSE. We (and Joe, Steve and Rusty) would appreciate any feedback you have on the series.</div>
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And we we'll kick things off with the very first strip the trio created, from February 6, 2015.</div>
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<b><i>Baker Street Elementary</i></b> follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London.  An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at <a href="http://www.bakerstreetelementary.org/">www.bakerstreetelementary.org</a><br />
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New Feature — Baker Street Elementary

"It belongs to the same elementary class" [LADY] We're pleased to offer a new regular feature to I Hear of Sherlock Ever...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

A Little-Known Sherlock Holmes Film

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"a guard of Coal and Iron Police" [VALL]</h4>
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Everyone who has read a Sherlock Holmes story (or who is familiar with Britain before the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968, precipitated by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog_of_London" target="_blank">Great Smog of London</a>) knows the importance of coal as a source of fuel, both for transportation and for heat.<br />
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We're treated to a number of mentions of coal in the Canon, from Mordecai Smith, "stripped to the waist, and shovelling coals for dear life" during the river chase in <i>The Sign of Four</i> to a certain "enormous coal-black hound," to "the coal and iron valleys in the United States" in <i>The Valley of Fear</i>. Aside from settings, we're also treated to other appearances of coal, either as set-pieces or as plot devices. To wit:<br />
<ul>
<li>We learn of the odd habits of the lodger at 221B Baker Street, as Sherlock Holmes was identified as one "who keeps his cigars in the coal-scuttle, his tobacco in the toe end of a Persian slipper, and his unanswered correspondence transfixed by a jack-knife into the very centre of his wooden mantelpiece." [MUSG]</li>
<li>When Wilson Kemp and Harold Latimer were ready to discard Paul Kratides, they chose to asphyxiate him. Upon bursting into room with a poisonous atmosphere, Holmes immediately exited, exclaiming "It's charcoal!" [GREE]</li>
<li>The coal fire at 221B Baker Street provided more than heat on occasion. In one case, Sherlock Holmes substituted it for a match: "taking up a glowing cinder with the tongs, and lighting with it the long cherrywood pipe which was wont to replace his clay when he was in a disputatious, rather than a meditative, mood." [COPP]</li>
<li>And we find a disguised Holmes setting down before "a small brazier of burning charcoal, beside which on a three-legged wooden stool there sat a tall, thin old man, with his jaw resting upon his two fists" [TWIS]</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This plant is taking forever to grow!"</td></tr>
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Coal was simply part of daily life in Victorian England. It was the main source of heat for homes well into the mid-20th century, and its heavy usage in colder months contributed to the poor air quality in and around London.<br />
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But it was during World War II that Britain stepped up efforts toward rationing and conservation. So it should be no surprise that Sherlock Holmes was selected for a public service announcement about saving fuel.<br />
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<a href="http://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-sacred-flame-coal-fire/query/2911" target="_blank">The Sacred Flame Coal Fire</a> was developed by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Information_(United_Kingdom)" target="_blank">Ministry of Information</a> to educate the public on smarter use of coal during the winter of 1943-1944. The description of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2euoUoz0C8" target="_blank">the video</a>, via <a href="http://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-sacred-flame-coal-fire/query/2911" target="_blank">British Pathé</a>, reads:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
MS Sherlock Holmes looking through his magnifying glass. MS Holmes and Watson in discussion. CU a hearth fire. MS the men discuss the fire. It's small, it uses fire bricks to contain the fire to a small area, and it has been lit very late in the day using cinders from a previous fire. CU Watson inspects the fire. MS the two men - Holmes has solved the mystery of how to save fuel in the winter of 1943-1944. CU Holmes looks into camera and puffs on his pipe.</blockquote>
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About Pathé News</h3>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path%C3%A9_News" target="_blank">Pathé News</a> was producer of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsreels">newsreels</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinemagazine">cinemagazines</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentaries">documentaries</a> from 1910 until 1970 in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom">United Kingdom</a>. Its founder, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Path%C3%A9">Charles Pathé</a>, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as British Pathé. Its collection of news film and movies is fully digitised and available online. (Wikipedia)<br />
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Special thanks to Tom Francis, BSI ("The Imperial Opera at Warsaw") for the tip.<br />
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</div>

A Little-Known Sherlock Holmes Film

"a guard of Coal and Iron Police" [VALL] Everyone who has read a Sherlock Holmes story (or who is familiar with Britain befor...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

More Suggestive Phrases from the Sherlock Holmes Stories

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"my surprise reached a climax" [STUD] </h4>
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You may recall our list of <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/09/the-top-10-most-suggestive-lines-from.html#.VCBUw_ldWSo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Top 10 Most Suggestive Lines from the Sherlock Holmes Stories</a>. It was one of the most popular posts, and as such, we thought we'd revisit it.<br />
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A rather unorthodox arrangement in "The Speckled Band":<br />
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"In the first place, both my friend and I must spend the night in your room."<br />Both Miss Stoner and I gazed at him in astonishment.</blockquote>
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And perhaps some creative use of implements while in Miss Stoner's bedroom:<br />
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Holmes had brought up a long thin cane, and this he placed upon the bed beside him.</blockquote>
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Dr. Watson, questioning his voyeuristic tendencies in <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>:<br />
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I was deeply ashamed to have witnessed so intimate a scene without my friend's knowledge</blockquote>
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In <i>The Valley of Fear</i>, we're reminded not to go down to the city...</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"strange things had happened to him in that great city, so strange and so intimate that they might not be spoken of."</blockquote>
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Mrs. St. Clair caught off guard in "The Man With the Twisted Lip":<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"she suddenly heard an ejaculation or cry, and was struck cold to see her husband looking down at her"</blockquote>
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If you can identify any other suggestive phrases in the Canon, please share them in a comment below.<br />
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