"The Artist Had Brought Out the Full Effect" [NOBL]

Do you appreciate Sherlockian art? Or perhaps you know someone who does. In either case, you should most definitely take a look at what Nis Jessen has created.

Jessen, an artist native to Denmark, has lavishly illustrated A Study in Scarlet in two editions: a regular and a deluxe edition. This new edition of A Study in Scarlet is fully illustrated by the Danish artist. The more than 600 striking illustrations bring new life to the original text from Beeton's Christmas Annual. This beautiful volume (in oversize: 25 x 35 cm - 10" x 14") consisting of 160 pages of text and illustrations printed on quality paper and bound in fullcolor laminated hardcover, and with dust cover.The deluxe editions are produced in a run of 1,000, come with a slipcase and are personally signed by the artist.

It's clear that Nis enjoys his work, but there must be something else to it as well. We discovered, that like Holmes, he has "art in the blood," and in Jessen's case it was not likely to take the strangest of forms, but to follow in the tradition of his ancestors who were artists and writers. If you take a look at some examples from the book, you can see what we mean:

The Foreword was written by the late Edward Hardwicke, who muses, "the drawings of the characters and Victorian London convince totally, and the action and energy of the American scenes are wonderfully conveyed."

Also, if you're interested, you can purchase posters from two full-page spreads featured in the book, as well as postcards and stickers with Jessen's images on them.

UPDATE: If you do wish to make a purchase, please do so through http://www.jessen-gallery.dk and contact Nis' wife Flerida.

Reader Al Gregory has let us know that Jessen also offers many original pieces of artwork for sale for those who are so inclined. Those art collectors among you should take note and contact Nis Jessen to inquire about such opportunities.

We hope that you can find some inspiring artwork here that is suitable for owning - whether it's the book, some prints for framing and hanging in your Sherlockian sanctum - or as a gift for the rabid Sherlock Holmes fan in your life. It's most unusual and striking artwork that must be seen to be appreciated.

And if you do make a purchase from Nis, please tell him that the Baker Street Blog sent you.

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"We Are, As Usual, The Irregulars" [LADY]

On January 2nd, 2012, The Times of London featured a very special comic insert....one which is of particular interest to Sherlockians and graphic literature fans alike, and helped set a proper tone for 2012

As you can see by the embedded graphic below (click to make larger), the Times featured a junior insert featuring The Baker Street Irregulars - characters who are the centerpiece of a graphic novel series by Tony Lee (who also finished a terrific run on IDW's Doctor Who series) and Dan Boultwood for Franklin Watts/EDGE Books. There are currently four stories available in graphic novel form, and this series has been featured in this very blog (see "With Full Approval" [CREE]")

The Times story - named "The Adventure of the New Year's Necklace" is a great, New Years Day-themed tale, taking place in 1892 between "The Final Problem [FINA]" and "The Empty House [EMPT]". All of Mr. Lee's stories are "in canon", and some well-known Sherlockians provide guidance and input. This is a great all-ages series to engage  the next generation of Sherlockians (including my 9 year-old godson, who received a copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes from his godfather), and is well worth checking out.

(Some information for this post taken from the Geeky Girls blog).


Editor's note: Gordon regularly covers the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and the entertainment industry. You can also find him at Blog THIS, Pal! and Comic Related.
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"It Arrived Upon Christmas Morning" [BLUE]

Usually we save our Christmas greetings on this site for "the second morning after Christmas." But in this case, we found a relic from our digital version of Holmes's own "large tin box" [MUSG] containing notes of his early cases.

In our own instance, the artifact is an animated gif that we found and sought permission (some four years ago) from a member of Holmesian.net named "whorl". We had misplaced the image, and then did not have an appropriate hosting service to be able to share it with you.

Now, on Christmas morning, that has all been solved. We're proud and honored to bring you The Bloo Sparkly (click for the fullsize image), a retelling of "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" with stick figures, which you can see below. If you're reading this on a feed reader or via email, please click on "The Baker Street Blog" in the header of the email to advance to the website to see the animation. The slides advance automatically, so if you need to start over, just hit F5 or refresh your browser to start over.


For a larger version of the image, please click through to this link.

We hope that your holiday is an enjoyable one. Expect to see us back here again in two days (i.e. "the second morning after Christmas" [BLUE]).


When you make purchases from the links we share, it provides us with a stream of revenue to help keep this site running. Thank you for your generosity.
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"In Square Blocks Highly Polished" [SECO]

One of the interesting things about Sherlockians is that we find ways to incorporate our other interests into Sherlock Holmes. You'll find Titanic enthusiasts as well as fans Jeeves & Wooster, Tarzan and others weaving their interest into books. You'll find railroad enthusiasts, stamp collectors, musicians, oenophiles, and many others finding connections of their other hobbies in the original Canon.

It would seem that LEGO fans also have this tendency. All around the world, you'll find LEGOs crafted into every shape, building, vehicle and interest imaginable. So it's not surprising that Sherlock Holmes works his way into the LEGO fanbase.

Above is a street scene of 221B Baker Street by Legohaulic on Flickr, entitled "Sherblock Holmes." You can check out his entire LEGO photostream here.

In addition, the user minifig has crafted a series of character sketches in his LEGO set on Flickr, including Jack the Ripper, a Christmas Carol, and others. Obviously, Sherlockians would be most interested in what he's done with Holmes and Watson (seen in the first photo above).

Have you seen any instances of hobbies or interests crossing over and finding common interest? Consider leaving a comment below.

What are those four-letter abbreviations in the headlines?

"All This is Amusing" [IDEN]

Even though I haven't been posting here regularly, there have been a number of items that have come to my attention that I've either bookmarked or archived for future publication. A number of them have been humorous in nature, so I'm lumping them together for you here.

"No Ghosts Need Apply" [SUSS]

I hope you had an enjoyable Halloween, whether you were out in costume or home handing out freebies to the little folk who wandered by.

With any luck, it was more successful than what Phil Cornell, of the Sydney Passengers represents here.

"To Humour Your Guilty Elder" [PRIO]

I realize that my updates have been sporadic at best lately (thanks to a demanding job) and that the posts I've been able to write have been morbidly focused. Well, today I regret that I have to continue in that vein, but at least it's not announcing the death of another Irregular.

Fans of the little audio program that Burt Wolder & I host, I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere (and yes, that's another thing that's fallen by the wayside in my hectic life) 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 our interview with Jerry Margolin ("Hilton Cubitt"), who has made a serious hobby out of collecting original Sherlockian art.

As you listen to the interview, you'll hear that one of Jerry's heroes was Will Elder, one of the original MAD Magazine artists and the creator of Little Annie Fanny for Playboy. I say "was" because Will Elder passed away late last week. You can read a full profile of him on Wikipedia. In the meantime, I leave you with the one Elder Sherlockian image on my computer. It's a memorable one.

Caption: "By Jove, Holmes. What a remarkable disguise."

"You Say He Was Painting" [RETI]

Peter Cushing, who portrayed Sherlock Holmes on the big and small screens, was best known for his acting abilities. Indeed, a certain generation probably grew up knowing him best as Grand Moff Tarkin in the original Star Wars movie. But to those who knew the man more intimately or who followed his off-stage persona, he was also a talented watercolor artist.
Earlier this week, 25 lots of his paintings were auctioned off in Kent. You may know that Pilgrims Hospice in Kent, where Cushing died, had been selling calendars featuring his watercolors. Thirteen of those paintings were included in the auction, which raised £25,000.

I don't know if the calendars are still available. You might try getting in touch with Pilgrims at:
Fundraising Office
Hythe Road, Willesborough, Ashford TN24 0NE
For general fundraising enquiries please telephone +44 01233 504102 or 504111
Fax number +44 01233 504136
or email Susan Booth at Pilgrims Hospice in Ashford

In the meantime, here are some scans of the artwork, courtesy of Hammer & Beyond.

"See How It Glints and Sparkles" [BLUE]

This was too good to pass up. Over at the discussion forum Holmesian.net, I came across some wonderful stick artwork by a member named whorl. When I saw the following posted there, I asked permission to repost it here.

So, in honor of the anniversary of "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle," I give you animated piece "The Adventure of the Bloo Sparkly" (if you're reading this in a feedreader and can't see the image, please click through to the blog).

Please click through to see the full size animation.

If you like this, please let me know and I'll be glad to arrange to have other works displayed here from time to time as well.