"For the Sake of the Trust" [MUSG]

[This is a cross-post of our sibling publication I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.]

The Baker Street Irregulars are widely known as a literary society dedicated to the study of Sherlock Holmes. Since 1934 the group has been gathering in New York City for its annual dinner and weekend festivities and has embarked on a significant publishing effort centered around its own history, international Sherlockian societies' scholarship, and analysis of extant manuscripts of the Canon.

But more than that, the BSI wants to ensure that its own history and that of its members are recorded for posterity and the researchers who may be interested in it sometime in the future. Enter the Baker Street Irregulars Trust.

In Episode 53 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, Burt and Scott interview Tom Francis, BSI ("The Imperial Opera at Warsaw), who is the Chair of the Trust. Tom helps us understand how and why the Trust was established, what its aims are, and how you can help this august institution. We discuss some of the holdings of the Houghton Library at Harvard University, where the Trust is housed, including the H.W. Bell collection - Bell having been an early Sherlockian scholar and member of The Speckled Band of Boston.

Read more...

"A Piece of Discoloured, Blue-Tinted Paper" [FIVE]

The late 1940s were a Golden Age for the Baker Street Irregulars. The beautiful original series of The Baker Street Journal was in production, and it was in 1948 that the Irregulars took their first plunge into book publishing. This first effort was a deluxe slipcased edition of The Blue Carbuncle. Published in a limited edition of 1500, even this relatively small number was an over-estimation of its initial demand (a common
occurrance for Sherlockian publishers even to this day…) However now, 50-plus years later, the availability of this book is limited. You can still find a copy…for a price, but a good one will cost you a premium.

The Irregulars went on publishing books, and revived The Baker Street Journal when it foundered upon the financial rocks of its own ambition. After decades the BSI did issue books on a scale as grand as this one, but never one with the charm of the 1948 edition of The Blue Carbuncle. While browsing an on-line rare book site, I ran across the following description by an anonymous dealer who describes what The Blue Carbuncle is for Sherlockians perfectly:

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"The Last Message from Slaney" [DANC]

Alfred A. (Fred) Levin, BSI ("Abe Slaney") died in a suburb of Chicago on February 17, 2012 at the age of 83. He worked for various chemical companies as an organic chemist and upon retirement worked at Scotland Yard Bookstore until it closed. He then went on to work for an on-line book selling business.

Fred was a pillar of not only his temple, but several others, as his temple didn't have daily services.

His many passions included the Civil War, sports (Cubs, Black Hawks, Bulls, and Bears), Tolkien, and classical music. He had opera and symphony subscriptions for many years. Fred and his wife Sunnie traveled extensively in Europe and enjoyed dining in gourmet restaurants.

His love of all things Sherlockian extended to amassing an extensive collection of foreign editions of the Canon. Fred was one of the founders of Torists International, President of the Criterion Bar Association, Treasurer of The Watsonians, Board member of The Scotland Yarders, and belonged to many other scions, including STUD Sherlockian Society, Hugo's Companions, The Hounds of the Baskerville (sic), and Maiwand Jezails.

Fred Levin was invested into the Baker Street Irregulars in 1993 as "Abe Slaney."

We apologize for the size of the photo; if you have a larger photo of Fred, please let us know and we'll gladly update it.

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"The Two Gentlemen Passed Us" [HOUN]

It's the end of the year and we're catching up on some of the passings that have occurred over the past couple of months. The following are a pair of BSI obituaries of some longstanding members of the Baker Street Irregulars.

J. Warren Scheideman
J. Warren Scheideman, BSI ("Count Von und Zu Grafenstein") died in a suburb of Chicago on August 25, 2011 at the age of 69. He received his degrees from De Paul University and went on to become a member of the faculty in 1984, moderating poetry readings and teaching things as diverse as Film Noir and Science Fiction. A new course in Film Noir, being taught now, stated on its syllabus,

"This course is dedicated to Warren Scheideman who hatched its plot, investigated its subject, and taught its lessons to many students across many years." 

One of his colleagues wrote that Warren’s dissertation on the analysis of curriculum was remarkable, and added that the faculty and students had been inspired and enlightened by his brilliance and thoughtfulness. He wrote a 452-page book on adult learning, which was published by the University and has become an important volume in the world of adult education.

Warren was a member of The Hounds of the Baskerville [sic] and Hugo's Companions. He was widely published in many Sherlockian journals, including the Baker Street Journal and Canadian Holmes, with titles such as "Hugh Boone's Twists on Victorian Society." He was invested into The Baker Street Irregulars in 1982 as "Count Von und Zu Grafenstein."

James H. Bready

James H. Bready, BSI ("The Disappearance of James Phillamore") died in Baltimore on October 29, 2011 at the age of 92. He graduated from Haverford College in 1939 and earned his Master's degree from Harvard University.
During World War II, Mr. Bready served almost five years in the Army's Counterintelligence Corps in the European Theater. Discharged at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, 1945, at Fort George G. Meade, Mr. Bready, still dressed in his uniform, began working as a Baltimore Evening Sun copy editor at 8:30 the next morning. During his long career, Mr. Bready was a general assignment reporter and later feature writer, editorial writer and columnist. He was remembered by his former paper here.

In 1949, Mr. Bready had interviewed Evelyn Waugh, the English novelist who was visiting Baltimore. His counterpart at The Baltimore Sun, who was also assigned to do an article on the writer, was Russell Baker. Mr. Baker recalled meeting Mr. Bready in his 1989 memoir, saying that "The imagination, wit, and graceful lilt of his writing made him one of the glories of the Evening Sun."

In 1954, Bready's first "Books and Authors" column appeared in the Sunday Sun. He became the paper's arbiter of the Baltimore literary scene, vetting books and assigning them for review. At a time when bylines were rationed conservatively and not necessarily a reporter's birthright, Bready was in the position to offer both a book's author, and its reviewer, some ink. This power, coupled with his fair treatment of the region's writers, made Bready a popular name in Baltimore. The column ran biweekly and then monthly through 2005.

For 30 years until 1984, Mr. Bready was the Baltimore correspondent for Time, Life and Fortune magazines, and had been Encyclopaedia Britannica's designated writer for its entry on Maryland.
Mr. Bready was also the author of several books, The Home Team, an illustrated history of Baltimore baseball, and Baseball in Baltimore published in 1998, which is still sold on Amazon.

Mr. Bready was a longtime member of the Baltimore Antique Bottle Club and had amassed through the years an extensive collection of material related to Maryland rye whiskey. In his retirement he wrote the first detailed study of pre-Prohibition Maryland rye, which was published by the Maryland Historical Society.

Mr. Bready was a member of The Six Napoleons of Baltimore and served as their Gasogene in 1954-55. He was invested in The Baker Street Irregulars in 1955 as "The Disappearance of James Phillimore."

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Please remember these fine men and all previous Irregulars whom we have remembered in these pages. May they rest in eternal peace on the other side of the Reichenbach Falls.

"Solitary Meditations" [DEVI]

Dr. Bryce L. Crawford, Jr., BSI (“The Solitary Cyclist”) died on September 16, 2011 at the age of 96. He was the last remaining founder of The Norwegian Explorers, which was founded in 1948 at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Crawford was born in New Orleans, received his PhD in 1936 from Stanford University and did post-graduate work at both Harvard and Yale. He was a University of Minnesota Professor of Chemistry from 1940 through 1985. He held the titles of Chairman of the Department of Chemistry and Dean of the Graduate School. Dr. Crawford was a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 1956, and was awarded the Priestly Medal in 1982. It is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society and is awarded for distinguished service in the field of chemistry.

The commemorative plaque at Reichenbach Falls was the brainchild of the Norwegian Explorers, and Dr. Crawford was largely responsible for the inscription on the plaque…“Across this ‘dreadful cauldron’ occurred the culminating event in the career of Sherlock Holmes, the world’s greatest detective, when on May 4, 1891, he vanquished Prof. Moriarty, the Napoleon of Crime.” It was erected by the Norwegian Explorers and The Sherlock Holmes Society of London on June 25, 1957. Dr. Crawford co-authored “The Final Problem – Where?” an essay relating how the exact spot for the plaque was chosen. After he returned from his reconnaissance mission to Switzerland, he submitted a 48 cent expense report for the funicular ride to the top of the Falls. His reimbursement was denied because of lack of sufficient documentation, which became a continual source of amusement. To his delight, many years later he was given a frame with 48 cents in it.

Dr. Crawford was invested into the Baker Street Irregulars in 1985 as “The Solitary Cyclist.”


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"Cut Out the Poetry, Watson" [RETI]

Did you know Isaac Asimov was a member of the BSI? He received the investiture "The Remarkable Worm" in 1976 (as in "a matchbox in front of him which contained a remarkable worm, said to be unknown to science" [THOR]), in a nod to his profession.

Isaac Asmiov was a prolific author who began his career as an associate professor of biochemistry at Boston University Medical School. After 1958, he made writing his full-time profession and became known for the hundreds of science fiction works he created from then until his death in 1992. Most notably are his Foundation novels, I, Robot and some dozen history books including The Roman Republic and The Roman Empire.

We were moved to write about Asimov because Glenn McDonald recently wrote a column on Pop Matters called How Sherlock Holmes and Isaac Asimov Can Help Purge your Social Media Addiction. We won't give away the entire column, but McDonald mentioned how he recently acquired the complete collection of Basil Rathbone DVDs and how some of Asimov's titles have kept him off of Facebook and Twitter.

Of most interest for us of course, is the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and Isaac Asimov. We already mentioned the BSI, but one of the relatively unknowns is a book of Sherlockian limericks that Asimov created, aptly titled Asimov's Sherlockian Limericks. The author was a notorious limerick collector (most of them were of the ribald variety), but these are family-friendly. He created sixty limericks, each one summarizing the story for which it was titled. See if you can pick which stories are represented below.

C.A.M. is the worst man uncaged;

Decent men who meet him are enraged.

    He has blackmailing letters

    All involving his betters.

But what's this? Sherlock Holmes is engaged?

A bright tale of a dog and a horse
(And there's also a murder, of course)
    Which involves the odd fact
    That the dog failed to act
Which Holmes found of significant force

Do you know which stories these recount? Leave us a comment!

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"The Honourable Record" [NAVA]

Order at Wessex Press

The evening of Friday, January 8 found Irregulars and invited guests gathering at the Yale Club for the annual dinner of the Baker Street Irregulars. As is customary, we began the evening honoring "The Woman" of 2011, who in this case was Gail Postal. Gail is the significant other of Jerry Wachs ("James Saunders"). Gail was toasted by Susan Rice, ("Beeswing"), who remarked on Gail's long-held dream of being an artist, which was interrupted briefly by a full career as a schoolteacher; only now has Gail returned to art - and even has a son who works for a digital animation company ("Art in the blood..."). Gail received the Golden Door - a charm/pendant that each "The Woman" recipient is awarded.

From the cocktail hour, we moved upstairs to the dining room, where Mike Whelan, our "Wiggins," called the dinner to order and recognized four Irregulars in the crowd who each had 50 or more years in the BSI. They were:

1. George McCormack ("Hosmer Angel") - 50 years
2. Russell Merritt ("The Trepoff Murder") - 51 years
3. Peter Blau ("Black Peter") - 52 years
4. Art Levine ("The Cutter 'Alicia'") - 56 years

Then Mike bestowed "Eddies" - the award for editing a BSI publication - on editors past and present. They included Andrew Fusco, General Editor; Otto Penzler, Bohemian Souls, Laurie R. King & Leslie Klinger, The Grand Game; Peggy Purdue, the 2009 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual; Nicholas Utechin, To Keep the Memory Green; Erico Solito & Gianluca Salvatore, Sherlock Holmes and Italy and Mandate for Murder. 

And then, to thank Mike for his efforts behind the momentum of BSI Publications, Andrew Fusco, Steve Rothman and Leslie Klinger ambushed him at the podium to award him the "Wiggy."

We then partook of all of the customary toasts and rituals, but the theme of the evening was Monsignor Ronald Knox, who is universally regarded as the father of the Sherlockian movement. It was 100 years ago that he began the tongue-in-cheek parody of Biblical scholarship with "Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes," and it still rings true today. We'll be headed over to the Vendors Room in the morning to purchase a copy of Wessex Press' new title Ronald Knox and Sherlock Holmes (pictured above). Henry Boote led the group in the singing of "It's a Ron Knox Life" to the tune of "It's a Hard Knock Life," naturally followed by "Aunt Clara."

We stood on the terrace to quietly remember nine intrepid Irregulars who passed beyond the Reichenbach in 2010. And then came the moment we were all waiting for: the Honours List. The reading of the names of newly investitured Irregulars. The Class of 2011:

• Vinnie Brosnan - "That Gap on the Second Shelf"
• Lyndsay Faye - "Kitty Winter"
• David Houle - "The British Museum"
• Frank Ferry - "Dr. Leon Sterndale"
• Peggy Perdue - "Violet Westbury"
• Terence Faherty - "Sir Charles Baskerville"

With a wonderful reading of Vincent Starret's 221B by Burt Wolder ("The Third Pillar from the Left") concluded the evening.

Some photos for your enjoyment:





Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Please consider visiting our sponsors (in the right column and footer of the site) from time to time. It helps defray the costs associated with running this site.
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"Selling at a Price" [ILLU]

"Sir, don't touch the merchandise!"

The Weekend is nearly upon us! And by "Weekend" (yes, capitalized), we mean the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend, an annual gathering in New York City that nets some three to four hundred Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts. Casual fans, lifelong devotees, amateur scholars, academics, authors, journalists, industrialists, actors, musicians, professionals - essentially a cross-section of society at large.

If you haven't already checked out the Schedule of Events, Accommodations and handy printable Summary of the weekend's events and locations over on the BSI Weekend site, please do so.

One of the events that everyone looks forward to is the Merchants Room opening on Saturday morning. Typically, this is an event attracts the excitement of veteran collectors and newcomers alike, with lots of buzz and and "off to the races" reaction when the doors of the room are finally flung open at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Invariably, you'll know the event is about 15 minutes away when you see Jerry Margolin (click the link for an interview with Jerry on "I Hear of Sherlock Everwhere") poking his head in the doorway, pacing frantically and looking like someone who either has a full bladder or an itchy trigger finger. ;-)

If you'd like to participate in the Merchants Room activities - whether or not you attend anything else during the BSI Weekend - it's open to the public. Feel free to join in the fun at the Roosevelt Hotel (45 East 45th Street - map and subway directions), Vanderbuilt Suite, beginning at 9:00 a.m. There will be authors available for book signings, if you're interested:

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
    Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger: The Grand Game
    Enrico Solito and Gianluca Salvatore: Italy and Sherlock Holmes
    Nicholas Utechin: The 2010 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual

11:00 a.m. - noon
    Otto Penzler: Bohemian Souls 
[You may remember the fabulous interview Otto gave us on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: Episode 17 - it's worth a(nother) listen.]

And if you're unable to join us in the Merchants Room, you can buy all BSI books on the Baker Street Journal website in the BSI Items for Sale section.

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"Stand With Me Here Upon the Terrace..." [LAST]

On occasion, we must unfortunately share news of some members who have broken from the ranks of the Baker Street Irregulars. These are tagged (or grouped, if you will) under the category "terrace" in the sidebar area titled "Some Other Topic." Today, as we do some end-of-year tidying, we find that there are no less than three members who require our memories.

David Musto, BSI ("Dr. Anstruther") passed away on October 8, 2010 while on a visit to Shanghai to donate his papers to Shanghai University at a ceremony. In his professional life, Dr. Musto was the leading historian on drug policy and was world renowned in the field, having consulted for presidents and academia. He founded the Yale Sherlock Holmes Society and notably penned "A Study in Cocaine: Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud" that appeared in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 1968. For a full recounting of his career and life, the obituary that ran in the New York Times is available here.

A personal reminiscence from Burt Wolder:

David was one of the founding few, with Henry Folsom, Jan Prager, and Al Silverstein, who formed The Cornish Horrrors in December 1970.

David brought a rare mix of whimsicality and scholarship to his Sherlockian pursuits.

His annual Reichenbach Lecturers ore the last few years included Dr.Henry Lee, one of the world's foremost forensic scientists, Lila Wolff Wilkinson, niece to Julian, and Lisa Sanders, diagnosis columnist for New York Times Magazine.

Whimsicality, of course, because he conceived of the Yale Sherlock Holmes Society as an ephemeral organization, steadfastly refusing to appoint officers or adopt any formal procedures.

David was especially fond of Basil Rathbone's protrayal of the Master. Each summer evening at Yale ended with a screening of the Hound, The Adventures, or one of the Universal series.

David was gentle, soft-spoken, and brilliant. We have lost a great scholar and friend.

At Yale, Dr. Musto established the annual Sherlock Holmes Lecture. We happen to have footage of the 27th annual Sherlock Holmes Lecture, by Dr. Thomas Duffy, which took place at the Davies Auditorium, Becton Center at Yale on June 12, 2008.

Tsukasa Kobayashi, BSI ("Baritsu") died on September 27, 2010 in Tokyo. He had been suffering from myelodysplastic syndromes. Also known as a psychologist, and an active Esperantist, Dr. Kobayashi constituted  the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club in 1977. He and his wife Akana Higashiyama, along with photographer Masaharu Uemura, put their Sherlockian interest to work by producing Sherlock Holmes's London: Following the Footsteps of London's Master Detective in 1986.

The passion for Sherlock Holmes in Japan can be said to be one of the most fervent in the world, if we pit countries against one another. And Dr. Kobayashi's work there has been instrumental in driving that passion. The Baker Street Irregulars chronicled that passion in the 2005 entry in the BSI International Series, Japan and Sherlock Holmes, which has since sold out.

Herb Tinning, BSI ("Dr. Leon Sterndale")
The Reverend Herbert P. Tinning passed away on November 15 after visiting his children in Arizona and Illinois. He worked as an association executive, and was a dedicated deacon in the Episcopal church. He was an active Sherlockian, holding membership in a number of societies in the midwest and then in the northeast. His special enthusiasms included the Antarctic (where he believed Dr. Watson visited during the Great Hiatus) and his namesake story "The Devil's Foot". He was awarded his Investiture in The Baker Street Irregulars in 1974. A longer obituary can be found  here.

As we look back at 2010, it's natural to reminisce. Do you have any memories of the above Irregulars, or of other Sherlockians who have passed beyond the Reichenbach this year? Feel free to share them in a comment.

Please consider visiting our sponsors (in the right column and footer of the site) from time to time. It helps defray the costs associated with running this site.

"I Was Invited to a Weekend Gathering" [LAST]

"It is the unofficial force - the Baker
Street Irregulars."

As November creeps up on us, that means our minds begin to turn to the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend, an annual gathering in New York City that is expected to bring over 300 Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts together for fun, eating, drinking and pseudo-scholarship.

The Baker Street Irregulars (or BSI) is a literary society with Sherlock Holmes at its core. We have our origin in the first two novels about Holmes and Watson by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

From A Study in Scarlet:

"What on earth is this?" I cried, for at this moment there came the pattering of many steps in the hall and on the stairs, accompanied by audible expressions of disgust upon the part of our landlady.

"It's the Baker Street division of the detective police force," said my companion gravely; and as he spoke there rushed into the room half a dozen of the dirtiest and most ragged street arabs that ever I clapped eyes on.

From The Sign of the Four:

"No, it's not quite so bad as that. It is the unofficial force - the Baker Street irregulars."

As he spoke, there came a swift pattering of naked feet upon the stairs, a clatter of high voices, and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street arabs. There was some show of discipline among them, despite their tumultuous entry, for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. One of their number, taller and older than the others, stood forward with an air of lounging superiority which was very funny in such a disreputable looking little scarecrow.

This annual tradition began in 1934, when Christopher Morley gathered a few like-minded friends at Christ Cella's to celebrate the birthday of Sherlock Holmes, which has always been placed on January 6. Since that time - nearly uninterrupted (save for a few years in the late 1930s), the BSI has always met each January. Over time, the dinner first evolved into a lunch prior to the dinner for out of town guests, and now is comprised of events that span from Wednesday evening to Sunday morning.

Below is a summary of the events of the BSI Weekend. Aside from the BSI Dinner (which is by invitation only), everything you see is open to the public. You may also find a fuller description and many helpful links at the BSI Weekend website at http://www.bsiweekend.com.
The 2011 Baker Street Irregulars Weekend - at a glance

If you have any questions about the festivities, please let us know. Are you planning on attending any of the events? We'd love to hear about that as well. And while we're at it, perhaps some of the members of the Sherlock Holmes Social Network would like to connect on this topic as well. If you're not a member of that vibrant group that is more than 550 strong, you might want to pop over there as well.

Please consider visiting our sponsors (in the right column and footer of the site) from time to time. It helps defray the costs associated with running this site.

"Name of Leslie" [MISS]

During the #Sherlock_PBS chat on Sunday evening, there was also a West coast feed. We would be remiss if we did not mention the rather impressive individual behind that. It was none other than our own Leslie Klinger, BSI, 2s ("The Abbey Grange"), tweeting as @lklinger.

Les's achievements in the Sherlockian and literary world are impressive in their own right - even more so when one discovers that he's a practicing lawyer by day. Les is the author of not one, but two of the most impressive pieces of research on Sherlock Holmes: The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes (divided into sets: Short Stories and Novels) and the 10-volume Sherlock Holmes Reference Library. He joined forces with S.E. Dahlinger to edit and annotate Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle & the Bookman, available from Wessex Press. In addition, Les branched out from his Sherlockian roots (although sticking with the Victorian) when he wrote The New Annotated Dracula. If you'd like to see the full line of his work, you can check his Author Page on Amazon.

Les also holds the role of General Editor of the Baker Street Irregulars' publishing efforts: the History Series, Manuscript Series and International Series. All are available for sale on the Baker Street Journal website.

Below you'll find a reverse chronology (sorry, it's the way Twitter search works) of the stream of commentary and 140-character "annotations" Les made while watching the new series "Sherlock" starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Freeman, written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. Enjoy the transcript!

If you've made it this far, congratulations! And you'll be pleased to know that Les and I have been invited back by PBS to host another chat this Sunday evening as well. You'll be able to join us again on the Tweetgrid set up at http://is.gd/fZxDB.

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"With Full Approval" [CREE]

We recently reported on a pending series of graphic novels from Tony Lee & Dan Boultwood, titled "The Baker Street Irregulars" ("This Comic Interlude" [3GAB]). Today, we understand that the series has been green-lighted by Franklin Watts / EDGE Books.

The press release makes things sound ominous:
"Sherlock Holmes is dead – and the streets of London are awash with crime. And with no great detective to save them – who will the common people of London turn to?"

We're confident that the authors will be able to answer that question, and as a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, we're glad to see our name being used in a creative and engaging way. And as we understand it, one of our members has been advising Mssrs. Lee & Boultwood.

Even more interesting, Mr. Tony Lee himself has dropped by our Facebook Page to let us know that he got approval to move forward with the project. We'd appreciate it if you stopped over there and pushed that big "Like" button on the top of the page, if you haven't yet. Even better, you can do it right here:





And now, the full press release from http://www.thebakerstreetirregulars.com:

This is the question asked in Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars, a series of four graphic novel stories released by Franklin Watts / EDGE books, a division of Hachette Children’s Books this coming Spring.

Written by New York Times List #1 Bestselling Graphic Novelist and Anthony Horowitz’s ‘Horowitz Graphic Horror’ adaptor Tony Lee, and with art by critically acclaimed ‘Prince Of Baghdad’ and ‘Horowitz Graphic Horror’ artist Dan Boultwood, these four books chronicle the adventures of the Baker Street Irregulars, characters mentioned in Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books ‘A Study In Scarlet’ and ‘The Sign Of Four’ as they take up the challenge of defending the Victorian city against the forces of evil; facing kidnappers, thieves, murderers and a criminal mastermind believed to be the notorious Moriarty, the man also believed to have killed Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls several months earlier.

But the Irregulars aren’t alone – helping them are the reluctant Inspector Lestrade, the mysterious débutante Irene Adler and the steadfast Doctor John Watson, who uses his years of study under Holmes to assist this new generation of crime-solvers.

Set in the three ‘missing years’ between ‘The Adventure Of The Final Problem’ and ‘The Adventure Of The The Empty House’, the series concentrates on Wiggins, the only Baker Street Irregular named in any of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyles books, and his gang of detectives, including the female pickpocket ‘Pockets’, the chimney sweep apprentice ‘Ash’, the Chinatown inventor ‘Chen’ and the butcher’s assistant ‘Tiny’. Alongside the Irish Wolfhound ‘Fluffy’ and their mysterious first client ‘Eliza’, they find themselves in a variety of adventures that fans of the genre of any age can enjoy.

In the last few years there have been a multitude of child-friendly Sherlock Holmes spin-off books available, but these stories of the Baker Street Irregulars are unique; in addition to the fact that they are told in a graphical comic format, for one of the first times ever they are ‘canonical’ within the Sherlock Holmes universe, with perhaps the most acclaimed Sherlock Holmes expert alive today, Leslie S. Klinger coming on board as consulting expert for all four stories.

The editor of countless award winning academic books on Sherlock Holmes, including the ‘New Annotated Sherlock Holmes’ and the ten volume ‘Sherlock Holmes Reference Library’, Leslie S. Klinger is so respected in the industry that even the makers of the Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey, Jr and Jude Law have consulted his advice. And with Leslie involved, The Baker Street Irregulars moves from a simple series to a storytelling event that every self respecting ‘Sherlockian’ will want on their bookshelf.

With four stories, ‘The Adventure Of The Missing Detective’, ‘The Adventure Of The Phantom Of Drury Lane’, ‘The Adventure Of The Charge Of The Old Brigade’ and ‘The Adventure Of The Family Reunion’ released in March 2011, Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars is a series for both reluctant and confident readers of all ages.

What do you think? does this interest you? Will you be placing an order?

"Dated From Cleveland" [STUD]

Tom Stetak, BSI ("The Head of the Police at Cleveland") was one of a kind. While we here at the Baker Street Blog didn't know him all that well, he left a distinct impression upon all who knew him. Tom passed away last week at the relatively young age of 60 after a brief illness.

Tom's look was the first thing that caught our attention at Baker Street Irregular functions - his bearded countenance made him look Amish in nature, and his restoration business seemed to be in line with that appearance as well.

But it was his sense of humor that really set him apart. At the BSI Dinner in 1997, he was one of the many who stood up to roast Tom Stix, Jr., the outgoing "Wiggins" of the organization. Stix was known for his frank personality - which, depending on his mood, could sometimes be barbed. But he could also be a very warm and caring individual as well. And Tom Stetak sensed  that. One of the lines from his roast went something like:
     "Many people say that Tom Stix isn't emotional, but it just isn't true. Why, Tom has more emotion in his middle finger than I have in my whole body!"

And then the whole room erupted in laughter, with the heartiest laugh coming from Tom Stix himself.

Tom Stetak was also part of the Florin Society - Irregulars with spouses who were also members of the BSI -  and he left his wife Ruthann. You can read Tom's obituary here.

If you have a memory of Tom, please consider leaving it in the comments section below.

"A Curious Constitution" [SIGN]

We've had the pleasure of sharing many of the goings-on of the annual Baker Street Irregulars Weekend previously. If you'd like to read up on past goings-on, please take a look at the "Some Other Topic" section in the sidebar on the right of this page and select the BSI label.

But one of the things we haven't had the opportunity to cover here is the origin and text of the BSI's Constitution and Buy-Laws (yes, that's the correct spelling - as far as the BSI is concerned). The document is referenced throughout the BSI Archival Series and was first presented to the public in Profile By Gaslight: An Irregular reader about the private Life of Sherlock Holmes by Edgar W. Smith, longtime leader of the BSI and editor of the Baker Street Journal.

Elmer Davis, BSI ("A Case of Identity") wrote the BSI Constitution and Buy-Laws around the time of the founding of the Baker Street Irregulars in 1934, to document the tongue-in-cheek attitude that pervaded the BSI (and still pervades it to this day). Each year at the BSI Dinner, a member reads the document to the assembled crowd and in unison, we all chant the fifth buy-law together.

Here we present the Constitution and Buy-Laws of the Baker Street Irregulars in its entirety:

The Constitution and Buy-Laws of the Baker Street Irregulars

Article I
The name of the society shall be the Baker Street Irregulars.

Article II
Its purpose shall be the study of the Sacred Writings.

Article III
All persons shall be eligible for membership who pass an examination in the Sacred Writings set by officer of the society, and who are considered otherwise suitable.

Article IV
The officers shall be: a Gasogene, a Tantalus, and a Commissionaire.
   The duties of the Gasogene shall be those commonly performed by a President.
   The duties of the Tantalus shall be those commonly performed by a Secretary.
   The duties of the Commissionaire shall be to telephone down for ice, White Rock, and whatever else may be required and available; to conduct all negotiations with waiters; and to assess the members pro rata for the cost of same.

The BSI Buy-laws
1. An annual meeting shall be held on January 6th, at which the canonical toasts shall be drunk; after which the members shall drink at will.

2. The current round shall be bought by any member who fails to identify, by title of story and context, and quotation from the Sacred Writings submitted by any other member.
   Qualification A. If two or more members fail so to identify, a round shall be bought by each of those so failing.
   Qualification B. If the submitter of the quotation, upon challenge, fails to identify it correctly, he shall buy the round.

3. Special meetings may be called at any time or any place by any one of three members, two of whom shall constitute a quorum.
   Qualification A. If said two people are of opposite sexes, they shall use care in selecting the place of meeting, to avoid misinterpretation (or interpretation either, for that matter).

4. All other business shall be left for the monthly meetings.

5. There shall be no monthly meetings.

Canonical Toasts
The obligatory canonical toasts are typically as follows: to the Woman, Irene Adler; the Master, the Doctor and, of course, long suffering Mrs. Hudson. These are always followed by toasts of varying propriety to the more colorful characters of the Canon and often the less fortunate fellow Irregulars.

Image courtesy of Toronto Public Library Special Collections (Flickr)

"The Inconceivable Sequel" [EMPT]

For anyone who saw the Robert Downey, Jr. film "Sherlock Holmes," it should have been patently obvious that the studio was prepping the audience for a sequel. The shadowy presence of one certain mathematics professor certainly paved the way for that. And with box office results to date that top the $500 million mark according to Box Office Mojo, it's no question that studio executives would want to see this kind of success repeated. In fact, Screen Rant reports that shooting will begin this summer.

But for those who await the actual script, there are questions that remain: what will the sequel cover? Will it pick up where the first film left off? Will Hollywood go with a conventional title like "The Return of Sherlock Holmes"?

We're happy to be able to share some inside news that is exclusive to the Baker Street Blog. Because of our prominence within the Sherlock Holmes community and connection to Warner Brothers and the literary world, we're in a unique position. Fellow Baker Street Irregulars include Leslie Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange"), who was a technical advisor to the first film; and Laurie R. King, BSI ("The Red Circle") author of the Mary Russell and Kate Martinelli books among others. Between the two of them, we have all the inside scoop we need at this point.

In the first outing, Rachel McAdams portrayed a wily, if sexed up, Irene Adler. It was probably a little more than Holmes fans expected out of the woman. When juxtaposed with the so-called "bromance" between Holmes and Watson, it was an odd threesome. Evidently, the new script contains another threesome, but one of a different sort.

We have credible information that Professor Moriarty will in fact play a significant part in the sequel, but Watson will be relegated to the background as he enjoys married life with Mary Morstan, his finacee from the first film. Set five years after the conclusion of the original, we're told that the screenwriters have dipped into a related series and have written in a very apt assistant to Sherlock Holmes, albeit taking liberty with the timeline of the novels. That's right: Sherlock Holmes will be joined in the sequel by none other than Laurie R. King's Mary Russell. The two team up and decipher clues that lead them to Moriarty's fiendish plan: to eliminate a sizable portion of London's upper class by poisoning the water supplied by plumbing - which only that strata of society would be likely to have.

For those who don't know Ms. Russell, she is the protagonist in Ms. King's novels which began with The Beekeeper's Apprentice. And although the novels have her meeting Sherlock Holmes in 1915, we have been told that the script very convincingly brings her back about 20 years into the mid-1890s, although the details at this point seem a little vague.

In terms of casting, we understand that actress Amy Adams, most recently so notable in Julie & Julia, is being considered for the role. As a petite, blue-eyed strawberry blonde, it would seem like the casting directors finally got something right this time around (although Jude Law's turn as Watson was well done).

We haven't yet heard about who will fill the role of Moriarty. We certainly hope that it's not a certain actor that we heard rumors of last year (see "Going Back to Pitt" [SIXN]). But with Ms. Adams filling the title female role, we could deal with whomever they throw at us.

Will the new film be as successful as the first? Will Mary Russell devotees be as open-minded and enthusiastic as some Sherlock Holmes fans were? Will Moriarty be cast believably? Will this sequel allow for yet another? Those and other questions still remain. Perhaps there are some answers out there. But for now, we're satisfied with the current news.

What do you think?

"Breakfast 2s 6d, Cocktail 1s" [NOBL]

For our final day at the BSI Weekend, we recreated the Saturday experience as we've known it for some years: breakfast at the Red Flame Diner, browsing the Vendors' Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and then the Baker Street Irregulars Reception.

Each of these has an important and universal component to it: we have an opportunity to spend time interacting with other Holmesians present at the events. With the advent of Facebook and the Sherlock Holmes Social Network, it's easy to connect with other like-minded souls at any time. But as we've said before, our little hobby is one of the original social networks. We gather because of a single common interest, yet we connect on a variety of levels. And the the convivial conversation, witty banter and intellectual discourse we have in person is irreplaceable. Indeed, it's one of the driving forces behind so many hundreds of us gather in New York each January.

Breakfast at the Red Flame is one of the unscripted events during the weekend. The diner is directly next to the Algonquin, so it's a natural stop for so many of us. Walking in the door, you feel like you're in a neighborhood establishment, as you're instantly greeted by waves and greetings. The booths accommodate up to 4 people, so the breakfast discussions are usually intimate - and funny if you happen to be at some of the booths we've been lucky enough to join over the years.

The gates to the Vendors' Room open at 9:00 a.m., and one will usually find Jerry Margolin foaming at the mouth, lest anyone gain admission before he does. Jerry is always first in and first with his checkbook out. The collectibles range from a full table of BSI publications to rare books, theatre cards, correspondence, jewelry, and a wide variety of Sherlockiana. It's really a site to behold. And usually, we stop in between the tables, chatting with each other and congratulating the newest members of the BSI as they come through.

The Reception
Over the last few years, the New York City Bar Association has graciously shared their quarters with us - very convenient, as they're literally across the street from the Algonquin. In addition to food and drink, attendees hunger and thirst for the entertainment that accompanies this annual party. The BSI dinner is capably recapped - in verse - by Al Rosenblatt ("Inspector Bradstreet") and his daughter Betsy Rosenblatt ("Lucy Ferrier"). This year, they focused on current events including recent late night television show wars, Tiger Woods, and of course the Guy Ritchie film.

Another highlight is the auction for some unique Holmesian items, the proceeds of which benefit the John H. Watson Fund. The fund helps to defray the travel costs for Sherlockians who are otherwise unable to afford the entire price of the BSI Weekend. This year's auction items included a pillow embroidered to reflect events in "The Abbey Grange," a set of posters from the new film, a medical certificate signed by Joseph Bell's father (Bell himself being a medical school professor of Conan Doyle's and an inspiration for the character of Sherlock Holmes), and a set of five medals/pins from the Curious Collectors of Baker Street. There was also an impromptu bidding for a BSI dinner packet which was left behind last night by the author of this blog. (!)





Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Ray Jessel, lyricist for the 1965 Broadway musical "Baker Street" and one of last night's dinner guests, joined us today as well - and graced us with some banter and a few witty songs. Update: You can view the entire set of recorded musical numbers by Ray and others here:




With that, we wrapped up the weekend and hopped on a flight back home. The full recap of the weekend events will be available in the Spring issue of the Baker Street Journal. Please follow the link to subscribe.

"One Winter's Night" [MUSG]

The first day of the BSI weekend has kicked things off nicely. We arrived to the Algonquin Hotel mid-morning just in time to see the Christopher Morley Walk getting started on the streets of New York. The lobby was fairly quiet, but there was a a table of longstanding friends and Holmesians gathered, including Susan Rice ("Beeswing"), Marilyn MacGregor ("V.V. 341"), Jon Lellenberg ("Rodger Prescott") and Susan Dahlinger ("The Bruce-Partington Plans"). We were soon joined by Curtis Armstrong ("An Actor and a Rare One"), John Baesch ("State and Merton County Railroad"), Scott Bond ("The Copper Beeches") and Sherry Rose Bond ("Violet Hunter"). We were able to briefly get caught up on families, jobs, retirement and general friendly chatter.

Lunchtime saw us first at the National Arts Club for the lunch of the Sacred Six, and then directly next door at the Players Club for the Lunch of Steele, in memory of Frederic Dorr Steele, illustrator of some of the Sherlock Holmes stories. A member of the Players for 40 years, his artwork was on display and his pool cue was still in its holder. The group enjoyed receiving the first lapel pin for the Three Hours For Lunch Club - the precursor to the Baker Street Irregulars.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

At the Williams Club, the annual Morley-Montgomery Award for the best article in the Baker Street Journal, was given to Marshall S. ("Mike") Berdan, a contributor for more than 30 years, won for his Spring 2009 article on "The Mazarin Stone". The award was presented at a reception sponsored by the Baker Street Journal, attended by many of the past year's contributors. While the gathering included many seasoned "regulars" who write frequently for the Journal, also present was 18-year-old Lucy Kiefer, whose first Sherlockian paper appeared in the Summer issue.

 

As the evening drew closer, it was time for the BSI Distinguished Speaker series, and this outing brought us an archivist - one Joan Winterkorn, a valuation expert with Bernard Quaritch of London. She spoke about some of the great archives she had known, including the papers and correspondence of seven generations of the John Murray publishing family. The latter include most of Lord Byron's important manuscripts and letters as well as much correspondence with Arthur Conan Doyle. The Distinguished Speaker lecture was graced with the attendance of two previous Distinguished Speakers, Sir Christopher Frayling and Laurie R. King, as well as dozens of Sherlockians. It was a bibliophile's dream.

After the lecture, people formed small groups and found their way to local restaurants, savoring perhaps the last intimate moments before the festivities really kick into full gear tomorrow.

"Weekend Visitors" [SOLI]

Well, the Baker Street Irregulars weekend is upon us! Hundreds of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts will converge upon New York in an annual ritual that has its origins all the way back in 1934.

The unofficial headquarters of the weekend is the Algonquin Hotel, home of the famed Algonquin Round Table, about which much has been written. We'll be spending plenty of time in the lobby, as well as running from meal to meal and catching up with those we haven't seen in a while.

We'll also be providing regular updates here as time allows, and on Twitter as @S_Holmes. You can also follow in the box on the right, as we use the Twitter "hashtag" (that's a pound sign in front of an acronym) #bsiweekend. Expect to get the news of the newest investitured members of the Baker Street Irregulars on Twitter as they're announced.

If you can't be with us in person, we hope you're with us in spirit. This is an exciting time for Holmesians everywhere. It's amazing how much we'll be able to share through the power of the web.

Click here to see related posts on the BSI Weekend.

"Funds of the Society Were Raised" [REDC]

For some years now, the Baker Street Irregulars have made the Dr. John H. Watson Fund available to all Sherlockians (BSI membership is not required) who wish to travel to New York for the annual Baker Street Irregulars weekend but who may not be able to afford to otherwise attend.

The Watson Fund is a self-exhausting fund - that is, each year the fund is depleted and kindly souls make cash donations in order to replenish it for the following year. Outright cash donations are collected, but there's also an annual raffle as well. Usually a high-value item is donated as the raffle prize and money is raised in that fashion. In addition, there's an auction held on Saturday afternoon at the BSI Annual Reception each year. It's always lively and includes a live auction of many additional items, with the proceeds going to the Watson Fund.

This year, in order to pique some interest early, the BSI is previewing some of the items up for auction. Please have a look at the Baker Street Journal page with the featured auction items. There you'll find the following:

1. Five medals from the Curious Collectors of Baker Street
2. A medical school diploma signed by Joseph Bell's father
3. Pillow commemorating "The Abbey Grange"
4. A fine Madeira with glasses and a book on wine

The significance of each of these items, as well as photographs of them can be found on the BSJ site. You must be present to bid on the items in New York, or you may send a proxy in your place.

Happy bidding!

What are those four-letter abbreviations in the headlines?