"The Very Latest Construction" [STOC]

The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes is coming to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in just 125 days.

A collaborative effort between Conan Doyle Estate Ltd., Exhibits Development Group (EDG), Geoffrey M. Curley + Associates (GMCA), and OMSI, this unique and interactive experience showcases areas of forensic science that enabled Sherlock Holmes to solve crimes, as well as the historic underpinnings of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s rich and vibrant stories.

Read more...

"You Remind Me of Edgar" [STUD]

The evening of May 2 marked the 2013 Edgar® Awards banquet, during which the winners of the Mystery Writers of America grant the most prestigious award in the mystery genre to the authors and creators who gave us such treasures over the previous year.

As usual, Sherlock Holmes-related and -inspired work was present across a number of categories of both nominees and winners, and we'd like to share the results that may be of interest to those of you who are either completists on your collecting habits or who simply like to know relevant news about works of Sherlock Holmes.

Read more...

"Singularly Adapted To Our Needs" [MISS]

Click to enlarge

[Editor's note: the following was submitted by Jeremy Holstein from the Post-Meridian Radio Players]

"If I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all." - A Study in Scarlet

In March of this year I auditioned for a local production of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."  During auditions I overheard a comment by the artistic director that they were looking to do a production of The Hound of the Baskervilles, but that they did not have a script yet. Being the life-long Holmes fanatic I am, I boldly (foolishly?) volunteered to adapt the script for the Post-Meridian Radio Players. The major caveat was that I had to bring the script in under an hour.

I didn't know what I was in for.

First thing we did was transcribe a 1977 production done for the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre. This was to be my starting point. If you've ever heard this version it's heavily abridged, with several major sequences and characters cut out. The dialog is also, for lack of a better word, paraphrased.

To fix the paraphrasing problem we subsequently transcribed every scrap of dialog from the original novel into a basic radio script.

With these two scripts in hand I set out to marry them together. My goals were as follows:

• To restore as much original Doyle dialog as possible. 
• To restore the missing sequences of the cab-chase in London and the Laura Lyons character. 
• Get it down under an hour. The producer told me, and I quote, "45 minutes would be best."

Read more...

"A Wilder Exhibition Of Passion" [CREE]

In 1851, the Great Exhibition highlighted then "cutting edge" technology and industry. For its 100th anniversary, the Exhibition used then-current means to create a special highlight for Sherlockians - a replica of Holmes' sitting room, which is now on display in the Sherlock Holmes Pub in London.

Not to be outdone, the current version of the Exhibition is now online...and also contains an excellent opportunity for Sherlockians to participate and demonstrate a slightly wilder exhibitions of their own passions.

Thanks to a strong Internet presence (including the Great Exhibition on Twitter), people can actually vote for those things which are "great" about Great Britain. Of special interest to Sherlockians are the two following categories of interest:

Sherlock Holmes - http://www.thegreatexhibition2012.co.uk/greats/sherlock-holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - http://www.thegreatexhibition2012.co.uk/greats/sir-arthur-conan-doyle

At the 1951 Exhibition, the ability to view the Great Detective's drawing room helped the character make a deeper impact on history; now, Sherlockians can play an active role in making sure that impact is felt for future generations as well.

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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"Possible Actors in This Drama" [SECO]

Sherlock Holmes has a long history in the medium of radio, stretching back as far as 1930 and possibly (if certain reports are to believed) even earlier.

Among the notable actors who have played Holmes and Watson on the radio are such luminaries as William Gillette, Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Clive Merrison, Michael Williams, Andrew Sachs, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, John Neville, Cartlon Hobbs and Norman Shelley, among many, many, many others. For every screen appearance by Holmes and Watson there are at least three times that number in the medium of sound.

Do you have what it takes to join their ranks?

This July the Post Meridian Radio Players will be presenting an original live radio adaptation of The Hound
of the Baskervilles as part of their Summer Mystery Radio Theater. The Hound will close out an evening of other classic radio mysteries, including a recreation of the Burns and Allen classic "Gracie Take Up Crime Solving" and the Suspense classic "Sorry, Wrong Number."

For those Baker Street Blog readers of a theatrical bent who are in the Boston area, auditions will be held in
Somerville, MA on the evenings of May 21st and 22nd. Further information on the production can be found on the Hub of the Universe website. Check out their site for information on auditions, including sides and sign-up.

All are welcome.


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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"Holmes For the Second Time" [ABBE]

#SherlockPBS - a "hashtag" as it's known in Twitter - is a phrase you should get used to. Because beginning on May 6, it's going to reach a fever pitch when the acclaimed series Sherlock (starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Mark Gatiss, written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss) returns to Masterpiece on PBS for its stunning second season.

This second series is expected to be even bigger than the first, as the stars have come into their own a bit and they and the series has been critically acclaimed. The second series also has the confidence of the creators, as the first was something of an experiment. Having ensured that the experimentation was indeed successful, they mined the Canon for the three most intriguing and popular stories for inspiration in season two. As Steven Moffat puts it in shorthand, this season consists of "the hound, the woman and the professor." More formally, those episodes consist of "The Hounds of Baskerville," "A Scandal in Belgravia" and "The Reichenbach Fall."

Read more...

"Their System of Registration" [LADY]

Breaking news: registration for From Gillette to Brett III is now open!

This is the third installment of the quadrennial From Gillette to Brett conference that is produced by the Wessex Press, and it's taking place from November 11 - 13, 2011 in Bloomington, Indiana. From the website:

Devoted to Sherlock Holmes on stage, screen, television, and radio, From Gillette to Brett III will feature rare Sherlockian films, vendors, and an all-star roster of distinguished speakers, presenters, and events, including the 35th Anniversary Screening of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, hosted by Nicholas Meyer!

The star-studded lineup of speakers is impressive and includes the following:

• Nicholas Meyer, BSI ("A Fine Morocco Case"), author of The Seven Per-Cent Solution, The West End Horror: A Posthumous Memoir of John H. Watson, M.D., and The Canary Trainer: From the Memoirs of John H. Watson - not to mention his connection with the world of Star Trek.
• Curtis Armstrong, BSI ("An Actor and a Rare One"), noted Sherlockian and actor from Risky Business, Ray, Revenge of the Nerds, "Moonlighting" and more.
• David Stuart Davies, BSI ("Sir Ralph Musgrave"), Holmesian and author of Holmes of the Movies: The Screen Career of Sherlock Holmes, Bending the Willow Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and Starring Sherlock Holmes: A Century of the Master Detective on Screen.
• Bert Coules, the lead writer for the BBC Radio Sherlock Holmes series with Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.
• Tony Earnshaw, author of An Actor and a Rare One.
• Leslie Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange"), editor of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes and consultant to the Warner Bros. "Sherlock Holmes" movie series.
• Kathryn White, BSI ("The Musgrave Ritual"), author and Holmesian.

See more for yourself on the latest trailer:



If any of this looks remotely interesting, get thee to the registration site immediately! This event only happens every four years, and these are icons of the Sherlockian world with deep connections to the stage and screen.

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"Demonstration Before Breakfast" [LION]

The Baker Street Breakfast Club has been an integral part of Bennington, Vermont for the last 20 years. Under the guiding tutelage of Sally Sugarman, BSI ("The Three Gables"), the friendly and intimate group typically meets in members' homes - including an annual pool party, which we're guessing is B.Y.O.L.M. (bring your own Lion's Mane).

Some 15 years ago, the BSBC put on a marvelous conference at Bennington College (or so we hear). If recollection serves, this was the last major conference that John Bennett Shaw attended. We may be mistaken in this regard.

Anyway, the Baker Street Breakfast Club is at it again and is ready to celebrate another milestone. This time, at their 20th anniversary, they're putting on Sherlock Holmes: The Man and His Worlds from June 24-27, 2010 in Bennington, VT. There's quite a program in place for the very reasonable $60 registration fee, and the conference organizers have coordinated with the local theater and library, among other municipal services, for a truly integrated experience while you're in Bennington.

You can read about the extensive program and print out the registration form here:
Sherlock Holmes: The Man and His World - June 2010

Sally was also a guest on the most recent episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. Take a listen to her passion around this unique event and how she talks about it.

More information is available from the conference web site. We hope you can make it!

"No Ghosts Need Apply" [SUSS]

The Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota know how to put on a conference. They've hosted many in the past, including the most recent, Victorian Secrets and Edwardian Enigmas in 2007.

The description of their latest conference, "The Spirits of Sherlock Holmes" notes: The Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota and the Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections at the University of Minnesota are sponsoring a conference to explore the many meanings of the word "spirits" and how they relate to Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Victorian Era. The conference will take place August 6-8, 2010 at the Elmer L. Andersen Library at the University of Minnesota, home of the Sherlock Holmes Collections, the world’s largest collection of Sherlock Holmes-related material.

The conference will feature presentations, vendor tables, a silent auction of selected duplicate items from the Collections, an exhibit of rare and unique materials from the Collections, a performance of an Edith Meiser radio script by the Red-Throated League of the Norwegian Explorers, and the Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections.Spirits of Sherlock Holmes - August 2010

Speakers include: Ray Betzner, BSI ("The Agony Column"), Susan E. Dahlinger, BSI ("The Bruce-Partington Plans"), ASH; Evelyn Herzog, BSI ("The Daintiest Thing Under a Bonnet"), ASH; Gideon Hill, BSI ("Jack Prendergast"); Brad Keefauver, BSI ("Winwood Reade"); Leslie S. Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange"); Jon L. Lellenberg, BSI ("Rodger Prescott"); Peggy Perdue; Tim Reich; Richard Sveum, BSI ("Dr. Hill Barton").

Registration for the conference is now open. You can fill out the form below and mail it in.
Spirits Registration

"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.

"Irregularity at Meals" [3STU]

The Friday of the BSI Weekend is typically spent running from meal to meal. By the end of it, one begins to wonder if it was even a wise thing to do to commit to a breakfast, large lunch, and catered dinner all in a single day. But then one thinks back on the conversations had, friendships rekindled, and new faces met, and one realizes that it's well worth the expanding waistline.

The William Gillette Memorial Lunch has been in existence for over 60 years. Currently held at Moran's Chelsea Restaurant, it originated as a lunch for out-of-towners who arrived early for the BSI dinner. Now, it's open to everyone who would like to attend, so you'll see a strong contingent of locals as well as travelers. The locals also include the Friends of Bogey's of Baker Street, a stage troupe who always have an humorous skit that incorporates William Gillette. This year, hilarity ensued as they took a Holmesian approach to nursery rhymes and we were treated to Peter Peter Amberley, the Adventure of the Christmas Pie, the Three Rubadubs, the 24 Black Peeps, and a Cardboard Box containing the severed tails of three vision-impaired mice.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The BSI Dinner
The highlight of the weekend for those who are invited to attend is always the annual dinner of the Baker Street Irregulars - the very event that that got this entire movement started. This year, there was plenty to be excited about, including some celebrity sightings such as Neil Gaiman, Laurie R. King and Curtis Armstrong, to name a few. But the real stars are the Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts who make it such an interesting place to be.

This year, the dinner was held at a new venue for the BSI - the Yale Club, just a couple of blocks from the Algonquin Hotel. It was the equivalent of the Union League Club, The Woman for 2010 - typically the (long-suffering) wife of a long-standing BSI member was Karen Gurion, wife of Andrew J. Peck, BSI ("Inspector Baynes, Surrey Constabulary"). She was toasted by Jerry Margolin ("Hilton Cubitt") and then she gave her own remarks. Of Andy's acquisition of an original Frederic Dorr Steele illustration of Sherlock Holmes, she remarked, "That's art?" To which, noted dealer Otto Penzler, who was in attendance replied, "So sell it back!" Karen clearly warmed up to the group, saying that she felt like Sally Field: "You like me! You really like me!" And indeed, we do.

Following the cocktail party, we wound our way upstairs to the dining room and began the proceedings of the evening. Wiggins got right to the awards, first doling out a special crystal award with Queen Victoria on one side and Sherlock Holmes on the other, to Freda Howlett, widow of Holmesian Tony Howlett and one of the co-founders of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Directly following Freda's award, Mike launched into the Eddies - awards given to the editors of BSI publications to demonstrate his thanks for the hard work they've done. They were:

• Steve Rothman for A Remarkable Mixture
• Les Klinger for his general editorship of the BSI Manuscript and History Series and A Tangled Skein
• John Bergquist for So Painful a Scandal
• Susan Dahlinger and Glen Miranker for co-editing the 2007 BSJ Christmas Annual Rathbone Returns
• Gianluca Salvatore for editing Mandate for Murder
• A posthumous award to H. Paul Jeffers for the 2005 BSJ Christmas Annual Once a Week in Baker Street

Some remarks from Wiggins followed: the BSI Archives will become increasingly important over the next five years and the correspondence of every member of the BSI is sought; more scholarly conferences around the country will be happening; and we need to keep in mind not to take ourselves too seriously. That being said, we launched into some papers, some serious, some not so serious.

Nils Nordberg ("A Norwegian Named Sigerson") opined on the Scandinavian roots of Holmes, and was followed by Sue Vizoskie ("Mrs. Saunders") who posited that Holmes was a woman (!). Finally, Nathan Hartley ("Penang Lawyer") discussed the original Penang lawyer and the real identity of James Mortimer. Then, Peter Blau ("Black Peter") took the podium and gave a toast to An Old Irregular - in this case, Bill Rabe. We'll have some of the audio at a later date. But Peter let us know that Bill, who was one of the inspirations behind "Aunt Clara," which we sing every year, got his inspiration from a song called "Mush Mush."

Henry Boote ("Meyers, Toronto") stepped up to tickle the ivories and gave us a rendition of "Mush, Mush" and then invited Scott Monty to belt out a few stanzas of "Aunt Clara" with gracious help from the audience on the chorus. And as if that wasn't enough musical entertainment, we were joined by Ray Jessel, the songwriter who was responsible for the Broadway musical "Baker Street" (you can purchase it by clicking through). Ray gave some brief remarks and then played a few songs on the piano, including the memorable "A Married Man." He shared that to write for Watson was eaier, as "he represents the human element" in the Canon. To say that it was a treat to hear Ray play would be an immense understatement.

We then stood on the terrace for the BSIs we lost over the last year. They included: Edwin King, Joe Fink, Ed Lauterbach, Edward Starr, Richard Warner, Frank Beckman, and H. Paul Jeffers. Then it was time to move on to the happier part of the program...

The Honours List
The awarding of the irregular shilling is always a marvelous thing. There were nine in the class of 2010, as well as three Two-Shilling Awards:

• "Lord Bellinger" - Tom Cynkin
• "Ettie Shafter" - Pj Doyle
• "Vernet" - Sir Christopher Frayling
• "Imperial Tokay" - Patricia Guy
• "The Red Circle" - Laurie R. King
• "Violet Smith" - Sarah Montague
• "Holloway and Steele" - Daniel Polvere
• "The Three Gables' - Sally Sugarman
• "Isadora Klein" - Maria Carmen Veiga Hayzen
• John Bergquist, Two Shilling Award
• Bob Coghill, Two Shilling Award
• Steve Doyle, Two Shilling Award

The dinner concluded with the reading of "A Long Evening with Holmes."




Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Aplogies for any typos or misspellings; this was done in haste.

"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.

"Upon One of the Panels" [STUD]

For those of you in the New York City area at the end of January 2010, you may be interested to know about a panel of Sherlock Holmes and mystery experts that's being held in Manhattan.

Author E.J. Wagner (The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases) will act as moderator of a panel of authors that will discuss Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's influence on mystery writing and detective fiction. Other panelists include:

• Lyndsay Faye, member of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes and author of Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson
• Jonathan Maberry, a multiple Bram Stoker Award winner and author of Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel
• Reggie Nadelson, columnist and author of the Artie Cohen mysteries
• Charles Salzberg, freelance writer and author of Swann's Last Song

This astute panel will convene at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 on the 6th floor of the Mid-Manhattan Library, which is part of the New York Public Library at 40th Street and 5th Avenue (map).

More details about the event and the panelists can be found on EJ Wagner's site.

What are those four-letter abbreviations in the headlines?

"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?

"A Certain Annual Sum" [SPEC]

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly a year since the last Baker Street Irregulars Weekend. An 2009 has been quite a year, for those not following along. From "Wiggins" annual letter:

The BSI Weekend was followed in early May by "Arthur Conan Doyle: A Sesquicentennial Assessment", a conference at Harvard University honoring ACD's 150th birthday and an exhibition "Ever Westward" at Harvard's Houghton Library which displayed unique items pertaining to Doyle, the BSI and the Speckled Band scion society whose own archives have resided at the Houghton for many decades. The occasion was also a celebration of The Baker Street Irregulars' Archives and the exhibition displayed rare BSI material never before seen by most of the participants. Springtime in Cambridge was a memorable venue and the participants enjoyed superior speakers and a highly entertaining wrap-up banquet with a lively musical program consisting of early 20th-century Sherlockian sheet music loaned by Dan Posnansky, organized by the Al and Julie Rosenblatt with Henry Boote, the BSI's Musical Director, and performed by Henry, Betsy Rosenblatt, Jim Saunders and Scott Monty.

On September 25th a symposium, "The Remarkable Characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle", was held and filled to capacity, with attendees from coast to coast, at Indiana University's Lilly Library. The symposium was jointly sponsored by the Friends of the Lilly Library and The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis. This was an event focused on Sherlock Holmes and other major and minor characters in the Doyle Canon to make the case that ACD's characters compared very favorably to those of his more acclaimed contemporaries. Paired with the conference was a fine exhibition of material from the Lilly's Sherlockian and Doylean collections, including the manuscript of The Red Circle and The Final Problem fragment. The speakers were outstanding and scholarly, and impressed our Lilly hosts and other academicians in attendance.

The last major event in the U. S. in this anniversary year was the running of the Silver Blaze in Chicago on October 31st to celebrate the BSI's 75th anniversary year and the 50th running of the Chicago Silver Blaze. The race day was followed by the traditional BSI brunch and program the next day. 2009 has been quite a celebratory year to savor.... enjoy it while it lasts!

When you add to that the new movie that debuts later this year, it may well signify a resurgence in our little hobby.

But, with the annual letter from our leader comes the announcement of the BSI Weekend festivities which occur in New York in January of each year. If you've never attended, it's the highlight of the year for many Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts - an opportunity for about 300 of us to gather in one place, rekindle old friendships, create new ones, and celebrate our common interest.

As with the past few years, you'll be able to find all of the information relevant to the BSI Weekend available at http://www.bsiweekend.com, from maps to a reservation form, to details on every single event.

I hope to be able to see you there!

What are those four-letter abbreviations in the headlines?

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

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

Recent Happenings:
Daniel Stashower, BSI ("Thurston") and Peter Blau, BSI, ASH ("Black Peter") were both on NPR's The Diane Rehm Show to discuss The Hound of the Baskervilles in the lead-up to Conan Doyle's birthday. You can listen to the show by clicking on the link above.

In the news, the Telegraph reminds us that We still believe in Sherlock Holmes, even in the age of DNA; the Scotsman remembers its native son with Elementary, my dear Edinburgh; and Harvard follows up on the Sesquicentennial proceedings with Symposium Studies Doyle's Contributions to Literature.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: a Sesquicentennial Assessment

A major symposium was held from May 7 - May 9, 2009, at which about 125 people gathered from around the world to hold forth on Conan Doyle's life, influence and output. While it was co-sponsored by the Baker Street Irregulars, it was about more than just Sherlock Holmes. Here are some of the highlights.

Dan Stashower talked about the buzz around the new movie, "Sherlock Holmes," coming out later this year (see the trailer here). He suggested some other other movie titles:

• Last Tonga in Paris
• My Big Fat Greek Interpreter
• The Engineer's Thumbelina
• Reichenbach to the Future

Dr. Giles Constable, former H.C. Lea Professor of Medieval of History at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Studies, made an interesting observation about Holmes that could equally apply to Conan Doyle. While many people gave credit to each for their prescience in divining the future, Dr. Constable noted: "Foresight is not the ability to predict the future, but a keen understanding of the present."

Tom Francis, BSI ("The Imperial Opera at Warsaw") gave a tour de force on the breadth of Conan Doyle's writing. Tom was introduced by Costa Rossakis, who noted that Tom collects lots of non-Sherlockian Doyle – many of which were bought by his wife Diana. As an aside, Costa said it was entirely appropriate, as Diana was the Greek goddess of the hunt. Tom noted that Sherlock Holmes material only represented only about 10-12% of Doyle's total literary output.

Historical novels
In Conan Doyle's historical work, characters come alive, descriptions are vivid, sense of humor is evident. During the war, the government made sure there was enough paper in supply to keep the White Company in print, to keep up morale.

Spiritualism
He still writes well on spiritualism, Tom says. While we may be resentful that this topic took him away from the other areas that we enjoy, spiritualism was a major movement during his time, and Doyle's writing on the topic was detailed and methodical.

Science fiction
An area where Doyle excels: science fiction. "Lot No. 249" & the "Ring of Thoth" inspired "The Mummy". The Lost World was written after he researched fossils, science and paleontology, and the realism of the book was made more real by the inclusion of maps and drawings. This further influenced movies and books such as Planet of the Apes and Jurassic Park. When Doyle wrote The Land of Mist, he used Professor Challenger to bring together his interests in science fiction and spiritualism.

Poetry
Tom read a couple of poems by Doyle – an area that the author doesn't get much credit for but that he was very proficient in.

Dan Posnansky, BSI ("Colonel Hayter") gave a talk titled America, America Here I Come – on Doyle's 1894 tour of the United States. Dan noted that Doyle had a great love of America, best represented in this letter than Conan Doyle wrote in 1894:
"The people are far more loveable than I expected…more affable than our own folk. There never was a country so maligned than this one. We have got to go into partnership with them, or else be overshadowed by them. The center of gravity has shifted and we have got to readjust ourselves."

Eve Mayer, a graduate student at Harvard, compared history with fiction as she covered Conan Doyle's Mormons: A Study in Black, White and Scarlet. She noted the many inconsistencies with fact, but also posited that rather than accidentally misrepresenting the facts, it could have been deliberate on Doyle's part – in fact, it was common in the late 19th century to misconstrue Mormon culture.

Glen Miranker, BSI ("The Origin of Tree Worship") took a long look at Sherlock Holmes in American Popular Culture. How pervasive is it? Glen compared references to Sherlock (8.7 million) and "New Testament" (20.3 million) on Google. There are 8,000 books on or about Sherlock Holmes on Amazon. The Canon has been translated into more than 83 different languages (including Klingon and Pitman Shorthand – "a vital part of running Britain's empire").

The Dramatic Holmes: uncountable stage productions and radio appearances; 150+ TV shows, 130+ appearances on movie screens. Made an appearance in a Harvard club play in 1894 with one character being named as "a disciple of Sherlock Holmes." The ver first film, Sherlock Holmes Baffled, was made in 1900, distributed in 1903.

On the screen, we see Sherlock Holmes portrayed by (among others): William Gillette, Eille Norwood, John Barrymore, Arthur Wontner, Clive Brook, Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing. Jeremy Brett are most well known. Others: Maurice Costello, Raymond Massey, Peter Granger, Ronald Howard, Leonard Nimoy, Michael Caine, Robert Hardy, Nicol Williamson, Tom Baker, Robert Stephens, Roger Moore, Charlton Heston, Ian Richardson, Rupert Everett, Robert Downey, Jr., Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, the Three Stooges, Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello, George C. Scott, John Cleese, Brent Spiner animated versions.

On television today, Holmes informs today's detectives. House, CSI, Law & Order Criminal Intent, Monk - even The Simpsons, where Lisa investigated the Mutton Chop murderer as Sherlock Holmes.

In advertising, we see the image of Holmes used for soda, clothing, shoes, head lice, enemas, food, tobacco (including cigarette cards, cigar box labels, cigar bands, pipes, chewing tobacco, etc.), home inspection, gas companies, insurance, detective services, automotive products, games (the Parker Bros card game appeared in 1904 and stayed on the market until 1923), balloon animal modeling, computer games, video games.

Glen concluded that the only areas not yet affected by Sherlock Holmes are NASCAR, rap music and baseball.


We also heard from Andrew Lycett, the biographer of Conan Doyle on a survey of Conan Doyle's Biographers. Leslie Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange") shared the connection between Dr. Watson and his literary agent: Partners in Crime: Arthur Conan Doyle and John H. Watson. And Boston University English professor Charles Rzepka analyzed the Canon for influences of Homer's Odyssey in Holmes-Coming for What-Son. It was a fascinating talk that I was too ensconced in to even take notes.

John Bergquist, BSI ("The King of Scandinavia") ran through the Baker Street Irregulars' publishing history, especially looking at the BSI's International Series and Manuscript Series, the newest volume of which is now available.

Randall Stock, BSI ("South African Securities") did A Sherlock Holmes Census: What's Really Out There?, where he led us through the whereabouts of the manuscripts and Sidney Paget illustrations. If you've never visited Randall's very comprehensive and informative web site, The Best of Sherlock Holmes, you're missing out.

Looking at some of the early enthusiasts who gave Conan Doyle his due and worshipped at the altar of Sherlock Holmes, Steve Rothman, BSI ("The Valley of Fear") reminisced on Christopher Morley: Reading, Reviewing and Reichenbach and Peter X. Accardo, the Houghton Library specialist who put together the symposium, remembered Boston's own H.W. Bell: A Chronology of His Adventures.

Finally, Richard Olken, BSI ("Bob Carruthers") took a page from the Beacon Society with 'Children Yet Unborn' (How We Envy Them!): Teaching Conan Doyle. I understand the Beacon Society has published Richard's paper - you can download the PDF directly here.

If you're remotely interested in more of what went on at the truly fascinating symposium, all of the papers will be published and you can place your order for a hardcover edition. They will also be part of a limited edition box set that comes with a gold-stamped slipcase and includes:

1. So Painful a Scandal - the manuscript for "The Three Students". This is also available in a standard edition.
2. Papers at an Exhibition - the proceedings from the symposium
3. Ever Westward: Arthur Conan Doyle and American Culture - an annotated catalog of the exhibition edited by Peter Accardo.

More information is available on the Baker Street Journal website.

Not a bad way to celebrate 150 years, is it?

"Taking the Queen's Shilling" [SIGN]

As you may have seen in the Twitter stream (the section on the right titled "Holmes Was a Very Busy Man"), the coveted Baker Street Irregulars investitures were awarded tonight at the BSI Dinner. It was a banner evening, celebrating 75 years of the BSI being in existence, and saying farewell to a large number of Irregulars who left us over the past year.

Mike Whelan, the current "Wiggins" of the BSI, states that it's his favorite part of the dinner - and I can certainly believe him. Much joy was given, much joy was received.

While the dinner is about much more than the investitures, it's clearly the thing on everyone's mind at the dinner. Having been someone who attended a number of dinners before I was called up to the podium, I can honestly say that the old Oscars cliche "it's an honor just to be nominated" does in fact ring true. I hope that this year's attendees feel the same.

This year, all of the Investitures were story titles - coveted titular investitures to be sure - and Wiggins spent some time discussing who previously held each title and in what year.

In the order they were announced, here are the latest Baker Street Irregulars:

• Bill Barnes, "The Gloria Scott"
  
• Susan Dahlinger, "The Bruce-Partington Plans"
  
• Robert Ellis, "The Illustrious Client"
  
• Walter Jaffee, "The Resident Patient"
  
• Allan Devitt, "The Dancing Men"
• Greg Darak, "The Engineer's Thumb"
  
• Jeff Bradway, "A Case of Identity"
• Michael Pollock, "The Blue Carbuncle"
• Sebastian LePage, "The Six Napoleons"
• Jens Byskov Jensen, "The Blanched Soldier
• Joel Schwartz, "The Three Students"
• Barbara Rusch, "The Mazarin Stone"
  

And this year, Mike gave the coveted Two-Shilling Award to an individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to the BSI. The Two-Shilling Award went to:

• Dan Posnansky, for his incredible work with the BSI Trust and Archives.

In addition, Mike also presented a special golden door encrusted with diamonds to his wife, Mary Ann Bradley, for her assistance with the BSI weekend administrative work for the last 12 years.For anyone who knows the hard work that Mary Ann puts into all of the BSI events, ensuring registration and organization, it's a well-deseeved honor.

All of the recipients of shillings were people who have been at this for years and were incredibly worthy of the honor. And Wiggins noted that much would be expected of them in the future.

My hope is that all of the new BSIs already subscribe to The Baker Street Journal. It's not a requirement to become an Irregular, nor are all Irregulars required to subscribe. But it's something everyone should consider. You subscribe to the BSJ, don't you?

"The Night of January 6th" [VALL]

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

You may recall that in "His Last Bow," Holmes was described as "...a tall, gaunt man of sixty..." and that the story took place in 1914. In addition, of the Shakespearean plays he quoted, Holmes referenced Twelfth Night twice. These facts taken together have led scholars to believe that Holmes was born on January 6, 1854.

To help celebrate this event, I'll be in New York City later this week - but only for the BSI dinner, and not the entire weekend festivities. My work schedule is keeping me otherwise occupied.

And while that means I won't be on hand to document the entire weekend, I'll be posting the latest recipients of BSI investitures on this blog late Friday night/early Saturday morning - and, for those of you interested following along live, right below in the graphical widget. Expect the news to break around 9:30 - 10:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 9.

If you don't follow along here, you can watch http://twitter.com/S_Holmes

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"A Week-End Gathering" [LAST]

Even though professional life has occupied my daily routine for the past 5 months or so and my commitment to various Sherlockian pursuits has suffered, my interest has not abated.

When one receives an invitation in the mail to the annual Baker Street Irregulars weekend, the thrill of your first time comes flooding back. So if you've not yet had the opportunity to attend, I suggest you take note.

For many of us, it's been nearly a year since we rubbed shoulders with each other from venues such as the Algonquin Hotel, Ollie's Noodle House, a city club or two, or just the streets of New York.

As I did last year, rather than reproduce the entire schedule on this blog, I've posted all of the information on a separate site where you can find all of your BSI Weekend information - from schedules, to maps, to links to travel site and the general RSVP form for download. You can find this and more at the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend site.

Because of my day job, I'll only be attending the BSI Dinner, so I won't be giving updates from all of the events, but you can still follow along on Friday evening in real-time if you'd like to see who the investitures go to. These updates can be found in the upper-left section of the BSI Weekend site. Just think- if you can't make it to the event, you can be the first to know who receives their BSI Investitures, without having to wait for the listserv, Yahoo groups, or disussion forums to update.

I hope to see you in New York in January. If you have any suggestions as to how to improve the BSI Weekend site, or if you have questions about the weekend, please drop me a line.