Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (August 10 - August 16, 2013)

"I leave it with you. It will be a great day when you bring us the news. It's just the last stroke that will bring them all to their knees."

- The Valley of Fear

Last weekend I had the tremendous good fortune to attend Sherlock Holmes Through Time and Place, a three day conference organized by the venerable Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota, Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections and the University of Minnesota. I'm saving all related #SHMN13 links plus my various reviews for posts later this week, but for now I'll say that the experience was an incredibly inspiring one, and I hope to channel some of that inspiration into Always1895.net.

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Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (July 27 - August 2, 2013)

"It was by concealing such links in the chain that Watson was enabled to produce his meretricious finales."

- 'The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier'

A weekly roundup of links from across the web related to Sherlock Holmes, courtesy of Matt Laffey from Always1895.net. We welcome your comments and feedback, and if you have any material to include in the weekly roundup, please send to always1895 @ gmail.com.

Only one week to go until Sherlock Holmes Through Time and Place in Minnesota! I hope to see many of you there. For those Sherlockian Twitter users posting from the conference or following from home, it’s been officially decided that the hashtag #SHMN13 will stand for Sherlock Holmes Through Time & Place. See you soon!

221B Con - “Watsons Through Time" (52:10) “Recorded live at 221B Con, this panel was all about all the Watsons through ALL OF TIME! Well, as much as we could fit in just under an hour. Panelists were Kristina Manente (Curly), Ashley Polasek, Eddy Webb, and Roane." The original panel subtitle was “From ladies’ man to comedic buffoon, how have representations of John Watson changed over time" and the panelists do a great job weaving current and vintage Sherlock Holmes adaptations in along with the Canon. An overarching theme is - predictably but alas still necessary - the ‘Watson is not stupid’ theme, and of course plenty of time is spent discussing, analyzing and giggling about the Sherlock and John (BBC Sherlock first names rule applies here) dynamic. The word on the street (OK, on Twitter) is that a few more 221B Con panels are set to be released - I’ll put 6,000 pounds (though “I am a poor man") that “Fandom: What the Hell is Wrong With Us?" wins out. 

[At some point, you’ll develop a soft spot for Nigel Bruce so don’t be too harsh on him now.]

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Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (July 20 - July 26, 2013)

"...and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied."

- 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band'

A weekly roundup of links from across the web related to Sherlock Holmes, courtesy of Matt Laffey from Always1895.net. We welcome your comments and feedback, and if you have any material to include in the weekly roundup, please send to always1895@gmail.com.

A Requiem For Sherlock Holmes announced dates for a staged reading happening this coming weekend August 8th - 10th, 2013 at WorkShop in NYC by PGM Productions. More about PGM: "One could say the ‘creative trust’ of PGM was informally born over a friendly glass of Scotch. On the evening of January 18, 2012, WorkShop Theater Company members, Paul Singleton, Greg Oliver Bodine and Michael Selkirk met at The Players on Gramercy Park to discuss partnering on a Sherlock Holmes play that Greg would write, with Paul and Michael in the iconic roles of Holmes and Watson....it was agreed that Greg should adapt two Sherlock Holmes stories, "The Final Problem" and "The Adventure of The Empty House". Learn more by following PGM on their Facebook page. And for a preview, check out A Requiem For Sherlock video. Lastly, those Sherlockians who attended The William Gillette Memorial Luncheon during BSI Weekend 2013 were treated to a short but brilliant five minute teaser featuring the epic scene when Holmes and Moriarty first meet (ie. "All that I have to say has already crossed your mind..." FINA). To be clear, this weekend's performance is not the final play, but simply a read through - the actual performance is scheduled for sometime in 2014.

[Note that the flier features a depiction of a black arm band reportedly worn by Londoners after "The Final Problem" appeared in The Strand (December 1893); to find out more about black mourning arm bands, the 'death' of Sherlock Holmes and whether or not they are "apocryphal", check out the next link re: Peter Calamai.]

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Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (July 13 - July 19, 2013)

"...we must spare time to run down together on Saturday morning, and make sure that this curious and inconclusive investigation has no untoward ending."

- 'The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist'

A weekly roundup of links from across the web related to Sherlock Holmes, courtesy of Matt Laffey from Always1895.net. We welcome your comments and feedback, and if you have any material to include in the weekly roundup, please send to always1895@gmail.com.

[Baker Street Journal
Summer 2013 (Vol. 63, No. 2).]

The Baker Street Journal’s Summer 2013 issue recently appeared in our mailboxes bringing joy to Sherlockians the world over, and for those with a particular fascination for the Altamont phase of Holmes’ career, an extra special treat lay within the familiar yellow wrappers illuminated with a gorgeous portrait of Holmes/Altamont which originally appeared on the cover of Collier’s Weekly Magazine (September, 1917) from the brush of my favorite Canonical illustrator Frederic Dorr Steele. As always you can read an online version of Steve Rothman’s latest "Editor’s Gas-Lamp" to whet your appetite. If you’re not a current subscriber to the BSJ, I strongly suggest procuring the very reasonable $38.50 yearly subscription rate and treating yourself to the greatest (ir)regular Sherlockian publication on the market (since 1946). 

I Hear of Sherlock released Episode 54 of their IHOSE podcast featuring an interview with columnist and psychologist Maria Konnikova, author of Mastermind, on ‘mindfulness’ and other related mental techniques employed by Holmes in the course of his adventures. Ms Konnikova is an excellent spokesperson for psychology, particularly when conveying some of the fundamental concepts of Cognitive Psychology by way of the Canon. Make sure to subscribe to Konnikova’s Scientific American column ‘Literally Psyched’. Next, Mr Wolder and Mr Monty discuss one of my favorite collections of early 20th century, pre-BSI/BSJ era writings - in this case 1895 to 1933 - on Holmes and the Canon, Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle and The Bookman, edited by noted Sherlockian scholar S. E. Dahlinger and annotator extraordinaire Leslie S. Klinger on Gasogene Books. 

Following their chat about The Bookman, they announced that IHOSE’s sister website The Baker Street Blog began syndicating the Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (i.e. what you are reading right this very moment!) and that in future episodes of IHOSE, listeners can expect to hear Matt Laffey (he wrote in the third person…) deliver a range of short audio segments on everything from summaries of recent Sherlockian news items to hard hitting, on the ground reporting from various Sherlockian meetings, soirees, conferences, parties and hootenannies. Episode 54 ends with a traditional reading from the BSJ’s “Editor’s Gas-Lamp" though instead of dusting off a decade’s old issue, Steve Rothman’s piece from this Summer’s issue (Vol. 63, No. 2) is used. Another great episode made even more memorable by Monty and Wolder’s extremely kind and generous praise of Always1895 as well as the announcement that I’ll be contributing regular audio pieces to the podcast - an honor that’s particularly amazing considering IHOSE was one of my primary gateways into contemporary Sherlockian culture. [Editor's note: we are thrilled that Matt has taken us up on our offer to join us as a regular contributor and look forward to bringing you that feature on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.]

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Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (July 6 - July 12, 2013)

""Friday!" he cried."

- The Adventure of the Illustrious Client

A weekly roundup of links across the web related to Sherlock Holmes, courtesy of Matt Laffey from Always1895.net. We welcome your comments and feedback, and if you have any material to include in the weekly roundup, please send to always1895@gmail.com.

[Don Hobbs addressing 75
brainiacs on the finer points of
collecting Sherlockiana.]

Inspector Lestrade’s Blotter Page’s Don Hobbs gave a special talk on Collecting Sherlock Holmes at a recent Mensa meeting in Fort Worth, TX to about 75 attendees, many of which weren't Sherlockians but none-the-less: “The attendees could not have been more responsive. They laughed in all of the right places, asked intelligent (pun intended) questions and showed genuine interest. My allotted time of seventy-five minutes flew by so fast that I actually skipped over a few of the paragraphs of my talk. Afterwards, one of the attendees told me that it was the best and most interesting talk he had heard so far at this meeting. Considering that some of the talks included “Has the Onion Outlived its Usefulness?"; “Spiritual Exercise Light"; and “Friendly Delicate Bridge"  I am not sure if this was a compliment or an insult. Another one said that when a room full of Mensa Member all clap, that is a great accomplishment. I was pleased." And though I would like to know if the onion has in fact outlived it’s usefulness, I would very much like to read/hear Mr Hobbs’ entire talk - let’s hope he decides to post the contents of ‘Collecting Sherlock Holmes’ sometime soon. In the meantime, enjoy this interview with Don Hobbs on collecting Sherlock Holmes translations. Q: How did you first get started collecting? Hobbs: “I have always been a collector. I believe one either has the collector gene or not. I am the former."

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Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (July 1 - July 5, 2013)

"...business is mostly done of an evening. Mr. Holmes, especially Thursday and Friday evening."

- The Adventure of the Red-Headed League

A weekly roundup of links across the web related to Sherlock Holmes, courtesy of Matt Laffey from Always1895.net. As usual, we welcome your comments and feedback, and if you have any material to include in the weekly roundup, please send to always1895@gmail.com.

[Mattias Boström, BSI “The Swedish Pathological Society".]

Mattias Bostrom was interviewed this week on Baker Street Beat by Dan Andriacco about Mr Boström’s recently published Från Holmes till Sherlock ("From Holmes to Sherlock" in English). Mr Boström’s opus, though currently only available in Swedish, is already causing quite a stir in the Sherlockian world. Like Mr Andriacco, I was fortunate enough to have received an inscribed copy of what is one of the finest looking Sherlockian books published in the last few years - and going by just the end notes and bibliography (which are mostly in English), it’s overwhelmingly clear that the book I’m holding is a meticulously researched scholarly love letter to ACD and his most famous creation. Boström answers questions on how he first discovered ACD and Holmes, how he came to write Från Holmes till Sherlock, what his research practices are, if/when we can expect an English translation and the level of popularity of Sherlock Holmes in the Scandinavian countries. A fascinating interview which will leave Sherlockians wanting more: “In my book I present some previously unknown facts regarding the years when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was alive, but in the later half of the book there are big chunks of unknown facts."

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Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (June 23 - June 30, 2013)

"I hammered away until Friday." 
               - 'The Stock-broker's Clerk'

Today we start a new tradition on the site. As we prepare to combine our work here with that of our audio work, we thought it was time to expand our editorial offerings. We still have a fine lineup of authors who occasionally pitch in with excellent contributions from the corners of the Sherlockian world that grab their attention.

Now we add Matt Laffey to that list. If you don't know Matt, he is a dedicated Sherlockian from Brooklyn with an eye toward the online world and an affability that makes him excellent company at gatherings in the offline one. In short: a classic Sherlockian. His web site Always1895.net is a treasure trove of material, with a weekly feature that he calls "Friday Sherlock Links Compendium."

To us, that means that he's somewhat of a modern-day weekly Peter Blau. And we're proud to welcome Matt and his weekly contributions here on our site, as we thought this comprehensive round-up would make an excellent addition here. In the future, Matt will be posting his work directly under his own byline. We welcome your comments and feedback, and if you have any material to include in the weekly roundup, please send to always1895@gmail.com.

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"The Celebrated Mr. Sherlock Holmes" [SCAN]

What do you get for the man who's 159 years old?

At first blush, one might be tempted to say, "Oxygen!" or "A defibrillator!"

But in our case, the man is none other than the celebrated Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who was born on January 6, 1854. And while his existence has been known to us for 125 years thanks to his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet in Beeton's Christmas Annual of 1887, we trace his birth to the year 1854 and the date of January 6 and the Baker Street Irregulars celebrate it on or around that date every year in New York City.

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"The Second Morning After Christmas" [BLUE]

As is our tradition this time of the year, we bring to you the Christmas classic that surrounds "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle."

Typically we try to provide the freshest and most unique content here, but there are times when a grand tradition prevents us from keeping such a mandate - including our own self-imposed rule of trying to capture a relevant and original Canonical phrase for the title of each entry, never to be repeated. Just as the Wall Street Journal annually reproduces a 1949 editorial written by Vermont Royster called "In Hoc Anno Domini," we saw no reason to avoid replication here.

In the case of "The Second Morning After Christmas" [BLUE] which has been used in 2006, 2008, 2009 2010 and 2011, we find that we have a post that continues to please, so we'll continue the tradition.

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"Where All Gossip Is Welcome" [VALL] - December 2011

This is the latest issue of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter Blau's ("Black Peter") monthly newsletter of Sherlockian or Doylean gossip, published in print form since 1971, as a text-only digital archive on Sherlocktron since 1985, and a visual archive on Scribd since 2011. In agreement with Peter Blau, we've arranged to publish facsimiles of the print newsletter here, so online readers can see what the newsletter looks like. Below the scan you can find links to the sites mentioned in the text - in most cases, directly to the article, video or publication, to save you from having to search for the terms.

The following is the December 2011 issue; please feel free to share it via email, social network, or embed it on your own site.

Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press December 2011

Links from this issue:

• Brookings Library - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle "A Life Explored"
• Frogwares' The Testament of Sherlock Holmes game
• "Sherlock" violin from Burnett Violins
• Custom Zombie artwork, including Sherlock Bones
• Sherlockian content on Criminal Element
• Kim Newman's Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles (Professor Moriarty Novels) on Amazon or Amazon UK
• Kim Newman's Anno Dracula (Amazon) or Anno Dracula (Amazon UK)
• Kim Newman's web site
• "Everything You Need to Know About Professor Moriarty"
• The Pawky Humorists (Facebook)
• Ash-Tree Press eBooks, including The Thames Horror and Other Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
• Alfred Swain Taylor in Google Books
• Wick Theatre Company ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" Jan. 11-14, 2012)
• Shane Peacock
• Bob Schochet's art
• Deerstalker hat from J. Peterman
• Deb Weissler's miniatures
• Arthur Twidle artwork auction (January 4, 2012)
• Long Beach Playhouse ("Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, Feb. 25 - Mar. 24, 2012)
• Sherlocktron's new home
• Sherlockian E-Times
• Box Office Mojo
• "Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure in Good Music" (NPR Deceptive Decadence blog)
• Search results for "Sherlock" on npr.org
• Anthony Horowitz's web site
• Anthony Horowitz's The House of Silk on Amazon and Amazon UK
• Long Beach Shakespeare Company's reading of "The Blue Carbuncle"
• Sherlockology
• BBC's "Sherlock" in a variety of languages
• Text archive of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press (on Sherlocktron)
• Visual archive of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press (on Scribd)

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.
--

"The Second Morning After Christmas" [BLUE]

It's that time of the year when we reach into the archives and pull out one of the old favorites that seems to survive the test of time.

Not only do we recycle the content, but we ignore our editorial mandate to avoid reusing a quote for the post title. However, in the case of "The Second Morning After Christmas" [BLUE] which has been used in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010, we find that we have a post that continues to please, so we'll continue the tradition. Just as the Wall Street Journal annually reproduces a 1949 editorial written by Vermont Royster called "In Hoc Anno Domini," we saw no reason to avoid replication here.

If this is new to you, please feel free to share and use this at your own Sherlockian society holiday meetings. The only thing we ask is that you attribute the poem to its rightful author.

So, we bring you "Two Days After Christmas," a tribute to "The Blue Carbuncle" in the style of Clement Moore's A Visit from St. Nick.



Two Days After Christmas


For those of you inclined more to listening rather than reading, here's the audio version, courtesy of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.

A note about the lead image for this post:
This is the dust jacket from the first book to be published by the Baker Street Irregulars. The deluxe edition included "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" with blue-tinged plates of two of the Sidney Paget illustrations from the original Strand Magazine. It also included an essay by Edgar W. Smith, BSI titled "The Story of the Blue Carbuncle," as well as "A Note on the Baker Street Irregulars." We have included a link below to purchase this through Amazon.

We have the pleasure and honor of wishing you "the compliments of the season."


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. Thank you for your generosity.
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"Where All Gossip Is Welcome" [VALL] - September 2011

This is the latest issue of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter Blau's ("Black Peter") monthly newsletter of Sherlockian or Doylean gossip, published in print form since 1971 and as a text-only digital archive on Sherlocktron since 1985. In agreement with Peter Blau, we've arranged to publish facsimiles of the print newsletter here, so online readers can see what the newsletter looks like. Below the scan you can find links to the sites mentioned in the text - in most cases, directly to the article, video or publication, to save you from having to search for the terms.

The following is the September 2011 issue; please feel free to share it via email, social network, or embed it on your own site.

Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press September 2011
Links (in order of mention):

• Animated version of the Dancing Men [video - embedded below]
• Booktrack
• AudioFile Listeners' Guide to Sherlock Holmes
• 6 Beloved Characters That Had Undiagnosed Mental Illnesses
• Town Head - inspiration for "The Speckled Band"
• 221B Badger Street [cartoon]
• Sherlock Holmes Strikes Back!
• Theatre Arts Guild
• Mrs. Sherlock Holmes Takes on the NYPD
• Jeremy Brett scholarship
• LEGO Minifigure Detective [Amazon.com]
• Selena Jones Mysteries
• I Write Like
• Darlock Holmes and Dalek Watson
• The Great Sherlock Holmes Debate
• Barefoot on Baker Street
• A Study in Sherlock
• Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce switch roles! [mp3]
• Russian Sherlock Holmes series
• Maria Konnikova's Sherlock Holmes blog series on ScientificAmerican.com
• Sherlock Holmes dinner at the Victorian Villa Inn
• Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol at Artist Repertory Theatre

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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“Your Good Man Should Have No Want of Drink” [COPP]

The Sherlock Holmes Drinking Game is back, fresh with a brand-new installment. This time, we drink along to “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,” a truly terrifying tale for all the characters involved, but especially tough for the women who reside in the building of the title. 


Lucky for us, dear reader, we have the inestimable Violet Hunter to lead us through the story, and to prove that smart women really are something to be reckoned with, even in Victorian times. In fact, in honor of Miss Hunter and how plucky she is, we will be raising a glass not only for the original rules of The Sherlock Holmes Drinking Game (which can be found here: The Sherlock Holmes Drinking Game), but also every time Violet Hunter does something awesome.

For the drink itself, I wanted to stir up something special, because it’s not everyday we meet a female character in the Canon who can hold her own like Violet Hunter can. And also, it needed to be coppered-colored (of course). Here’s what I’ve come up with:

• 3 parts scotch whiskey
• 1 part violet liqueur

Now, yes, violet liqueur can be hard to come by (although with the amount of flavored spirits nowadays, it shouldn’t give you too much trouble). If you are feeling slightly adventurous like our friend Miss Hunter, and you have access to actual real violets, I say try making your own! There are a lot of great tutorials out there for making flavored liqueurs, but my old stand-by is to put my ingredient (in this case, violets) in a jar with vodka and let it sit for a few weeks in the dark. Strain it and enjoy your very own, personally-made flavored liqueur!

Now, on to the tale!

Number of Drinks Taken: 13

• Take one drink for Violet entering 221b Baker Street.
• Take one drink for Holmes and Watson dashing off in a cab (this time a trap, going out to meet Miss Hunter).
• Take one drink for Holmes letting the villain go free (but not without tussling with the giant dog, first, of course).
• Take ten drinks for Violet Hunter being incredibly smart, willing and able throughout the entire piece, and also for Holmes to take notice of her abilities, which is really something. Gems include concealing a piece of glass in her handkerchief so she could see through the window behind her; her investigation of the extra wing in the house, and, something that makes me smile, Holmes telling her “I should not ask it of you if I did not think you a quite exceptional woman.” 

Cheers to that!


Bonus: if you enjoy the women of the Canon - particularly the flowery Violets, you might like to pick up a copy of Violets & Vitriol. 

Editor's note:  Jill Brumer is a small business owner, college drama professor, and all around creative type who has lived all over the States. She has her father to thank for purchasing her first Sherlock Holmes story when she was twelve years old- the fascination has never stopped!

NB: the Baker Street Blog does not advocate the consumption of alcohol. Please behave responsibly and take heed of all local laws and ordinances. Know your limits and don't overimbibe.
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"Where All Gossip Is Welcome" [VALL] - July 2011

This is the latest issue of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter Blau's ("Black Peter") monthly newsletter of Sherlockian or Doylean gossip, published in print form since 1971 and as a text-only digital archive on Sherlocktron since 1985. In agreement with Peter Blau, we've arranged to publish facsimiles of the print newsletter here, so online readers can see what the newsletter looks like. Below the scan you can find links to the sites mentioned in the text - in most cases, directly to the article, video or publication, to save you from having to search for the terms.

The following is the July 2011 issue; please feel free to share it via email, social network, or embed it on your own site.

Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press July 2011

Links (in order of mention):

• Daniel Corey's Moriarty comic book
• Laurie R. King's newsletter
• Pirate King [video] by Laurie R. King
• Baker Street Irregular Astronomers
• Crime-fighting vultures? What could go wrong? from The Independent
• Beeton's Christmas Annual for sale in Australia
• CBS Radio Mystery Theatre
• The plushest Sherlock ever - Sherlock Holmes plush dolls
• The Independent - How to survive the age of distraction
• Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak
• 'A Golden Day' - celebrating the meeting of Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Case of the Grave Accusation
• Spies Online
• A bittern booming [video]
• Suvudu's Cage Match: Villains!
• Houghton Library's online catalog for the Baker Street Irregulars Trust
• Baker Street Irregulars Trust
• Baker Street Babes
• Licking County Players
• Three Stooges CSI t-shirt
• Three Stooges magnet: Miracle Detective Agency

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.
--

 

"Where All Gossip is Welcome" [VALL] - June 2011

This is the latest issue of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter Blau's ("Black Peter") monthly newsletter of Sherlockian or Doylean gossip, published in print form since 1971 and as a text-only digital archive on Sherlocktron since 1985. In agreement with Peter Blau, we've arranged to publish facsimiles of the print newsletter here, so online readers can see what the newsletter looks like. Below the scan you can find links to the sites mentioned in the text - in most cases, directly to the article, video or publication, to save you from having to search for the terms.

The following is the June 2011 issue; please feel free to share it via email, social network, or embed it on your own site.

Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press June 2011

Links (in order of mention):

• "Sherlock Holmes and the Festival of Britain," available in Canadian Holmes
• From Gillette to Brett III
• Sherlock Holmes Outpost in Fort Davis, Texas
• Sherlock Holmes Society of London audio recordings
• The Sherlockian E-Times
• East Haddam Stage Company
• Park House, residence of Bertram Fletcher Robinson
• Sherlock Holmes Gazette / Sherlock Magazine complete run of 68 issues
• Out of Print Clothing - The Hound of the Baskervilles t-shirt
• Next Stage Press - The Hound of the Baskervilles script (digital or hard copy)
• Laurie R. King website and Laurie R. King blog
• Talk Like a Pirate Day
• The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes (Amazon)
• The Comedy-O-Rama Hour Radio Show and The Joe Bev Experience
• Randall Stock's report on The Narrative of John Smith
• The Canadian Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (YouTube)
• Stephen Gaspar's blog
• The Grave Accusation
• The Ocular Helmsman
• Victorian/Steampunk Laptop
• PapersPast
• Open Road Media & Mysterious Bookshop
• Amazon.it
• The Fighting Pair from Heritage Auctions
• Conan Doyle letters at Schulson Autographs
• Esri Allbritten - Chihuahua of the Baskervilles
• Sherlock Holmes Pub, Bordeaux
• Barcelona Pipa Club
• Marvel's Ruse
• Review of "Albatross" (Obsessed with Film)
• Learn to Fight Like Sherlock Holmes - the Victorian Art of Self-Defence (nycsteampunk.com)
• Interview with Barry S. Brown, author of Mrs. Hudson and the Irish Invincebles
• Jason Lethcoe

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.
--

"Where All Gossip is Welcome" [VALL] - May 2011

This is the latest issue of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter Blau's ("Black Peter") monthly newsletter of Sherlockian or Doylean gossip, published in print form since 1971 and as a text-only digital archive on Sherlocktron since 1985. In agreement with Peter Blau, we've arranged to publish facsimiles of the print newsletter here, so online readers can see what the newsletter looks like. Below the scan you can find links to the sites mentioned in the text - in most cases, directly to the article, video or publication, to save you from having to search for the terms.

The following is the May 2011 issue; please feel free to share it via email, social network, or embed it on your own site.

Scuttlebutt From the Spermaceti Press May 2011

Links (in order of mention):

• Mister Antony (note there's no "h")
• Adam Partridge
• How Sherlock Kept Me Out of the Gulag - UkranianBible.com
•  Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection
• Sherlockian Mythbusters (via the Baker Street Blog)
• Image Comics' Moriarty series (via Sherlock Holmes News)
• "When It's Circus Day Back Home" (via the Library of Congress)
• Off-Broadstreet Theatre
• "The Story of Pedegue's Dropper" MS information
• Edward Hardwicke interview
• Sheer-Luck Holmes (video also embedded below)
• Donna Andrews
• Malice Domestic
• Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries
• Vincentennial
• The Baker Street Chronicle
• InBOOK
• Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow Watchers and Anthony D.P. Mann
• Beeton's 1887 Christmas Annual in Australia

Sheer-Luck Holmes



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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"Aided by the Diary I Kept" [HOUN]

Sherlock Holmes for Dummies had the honor of being nominated for both an Edgar Award, and an Agatha Award for non-fiction mystery book of the year. What follows is a brief diary of my recent, amazing trip to both the Edgar Awards in New York City, and the Agatha Awards at the Malice Domestic Convention in Bethesda, Maryland. For a more exciting, as-it-happened account, see the video embedded below.

"You remind me of Edgar..."[STUD]

Wednesday, April 27
10:45 a.m.: My wife Pam and I departed for NY without incident from the Indy Airport, unless you factor in the extra security screening Pam got because she had a tissue in her pants pocket. Really? Knowing no one can hijack the plane with a tissue now is a big comfort.

1:00 p.m.: All checked into our mid-town hotel, and just heading over to a favorite diner Sherlockians while in New York, The Red Flame. Wow! It’s been remodeled (again), inside and out. It’s nice, but I’m kinda missing the old Flame.

7:30 p.m.: After an afternoon of goofing off, it’s time for dinner at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central with Pam’s brother’s and their families. They are attending the Edgar Awards with us, offering moral support. That is really great!

Thursday, April 28
6:30 p.m.: What a day. First the 9/11 museum at Ground Zero on a cold, rainy day. Very sobering (and coincidentally just three days before they caught Bin Laden). But now, it’s time for the Nominee Reception at the Grand Hyatt for the Edgars. Feeling at first a bit like the guy who crashed the party, but soon I’m pinching myself as Pam and I stand there chatting away with mystery fiction icons Sarah Peretsky, and then Mary Higgins Clark. Unbelievable.

7:30 p.m.: After seeing many Sherlockian friends [Les Klinger, Dan Stashower, Peter Crupe, Lindsay Faye] it is awards time. I’m at the Wiley Publishing table, with my family and the gang from Wiley. Alas, Sherlock Holmes for Dummies lost to the Charlie Chan book...oh, well! It is still an unbelievable experience.

11:00 p.m.: Sitting in an Irish pub [Patrick Conway's] ’round the corner from Grand Central Station with my family, celebrating the experience. Hooray! On to the Agathas!


"I met Agatha..." [CHAS]

Friday, April 29
11:30 a.m.: Pam and I depart from Penn Station for Washington. DC via Amtrak. Wow...that train station is insane ["...and lead us not into Penn Station"? -Ed.]. We arrive in DC, catch a cab to the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, and check in. My brother Patrick, an antiquarian bookseller, arrives from Indiana to accompany us on this leg of the adventure.

4:00 p.m.: I register us, and then dash down to the opening ceremony of Malice Domestic, the convention that is giving out the Agatha Awards. I can see right away that the audience, which is 90% women, is not Sherlock’s crowd.

7:00 p.m.: All the Sherlockians on hand gather for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Peter Blau and Bev Wolov, Dan Stashower, Julie McKuras, and us. Really, it is these moments that make these events truly memorable.

Saturday, April 30
All Day: The day is made up of sessions, books signings, panel discussions, and shopping in the dealers room. I participate in a panel discussion with all the non-fiction authors who are nominated, and follow it up with a book signing. It’s a lot of fun! Along the way we meet many, many more authors, including Sue Grafton and Carol Nelson Douglas. What a great day!

7:00 p.m.: The Agatha Awards Banquet arrives. Wow. For those who think the BSI Dinner is big, they should experience a 500-seat banquet! Unbelievable (and for my taste, too big…) Alas, Sherlock lost out to The Secret Diaries of Agatha Christie, as I knew it would. There’s no way a book on Agatha Christie is going to lose an award named after Agatha Christie. But no hard feelings, as once again it was a fantastic experience and great fun.

Here's the whirlwind tour in video:

Well, the next day we headed home, back to real life, but still savoring the amazing, amazing experiences we had. Sherlock Holmes for Dummies has been out almost exactly a year...and what a year it has been. And what a way to conclude the promotion of the book. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy! If you'd like to keep following our adventures, please join us on the Sherlock Holmes for Dummies Facebook page.

Postscript: Sherlock Holmes for Dummies was nominated for the coveted Anthony Award, which are given at the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, which for this year will be in St. Louis in September.

Editor's note: This column is part of a series called "From the Dummy's Chair" [MAZA] by Steven Doyle, BSI ("The 'Western Morning News'"), author of the Edgar-nominated Sherlock Holmes for Dummies. Because of the limitations in the print world, he wasn't able to completely fit everything he wanted into the book. This series will become a real-time continuation of that labor of love. Steve is also half the team behind the Wessex Press.




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