"No Braver Man in the Regiment" [BLAN]

One of the things that I like about the Sherlock Holmes stories - the Canon - and those devotees who follow it, is the ability to weave in so many of life's other interests. If you've got another hobby or passion, odds are you'll find a way to incorporate it into your love of Sherlock Holmes.

Over the years, I've met Sherlockians who are also interested in horse racing, railroads, P.G. Wodehouse, pin collecting, the Titanic, antiques, handwriting analysis, coin & stamp collecting, woodworking, needlepoint, jewelry making, wine, pipe collecting, music, period firearms, Victorian attire - the list goes on and on. Really, there's no limit to the connections we can make between our interests, if we're passionate enough about them.

So it was with little surprise - but with great amusement - that I looked at this photo sent by a colleague:

"May the force be with you, old chap."

Star Wars and Sherlock Holmes. Hmm.

Well, if you consider that Peter Cushingand Christopher Leeappeared in the series - albeit Cushing never made it past the first film and Lee managed to do damage in the final trilogy - and are actors who have portrayed Sherlock Holmes, there's your connection.

Of course, the more astute among you will remember that Lee also portrayed Sir Henry Baskerville in Hammer's 1959 version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. And he holds the distinction of being the only actor to portray Holmes and his stately brother Mycroft, whom he played in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

If you're viewing this on a feedreader and can't see the image, please click here.

Via C.C. Chapman

"Stand By Me and We'll Save Her" [SOLI]

Christopher Morley used it as a subtitle to his book Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and I can never repeat it often enough: the Canon is "a textbook of friendship." These two fine men were the best of friends and defended each other with the core of their being.

It is fitting, then, that this entry in the Sherlock Holmes Music Video series is titled "Stand By Me."

If you're using a feed reader, click here for the video.

"A Man of Good Birth and excellent Education" [FINA]

Today is a special day in the date-books of Sherlockians and Doyleans from around the world. On May 22, 1859, Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born.

You may recall that on this date last year, Google presented one of its holiday logos, to honor his most famous creation. What will the world have in store this year for Conan Doyle?

I suppose he's still be honored every day, since his name is still associated with the immortal Sherlock Holmes, Brigadier Gerard, Professor Challenger and Harry Houdini, not to mention the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Society and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at the Toronto Public Library.

Happy Birthday, Sir Arthur!

"The Summons Was a Brief and Urgent One" [COPP]

On Monday May 21 at 11:00 a.m., Elizabeth Foxwell will host her last episode of It's A Mystery, her weekly radio show about detective fiction. You can hear it by clicking here or going to the WEBR Web site.

She is ending her run with having Roberta Isleib talk about her new novel Deadly Advice plus a radio production of Sherlock Holmes in honor of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birthday.

Elizabeth won the Agatha Award for Best Short Story for "No Man's Land," which also was nominated for a Macavity Award; is the managing editor of CLUES: A Journal of Detection, the only US academic journal on mystery and detective fiction; and has published several short stories and numerous articles on mysteries as well as edited nine mystery anthologies.

Via the Rap Sheet.

"The Old Landmarks Were All in Their Place" [EMPT]

As you probably know, the Baker Street Irregulars, the literary society dedicated to the study of Sherlock Holmes, have called New York City their headquarters since their founding in 1934. While the early membership hailed almost exclusively from the northeast, today's BSI hails largely from around North America and even from a number of other continents.

And despite the infinite number of entertainment venues in New York, each year when it is time for Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts to descend upon Gotham, there are a number of places that we like to visit, revisit and call our home-away-from home.

When I noticed an article from the Louisville, Kentucky Courier-Journal titled New York has a wealth of literary landmarks, my antennae went up. When I finished the article, it seemed that it had been written for anyone who has attended a BSI Weekend in the past. A few of the familiar landmarks that made the C-J's list:

• The Algonquin Hotel, the oldest still-operating hotel in New York and the birthplace of the New Yorker. It is also the unofficial headquarters of the BSI during our January weekends.
• McSorley's Old Ale House, which usually plays host to the conclusion of the Christopher Morley Walk, is noted for its very reasonably-priced food.
• The Mysterious Bookshop is Otto Penzler's book-lover's haven, now transplanted in a trendy TriBeCa neighborhood. Although it's slightly out of the way, Otto's hospitality and tremendous selection make it worth the trip.
  

Print out the original article and file it away for January. You'll find yourself making a checklist of these places and being able to get through quite a bit of it. And you might even find something you've previously missed that you'd like to visit this time around.

"He Has Been Concerned in Some Research" [RESI]

I have received in inquiry through the blog that I thought someone might help me with, as personally, I have no idea.

A Ph.D. candidate at the University of Reading (UK) is doing some research on the influences of Arthur Conan Doyle's early work in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and wishes to know the following:

Is anyone aware of any other post-doctoral/research work that has been done on the subject of Conan Doyle's early experience and the influence on the Holmes stories?

If so, please leave a comment below or get in touch with me via email. Thank you.

"A Wonderful Manager" [BERY]

One of the destinations of many Sherlockian tourists in London is the Sherlock Holmes Hotel, a (now) boutique hotel on Baker Street that is part of Park Plaza Hotels of Europe.

Although the exterior retains that classic Baker Street look, including some very large bow windows on the first floor (that's second floor to you Yanks), the accommodations inside are much more modern. And the rates, while not outrageous by London standards, may be more than the average tourist can handle - especially given the current exchange rate of the U.S. Dollar and the British Pound.

Actually, the room rates are fairly reasonable, given the style and comfort of the hotel, as well as the notion that you're staying just a block or two away from 221B.

And there's an excellent reason to visit the Sherlock Holmes Hotel before October of 2007. Via Hotel-Online.com, comes news of major awards from Park Plaza Hotels:

The award for General Manager of the Year was awarded to Greg Hegarty at the Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes London. During his 13 months at the company's boutique-style hotel on Baker Street, Greg made significant and innovative improvements to the property, motivated and inspired his team to deliver exceptional levels of customer service and transformed its financial results with a 23% year on year sales growth. At just 29 year's old, Greg is one of the youngest General Managers on the London circuit and has more than earned his recent promotion to open the forthcoming 398-room Park Plaza County Hall London this October.

Quick Watson, the travel agent! I've made it convenient for you to check things out in the banner belows, in case you're at all inclined to visit my favorite city.

"He Is Now Translating My Small Works Into French" [SIGN]

This week, I received a significant announcement (click here for the translated version) from our friends at the Société Sherlock Holmes de France: they have launched their very first Holmesian publication, called Le quinCahier. Félicitations a mes amis!



The magazine, lavishly produced in color, is free for members of the SSHF and contains all sorts of Sherlockian material, from news to music and book reviews, recaps of events to scholarship, and much, much more. And of course, it wouldn't be a SSHF publication without unique artwork by Jean-Pierre Cagnat.

The cost of a single issue is 12€ for non-European subscribers, or 30€ for four issues per year. Incidentally, 30€ is also the price of membership to the SSHF; since you get the magazine free with membership, you may as well join.

If you would like a closer look at what is being offered, here's a one-sheet PDF you can download. It contains many sample pages and a scan of what I think is a very well designed cover.

This is a very poor attempt at French, but I'd be remiss if I didn't say "Le jeu est en cours de réalisation!"

"It Was a Bad Day" [CARD]

We can't always have good days. Occasionally we have dark hours that proceed better times. Jeremy Brett, a notorious sufferer of bipolar disorder, was no stranger to that. His friends, colleagues and fans saw the disease take its toll on him over time.

Fortunately for us, he was able to grace us with some very excellent appearances as Sherlock Holmes. I've found a video montage of some of his work, set to an appropriate tune.

Here then, I give you the latest entry in the Sherlock Holmes Music Video series.

If you're using a feed reader, click here for the video.

"By the Lord Harry" [ILLU]

The end is nigh. At least that’s what the publishing world would have us believe. With the advent of the final Harry Potter book this summer, there’s a fear that with J.K. Rowling’s long-awaited finale will come the end of the cottage industry of related Harry Potter books.

The May 10 edition of the Wall Street Journal ran a piece (Last Hurrah for ‘Harry’ Offshoots?) in which the books about the books were called “a whole literary ecosystem,” while the original Potter canon was likened to “whales to which many barnacles have attached themselves.” With over 190 books in print, it’s easy to see why. But is there cause for concern about the demise of Potterian scholarship and publishing?

I think you know where I’m going with this. We’ve seen this phenomenon before, with Sherlockian scholarship paving the way. Before Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (or was it Dr. Watson?) had completed the Canon in 1927, Ronald Knox had penned his seminal treatise Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes in 1911. Only four years after Conan Doyle’s death did the Baker Street Irregulars came into being; it was just over a decade later that they began publishing the Baker Street Journal.

To this day, Sherlockian scholarship has not dimmed. The BSJ is still being published some 60 years later. In England, the Sherlock Holmes Journal is churned out on a regular basis and has been for over 50 years. Countless societies around the world continue with their own publications; online discussion groups flourish.

Of course, the characters were never under copyright, so great liberties have been taken by a variety of authors, placing Holmes with concurrent historical figures and other literary characters, as well as in unlikely situations including sailing on the Titanic and getting married.

While the Harry Potter characters will be well protected from such pastiches in the short term, parodies and pure scholarship are fair game. I suppose the question remains: will the seven original books continue to hold the interest of future generations in the same way they’ve enchanted the current adolescents and adults alike? If so, is the content of such a rich type that unending scholarship can continue to be churned out, or are these simply “beach books” – sensational and fun reading - that helped sustain the publishing industry for a short time?

I'll close with a more controversial question for you, dear reader: were the Holmes stories simply viewed as Victorian/Edwardian beach books? It seems like many in academia today treat them as such.

And a list of some of the titles in print mentioned in the WSJ story:

• Harry Potter and Torah
• The Making of the Potterverse: A Month-By-Month Look at Harry's First 10 Years
• Mugglenet.Com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Falls in Love and How Will the Adventure Finally End
• Muggles and Magic: An Unoffical Guide to J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter Phenomenon
• Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader
• Defogging the Future: Unauthorized Speculation About the Seventh and Final Book of the Harry Potter Series
• Who Killed Albus Dumbledore?: What Really Happened in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Six Expert Harry Potter Detectives Examine the Evidence.
• Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter

"Don't You Smoke?" [ILLU]

First it was the politically-correct BBC bowing to current groundswell when they barred Sherlock Holmes from smoking in their recent production Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars starring Jonathan Pryce.

Now it seems that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) - the entity that is responsible for rating movies – is using smoking as one of the factors in deciding how to rate movies. They have not delineated any specifics, but it is thought that if a film already has a PG-13 rating thanks to levels of violence, drug use and sex, smoking will tip it over the edge to make it an R movie.

Evidently, anti-smoking activists think this doesn’t go far enough, as they would like to see an automatic R attached to any movie that features smoking. They want to protect the children.

But I ask: would a Sherlock Holmes movie with a tobacco-free Holmes help the kids? Would they be better off by seeing the first unofficial consulting detective without his pipe? Think about it: the entire world knows Sherlock Holmes because of his profile in his hat and his pipe. Remove the latter and he’s just a mad hatter.

Just think of the consequences:

• His three-pipe problem would become a three lollipop problem. Then you’ll have the anti-cavity lobby and the American Dental Association after you. Not to mention the creators of Kojak, who’d sue for copyright infringement.
• What would Holmes store in his Persian slipper?
• When he’s in a disputatious mood, what physical object would he choose?

These are the ramifications if the character were forced to go cold turkey. If he retained all of his addictions as we know them, it seems that any Holmes movie would likely receive an R rating, thus keeping away the younger crowd. As if we need any more obstacles in introducing Sherlock Holmes to kids…

"What Could Be Better" [SIGN]

As you can imagine, it can sometimes be difficult to come up with content for this blog. Even though I can find something in the news every day that mentions "Sherlock Holmes," it's not always what I would deem "blogworthy" - that is, not of high enough quality to place before you, dear reader. When you couple that with a busy work life & home life, it's amazing that I can get one post out a week, let alone one a day.

Of course, not being satisfied with simply being over-committed and over-delivering, I'm actually thinking of over over-delivering. I'm in the process of developing something to complement the Baker Street Blog and make the experience even richer for you. What could it possibly be? Interested? Curious?

I'm developing a Sherlock Holmes podcast.
There, I've said it. There's no going back now. Your thoughts? Let me know with a comment below or in an email. If you're still with me, allow me to explain.

What Is Podcasting?
Put simply: Podcasting is TiVo for your computer. It's Internet radio, when and where you choose to hear it. Have you ever listened to an audio file on the Web? Yes? Then you've got what it takes to listen to a podcast! You can also find a detailed explanation of podcasts here.

How Does It Work?

Through the magic of RSS (commonly called Really Simple Syndication - but also referred to as Ready for Some Stories), a way of pushing important content TO you instead of YOU hunting around the Web to find things. Pretty cool, huh? When you subscribe to a podcast, you get updates delivered directly to your computer when they're available.

(Click on the image for a larger version)

What Do I Need in Order to Listen?
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need an iPod. You can use any MP3 player or you can listen directly from your computer. One thing I strongly recommend - and again, you don't need an iPod or an Apple computer to do this - is iTunes, the free software for listening to music and podcasts. You can download iTunes here. It makes subscribing to podcasts very easy.

So, have I piqued your interest? Please take the brief survey below (click here if you're using a feedreader) so I can better understand if you'd be willing to listen. Within the next two weeks, I'll give you more details about the specifics of the project.

"A Vote of Thanks and Confidence" [ENGR]

As the months roll by (where DO they go?), I continue to learn more about blogging every day. More importantly, I get the chance to learn about you through your comments - thank you very much - I am always impressed and surprised by what I find.

I've corresponded with CEOs and independent home-based consultants, retirees and high school students, men and women, Americans, Britons, Australians, Japanese, Brazilians, etc., etc., etc. A true microcosm of the world, all with a common interest: Sherlock Holmes.

Well, something in the blogosphere came to my attention recently: the Bloggers' Choice Awards. You may have noticed the button in the upper right portion of the blog, also reproduced here. I have been nominated in the category of Best Hobby Blog.

If you've been enjoying this blog for any amount of time - a week, a month, a year - please consider voting for me. A simple, non-intrusive registration process is all that's required to make your vote count.

Let's drive the Baker Street Blog to the top of the charts so we can share our love of Holmes with the rest of the world!

Thank you.

"The Energentic Jones" [SIGN]

Something a little different today. Let's just say I was feeling a bit irreverent when I decided to post this. Certainly not as irreverent as the woman who posted it to YouTube (clearly a Jeremy Brett fan).

Please enjoy this first installment in an ongoing series that I'm calling Sherlock Holmes Music Videos. Expect to see a new one every two weeks or so.

If you're reading this blog with a feedreader and can't see the video, click here.