"Their Secret Was Out" [GREE]

I'm sure there are a few Jeremy Brett fans who are regular readers of this blog. If so, you may know that in the late 1980s he commissioned a play from Jeremy Paul, one of the writers for the Granada Television Series (he wrote "The Speckled Band," "The Musgrave Ritual," and "The Naval Treaty" among others). That play was The Secret of Sherlock Holmes and it ran for a year in the West End and toured for three months around England, starring Brett as Holmes and Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson.

One of Brett's wishes was to bring that play to the United States. And for nearly 20 years, that wish has gone unfulfilled. Until now.

Shakespeare & Company decided that it would honor the 120th anniversary of Sherlock Holmes being in print (1887-2007) by running the two-act two-man play from September 28 - October 28, 2007 at the Founders Theater in Lenox, Massachusetts. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling (413) 637-3353. For full details of the play, please see their page.

I've posted an interview with the two actors and the director over on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. It's about 50 minutes long and is an insider's view as to how an actor prepares for such a role, what makes this play different and why a Shakespearean company is putting it on. It's really a nice episode. If you like, you can download the episode or listen directly by clicking here. And you can check out some photos from the production by heading over to their gallery.

What's more, the weekend of October 19-21, 2007 will feature a number of Sherlockian events and speakers.

On Saturday, October 20, the Sherlockian speakers and collectibles begin to pile up. Sally Sugarman will be in to speak about the influence of Sherlock Holmes on children's literature, Leslie Klinger will unravel why we have a fascination with a 120 year-old detective, and I'll speak about Sherlock 2.0 - the great detective and his followers in the 21st century.

But there's so much more to the weekend than these presentations. As the site states:

On the weekend of Oct. 19, 20, 21, we welcome all to share several Sherlock topical events, including a unique Victorian era sherry, chocolate and dessert reception quite befitting the Holmesian tradition. On Saturday there will a series of presentations by special guests, including Leslie Klinger, America’s foremost Sherlock expert and editor of the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. There will also be memorabilia and collectibles on display. There will be a performance on Saturday night, and on Sunday a Sherlockian English brunch with specialty items such as scrambled quail as suggested in the canon.

Check out the full listing and pricing on the Shakespeare & Company page.

I hope I'll be able to see you there. It promises to be a unique weekend. And the foliage is lovely in the Berkshires that time of year...

"Three or Four Times in a Single Week" [STUD]

Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley have been working on a major work about Conan Doyle, taken from a very unique perspective. Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters looks at the author's life over decades solely through letters that he wrote to friends - and in particular, to family.

While the book itself does not go on sale until November 5 in the United States, it has a British release this month and the authors are featured on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week with five 15-minute readings from the book on Sept. 24-28. You can listen to the program on their site from now until seven days after the broadcast date.

And for those who are interested in pre-ordering the book, you may click on the link & image here in order to guarantee it in your home as speedily as possible.

"A Complete Set" [VALL]

When I first discovered Sherlock Holmes, it was on the printed page, but it couldn't have been at a better time in my life. It was the mid-1980s and there were a number of other outlets for my Sherlockian enjoyment. The Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce series was faithfully running on Saturday afternoon movie features on a local television station; the John Gielgud-Ralph Richardson old time radio series was available on cassette; and most importantly for me, the Granada series with Jeremy Brett was airing on PBS.

For me, Jeremy Brett has always been the consummate Holmes (up until the last dreadful series and long-form movies). Certainly, he was quirky; but so was Holmes. And he was blessed with such Canonically accurate settings, dialogue and wardrobe (at least in the beginning) that it felt like the stories came to life.

While I've long had a the series on video, pieced together through MPI productions and the original PBS airings from "Mystery!" with the inimitable Vincent Price giving the introductions, I've longed for a complete set on DVD. Well, that wait is over.

Now available from Amazon is Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series, a set of 12 DVDs with all 41 programs, for a total of 43 hours, from MPI Home Video. You'll find this handsome set tricked out with bonus features that include include three commentary tracks, interviews with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke, an interview with Adrian Conan Doyle, a
report on the Sherlock Holmes Museum, and subtitles in Spanish and English. While it doesn't have quite as many bells and whistles as one might hope for from such a handsome set, it's a worthy addition to any Sherlockian's multimedia collection.

"The Great Scientist" [CREE]

I recently received an email from Lars Falk, a correspondent in Sweden, who informed me that physicist and Sherlockian Hans-Uno Bengtsson passed away. He was a great popularizer of physics and was famous for his fakir stunts performed to demonstrate the laws of physics, like lying on a bed of nails and walking barefoot on burning coals.

And I even found a very personal remembrance of Bengstsson on another blog, which recalled a very simple yet human occurrence to which he responded with the utmost grace and generosity.

Here's what Lars had to say:

Hans-Uno was a great Sherlock Holmes fan and his book “Trepiporsproblem och bagateller - 7 studier i Sherlock Holmes” (1993) (“Three pipe problems and trifles - 7 studies in Sherlock Holmes”) has done much to increase interest in Sherlock Holmes research in Sweden. Many of these contributions were published in Baker Street Journal. I was personally stimulated by his article "And the Calculation Is a Simple One" (The Baker Street Journal, Vol. 39, No 4, p. 232, December 1989) to propose an alternative solution: "The Two Percent Solution" (The Baker Street Journal, Vol. 52, No 4, pp.5-18, December 2002) and was very happy when Hans-Uno responded with a truly academic comment: “Extremely elegant article: I was almost convinced.”

And Bengtsson's influence certainly did not end with The Baker Street Journal. Indeed, he brought his physics expertise to bear on his love of Sherlock Holmes, with a piece called "The Depth Which the Parsley Had Sunk into the Butter" which was included in the second volume of the Baker Street Irregulars Manuscript Series, Scandinavia and Sherlock Holmes.

He was clearly a brilliant man who had many talents. Just the kind who would be drawn to Sherlock Holmes.

If you'd like to get a hold of his past BSJ articles, you can get the BSJ CD-ROM, which contains the first 50 years of the publication, or you can simply order a reprint of the article. Both are accessible over on the Baker Street Journal web site.

"Being of a Sociable Turn" [WIST]

I know I occasionally debut some new and funky technology and ideas here on the blog. I appreciate your willingness to (a) humor me and (b) try them out from time to time. In my day job, I see and review more new media developments than you can imagine. But I typically only share those with you that I think are worth your time.

The concept I'd like to introduce you to today is called social networking. No doubt you've heard of MySpace or Facebook in the news. But what are they and how do they really work? And more importantly, of what use are they to Sherlockians? First, I'd like you to view this:

Social Networking in Plain English

So now you understand how social networks help us connect to each other. To me, it's basically an online version of attending Sherlockian society events. I know I'm in a room with other people who like Sherlock Holmes, but unless I can connect with them, I have no idea what their other interests might be. When I find someone who also shares my other interests, it solidifies our connection with each other.

Online social networks are no different. Just like normal conversations, you can choose to disclose as little or as much of yourself as you'd like and you can get involved with particular special interest groups as appropriate.

I'd like to invite you to join The Baker Street Blog group on Facebook - it's for people who enjoy this blog. From time to time, I'll be sharing certain newsworthy items with the group on Facebook. But more importantly - YOU can participate as well: upload photos, videos, write messages, join in a discussion. Over time, it can really become a nice extension of what we have here. Please click here to check out the group. You'll also find links to a Baker Street Journal group and an I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere group.

There's another social network I created on the site Ning. Whereas Facebook has a predetermined structure, I built the Sherlock Holmes Social Network from scratch on Ning. I've got feeds there from this blog, from I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, Flickr photos tagged with "sherlockian," and I've created groups for WelcomeHolmes and Hounds-L members as well. But again, the beauty is that everyone can contribute and add their own content. It's a wonderful way to share what's on your Sherlockian mind.

I really hope you'll at least try these out and see if they're right for you. While ever-advancing technology may seem like "an east wind coming" to some, it heralds the future of the Sherlockian world, where we'll be better connected than we ever were.

Related post: the Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis come blazing into the 21st century with their web site.

"Out of the Engine House" [VALL]

American stage actor William Gillette (1853-1937) is undoubtedly best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. But visitors to his home at Gillette Castle State Park know him for a variety of other pursuits as well.

He was an accomplished engineer, having designed many of the interior spaces of the Castle, such as doors without doorknobs, wooden light switches, his own desk, a spirits bar with a trick lock, hidden mirrors to keep an eye on guests, etc. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle around the Connecticut countryside. And of course, he loved his trains.

When he died without issue, his will stated:

I would consider it more than unfortunate for me – should I find myself doomed, after death, to a continued consciousness of the behavior of mankind on this planet – to discover that the stone walls and towers and fireplaces of my home – founded at every point on the solid rock of Connecticut; – that my railway line with its bridges, trestles, tunnels through solid rock, and stone culverts and underpasses, all built in every particular for permanence (so far as there is such a thing); – that my locomotives and cars, constructed on the safest and most efficient mechanical principles; – that these, and many other things of a like nature, should reveal themselves to me as in the possession of some blithering saphead who had no conception of where he is or with what surrounded.

Fortunately, there were no "blithering sapheads" to be had in 1944 (the government was busy with the war), so Lake Compounce amusement park took over the trains and ran them until 1997. Since then, there has been a major effort under way to bring them back to Gillette Castle in full working order.

That effort is about to be realized as the Friends of Gillette Castle are hosting an event on October 6 (click for full details and how to register) to celebrate the restoration of one of the locomotives. The event will feature a fully restored locomotive that Gillette used to run (see the article Electric Locomotive On Track for Return to Gillette Castle from the Hartford Courant). I thought I'd point out a couple of interesting coincidences for your consideration:

• The restorer, Ted Tine, is also a motorcycle enthusiast & designer
  
• In 1931, Gillette asked E.N. Priest to build a locomotive for him - Priest's shop was the very shop where Tine now does business

The newly restored engine will sit stationary at the visitors' center at the park - alas, there evidently were some blithering sapheads who allowed the tracks to be torn up. Shame. If all goes well, the steam-powered locomotive may be build to sit alongside this electric one. And who knows? Perhaps the tracks will be restored some day...

If you go to this event, drop me a line and let me know how it was - and if you take photos, email them to me so I can share them.

"The Falls of Reichenbach" [FINA]

Aside from 221B Baker Street, one of the most well-known landmarks in the Canon is the Reichenbach Falls, where Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty meet for hand-to-hand combat to settle, as Holmes put it, "the final discussion of those questions which lie between us." While most (if not all) of you know the outcome, I'm not going to issue any spoilers here.

I don't know if you've read The Final Problem recently, but I highly recommend going back to rereading it if you have the chance. Aside from the suspense of Holmes being hot on the trail of Moriarty and his gang (and vice versa), we're afforded what I think is some of Watson's best writing as he describes the Continental settings which he and Holmes experience. The other story that contains some of his finest descriptive prose is, for my money, The Hound of the Baskervilles. For example, as they get to Reichenbach Falls:

It is, indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges
into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a
burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm,
lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of
incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its
jagged lip. The long sweep of green water roaring forever down, and the thick
flickering curtain of spray hissing forever upward, turn a man giddy with
their constant whirl and clamour. We stood near the edge peering down at
the gleam of the breaking water far below us against the black rocks, and
listening to the half-human shout which came booming up with the spray
out of the abyss.

Like the Grimpen Mire in The Hound of the Baskervilles, "the setting is a worthy one" for the events that unfold.

Well, new events have unfolded that will be of particular interest to the philatelists out there, thanks to Swiss Post. They have released four stamps with an English literary connection as part of a series portraying Switzerland through the eyes of foreign artists. Naturally, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gets a nod there for his work with "The Final Problem." Joining him are Mary Shelley, William Wordsworth and Lord Byron. The site swissinfo has the full details on their respective contributions that included the Swiss landscape.

"The Doctor Will Meet Me Here" [RESI]

I know there are quite a few Sherlockians out there who, in addition to their passion about Sherlock Holmes, have an active interest in another character, namely Dr. Who.

For those of you not familiar with the good doctor, let me give you a (very) brief thumbnail: he's an extremely intelligent time-traveler who flits through time and space to solve problems. Originally aired on the BBC and played by a string of actors, including Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, who went on to portray Sherlock Holmes in a very bad production of The Hound of the Baskervilles. The Dr. Who series has been updated and is now running in the United States on the SciFi channel.

But the reason I'm mentioning Dr. Who today is because a new album has just been (re)released: Sherlock Holmes Meets Dr. Who. I've downloaded the album from iTunes, but it's also available via the link above through Amazon.co.uk (not on Amazon.com for the U.S. at this time). Let's just say I'm intrigued enough to mention it here.

The music, composed by Carey Blyton, is an eclectic mix of saxophones and brass, as played by the Phoenix Saxophone Quartet and the The Fine Arts Brass Ensemble. It features such numbers as:
A Sherlock Holmes Suite, Op. 81

1. March: The Game's Afoot!
2. Baker Street Conversation (Dr. Watson & Mrs. Hudson)
3. Porky Johnson & The Baker Street Irregulars
4. Scenes From Holmes' London (An Opium Den In Limehouse & A German Street Band)
5. Professional Colleagues (Leverton, Gregson, Lestrade & Athelney Jones)
6. Professor Moriarty - "The Napoleon Of Crime" (Hansom Cab Chase)
7. Victoria Triumphans!

There are a number of other tracks related to Dr. Who, but I can't comment on the relevance of those. But from a musical perspective, it's definitely worth adding to your collection.

"I Have my Old Favorite" [3GAR]

The latest episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere has been posted. You can get it directly from iTunes or by visiting the web site. If you do use iTunes, please consider reviewing our show so that others can learn from your recommendation.

In this episode, Burt and I discuss favorite books from our collections, talk briefly about John Bennett Shaw and his list of 100 essential books for every Sherlockian collection, and hear an audio clip of Paxton Whitehead reading Vincent Starrett's "221B" at the 2007 Baker Street Irregulars Dinner.

If you'd like direct access to these books in one place, the Shelfari shelf below has nearly all of them. You can reach Amazon through Shelfari (or via the link over in the right column).

"In These Columns" [HOUN]

Astute readers who visit the web site of this blog will see that there's been a change to the format. I realized that the sidebar column had grown extremely long, and that it would take a very dedicated reader indeed to make it all the way to the bottom.

Now I've made it twice as easy to do so - I've created a second sidebar and tried to divide up the material and make it a little easier on the eyes. So, on the left you'll see contact information and other background-related things. On the right are recent comments, links and services within this site, as well as services outside the site and the usual variety of links you've come to expect.

Please spend some time looking around and let me know what you think.

"It Is the Bootmaker" [LADY]

I'm pleased to report that the Bootmakers of Toronto have released the latest issue of their quarterly magazine, The Canadian Holmes. If you're at all interested in Sherlockian scholarship, this is one of the top publications you can subscribe to. The others are The Baker Street Journal, The Sherlock Holmes Journal and The Serpentine Muse.

Of particular note with regard to this issue of this northern publication is that it is the first issue over which Barbara Roden has presided as editor. As her husband Christopher points out:

It's packed from cover to cover with fascinating
material, including an article by Richard Lancelyn Green on the
manuscript of 'Shoscombe Old Place' and - those of you who were in
Minneapolis recently will recognise the significance of this - a
revelatory article by Michael Dirda on Langdale Pike.

Congratulations to Barbara on her debut!

"My Interest Is Already Awakened" [NAVA]

If you're reading this blog, then no doubt you know how to turn on the computer and navigate the Web. But how are you with using your machine's DVD drive? And arrowing around the screen? And figuring out solutions based on clues? If you think you've got all of those traits, then perhaps it's time to look into the new computer video game Sherlock Holmes : The Awakened.

As of yesterday, the web site of Sherlock Holmes: the Awakened had been drastically overhauled and gave way to the announcement that the game was ready to be shipped to U.S. customers.

If you're not familiar with the concept behind the game, it's a crossover of sorts, from mystery to horror - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle meets H.P. Lovecraft - in a seemingly routine investigation that tests the limits the great detective as he attempts to thwart the plans of a sect of the Cult of Cthulhu.

This new adventure of Sherlock Holmes marks the first time Sherlock Holmes has ever been presented in a three-dimensional virtual world. From the game's web site:

19th century England: Following a string of shocking disappearances on London’s fog-choked streets, an entire nation trembles in fear. As history’s most famed detective, loosen terror’s grip by tailing the perpetrators to the ends of the earth in epic 3D adventure Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened.

Inspired by the works of author H.P. Lovecraft, this globe-spanning saga of suspense and horror pits the master sleuth against his most dangerous foe yet – a fanatical cult seemingly devoted to ancient, evil god Cthulhu. From Baker Street to Bale, Louisiana to Scotland, hunt for hidden clues with the help of faithful companion Dr. Watson, solve fiendish puzzles and thwart the forces of darkness.

But beware – behind the façade of everyday life lurk terrifying places and truths best forgotten. There are some secrets man was never meant to know: Dare you uncover them? Either way, the clock’s ticking. So what are you waiting for? The game is afoot!

While I'm not a gaming fan, I have spent some time in the virtual world Second Life. If this game helps bring some younger people into our midst and entices them to learn more about the sleuth of Baker Street through his original ventures, I'm all for it.

"The Activity and the Ingenuity" [ILLU]

A little over a week ago, I noticed a new web site spring up, but I kept quiet during its beta period, until the official launch was announced. Well, today is that day, so I'm sharing my secret with you.

The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis now have a web site! Well, to call it a web site is really understating the effort Ann M. Lewis has put into it. It's much more than a simple destination; it's more of a hub and a two-way communication vehicle for this venerable Midwest scion society. This is a great example of how a scion society should embrace interactive media and forge into the 21st century.

Expect to hear more about new developments in the Sherlockian world that are going to shift the way we think about online communications. I'll be covering these changes and announcements here as well as on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, which I'd love you to subscribe to.

Features Abound
You'll find all of the standard offerings there, like meeting updates, upcoming events, links, etc. But where this site stands apart is how it integrates aspects of social media. For example:

1. You can register on the site as a member. It's free and doesn't require any sensitive information from you. Registration allows you to interact with other members on the site. You can post information to your profile, such as a web site, email address, or just something you'd like to write about yourself, as well as a picture.
   
2. Everyone can view the photo gallery, and members can upload their own photos. It's a great place to put faces to names or to see what happened at events.
3. There is a section for articles and a downloads section which currently contains a PDF of the society's flyer.
4. A news section contains announcements of meetings as well as the latest trailer for the From Gillette to Brett II conference. Anyone in the community can also add their own news story as well.
5. You can contribute in another important way: in the section called Blogs. Every member can create his or her own entries and write about and share anything that comes to mind. You know I couldn't resist and opportunity like that. Here's what I wrote.
6. There's an RSS feed of both this blog and of my podcast, for which I am grateful. What? You just don't understand RSS? Then please do me and yourself a favor and spend a quick 4 minutes watching this:

If it doesn't show, I'm very impressed with what Ann has instituted on behalf of the Clients. I've often wondered why they've never had a site, because they're an active society that publishes regularly and has a fairly dedicated base of members. Indeed, this is the home turf of Mike Whelan, the head of the Baker Street Irregulars.

I'm glad to see that they've come blazing into the 21st century with a real winner of a site. Get over there and register. More importantly, join the conversation there, or here, or any other site that allows you to raise your voice. The wonder of the Sherlockian world is the degree with which we interact with each other, and current technology is giving us the opportunity to keep the conversation flowing 24/7.

"There Is This Naturalist" [HOUN]

The history of the San Diego Natural History Museum is rich and deep, as it is the oldest scientific institution in southern California and only the second oldest west of the Mississippi River. It is even more interesting to us because it contains a Sherlockian connection.

One of the museum's major historical was an amateur naturalist, Dr. Laurence M. Klauber, who had a wide variety of interests. Although he became CEO of San Diego Gas & Electric, his passion fueled his hobbies - two of which intersected for an interesting outcome.

You see, Dr. Klauber was a herpetologist - a person who makes a study of snakes. He wrote over 100 papers on snakes and lizards, identified 53 species and left a collection of more than 36,000 reptile and amphibian specimens to the museum. In addition, he was an inveterate collector and bibliophile who amassed 1462 books, 19,000 pamphlets, 20 drawers of hand-written catalog cards, and 198 looseleaf binders of scientific notes related to snakes.

Naturally, a bookman with an interest in snakes can only lead to one story: The Adventure of the Speckled Band. It was this combination of interests that led Dr. Klauber to write an article for Vol. 3, No. 2 of the Baker Street Journal in 1948, called The Truth About the Speckled Band. You can click on the link and read it for yourself.

"I Live and Keep Bees" [LAST]

Apiculture, or the practice of keeping bees has been around for millennia. In fact, there is archeological evidence to show that hives were used for keeping bees as early as 900 B.C. It wasn't until the 18th century that scientists began to understand bee biology and realize that what had been called the "king bee" was in fact the queen bee. Click on the above link for more detail on beekping.

All of this is interesting, of course, but some Sherlockian novices may be wondering why I'm discussing beekeeping on this site. When Sherlock Holmes retired to the Sussex Downs, he took up beekeeping (hence the title of the Laurie R. King book The Beekeeper's Apprentice. And Holmes wrote his own scholarly piece on his apicultural studies, entitled Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with Some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen.

Today I'd like to celebrate Holmes' hobby or post-retirement studies by sharing a video with you - an interview with a beekeeper.

If you can't see the video above, simply follow this link.

"Might I Ask a Few Questions to Test You?" [ILLU]

Christopher Roden, MBt BSI ("Sir Henry Baskerville") and Barbara Roden, MBt, BSI ("Beryl Stapleton") are literary movers and shakers in Canada. They are both organizers of the Arthur Conan Doyle Society, which Christopher himself founded in 1989.


I'll save the rest of their qualifications for another post about the Rodens. But I wanted to share a contest that they're running through the ACD site, to promote the new biography of Conan Doyle by Charles Foley, Jon Lellenberg and Dan Stashower, Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters. According to Christopher:

We have five copies of this forthcoming book to give away as prizes, and Jon Lellenberg has devised a fiendish quiz, answering which could mean that a copy of the book will be headed your way.

The closing date for entries is 16 September, and there is a link to my e-mail address to which entries should be sent.

So, are you up for the challenge, dear reader? If so, head over to the quiz page on the ACD site and email your answers to Christopher. Good luck!

"Heard from Italy" [3GAB]

On November 23rd, Uno Studio in Holmes, the Italian Sherlock Holmes Society, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in Firenze, Italy.

Gianluca Salvatore, BSI ("The Dacre Hotel")writes:

A magnificent reception will be held in the most beautiful city in the world. Do not miss the occasion to join us for a weekend. We will have a meeting in the style of Sherlock Holmes, a true renaissance man.

For more information, hotel booking and facilities please feel free to email Gianluca at monterivecchi@gmail.com. Plus, I've given you some links below to get started on your travel.




Save up to $200 on International Hotels and Vacations: Book by Sept. 30 on ORBITZ!

"Between and Around These Scattered Points" [HOUN]

If it seems like it's been a while since I've posted the HTML links from Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, you're right. The last time I did so was April. It's not that Peter Blau hasn't been kind enough to share his newsletter with me in a timely fashion; rather, I've been deluged with other activities (which you may have gathered by my less frequent posting).

Well, rest assured that I'm trying to get back on the wagon and give you the updates and the links that it is my duty to supply. Herewith then, the links for Peter's latest issue:

• The Museum of Jewelry uses names from English literature to title some of their products, which include "Moonstones of Baker Street Earrings" and "Arnsworth Castle Earrings"
• The Hans Sloane of our age is a chocolatier: The Sir Hans Sloane Chocolate and Champagne House is the first chocolate studio in the UK to have its own in-house chocolate conching machine
• Eye of the Crow: The Boy Sherlock Holmes is the first in a series of books about an adolescent Sherlock Holmes; there's a nice interactive web site at http://www.boysherlockholmes.com
  
• Oscar Wilde and Lillie Langtry seek advice from Sherlock Holmes in the People's Light & Theatre Company's production of Katie Forgette's Sherlock Holmes & the Case of the Jersey Lily in Malvern, PA in June, 2008
• The American Theatre Wing has two video great seminars with Frank Langella, who portrayed Sherlock Holmes twice
• Working in the Theatre, September, 1984
• Working in the Theatre, April, 2002
  
• And they also have an interview with Langella as an audio file from XM Satellite's Downstage Center
• The Friends of Gillette Castle State Park will hold a celebration on Oct. 6 benefiting the restoration of William Gillette's locomotives
• Laurie R. King now has a Virtual Book Club; it's really a discussion forum on her web site
• Look for an appearance of Mycroft Holmes as Thursday Next's uncle in Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next: First Among Sequels
• Quill & Brush Books offers a handy guide to identifying first editions
• The Sherlock Holmes Collection at the Marylebone Library is always worth taking a look at; and from now until October 31, they're running a competition to win a copy of Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters
• Randall Stock has an informative and comprehensive site put together about the new book, including a background FAQ and a list of press mentions
• Speaking of books, To Keep the Memory Green, a collection of essays about the life of Richard Lancelyn Green is available for order from The Quartering Press, a joint effort between the Baker Street Irregulars and the Sherlock Holmes Society of London
  
• The Meadow Brook Theatre's season opens with Stephen Dietz's Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure in Rochester, MI from October 10 to November 4
• Recognize this suave gentleman? It's Basil Rathbone, as Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko in the 1937 film "Tovarich" and shown in his entry for Wikipedia
• MC Black offers Detective Walks through London that he has personally researched
• The DVD of Sherlock Holmes and Baker Street Irregulars has been released and is now available on Amazon
• The Sherlock Holmes Resume Service (1-800-5-SHERLOCK)