The Limelight Illuminates a Great Sherlockian and Bookman’s Career: Vincent Brosnan, JHWS “Beeton” and the Venerable “Sherlock in L.A.”

We learn of Mr Brosnan’s passing on 28 December 2013.  We have stood upon the terrace for the last time and “Beeton” is now a distinguished Honourary Emeritus Member (1933-2013).

Our Charter Member, Vincent Brosnan, is known by legions of Sherlockians around the world as “Vinnie” and as one of the legendary Bookmen of the last half century.  Mr Brosnan resides, as he has for many years, in Oceanside, California, south of Los Angeles. Here, we spotlight one of the nobles, one of the Sherlockian aristocracy.

Vincent reminisces . . .

“In my high school days (the late 1940s), I was exposed to the world of Sherlock Holmes in three distinct ways: by reading the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories; by watching the Universal Studio movies that were in production starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce; and by listening to the weekly radio program sponsored by Petri Wine and also starring Rathbone and Bruce. I was totally taken by the radio programs which allowed full range to my imagination and appreciation of Rathbone’s unique voice and inflection which made the action believable. I believe it was the combination of Rathbone’s voice and the inciting of my imagination that was the mainspring of my love for Sherlock Holmes. Another influence was the romance of the Victorian Age which was inbred as my father was a true Dickensian.

Going forward to 1959: an important year of my life. I graduated in January from the Cinema Department at the University of Southern California and began the almost impossible task of finding employment in Hollywood. By June, with no prospects in sight, I was discouraged and running out of needed cash. There was a bookstore in downtown Los Angeles that had displayed on its top shelf the three volume Heritage set of Sherlock Holmes, The Later Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The books were priced at five dollars each. I knew I couldn’t afford it, but I bought them anyway, and it was a purchase that changed my life.

At that time, my nights were sleepless. To relieve my restlessness, I took up my Sherlock Holmes adventures. I read them all two or three times and was completely captivated. What a wonder these stories were, a perfect mixture of charm and adventure. They helped alter my spirit and attitude. Soon afterwards, in June, I got my foot in the door at the NBC Studios in Burbank–the start of a thirty-three year career.

Does Sherlock deserve credit? You bet he does! With a paycheck in my wallet, I could let loose some of my collecting urges and all the fun that comes with it. Up to that time, I had never joined a Sherlock Holmes club, better known as scions. I took a different route. Over time, my collection grew, resulting in an overfilled garage, and my dear wife pointed out the need  for clearing it out. This crisis has not changed in over forty years of marriage. Nevertheless, the crisis was of good fortune. I formed my book service and named it Sherlock in L.A.  Since then, fourteen privately printed catalogues featuring many great Sherlockian book collections for sale have been produced and all were well-illustrated and, more import, well-received by the Sherlockian collector world. Among those memorable sales of great collections was the John H Watson Society Emeritus Founding Member, the late Col. Ted Schulz, who is featured here in the Watsonian Limelight. The extensive catalogue of his collection is now a collector’s item in its own right.

In 1988, I became an active member of the Trained Cormorants, one of the oldest scions in the U.S. (founded in 1947) and I became the custodian of their archives. Shorty thereafter, I formed a publishing arm named The Sherlock n L.A. Press and produced three major monographs, all of which are now highly collectible. The first was The Sherlock Holmes Mother Gooseby Paula Salo; the second was The Trained Cormorants 60th Anniversary Commemorative which was the scion’s history accompanied by many archival photographs; and the third was The Sage of Santa Fe: Adventures and Public Life of John Bennett Shaw written by Susan Rice and myself.

It was with the Cormorants that I attended many of the important conferences and other Sherlockian gatherings in the 1990s. One was in 1995 for the dedication of the John Bennett Shaw Library at the University of Minnesota. The prior year, my dear wife Flavia and I went to London for the Back to Baker Street Festival where I met and friended Dame Jean Conan Doyle, who was Conan Doyle’s daughter and the last of the Conan Doyle descendants. This, I would add, was one of the great highlights of my life, and there have been many. I was so glad I was wearing a hat with her father’s name on it; I could see how happy this made her.

The other event, which ranks as one of the great surprises of my life, was my introduction by Michael Whelan, the Wiggins, into the Baker Street Irregulars. My investiture is “That Gap on That Second Shelf,” which is a line spoken by Holmes while disguised as an old bookman.

How fitting were these words for a bookman like myself. In reading over this thumb nail sketch, you can appreciate how my life’s journey with Sherlock Holmes led to many rewards and new friends.  But this, of course, is only part of the story. There is so much more to be said and remembered. I have always viewed my collecting endeavors as one of responsibilities; that is, to inform, educate, and advance many Sherlockians on the significant studies, scholarship, and endless variety of pastiches that have gone before. This is a wide subject which, for right now, I have to put on hold.”

*   *   *  *

We very much thank Mr Brosnan for this intimate look at a life of Sherlockian and Watsonian devotion. Buttons, himself an antiquarian book dealer, has long known of the fine reputation and high respect accorded Mr Brosnan by the book trade professionals. Among Sherlockian book collectors, the name Vinnie Brosnan is always mentioned with awe and reverence. He has decades of history as a Bookman of integrity, fairness and scrupulous standards, and that is achievement enough for any life. The Society is honoured to have Vincent Brosnan, JHWS “Beeton” as a member and, it must be noted:  his Society moniker, a reference to the priceless Beeton’s Christmas Annual, was specially chosen by the Chair, Don Yates, to signify Mr Brosnan’s rarity, his value, and his pre-eminent position in the Sherlockian world.

Welcome to S E Dahlinger, JHWS “Flush” to the Society

The Society is honoured to welcome S E Dahlinger, JHWS “Flush” as a Charter Member.

S.E. Dahlinger is the editorial manager of Havas Metro Life, a division of Havas Worldwide,  a global advertising agency.

She is an invested member of The Baker Street Irregulars and The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes; a Master Bootmaker of The Bootmakers of Toronto; and an honorary member of The Sherlock Holmes  Klubben i Danmark.

Susan started writing for The Baker Street Journal in 1968. For Calabash Press, she edited Violets & Vitriol; for Wessex Press (with Leslie S. Klinger) Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle & The BOOKMAN. Her current project is a book about William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes during the years he played in it, a subject on which she has lectured widely and for which she won the Morley Montgomery Award. For her work on the manuscript of “The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot, ” Susan won The  Bootmakers’ True Davidson Award.

SED’s interests include 19th century opera and theatre, philology, books about books, and collecting art of the Modern Hudson River School.  

Please extend a warm welcome with our traditional greeting:

“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”




Another Research Question

What do we know of shaving and barbering in the Canon? Equally, what do we know of  hairstyling and cosmetics? Please reply directly to “Comments” here.

The Society Welcomes Sherlockian Scholar Dr Stefano Guerra, Co-Founder of Uno Studio in Holmes (Italy)

The Society extends a warm welcome to the Co-Founder of Italy’s Uno Studio in Holmes and accomplished Holmesian scholar, Dr Stefano Guerra, JHWS “Lucas,” BSI “Count Negretto Silvius.”

Dr Guerra’s C.V. is as follows:

Stefano Guerra, BSI, “Count Negretto Silvius,” M. D., Child Psychiatrist, Psychoanalist, Teacher and School Director. Founder, with C. E. Casini, of Italian Sherlock Holmes Society, Uno Studio in Holmes, in 1986. Organiser of many conferences in Italy, where he presented several reports. Past-President of Uno Studio in Holmes Society. Since 2009, Director of Strand Magazine, official magazine of the Association.

Books (Italian):

Il fantasma di Sherlock Holmes, atti del convegno per il centenario (Editor)- Ed. Uno Studio in Holmes 1987

I diciassette scalini – Enciclopedia di Sherlock Holmes (with E. Solito, BSI) Ed. Il Torchio, 1998

Il diciottesimo scalino – Enciclopedia di Sherlock Holmes – II ed. revised and enlarged (with E. Solito) Ed. Delos Book, 2004

Articles (English):

Between Antigone and Creon: Holmes, Law and Justice in Italy and Sherlock Holmes by Enrico Solito, BSI, and Gianluca Salvatori, BSI, (Editors) The Baker Street Irregulars International Stories, 2010

Children and Sherlock Holmes in Italy and Sherlock Holmes by Enrico Solito, BSI, and Gianluca Salvatori, BSI, (Editors) The Baker Street Irregulars International Stories, 2010

The Wax Vesta in the Mud Mistery: Holmes’ Mistakes in Italy and Sherlock Holmes by Enrico Solito, BSI, and Gianluca Salvatori, BSI, (Editors) The Baker Street Irregulars International Stories, 2010

In 2102 he published in Italian and in English the article entitled “A spasso per Roma con Sir Arthur Conan Doyle” in bilingual book “Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Viaggio in Italia – Italian Journey” edited by USIH, published by Bobi Bazlen Ed. in Rome. (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Venice, 2012, “Sherlock & Shylock, the Sleuths of Venice”.)

Articles (Italian):

Sherlock Holmes e la psicoanalisi – ovvero “L’avventura del clavicembalista inibito”, in Sherlock Holmes – Indagine su un mito centenario by F. Giovannini e M. Zatterin – Dedalo Ed. 1987

Holmes e Freud, due metodi a confronto The Strand Magazine n. 3 Winter 1997 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Prato, 1996)

I cani nel Canone The Strand Magazine New series n. 0 Vol. III January 1998 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Rome, 1997)

I bambini e Sherlock Holmes: l’infanzia a Baker Street The Strand Magazine N.s. n. 2 September 1999 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Rome, 1998, during the event “Giallo Estate” promoted by Roman Municipality)

Il mistero del fiammifero nel fango – ovvero Gli errori di Sherlock Holmes (Report at Annual General Meeting of USIH “A week later” – Milano- Firenze/Sesto Fiorentino – September 2000- Published in Meeting acts)

Il Mastino dei Baskerville (with Gianluca Salvatori, BSI, and Enrico Solito) The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 9 June 2002

In July 2002 he joins The First National Meeting on Popular Literature: “Il caso Sherlock Holmes” promoted by Roseto degli Abruzzi Municipality (TE), with a report entitled “Sherlock Holmes e il caso del Dottor Shepherd”

Tra Antigone e Creonte: Sherlock Holmes, la legge e la giustizia The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 13 June 2004 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Naples, 2004)

In November 2004 he joins the Symposium “Gli endocrinologi incontrano gli altri specialisti”, at 4th AME Italian Meeting “Update in Clinical Endocrinology” – Roma – Accademia Lancisiana – Ospedale S. Spirito, with a report entitled “Il metodo scientifico in Medicina: arte e investigazione”, published in The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 14 December 2004

Altri tempi, ovvero L’ultimo dei Baskerville The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 15 June 2005

Il metodo holmesiano e le filosofie orientali The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 15 June 2005 (Report presented at meeting “Sherlock Holmes tra Oriente e Occidente”, organized by Pesaro Studi, Lingue e Civiltà Orientali, Urbino University “Carlo Bo”).

A spasso per Roma, ieri e oggi, in compagnia di ACD The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 16 December 2005 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Milan, 2005)

Vent’anni dopo, ovvero L’avventura di USIH The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 18 bis December 2007 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Florence, 2007)

“Una volta eliminato l’impossibile…” Un’ipotesi sui cinque semi d’arancia The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 20 July 2009 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Rome, 2008, “Il significato dell’insignificante. Sherlock Holmes a Villa Mirafiori”, organized with the collaboration of Rome University La Sapienza)

Preface to “Sherlock Holmes” by William Gillette e Arthur Conan Doyle, (Italian translation by A. Gebbia and M. Meloni) Studies in Scarlet n. 5 – Ed. Uno Studio in Holmes 2010

Abduzione o deduzione? Qualche punto fermo per una questione irrisolta The Strand Magazine N.s. nn. 23-24 – September 2011 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in L’Aquila VIII Investigation Day, “Indagine/indagini. Sherlock Holmes a l’Aquila”, 2009, organized with the collaboration of L’Aquila University)

Sherlock Holmes in mezzo a noi: un esercizio di stile o un’attualizzazione riuscita? The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 25 July 2012 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Rome, 2008, “Sherlock Holmes: attualità del mito”, organized with the collaboration of Rome University La Sapienza)

Sherlock Holmes e la prestidigitazione The Strand Magazine N. s. n. 26 December 2012 (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Urbino, 2011 “Eliminare l’impossibile? Il metodo investigativo tra scienza e magia”, organized with the collaboration of International Studies Department)

In 2102 he published in Italian and in English the article entitled “A spasso per Roma con Sir Arthur Conan Doyle” in bilingual book “Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Viaggio in Italia – Italian Journey” edited by USIH, published by Bobi Bazlen Ed. in Rome. (Report presented in Annual General Meeting of USIH, in Venice, 2012, “Sherlock & Shylock, the Sleuths of Venice”.)

Please join in welcoming Dr Guerra with the Society’s greeting to new members:

“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

The Society Welcomes a Sherlockian Scholar to Membership: Prof Alessandra Calanchi, JHWS “Bianca”

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The University of Urbino, founded 1505
The Society is delighted to welcome Professor Alessandra Calanchi “Bianca” to membership. Prof. Calanchi is renowned scholar of the Sacred Canon with numerous books, academic papers, articles, and appearances related to her Sherlockian and Watsonian research. She is a member of Uno Studio in Holmes and is a professor of Anglo-American literature at Urbino University in Italy.

Please welcome Alessandra with the Society’s greeting to new members:  “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Her partial C.V. follows:

Alessandra  Calanchi is assistant professor of Anglo-American Language and Literature at the University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”. She has published books in English and Anglo-American Literatures and Comparative Studies, such as Vicini lontani. Solitudine e comunicazione nel romanzo americano (1990), Quattro studi in rosso. Lo spazio privato maschile nella narrativa vittoriana (1997), and Dismissing the Body. Strange Cases of Fictional Invisibility (1999). She has dealt with such issues as identity, body representations, masculinity, her major interests lying in the relations between literature and cinema and in Jewish-American fiction. Among her essays in this latter field, see “The Victim : la memoria come detection” (Il recupero del testo , eds. Fink-Morisco, 1988), “Millions of Leaves. Metafore della memoria nel romanzo di Saul Bellow More Die of Heartbreak” (Memoria e tradizione nella cultura ebraico-americana, eds. Fink-Morisco, 1990), “Uncomfortable Connections: Zipping/Unzipping Identity” (Intertextual Identity. Reflections on Jewish-American Artists, eds. La Polla-Morisco, 1997), and “The Dangling Jewish American Identity and the Canon in Saul Bellow’s Earlier Novels” (Merope, Pescara, anno XI, n.31, 2000, pp.69-93). Recently she has edited American Sherlockitis. Ovvero, come Sherlock Holmes conquistò il Nuovo Mondo (Milano 2005). She is a contributor to Cinemasessanta.

Books

1997 Quattro studi in rosso. Lo spazio privato maschile nella narrativa
vittoriana
, Cesena, Il Ponte Vecchio, 1997 (monography)

2001 Arthur Conan Doyle, 221B Baker Street. Sei ritratti di  Sherlock  Holmes, (bilingual), Venezia, Marsilio  (transl. & ed.)

2003 Arthur Conan Doyle, La maledizione dei Baskerville, annotated edition ed. by Philip Weller, Milano, Hobby & Work (transl.) Now being republished in montlhly instalments by the SherlockMagazine (2013-2014).

2005 Sherlock Holmes in America: “American Sherlockitis”, ovvero come Sherlock Holmes conquistò il Nuovo Mondo, “Sherlock Magazine”, no. 5, Delos Books, November  (ed.).

2007 I mille e uno Sherlock Holmes, “Linguae &”, special issue, I mille e uno Sherlock Holmes/The Thousand and One Sherlock Holmes no. 2 (co-ed. with G. Ovarelli).

2008 J. M. Gregson, Sherlock Holmes e il mistero del golf club, “Sherlock Magazine”, October (transl.).

2013 P. Growick, Sherlock Holmes e il diario segreto del dottor Watson, Delos Books, Milan (transl.).

Essays and articles

“Rovinare le sacre simbiosi: Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, e Sherlock Holmes”, Poetiche, 4-5, December 1996, Mucchi, Modena, pp.145-55.

” ‘Others will follow’: lo strano caso di Jekyll, Hyde e Sherlock Holmes”, RSV (Rivista di Studi Vittoriani), 5, III, Pescara, January 1998, pp.133-43.

“Da St.Petersburg a Salt Lake City: scenari d’America in The Dynamiter, A Study in Scarlet e The Valley of Fear“, in R.Baccolini, C.Comellini e V.Fortunati (eds), Culture di lingua inglese a confronto, Bologna, CLUEB, 1998, pp.67-76.

“L’Avventura dell’Enciclopedia”, an afterward to: S.Guerra ed E.Solito, I diciassette scalini. Enciclopedia di Sherlock Holmes,  Roma, Edizioni Il Torchio, 1998,
pp.143-45.

(Book review) I casi proibiti di Sherlock Holmes (by Enrico Solito), Delitti di Carta, Bologna, CLUEB, April  1999, pp.135-36.

“Un’americana alla corte di Sherlock”, in Leggere Donna, n.s., 85, March-April 2000, pp.31-32.

(Book review) “L’avventura della Lasiocampa quercus, ovvero, recensione in forma di apocrifo di Come fu ucciso Umberto Eco  di G.Celli”, in The Strand Magazine (“Uno Studio in Holmes”), II n.s., September 2000, pp.2-4.

“La moglie di Sherlock Holmes e altri paradossi: lo strano caso della riscrittura di genere”, in Le riscritture del postmoderno. Percorsi angloamericani, eds O.De Zordo and F.Fantaccini, Bari, Palomar, 2002, pp.313-333.

“L’unica professione per un gentiluomo? Lo Sherlock Holmes fin de siècle da Baker Street all’America di frontiera”, in Maschilità decadenti. La lunga fin de siècle, eds M. Pustianaz and L. Villa, Bergamo UP, Edizioni Sestante, 2004, pp. 239-253.

Chiamatemi Watson. Nuove frontiere degli ‘apocrifi’ angloamericani”, in “Linguae &”, I mille e uno Sherlock Holmes/The Thousand and One Sherlck Holmes, eds. A.Calanchi & G. Ovarelli, no. 2, 2007, pp. 93-106.

“ ‘Reasoning from an armchair’: A Study on Sherlock Holmes’s Homely Masculinity”, in RSV (Rivista di Studi Vittoriani), n. 24-25, anno XII-XIII, 2007/2008, pp. 7-33.

“Notes on the Italian Sherlockscape”, in Italy & Sherlock Holmes, eds. Enrico Solito and Gianluca Salvatori, The Baker Street Irregulars International series, The Baker Street Irregulars, New York, 2010, pp. 7-18.

“Mr  Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson: interfacing science and fiction in the ‘Sacred Canon’”, in The Case and the Canon. Anomalies, discontinuities, metaphors between science and literatureeds A.Calanchi, G.Castellani, G.Morisco, G.Turchetti, Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht  V & R Unipress,  Goettingen 2011, pp. 137-144.

“Dal Sacro Canone al Grande Gioco: per una teoria degli apocrifi”, in Fictions. Studi sulla narratività, ed. by Maurizio Ascari & Francesca Saggini, Fabrizio Serra editore, Pisa – Roma, X, 2011, pp. 120 (pp. 83-92).

How About Just a Tiny Quiz to Tide Us Over . . .?

AND THE RESULTS ARE . . . It would seem that this question could be the basis of a very interesting paper for The Watsonian. There are echoes in both solutions below to indicate the presence of myth, folklore, religion, and supernatural belief. And, there may well be additional names that fit the specter of the Hound.

Dean Turnbloom “Stoker” sends this interesting and historically pertinent solution to the question:

Cusith or Cù-Sìth was a Hellhound, harbinger of death (Scotland, the Hebrides, Ireland). According to Scottish folklore, the Cù-Sìth is said to be the size of a young bull with the appearance of a wolf. Its fur is shaggy, and usually cited as being dark green though sometimes white. Its tail is described as being long and either coiled up or plaited (braided). Its paws are described as being the width of a man’s hand. The Cù-Sìth is thought to make its home in the clefts of rocks in the Highlands, and also to roam the moors and highlands. The Cù-Sìth was feared as a harbinger of death and would appear to bear away the soul of a person to the afterlife, similar to the manner of the Grim Reaper. In this role the Cù-Sìth holds in Scottish folklore a function similar to that of the Bean Sidhe, or banshee, in Irish folklore.

According to legend, the creature was capable of hunting silently, but would occasionally let out three terrifying bays, and only three, that could be heard for miles by those listening for it, even far out at sea. Those who hear the baying of the Cù-Sìth must reach safety by the third bark or  be overcome with terror to the point of  death.

Congratulations to Mr Turnbloom who resides in Santee, California.

Kenneth Siarkiewicz sends his analysis and suggests “Lucifer” as the hellhound’s name, a name that seems eminently logical, fitting and in keeping with the supernatural speculation of the story.

“Cooper” also suggests the name might be ‘Black Shuck” from one of the English folk-legends. This legend bears quite a close resemblance to the Hound. It is spectral and foreboding and deserves to be read in its full description on Wikipedia (follow the link) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Shuck

Congratulations to “Cooper” who resides, reads and thinks in Tucson, Arizona. Kenneth joined the Society in August and we appreciate his contribution in helping us to think about this unique question.

Question

The hound in The Hound of the Baskervilles is not given a name in the text by Dr Watson. From the Canonical textual evidence and from inference, what is the likely name of the hound?

Submit answers to buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com by 12 Noon (Pacific) Friday. The answers will be judged and the results will be posted here by Saturday.

Have fun . . .

Welcome to Seven New Charter Members

The Society warmly welcomes six new Charter Members:Patricia Caouette, JHWS “Rip” of Winooski, Vermont

We hope to learn more of Patricia’s Sherlockian and Watsonian background and will post the information when it is received. Until then, please welcome Patricia with the Society’s greeting:

“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Francis Perry, JHWS “Roger” of Reading, Berkshire, UK.
We welcome Francis and hope to learn more of his Holmesian background. Please extend a warm welcome with our traditional greeting:
“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Scott William Schulz, JHWS “Philo” of Garner, North Carolina

Scott Writes:  “I have been a fan of Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson for many years, but I have never really participated in the fandom beyond being a member for many years of The Hounds of the Internet (must be 10+ years now) and the
WelcomeHolmes email groups.  But even on those I am merely an avid
reader.

To date, my singular contribution to the advancement of the tradition of the Canon has been though my incessant championing of both Holmes and Watson to any who happen to wander past my office and who either express an interest of any of the items on the wall or shelf of said office, or who happen to linger too long near one of those items. Oh, and I did bring my wife to the light that is the Jeremy Brett rendition of Holmes (she would fix bags of popcorn and a fresh pot of coffee at 11 PM every Saturday evening for us to enjoy while watching that week’s episode while they were being rerun here on PBS).

We invite Scott’s participation and look forward to his contributions to the Society. Please welcome him with the traditional greeting:

“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Wayne Weatherwax, JHWS “Regis” of Westfield, Massachusetts.

We welcome Wayne and hope to post his biographical information when received. Until then, we extend our greeting:

“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Ellen Reeher, JHWS “Gilda” of St Paul, Minnesota

Ellen writes:  “I found out about the society just this morning from the dulcet tones of Scott Monty over at the “I hear of Sherlock Everywhere” podcast and came right over to subscribe.

Unlikely though it may be here in the wilds of Minnesota, I’ll look forward to someday hearing the society greeting.”

And so, we extend that greeting of welcome to Ellen:

“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Sharon Conroy, JHWS “Maggie” of Williamston, Michigan

James Conroy, JHWS “Schnapps” of Williamston, Michigan

The Conroys are members of the Greek Interpreters of East Lansing. We are delighted to welcome them to membership and look forward to their contributions to the Society’s activities.  Please extend a warm greeting:

You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Weekly Quiz on Holiday until January 4, 2014

At the urging of our Quiz Masters and Members, Buttons is declaring a Quiz Holiday for the Holidays. We will suspend the Weekly Quiz until Friday, 4 January 2014 when we will resume with an all new year of Canonical quizzing!

Buttons needs a holiday, too, from the scribbling of notes in the margins of his Doubleday. He is planning on spending time with his mates at the local across the square, The Frog and Pig, where a turkey Cornish pasty and a few pints of best bitter are calling. The good Doctor and Mr Holmes will likely be looking for a two-barred goose again his year, and Buttons will repair to the Alpha Inn for a bit of supper and a nice eggnog.  An abundancy of Thanksgiving and Festive Greetings to all!

Ron Lies “Chips” on an Allusive Mystery Story 

Our Society’s frequent contributor, Ron Lies “Chips”, sends along a few clues to an allusive mystery story related to Dr Watson and Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes.

Members who would like to add this to their collection, can find the book on Amazon listed for about $7.00. Information below:

“Chips” writes:

“A fellow member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of India posted the information about a short story where Dr. Watson beats the Holmes Brothers at their own game. The story is written by Collin Dexter who created The Inspector Morse stories. It is in the collection Morse’s Greatest Mystery and Other Stories. The short story is “A Case of Mis-Identity.” The tale is enjoyable and worth the time to find it.”

Chips

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Weekly Quiz #9: 15-20 November 2013

Weekly Quiz #9
15 – 20 November 2013; 4 pm (Pacific)

RESULTS:  Weekly Quiz #9 produced the following Quiz Masters: Answers are posted below.

Member Individual Category:  Michele Lopez “Reggie” took the honours with a perfect score of 20/20 plus the 5 bonus points for 25 total. Michele was closely followed by a two-way tie between Denny Dobry “Kirby” and James O’Leary “Pippin” with 19/20.

Member Team Category:  Sheila Holtgrieve “Daisy” and Margie Deck “Gwen”
took the Team honours once again in a continuation of their unbroken run with 20/20 plus 5 bonus points for 25 total.

Congratulations to all!

This week’s quiz is a similar to the classic quizzes that were used in past years to qualify devotees as having the requisite knowledge of the Canon to be designated “Sherlockians.”  In this version, the questions are focused on Dr Watson, are worth 5 points each with an added 5 point bonus for accurate citations. Submit your answers by 4 pm Wednesday, 20 November to buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com.

Questions:

  1. When and to whom did Dr Watson recommend large doses of a poison as a sedative? What was the poison? In which story? For whom?
  2. In what story was Dr Watson’s body in one chair and his legs upon another?
  3. In what story was Dr Watson settled into a well-worn, low armchair?
  4. To whom did Dr Watson ascend to a second time with a message?
  5. What time did Dr Watson sit down beside the fire to await Holmes’s return?
  6. Where was Dr Watson when asked to recall tracks?
  7. When was it sufficient for Dr Watson to share the sport and lend his humble help?
  8. What was the event that Dr Watson asked Holmes to give him the points about?
  9. What case was Dr Watson asked to add to his annals?
  10. When did Holmes and Watson ascend followed by a doctor?
  11. When Dr Watson turned up the time-table and found the last train gone, where had they wanted to go?
  12. When and where was the glare from the brickwork painful to Dr Watson?
  13. Holmes offers Dr Watson a cigar during a trip to where?
  14. What was the case that began with hot tea prior to the train on a winter morning?
  15. Whose father did Dr Watson have the pleasure of knowing?
  16. By what statement does Dr Watson paraphrase Descartes?
  17. What was another of Dr Watson’s bulls-eyes?
  18. To whom would the Dr’s bankers determine the worth of his guarantee?
  19. Dr Watson was with whom when he observed the faces in the diffused light from the shops?
  20. Dr Watson’s guest drank what at the first lunch where?

 

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Welcome to Noreen Pazderski, DVM, JHWS “Eos”

A very warm welcome is extended to Noreen Pazderski, DVM “Eos” from Tonowanda, New York. Dr Pazderski is a veterinarian and a long-time Sherlockian and member of An Irish Secret Society in Buffalo.

We look forward to Noreen’s contributions and welcome her with our greeting:

“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Welcome to David Parker, JHWS “Nigel” to Charter Membership

The Society is most pleased to have David R. Parker, JHWS “Nigel” as a Charter Member. David resides in Burnley, Lancashire, England. He has a most interesting website :  www.johnhwatsonmd.com where he acts as Dr Watson’s literary agent, writing regular insights and features about the good Doctor and posting frequent Twitter “telegrams” concerning Watson and Holmesian events and topics.

Please visit his website and exptend a warm welcome to the Society with our greeting to new members: “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Welcome to Michael Seward, JD, JHWS “Ritchie,” SHSL

We welcome to Charter membership Mr Michael Seward “Ritchie” of Berwick, Pennsylvania. Michael is a member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London and the White Rose Irregulars.

We look forward to Michael’s participation and contributions to the Society’s activities and journal.  Please extend welcome with our new member greeting:

“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Welcome to Stephen Boothe, JHWS “Roscoe”

A warm welcome is extended to Stephen Boothe, JHWS “Roscoe” and member of the Hounds of the Internet and An Irish Secret Society at Buffalo.  Stephen lives in Silver Creek, New York and has also introduced his daughter, Hannah, to the Society. We greatly enjoy having this new student member and her father as new members.

Stephen writes:

“I’ve always associated my love of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with family. As a youth in the 1980’s, I was introduced to Sherlock Holmes through the Ian Richardson Holmes portrayals in movies of that era. This started me on my Sherlockian path. One of the fondest memories of my entire life was my Dad calling around to local bookstores to find me a volume of Sherlock Holmes for my very own. Receiving some good advice from a bookseller, he put in a special order and purchased me a copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes.

Years later, I now have the opportunity to pass along my fascination with Holmes and Watson to my children. Several years ago, I had the pleasure of introducing my eldest daughter, Hannah, to the canon.  More recently, I have happily exposed her to the new Sherlockian renaissance through the BBC Sherlock series. Seeing elements of the original canon stories re-interpreted to current times has hooked her on that series and, more importantly, on those original stories themselves. I’m proud that she wishes to be part of this worthwhile Society and will be joining with me as a charter member.

I am a member of An Irish Secret Society at Buffalo and the Hounds of the Internet (The Nonconformist Clergyman). I also enjoy taking part in Sherlockian social media including Twitter and the Sherlock Holmes community on Google+.”

Please welcome Stephen with the Society’s traditional greeting, now extended to 114 Founding and Charter Members:  “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Welcome to Hannah Boothe, Charter Member (student) JHWS “Penny”

As always, we are particularly delighted to welcome a student member to the Society. Hannah Boothe, JHWS “Penny” lives in Silver Creek, New York. She writes:

“I live in Silver Creek, New York, and attend Silver  Creek High School. I was first introduced to Sherlock Holmes when my dad suggested I read the stories a few years ago. He also recently introduced me to BBC’s Sherlock. I am very interested in Watson’s relationship with Holmes, as Holmes is so secluded, yet allows Watson into his life fairly quickly. I feel that being a member of this society will help me to further discover what is so special about their relationship.”

We extend to Hannah a warm welcome and invite her to participate in the Society activities and to consider articles for the journal, The Watsonian. We also would like to encourage Hannah to consider creating a Consulting Room branch of the Society at her high school. The Society will help her with that and offer support to that endeavor if desired.

Please extend a warm welcome with our greeting:  “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Welcome to Flora Spector, JHWS “Teddie”

The Society is pleased to welcome Flora Spector, JHWS “Teddie” to Charter Member. Flora joins from Reading, Pennsylvania. We will have more information when we receive her biography.

Until then, please welcome Flora with our greeting: “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Weekly Quiz #8; Monthly Quiz #2: 8 – 13 November 2013

Weekly Quiz  #8
Monthly Quiz #2
8 November 2013 to 13 November  2013

RESULTS: Congratulations to our members who successfully participated in the weekly and monthly quiz: Denny Dobry “Kirby” scored 22/25 to take the Weekly Quiz Master Member Individual honours, followed by James O’Leary “Pippin” and Michele Lopez “Reggie”.

Margie Deck “Gwen” and Sheila Holtgrieve “Daisy” retained the Member Team Category for the week with 25/25, as well as the Monthly Team Quiz Masters. They are invincible!

The Monthly Quiz Master goes to James O’Leary “Pippin” with 80/100 points. He was followed closely by Michele Lopez “Reggie” of Italy who is working without the benefit of most of the Sherlockian scholarship and reference books.

The answers are posted below.

The Weekly Quiz #8 is also our Monthly Quiz #2. The theme is Scholarship Easily Researched. One of the hallmarks of some Sherlockians and Watsonians is their knowledge of the scholarship of the past 80 years. The sources for the questions this week are from publications found in most enthusiasts’ libraries.

Each question (there are only five) is answered in a book of scholarship that is widely known or readily available. Identify the original scholarly writer, the book where the reference appears, the object where called for, and the story referenced. Each accurate answer is worth 5 points.

Questions:

  1. Who wrote “As for us, gentlemen, we wish to have our intelligence insulted. How did Holmes know about the snuff?”
  2. Who wrote that Mendelssohn’s Auf Flugen des Gesanges “might well have been [another] favourite with” Watson?
  3. Who wrote in what book that [name it] is located about one and one-half miles to the south-west of [name where] and has on it a logan stone that can be rocked by means of a natural handle? (give the author, book name, the story, the object and location described, and the source of the scholarship).
  4. Who scoffed at Holmes’s conclusion about a single dumb-bell and suggested Watson knew better but let Holmes have his fun? (The writer, the story, and where the reference is given)
  5. Who wrote, “I myself have stood in Baker Street and surveyed a suppositious upper story, wondering whether Sherlock Holmes was standing beside the dark hangings in the windows, looking up and down for a hansom-cab with a suspicious driver”? (Name the writer and the publication or book in which it appears; no story required).

 

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