Treasure Hunt Honours

The Second Annual John H Watson World Invitational Canonical Treasure Hunt was held during the entire month of August, 2014. Individuals from the Society and non-members competed and, for the first time, Teams from France, Italy, and the US took part in the Treasure Hunt.

Team Category

The Team category High Honours this year went to Team SOB of Seattle’s Sound of the Baskervilles comprised of Melissa Anderson JHWS “Faith,” Margie Deck JHWS “Gwen,” Sheila Holtgrieve JHWS “Daisy,” and Ariana Maher JHWS “Carla.” This team were first in with 100% correct answers; in fact, they developed numerous additional answers to the questions which were equally correct to the original solutions. Team SOB has members Margie Deck and Sheila Holtgrieve who achieved High Honours in last year’s Treasure Hunt. Ariana Maher and Melissa Anderson added talents in both  Canonical knowledge and research to this year’s competition.  It is reported by the Team that they invested nearly 400 hours collectively in finding the solution to the Hunt. Well Done, Seattle Sound of the Baskervilles!

Team Uno Studio in Holmes from Italy achieved Honours and was comprised of Michelle Lopez, JHWS “Reggie,” Stefano Guerra, JHWS “Lucus,” Enrico Solito JHWS “Devon,” Alessandra Calanchi, JHWS “Bianca,” Roberto Vianello, Gabriele Mazzoni, and Ambrose Scott.

Team La Fayette of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France comprised of Alexis Barquin JHWS “Olivier,” and Thierry Saint-Joanis JHWS “Tristan” achieved Honours. 

Individual Category

The Individual category High Honours went to Denny Dobry “JHWS “Kirby” of Reading, Pennsylvania who successfully repeated his 2013 High Honours. Denny also found numerous additional answers to the questions and reached the solution after many hours of tenacity and superb work.  Well Done, “Kirby.”

Other participants gave it a great effort but were unable to complete the grueling 150 question romp through the Canon.

Congratulations to All

We congratulate all who were successful and all who participated. Both the Individual and Team High Honours will be presented with attractive commemorative awards.

The announcement of the 2015 Third Annual World Invitational Treasure Hunt has been posted on the Treasure Hunt page of the website.  The Game is Afoot!

New Data From Alexis Barquin, JHWS “Olivier”

Alexis Barquin, Co-Founder of La Societe Sherlock Holmes de France and JHWS “Olivier” sends the following discovery for our members’ enlightenment. We wish to thank “Olivier” for sending this most interesting new fact to us and for including the original illustrations below.

Alexis writes:

“Dear Members:

Best wishes for 2014. I hope that this new year will bring you many new sherlockian discoveries. Here is one you maybe don’t know:
Sidney Paget was not the first one to draw Sherlock Holmes with a deerstalker (BOSC in The Strand Magazine in October 1891). Thirteen  months earlier, the Bristol Observer was publishing The Sign of Four in 8 issues between 17 May and 5 July 1890 with 24 illustrations. The illustrator has depicted 2 times Sherlock Holmes with a deerstalker… and a moustache.”

The Open International Competition of the Treasure Hunt Won by the Team from France!

The Society is pleased to announce the winners of the Open International Competition of the First Annual John H. Watson Canonical Treasure Hunt:

Team France of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France.

Their team consisted of M. Thierry Saint-Joanis and M. Alexis Barquin, who are both leaders of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France and maintain the very valuable website Sherlockian Who’s Who found at the following web address:
http://www.sh-whoswho.com/index.php

This skilled and knowledgeable team answered an amazing number of the 100 difficult questions, and did so without the use of the edition of The Complete Sherlock Holmes specified in the Treasure Hunt and to which all page number references were keyed.  Essentially, they were working from memory. Formidable!

Congratulations to the first International Team winners!

The Answer Key to the First Canonical Treasure Hunt has now been posted on the Treasure Hunt Page.