#peter blau

[halszkaraptor]

ROUND 1: PETER BLAU vs DR. FRANÇOIS LETIVICI (human)

peter blau

dr françois letivici

Voting ended onFeb 22, 2023

info about both below the cut!

Peter Blau (27, mostly he/him)

- andres boy best friend? except unlike andre, if you ask peter what his relationship with andre is hed just say that theyre fucking and not be weird about it. unlike some people (andre)

- his mom is technically helin but its also really complicated and created him with kind of magic but also not really? he doesnt even know about it

- hes a poet :]

Dr. François Letivici (36, he/him)

- his dad is italian his mom is french and he was raised in england im so sorry

- hes rudys half brother, is married to darcy, and is agnes' dad (but doesnt know he has a kid)

- he has a phd in physics but he secretly kind of hates it ? cant really change his career now though because. well. He got fucking monstered so hes TECHNICALLY unemployed (and its worse) because hes been presumed dead

[halszkaraptor]

⭐

ur getting peter blau :3. hes generally a nice guy maybe a little fucked up in the mental illness department but generally really amicable. his andres not-really-but-maybe-boyfriend (as in andre literally cannot decide what to call him and peter could care less) and has no fucking idea that hes helins son (shes a crazy bonkers magic lady). also he has a debilitating fear of butterflies. no real reason why he just will explode if hes ever near one All other bugs r fime

[gridlockdc]

Confirmed Programming for GridLOCK DC 2015

We’re very excited to confirm the following programming for our 2015 event. (much) More to come in the next few months!

Story Hour with Peter Blau, BSI

Sherlock Holmes and Children’s Literature

Victorian Homosexuality with Meg forsciencejohn

We are accepting programming and panel ideas for another week. Our complete list of programming will be released when we open panelist applications. The submission box closes April 26, 2015. Submit here!

Panelist applications will open May 3 and close June 21. 

[always1895-blog]

Weekly Sherlock Links Compendium (January 1 - January 10, 2014)

Welcome to 2014...where it's still always 1895.

I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere provides tips for surviving and enjoying #BSIWeekend, a new documentary titled "How To Be Sherlock Holmes" premiers Sunday, Alistair Duncan explains why ACD resurrected Holmes after the events of FINA, Dan Andriacco reviews a variety of new MX Publishing titles, Peter Blau's Scuttlebutt is complete through 2013, Brad Keefauver summarizes the history of the question "Was Sherlock a drug addict", Sherlockians from Hungary address 24 misconceptions surrounding Sherlock Holmes, 221B Con announces a special guest, Scintillation of Scions VII announces a line-up of distinguished speakers, and much more in the first Weekly Sherlock Links Compendium of 2014 by Matt Laffey.

I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere put together a survival guide for the beautifully chaotic five days of collective Sherlockian madness alternately known as BSI Weekend in NYC (January 16-19, 2014). In "Tips For Navigating the #BSIWeekend" Scott Monty along with several other members of the Baker Street Irregulars compiled a list of suggestions culled from decades of experience (and, presumably, from mistakes learned from) including: the importance of extra carrying devices (all those newly purchased books have to go somewhere); the usefulness of business cards; why extreme inebriation is not recommended prior to giving a toast or lecture; bring a variety of clothing; create a schedule for yourself allowing for travel times; be prepared with maps and apps to get around NYC and use the plethora of online resources available to follow the events live or from home and much more. The official Twitter hashtag is #BSIWeekend - check out @IHearofSherlock's list of Sherlockians on Twitter. It's also not a bad idea to print out the master schedule of events just in case. 

[BSI Dinner 2009 - posted on Facebook by Susan Dahlinger.]

On a personal note, from Wednesday's ASH Dinner to Saturday morning in the Dealer's Room to Sunday's ASH Brunch (hosted by Ms Lyndsay Faye) I'll be posting regularly on Twitter as @always1895​ - and if I can muster up the equipment I'll have a digital recorder and mic with me in an attempt to emulate the great Sherlockian audioist Bill Rabe, responsible for Voices From Baker Street, making Sherlockian-centric field recordings and conducting impromptu interviews, for both online use and posterity. I'm looking forward to seeing those Sherlockians I only get to hang out with once a year as well as making new friends and forging new alliances, so don't be a stranger and make sure to say hello. I'm giddy with excitement and I can't wait for the around the clock Sherlock-o-rama madness to begin!

Canadian Homes Winter 2013/2014 (Volume 36, Number 2) - The Journal of the Bootmakers of Toronto - is now available for download as a PDF and features 36 pages of quality Sherlockian scholarship and news. JoAnn and Mark Alberstat write-up their observations of tourists encountering the John Doubleday bronze Sherlock Holmes statue on Baker Street, Clifford S. Goldfarb and Hartley R. Nathan explore Jewish stereotypes in the Canon (part 2 of a multi-part essay), Elaine McCafferty and Wilfrid de Freitas share some of their insights into legendary Sherlockian Donald A Redmond's work as an author, librarian and Doyle pilgrim, and much more can be found in the latest issue of Canada's premiere journal of Sherlockian scholarship.

[Download the latest issue of Canadian Holmes (Vol. 36, No. 2) from The Bootmakers of Toronto website for free.]

BBC Four announced a Sherlock-centric episode of the documentary program Timeshift titled "How To Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of the Master Detective" set to air at 10pm (GMT) on Sunday, January 12, 2014. "For over 100 years, more than 80 actors have put a varying face to the world's greatest consulting detective - Sherlock Holmes. And many of them incorporated details - such as the curved pipe and the immortal line "Elementary, my dear Watson" - that never featured in Conan Doyle's original stories. In charting the evolution of Sherlock on screen, from early silent movies to the latest film and television versions, Timeshift shows how our notion of Holmes today is as much a creation of these various screen portrayals as of the stories themselves." The narrator of the program Peter Wyngarde is no stranger to the Sherlockian screen having played Langdale Pike in the 1994 Granada adaptation of The Three Gables and Baron Gruner in the 1965 BBC adaptation of The Illustrious Client. Other contributors include Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Tim Pigott-Smith and Mark Gatiss. The Sherlock Holmes Society of London announced on Twitter that their very own Roger Johnson acted as a consultant, a fact that makes me think "How to Be Sherlock Holmes" will rise above the mediocre-to-average Holmes documentaries of the last few years. 

[Mark Gatiss who plays Mycroft on BBC Sherlock reflects on Peter Cushing in the role the Great Detective.]

Doyleockian in "Why Was Holmes Resurrected?" demolishes the claim that ACD 'resurrected' Holmes in The Strand due to immense pressure from Sherlock Holmes fans at the time. "Holmes came back only because of money. ACD knew that interest in Holmes was already ramped up as a result of the William Gillette play (based on his original) which had already done very well in the US and was due to début in the UK that same year. It was a perfect time to churn out a story and capitalize on the extra hype." At a time when the most popular Holmes adaptation on TV is captained by Steven Moffat, an undisputed and committed fan of the Canon, it's difficult to harbor (or even stomach) the thought that the creator of Sherlock Holmes was anything but an ardent believer - in fact ACD considered Holmes a thorn in his side and a diversion from his more important historical fiction. Writing to his mother, ACD said of Holmes: "He takes my mind from better things." I've always thought that the famous Punch illustration by Bernard Partridge (see below) from 1926 sums up ACD's feelings most accurately: ACD is shown chained at the ankles while a Paget-esque Holmes holds the other end of the chains, opposed to being chained-up to ACD. But as Alistair Duncan points out, Holmes made ACD a very rich man. 

[Bernard Partridge illustration from a 1926 issue of Punch, a weekly British magazine of satire and humor - coincidentally many early Punch covers were drawn by ACD's uncle Richard Doyle, a noted Victorian illustrator.]

Dan Andriacco recently posted a few book reviews, prefacing his latest post with a humorous analysis of the current state of the online world: "Some readers of this blog may have noticed that it has been something of a BBC Sherlock-free zone. While the rest of the Sherlock Holmes blogosphere and Twitterverse have been consumed with Season Three, Baker Street Beat has taken no notice." Ha! Andriacco is just too cool for school I guess! (I joke.) Instead of rigorously speculating on the meaning of "Redbeard" he reviews The Immortals: An Unauthorized Guide to Sherlock and Elementary (MX Publishing, 2013) by Matthew J Elliot, an analysis of all of the 2012-2013 Sherlockian TV adaptations including plot summaries as well as "Holmes's notable moments, Notable moments of the police regulars, Identification of material drawn from the Canon, Sex and romantic relationships, Drug references, Logical inconsistencies..." and much more. And for all the Cumberbunnies out there, Andriacco recommends Benedict Cumberbatch in Transition: An Unauthorized Performance Biography (MX Publishing, 2013) by Lynnette Porter. Finally, if pastiches featuring Holmes versus historic villains from literature or history is your thing, Andriacco invites you to check out the graphic novel Sherlock Holmes and the Horror of Frankenstein (MX Publishing) by Luke Kuhns and artist Marcie Klinger. So get off the couch and grab a book and then get back on the couch and do some reading! 

[Cover art for Luke Kuhns and Marcie Klinger's Sherlock Holmes and the Horror of Frankenstein on MX.]

Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter Blau's legendary list of Sherlockian news, events, etc., is updated through December 2013. Topics include a conference in Davos by The Reichenbach Irregulars in September 2014, a board game based Neil Gaiman's Sherlock/Lovecraft pastiche "A Study in Emerald," a Sherlock-centric shop on Etsy by Chris Caswell who formerly owned a bookstore in Southern California called Sherlock's Home, Judith Freeman's index to The Serpentine Muse complete through 2013 as an Excel spreadsheet, and tons more from Peter Blau's original Sherlock Links list. 

[Click here for a PDF of the Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press for all of 2013.]

Sherlock Peoria in "Was Sherlock Holmes a casualty in the War on Drugs?" considers the relationship between Popular Culture (and stoner bookstore clerks) and the perennial question: "Was Holmes a drug addict?" Brad Keefauver's post was inspired by a recent Twitter post by Martin Montague of a letter ACD's son Denis Conan Doyle wrote to The Lancet in 1937: "Your contributor's interesting notes on cocaine poisoning give the erroneous impression that Holmes was a "drug addict". As a matter of actual fact, my father neither conceived nor depicted Sherlock Holmes as a drug addict. He was represented as one of those rare individuals who use drugs sparingly and occasionally, and who are the masters rather than the slaves of the drug concerned." Keefauver seems to be of the strong opinion that Holmes was indeed NOT a drug addict, dismissing opportunist Nicholas Meyer's novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1974) and chastising noted Sherlockian Jack Tracy for his Subcutaneously, My Dear Watson (1978) for portraying the Great Detective as a bonafide cocaine addict. Whether you think Holmes was a hopeless dope fiend junky dirtbag or an intellectual dabbler with Herculean will power - there's textual evidence for both opinions in the Canon - Keefauver's essay comes at a time when many impressionable young Sherlockian minds are watching adaptations of Holmes as recovering heroin addict (Miller in Elementary); Holmes as reckless drinker of embalming fluid (Robert Downey Jr in A Game of Shadows); and/or Holmes as a three nicotine patches at a time 'wink wink nudge nudge' possible drug user (Cumberbatch in Sherlock). 

[Denis' letter to the editor of The Lancet from 1937 - this is my first time reading about Denis' stance on the Holmes/addict question and now I need to track down the editor's column that sparked said response. If you're interested, the Denis Conan Doyle letter pictured above appeared in The Lancet "Volume 229, Issue 5918, January 30, 1937, Pages 292 Originally published as Volume 1, Issue 5918" which is available online if you have access to an academic library's online subscription service.]

221B Con - the second annual Sherlock Holmes convention happening in Atlanta, GA on April 4 - 6, 2014 - posted a few announcements and requests this past week: 1) Nicholas Briggs, a producer and actor for Big Finish audiobooks as well as the voice of Daleks and Cybermen in Doctor Who, will be joining the Guest & Performers line-up, 2) 221B Con needs your photos from last year for promotional material, 3) additional comments regarding the 2014 programming list eg. due to the 'mature' nature of some panels like BDSM/Kink there will be a late-night, 18 and up programming section (and since the majority of the conference is all-ages the 19+ programming will not be listed on the general schedule) and 4) information about and a request for help for the 221B Con Tea Party (eg. dietary requests, games, cosplay ideas). Attendees from last year are still raving about 221B Con so mark your calendars, book you plane/train/bus ticket and start sewing your cosplay costume! For a taste of what to expect, check put the edifying and amusing audio recordings from 221B Con 2013 on the Baker Street Babes website. 

[Nicholas Briggs as Sherlock Holmes in The Ordeals ofd Sherlock Holmes Box Set on Big Finish.]

Scintillation of Scions VII, happening June 6 - 7, 2014 in Hanover, Maryland (outside of Baltimore), announced the line-up of speakers for their seventh annual gathering of Sherlockians called to order by organizer Jacquelyn Morris. If I didn't have to recuse myself for being among said list, I would be forced to admit that it's quite a distinguished group of Sherlockians, leaning heavily towards Sherlockian Internet/online personalities that you know and love (or 'hate' if you're CBS's Elementary production staff) as well as stellar Sherlockians from a variety of backgrounds. Speakers include: Jan Burke, Carla Coupe, Brad Keefauver, Toni L.P Kelner, Matt Laffey, Scott Monty, Ashley Polasek, Lynne Stephens, Karen Wilson & Stephen Welbourn and Vincent W. Wright. Register early to ensure a place at what is quickly becoming one of the most respected yearly Sherlockian conferences.

[Stay tuned for information on what this diverse group of Sherlockians will be discussing in the coming weeks.]

Sherlock Holmes And The Mystery of Einstein's Daughter by author Tim Symonds is the perfect remedy for pastiche fans who are a bit tired of the usual Sherlock Holmes versus 'insert famous historical villain here' tropes; instead Symonds challenges Holmes in new and exciting ways: "The Dean of a Swiss university persuades Sherlock Holmes to investigate the background of a would-be lecturer. To Dr. Watson it seems a very humdrum commission - but who is the mysterious 'Lieserl'? How does her existence threaten the ambitions of the technical assistant level III in Room 86 at the Federal Patents Office in Berne by the name of Albert Einstein?"

[Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Einstein's Daughter (MX Publishing, 2014) by Tim Symonds.]

Sherlockian Sherlock - everyone's favorite Hungarian Holmes website - not only keeps the memory of the Great Detective green, but is also concerned with keeping said memory true and accurate. In "Common Misbeliefs About Sherlock Holmes" the authors tackle 24 widespread misbeliefs and misconceptions about Sherlock Holmes. Misconceptions dispelled range from serious accusations such as 'Holmes was racist' or 'Holmes used drugs all the time' to the slightly more mundane like 'Holmes was a handsome man' or 'Holmes was untidy'. Slightly more controversial topics tackled include Holmes' religious beliefs and Holmes' sexual orientation; though many are classic Sherlockian topics such as Holmes' ontological status, the origins of "Elementary, my dear Watson" and whether or not Holmes had Asperger's Syndrome. Perhaps the most timely issue addressed is whether adaptations which depict Holmes in a contemporary setting damage or detract from the essence of Sherlock Holmes. Whether you agree or disagree with the various points, you'll certainly appreciate the sincerity and seriousness in which these Hungarian Sherlockians defend their beliefs. 

[24 Misconceptions about Sherlock Holmes dispelled by the editors of Sherlockian-Sherlock, dedicated and passionate Sherlockians from Hungary.]

[always1895-blog]

Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (August 17 - August 23, 2013)

Peter Blau's Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press - the main inspiration for Always1895's "Friday Sherlock Links Compendium" -  "has been published monthly on ink-on-paper, with occasional illustrations and enclosures, for forty years." Peter Blau, BSI ("Black Peter"), in his most recent list (July 13, 2013), mentions: Norman Schatell's brilliant The Lighter Side of Sherlock Holmes (MX), the Titan CBS Elementary tie-in novels, the soon-to-be-released "28-page tribute to a man who was admired by more than one generation of Sherlockians" The Sage of Sante Fe: The Adventures and Public Life of John Bennett Shaw (Oceanside: Sherlock in L.A. Press, 2013) by Susan Rice and Vinnie Brosnan, and much much more. Make sure to check out the Spermaceti Press Archive of newsletters dating back to 1985; and let us hope that one day the entire run of newsletters dating back to 1971 is made available. 

[The above image is of Black Peter, Mr Blau's titular investiture in the BSI and logo for Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press. For those of you rusty on your nautical/whaling terminology, "spermaceti" is a wax that is most often found in the head cavities of the sperm whale used to make candles and oils and ""scuttlebutt" is an appropriate pun, since it means gossip, and comes from the barrel (butt) of water used to provide drinking water for the crew of whalers and other ships." Learn more at the archive.]

Sherlock Peoria tinged his post with just a hint of romanticism when relating the story of "perusing the Sherlock shelves tonight, I noticed a section where the dust was noticeably thicker than every other part of the library. I like a little dust in my library, a bit of a tribute to [Wilder's] The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, as well as a nod to every library of arcane lore on film, where that particular tome you were looking for always requires having the dust blown off the top after you pull it down...." And what valuable though neglected treasure does Mr Keefauver refer? None-other-than the various adventures - some might call them the apex of all Sherlockian pastiches - of Solar Pons!  "Solar Pons might even be seen as the greatest fan of Sherlock Holmes who never existed, re-creating the detective more perfectly than anyone ever did, in fact or fiction." Born from the rich and prolific pen of August Derleth (1909-1971) who among other accomplishments was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 1938, founded Arkham House in 1939 and was an early champion of the then obscure American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and the now classic "Cthulhu Mythos". "No other writer, of whatever background or training, knew and understood his particular 'corner of the earth' better than August Derleth" wrote professor of History William F. Thompson in his Forward to the 1985 reissue of Derleth's non-fiction book The Wisconsin: River of a Thousand Isles (1942). Somehow between 1945 and his death in 1971 Derleth managed to write eleven Solar Pons story collections on his Arkham House imprint Mycroft & Moran, the first titled In Re: Sherlock Holmes" – The Adventures of Solar Pons (1945) whose Introduction was written by no less a personage than uber Sherlockian Vincent Starrett. Later Solar Pons collections would contain Introductions by equally eminent writers/Sherlockians such as Ellery Queen, Edgar W Smith, Anthony Boucher, Michael Harrison and Peter Ruber.

[The first edition cover for In Re: Sherlock Holmes" – The Adventures of Solar Pons (1945) containing an Introduction by Vincent Starrett on Derleth's own Mycroft & Moran imprint published to the tune of 3,604 copies.]

Doyleockian in "A 3 or 4 or 5 pipe problem?" reminds us that "two of the most iconic elements of Holmes were provided by people other than the author," the iconic deerstalker and the equally iconic 'curved pipe' or Calabash. The deerstalker is derived from a reference in BOSC to a "close-fitting cloth cap" which illustrator Sidney Paget interpreted as the now classic deerstalker. Read the rest of Mr Alistair Duncan's post to learn more about Holmes' preferences regarding tobacco pipes, none of which were the 'curved pipe' first made famous by actor William Gillette. And don't miss Mr Duncan's piece "The Villain I Want To See" on why BBC Sherlock Season 3 should include Chinese pottery expert, master scrapbooker and multiple murder Baron Gruner from "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client". Mr Duncan even goes so far as to make a (rather controversial sounding) suggestion as to who should play the fiend: "my current idea, and I admit, it is a bit "out there", would be to have David Tennant play Gruner. His 'ladies man' credentials are firmly established courtesy of Casanova and I think he would be an excellent Gruner." Someone get Moffat on the line...

[The Baron masterfully played by Anthony Valentine in Granada's 1991 adaptation of The Illustrious Client.]

MX Publishing is hosting a book launch party September 26, 2013 in London for the release of David Marcum's latest collection of Sherlock pastiches The Papers of Sherlock Holmes Vol. 2 (MX, 2013) - and you can order Volume 1 here. Other MX authors such as Luke Kuhns, Ross K Foad and Tony Reynolds will be on hand to sign their books and talk Sherlock with attendees. Then on November 8, 2013 MX is hosting a BBC Sherlock and CBS Elementary book launch for Matthew Elliott and Luke Kuhns's The Immortals: An Unauthorized Guide to Sherlock and Elementary, a "companion to both the UK and US hit series, analyzing each episode (including the un-filmed pilot for Elementary), identifying trivia, offering criticism and considering Canonical fidelity." For more up-to-date information about MX releases and events, check out MX on Facebook.

[Cover for The Papers of Sherlock Holmes Vol. 2 (MX, 2013).]

The Huffington Post (originally composed by Nathan Rostron for Bookish.com) article that I'm linking to is begging for me to ask the following question: What do Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Sue Grafton, Lee Child, John Grisham, Michael Connely and Scott Turow have in common with one of Always1895's absolute favorite Sherlockians, historical mystery novelists and Baker Street Babes aka Ms Lyndsay Faye? They are all authors of books in the "11 Best Upcoming Mystery/Thriller Novels Of Fall 2013"! That's some serious company - and this isn't exactly an 'off' year for Stephen King considering his entry, Doctor Sleep, is an official sequel to the 1977 horror classic The Shining. "Lyndsay Faye caught the attention of thriller aficionados with her Edgar-nominated historical novel The Gods of Gotham, about down-on-his-luck Timothy Wilde, who joins the brand-new NYPD in the 1840s. In the second book in Faye's Timothy Wilde trilogy, Seven for a Secret, Wilde has proved himself an able cop, and he's horrified to learn of the powerful underground network of "blackbirders" who steal free black Northerners and sell them in the South as slaves." All I can say for now is that we're quite proud of the "booming" of Ms Faye's name and talents throughout the Mystery/Thriller world.

[Note the giant poster for "New Yorks gudar" hanging up in the background...that's how Gods of Gotham is translated into Swedish - and that's some serious promotion. Booming indeed! An accommodation goes out to Mr Mattias Bostrom for taking and posting the above photo via his @mattias221b​ account.]

Sherlock DC alerted me to the Sherlock Pajama Party Watch-a-Long, wherein participants 1) don their very best sartorial sleepwear, 2) tune in to WETA UK Wednesday, August 28 at 10:30pm for A Study in Pink (or synchronize their DVD players or AVI players on their computers), 3) drop-in at the Sherlock DC chat room where you can type chat or video chat (remember to make sure your PJs rivals the Master's dressing gown, be they blue, purple or mouse) and 4) comment, critique, edify and/or amuse in the Sherlock DC chat room during the episode. Though this will be Sherlock DC's first sleepwear-themed watch-a-long, the group hosts a weekly Granada Sherlock Holmes 'tweet-a-long' using the hash tag #GranadaHolmes. If you're unfamiliar with what a tweet-a-long is, instead of using a chat room, everyone gets together virtually and watches the Granada Holmes episode while simultaneously tweeting about the episode. And last but certainly not least, on August 31st, 2013 WETA UK will be showing a film extremely close to my Sherlockian heart and soul, The Private Life of Sherlock Homes (1970) and of course Sherlock DC is planning a tweet-a-long. I can't wait to read the raw reactions of Sherlockian neophytes on Twitter as they watch Robert Stephens assume his nuanced and brilliantly ambiguous role as the Great Detective. 

[Holmes (Robert Stephens) searching for his 7% Solution which we learn Watson has been diluting to a mere 5% from The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.]

The Younger Stamfords via Monica Schmidt (also webmistress for Peter Blau's The Red Circle) announced "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) film screening September 23, 2013 at the Iowa City Library at 7:00 pm...the first in a series of Sherlockian film screenings/moderated discussions"  by the Younger Stamfords. Best of luck to the burgeoning scene of Sherlockians in Iowa City as they kickoff a moderated Sherlockian film series with what I consider to be the greatest Sherlock Holmes film in existence (not to be confused with the greatest Holmes adaptation, which is of course Jeremy Brett's Granada series), Billy Wilder's 1970 classic film featuring the remarkable Robert Stephens in the role of the Master Detective alongside Mycroft as played by one time Sherlock actor Christopher Lee.

[Watson (Colin Blakely) shows off his latest Strand publication to an unimpressed Holmes: Watson: "Here's an advance copy of Strand  Magazine. They've printed "The Red-Headed League!"" Holmes: "Very impressive..." Watson: "Would you like to see how I treated it?" Holmes: "I can hardly wait. I'm sure I'll find  out all sorts of fascinating things about  the case that I never knew before...." (Click for PDF of full shooting script here.)]

John H Watson Society announced that longtime New Jersey Sherlockian Al Gregory, BSI, ("The Grimpen Postmaster") recently appeared on Classic Movies with Ron MacCloskey in an extensive and excellent interview about all things Sherlock Holmes. The format of MacCloskey's Classic Movies program consists of a long form interview broken up occasionally by the movie of the week which the guest and interviewer then comment on and discuss. For the Al Gregory episode, a colorized version (!?) of the Rathbone/Bruce film The Woman in Green (1945) is shown and discussed making for an unique and edifying experience for viewers of all levels of Holmes expertise. Totaling 1 hour and 33 minutes, this is a video you'll want to carve out a bit of Sherlockian-me-time for as you sit back and listen to an expert Sherlockian discuss the topic nearest and dearest to his heart and then share in a movie viewing experience. (Note: when clicking on the link to watch the video you may get an "opening an external application" warning - don't worry the link is safe and it simply opens up a video player (eg. Windows Media Player) on your computer.)

[Mr Al Gregory explains everything from Deerstalkers to 'the Game' as well as commenting on a colorized print of The Woman in Green (1945) starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.]

Tea at 221B posted scans of a set of Sherlock Holmes Playing Cards produced in 1989 by The Gemaco Playing Card Company. I've never seen these before, but I absolutely must find a set of these. Not only is the artwork well done, but the range of characters extends well beyond the usual choice of Canonical personages used for projects like this. As seen on Tea at 221B, Sherlock Holmes is the Ace of Hearts, Dr John H Watson is the King of Hearts (appropriately enough), Mrs Hudson is the Queen of Diamonds, Prof. James Moriarty is the King of Spades, Col. Sebastian Moran is the Jack of Spades, Mycroft Holmes is the King of Diamonds and Inspector Lestrade is the King of Clubs. After a few quick image searches, I found scans for the entire 1989 Gemaco Sherlock Holmes playing card set - and here's where it gets really interesting: Jabez Wilson from REDH is the Red Joker, poor little Tonga from SIGN is the Black Joker. Aces: all four Aces are Sherlock Holmes though shown in different poses: Ace of Spades shows Holmes scowling with pipe and magnifying glass, Ace of Hearts shows Holmes playing his Strad, Ace of Diamonds has Holmes tinkering with his chemistry set and Ace of Clubs shows Holmes brandishing a pistol, presumably about to fire at the Black Joker card. Kings: all shown on Tea at 221B (though click for individual, hi-res images of each), the King of Spades is the fiendishly misshapen Napoleon of Crime Prof. Moriarty, the King of Hearts Dr John H. Watson, the King of Diamonds is Mycroft and the King of Clubs is Lestrade. Queens: here's where the cards get super awesome - who else could be the Queen of Spades other than the Woman Irene Adler (in drag no less), the Queen of Hearts is of course Mary Morstan, the Queen of Diamonds is the long-suffering Mrs Hudson and the Queen of Clubs is Miss Hatty Doran (misspelled on the card as "Hattie Doran") from "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" - no offense to Ms Doran, but I think Kitty Winters would have made a much better Queen of Clubs. Jacks: Col. Moran is the Jack of Spades, Jack Stapleton (aka Rodger Baskerville) is the Jack of Hearts, probably the coolest card in the deck is the Jack of Diamonds featuring Dr Grimesby Roylott with a 'swamp adder' wrapped around his head ready to strike and last but certainly not least the Jack of Clubs, the most haunting card in the deck, features Col. Lysander Stark grasping a menacing looking cleaver. A framed set of all 18 of the illustrated cards would look glorious on my wall, but for now I'll have to settle for these scans as supplied by one Albinas Borisevicius (credited on both Tea at 221B and the .EU site).

[As this post goes to press, I'll have already written the Gemaco Playing Card Company begging/pleading for a set of these 1989 Sherlock Holmes playing cards.]

Midtown Comics posted this stunning illustration of Sherlock Holmes  and Batman by Alex Maleev, known first and foremost for his work on Marvel's Daredevil. The original piece currently resides in the legendary Sherlockian art collection of Jerry Margolin. At Comic Art Fans you can view 65 + extraordinary pieces from Mr Margolin's collection, including Sherlock Holmes: Spiderman, Sherlock Holmes: Snoopy and a rather scandalous Cat in the Hat with 7% Solution drawing. If you want to learn more about Jerry Margolin and his history of collecting various Sherlockian objects, check out Episode 16: Collector's Corner - Jerry Margolin of the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere podcast. 

[The Caped Crusader versus the other Caped Crusader!]

Sherlockian Scion Links:

Scintillation of Scions VII announced their first round of SOS VII speakers: Scott Monty, BSI ("Corporal Henry Wood"), Brad Keefauver, BSI ("Winwood Reade") and Ashley Polasek - and if this group is any indication of what the esteemed Jacquelynn Morris has in store for SOS VII, attendees should prepare for a weekend of legendary Sherlockian proportions.

Priory Scholars of NYC have just announced a date, October 6, 2013, for their 'Back To School' Fall Session of the PSNYC which will take place at a brand new Manhattan venue (for us) called The Churchill Tavern, replete with all the trappings one might suspect from a British-style pub plus a variety of distinct Churchillian touches like the playing of WSC speeches in the bathrooms and a gigantic portrait of the World War II English Prime Minister dominating the fireplace room (cf. photo below). I have yet to find a definitive list of connections between the Great Detective and Winston Churchill, but I do know that during World War II Churchill nicknamed the Special Operations Executive, the group tasked with espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance behind enemy lines, the Baker Street Irregulars for their presumed ability "to go everywhere, see everything and overhear everyone." (SIGN, Ch. 8)

[A small taste of the Churchill's sumptuous decor rumored to rival that of the Amateur Mendicant Society's luxurious club in the lower vault of a furniture warehouse.]

* To find a Sherlockian event in your area, check out the SherlockianCalendar.com - maintained by Ron Fish as well as Sue and Ben Vizoskie of The Three Garridebs of Westchester Country, NY. 

[always1895-blog]

Baker Street Blog to Syndicate Always1895's Friday Sherlock Links

I have some exciting news on the blogging front: Scott Monty, BSI "Corporal Henry Wood" the social media guru, Sherlockian podcast auteur and all around excellent Holmes propagandizer made an announcement on Friday on the Baker Street Blog regarding some new additions to the site:

"As we prepare to combine our work here with that of [I Hear of Sherlock], we thought it was time to expand our editorial offerings. We still have a fine lineup of authors who occasionally pitch in with excellent contributions from the corners of the Sherlockian world that grab their attention. 

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

To us, that means that he's somewhat of a modern-day weekly Peter Blau. And we're proud to welcome Matt and his weekly contributions here on our site..."

The first Always1895 + Baker Street Blog post was last week under the appropriately chosen Canonical quote "I hammered away until Friday." (STOC) Needless to say I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to a site that I've been reading since the beginning of my interest in all things Sherlockian as well as an inspiration in starting my own Sherlockian-centric blog. As always, please send all Sherlockian-related info to [email protected]. Thanks for reading!

[As my friend Lyndsay Faye said regarding this joint venture: "Epic combo!"]

[always1895-blog]

Friday Sherlock Links Compendium (October 20 - October 26, 2012)

Jon Lellenberg broke the extremely sad news (via his Editor's Gas-Bag blog) that longtime Sherlockian Captain Richard Miller, BSI ("The Grice Patersons in the Island of Uffa") passed away unexpectedly at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico earlier this week (October 22, 2012). Along with being BSI, Mr Miller was a member of The Gila Lizards of the Arid and Repulsive Desert and a "gallant gentleman" respected by Sherlockians all over the country. Mr Miller also had a love of firearms, as evidenced in Mr Lellenberg’s first meeting with him in "May ’73, [Miller] was handing me a loaded gun, and it sort of set the tone of our long friendship. It was the annual Colonel Sebastian Moran Memorial Trap-Shoot of John Bennett Shaw’s Brothers Three of Moriarty." Similarly, Sherlock Peoria succinctly recounts an amusing incident at a JBS Santa Fe Sherlock Holmes workshop in 1993: "Dick Miller tried to blow up the college during his talk on Watson’s firearms habits." My thoughts go out to Captain Miller’s friends and family and I look forward to reading more reminiscences in the days to come (which I’ll post on next week’s Friday Links).

[Susan Dahlinger, in regards to the above picture of Mr Richard Miller remarked: "Some of you who see Dick's picture [above] will not remember the slim, straight, red-haired Captain in his navy blues who used to breeze into impromptu ASH dinners some 35 years ago and flirt happily with the lot of us."]

Re: Sherlock Holmes by Swedish Sherlockian Mattias Bostrom, BSI posted his second Sherlock-themed video blog, this time it's about: "my very first Sherlock Holmes booklet, which I made in 1989, just a few weeks before I turned 18. Don’t miss me reading my old Clerihew poems at the end of the video. I wrote them when I was 17, inspired by an American Sherlockian friend, the late Don Hardenbrook, BSI." Keep the video blogging coming Mr Bostrom. Related Note: Don Hardenbrook is responsible for Chapter 5 of Jon Lellenberg's excellent Irregular Crisis of the Late 'Forties - Archival History of the BSI Vol. 5 'The Trained Cormorants of Los Angeles'. 

[Mattias Bostrom video blogging on his favorite topic.]

MX Publishing re-posted a book review by the Sherlock Holmes Society of London of Mr Dan Andraicco's The 1895 Murder: "when a man is shot dead outside the theatre where [Sebastian McCabe is] playing Mycroft Holmes, he and his brother-in-law Jeff Cody are pleased to help find the killer. Well, mostly. Jeff‘s mind, naturally, is on his impending wedding and the need for diplomacy with his fiancée’s rather unpredictable parents. It’s a pleasure to visit Erin again and to watch the solving of a particularly baffling mystery." I just finished reading The 1895 Murder and will post my review soon, but as much as I enjoyed Mr Andriacco's first two McCabe/Cody novels (No Police Like Holmes and Holmes Sweet Holmes), his third novel is even better.

[The third book in Mr Andriacco's Cody/McCabe series.]

The Red Circle - a storied scion based in Washington DC of which Peter Blau is the de facto leader - recently posted Meeting Notes from their last event: Members "gathered at the National Press Club on Friday evening, September 14, 2012. A robust group of old and new friends enjoyed cocktails and dinner. The evening’s speaker was the renowned Conan Doyle biographer and Red Circle member Daniel Stashower, who gave a well-received illustrated talk on Dangerous Work: Diary of an Arctic Adventure, a diary by Arthur Conan Doyle, which Dan edited along with Jon Lellenberg." The Red Circle has a great website and is worth checking out occasionally even if you're not a member or even an east coast denizen. 

[“By George! it’s Black Gorgiano himself!” cried the American detective. “Someone has got ahead of us this time.”]

SHSL on Flickr posted a selection of excellent photos from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London's most recent Switzerland pilgrimage to the infamous Reichenbach Falls. I didn't think it possible to want to go on one of the Swiss Pilgrimage trips more than I did, but after paging through the SHSL's 2012 pictures, I'm seriously considering beginning a travel fund to ensure that I can afford to partake in the next pilgrimage. I must admit though that as fantastic as these 2012 photos are, the 1968 Swiss Pilgrimage images remain unrivaled in their sartorial flair and historical pizazz!

[Click for access to the entire set - reminiscent of pictures from the SHSL's 1968 Reichenbach trip which can be found here.]

Lyndsay Faye as well as posting the fine illustration below announced on her personal blog: "Just won a copy of Subcutaneously, Mr Dear Watson. Dying of cool. @priorynyc @BakerStBabes." What Ms Faye fails to mention is that she won Jack Tracy's very excellent and very controversial book for being victorious in a canonical quiz (on TWIS) at last Sunday's Priory Scholars of NYC Fall 2012 Session. I can't think of a better home for a book about Holmes and his forays into intravenous cocaine and morphine use, keeping in mind Ms Faye's obvious interest in late 19th century drug use as evidenced by Valentine Wilde (brother to Timothy) from her masterful novel The Gods of Gotham. This particular prize was drawn from my own Sherlockian library (I had doubles), though many of the other prizes awarded at the PSNYC luncheon came from The Ray Betzner Memorial Trust.

[Illustration from Subcutaneously, Mr Dear Watson.]

Quick Sherlock Links:

Susan E Bailey, just in time for Halloween, posted her wonderfully carved Hound of the Baskervilles-inspired pumpkin on her Twitter: @yuktipatipriya.

[The Pumpkin on the Tor.]

Doyleockian re-posted a slightly updated (by Alistair Duncan) version of the 2011 audio documentary by James Hodder entitled The Legacy of Sherlock Holmes. which features Mr Duncan, Andrew Lycett, Mark Campbell, Daniel Smith, Bert Coules, Nick Utechin, David Stuart Davies and more.

Dan Andriacco, to help promote Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Boer Wagon, conducted an interview with fellow MX author Kieran McMullan, whose previous books include: The Many Watsons, Watson’s Afghan Adventure, Sherlock Holmes and the Irish Rebels, and unbeknownst to me a book about “how to care for artillery team horses in the field during Civil War reenactments. Definitely worth reading.

I Hear of Sherlock Tumblr reminds their readers about a project I personally consider to be one of the most important of the Sherlockian world, The Complete Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes audio adaptations from BBC Radio: "The head writer was Bert Coules, who served as a speaker at the BSI’s Distinguished Lecture in January 2002...this was the first time the entire Canon was recorded with the same two actors for the entire series" - those actors of course being Clive Merrison as Sherlock Holmes and Michael Williams as Dr John H Watson. The Complete Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes can be purchased on Amazon (Whether you purchase the CDs or acquire the audio files, this is a piece of Sherlockiana you should not/cannot live without!!) - though unfortunately Coules' book 221 BBC referenced by IHOSE in their post is WAY out of print, having been published by Musgrave Monographs in a very small run. For more information on Bert Coules start with John H Watson MD blog and this interview on BBC, and for good measure start following Clive Merrison on Twitter. 

[The above image of Mr Clive Merrison in the guise of the Great Detective is from a little book by Bert Coules called 221 BBC: Writing for the World's First Complete Dramatised Canon published by Musgrave Monographs (Number 9) in 1998 - a book I am now desperate to find.]

Well-Read Sherlockian reviewed a favorite Holmes pastiche of mine from MX, released last year entitled A Case of Witchcraft by Sherlockian and occult historian Joe Revill. If (suspected) human sacrifice at the hands of a witch-cult in the Northern Islands of Scotland, Aleister Crowley, Holmes waxing philosophical on everything from occidental vs. oriental philosophies to the virtue of properly made fish & chips and a good old-fashioned whodunit sounds intriguing, give this review a read and then check out Mr Revill's novel. If you need more convincing, check out my review from last year.

VideoGamer is hosting a trailer for The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, the newest Sherlock Holmes video game for pretty much all the major gaming systems and OS’s on the market.

Let Us Go Then, You and I, the Tumblr of Lyndsay Faye, posted a collection of International book covers for “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” from the site My Skull Is Full of Sunken Ships. 

[Some of the excellent art that has graced the covers of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes over the years throughout the world. Click for larger versions.]

NYC Steam Punk alerts us to a seminar happening November 17 - 18, 2012sponsored by The Bartitsu Club of NYC : "London's Bartitsu Club was all the rage in 1899, but only recently has this lost martial art been rediscovered. Learn the "gentlemanly art of self-defense" at this workshop taught by Professor Mark P. Donnelly, a world-renowned expert on historical combat." 

The Swedish Pathological Society shared this very cool cover for a Swedish edition of a Sherlock Holmes Story Collection from 1911. 

[Swedish 1911 Sherlock Holmes short story collection.]

Sherlock. Everywhere. posted "artwork from a 1970s magazine titled The World of Sherlock Holmes" - I love a lot of the 1970s-style illustrations of various Sherlock Holmes material. I hope you dig this image as much as I do:

[The World of Sherlock Holmes from the 1970s.]

[always1895-blog]

My Toast to Dr Watson Given at the Sons of the Copper Beeches Dinner

This past Friday I attended a dinner for The Sons of the Copper Beeches in Philadelphia, an amazing opportunity afforded me by John Baesch, ASH, BSI ("State and Merton County Railroad"). One of their traditions is to ask a first time attendee to give a toast and - along with the fact that Sherlockian luminary Peter Blau is the toastmaster - I jumped at the opportunity. My delivery was a little shaky (it's harder than you think to picture the entire crowd wearing nothing but deerstalkers) but overall it was a super fun and invigorating experience which I look forward to trying again soon. So without further delay, my very first Sherlockian toast to the one fixed point in a changing age, Dr John H. Watson:

"Watson: his limits...

1. Literature - yellow novels and the occasional Clark Russell sea story.

2. Geometry - practical, but applicable only to club nights with Thurston.

3. Shaving - partial.

4. Appetite - immense.

5. Preferred Remedy - brandy.

6. Sense of Humour - pawky, of course!

7. Knowledge of Women - tri-continental in scope, reportedly held a European vogue at one time.

8. Marital Aptitude - plentiful.

9. Attractiveness to the Female Sex - undiminished after more than a century.

10. Work Ethic - you'll have to ask his accommodating neighbor Dr Anstruther.

And finally numbers 11 and 12...Loyalty and Friendship.

We would need the space of 60 odd stories and the contents of an old tin dispatch box to get it right, but perhaps Watson's aptitude for Loyalty and Friendship are best described as Limitless!

To Dr Watson!" 

(Words by Matt Laffey - April 27 2012)

[Watson proofreading my toast.]