22 , WISTERIA LODGE SPRINGFIELD CHELMSFORD ESSEX. CM1 5FT The District Messenger (0245) 468422

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SOCIETY OF LONDON n o. 58 6th July 1987

Neal Smith (5 Hilltop Court, Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6LH) has a list available of crime fiction & non-fiction for sale.

Jon L. Lellenberg has edited what promises to be a major contribution to Conan Doyle biography: THE QUEST FOR SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (Southern Illinois University Press, November 1987, $19.95), essays by Richard Green, Peter Blau, Nicholas Utechin, Philip Shreffler, Donald Redmond & 8 others, plus introduction by Dame Jean Conan Doyle. Also from Jon: Dame Jean has recorded a long interview for the John Dunn programme, BBC Radio 2, Tuesday 14 July (5.5 pm?); currently running in Washington DC is Charles Marowitz’ SHERLOCK’S LAST CASE with Frank Langella & Donal Donnelly (Eisenhower Theater till late July), while Paul Giovanni’s THE CRUCIFER OF BLOOD will play at the Olney Theater in September & October, and Gillette’s SHERLOCK HOLMES is scheduled for Arena Stage in November & December.

Hugh Leonard’s THE MASK OF MORIARTY (currently at the Leicester Haymarket) may transfer to the West End. THE CURSE OF THE BASKERVILLES by Ron Hutchinson, with Malcolm Sinclair & David Weston as Holmes & Watson, is currently running at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth; Shirley Purves was very impressed!

From Catherine Cooke: the Medical Conference scheduled for September, which was to have included a joint meeting with the Society, has had to be abandoned. Michael O’Mara Books will publish in September a new edition of THE RETURN, with all Steele’s illustrations, including the coloured covers from COLLIER’S; no price given, but the book is leather- bound.

Forthcoming from Kelvin Jones is A SHERLOCK HOLMES DICTIONARY: a “complete etymological guide to the less familiar words & phrases in the Sherlock Holmes stories” (limited signed edition of 200 copies); no price yet, but Kelvin will take orders (18 Ross Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2DF).

Robert C. Hess (59 Potter Blvd., Brightwaters, NY 11718, USA) buys, sells & trades Sherlockiana of all kinds.

Just out is SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED NOVELS (Chancellor Press, £5.99). Eloquent Reels (Alhampton, Castle Gary, Somerset, BA4 6PZ; phone 074986 595) has issued a cassette pack of THE HOUND, read by Peter Emmens: “over six hours of listening pleasure for only £12.95” (the text is “skilfully adapted but neither expurgated nor truncated” - unquote!).

From John E. Stephenson: Cherry-Water Associates (1171 Main Street, Suite 12-F, Rahway, NJ 07065, USA) is selling cassettes of the radio series THE MIS-ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES at $5 per episode. Still available from Kiyoshi Tanaka, BSI (8-7 Babacho, Isogo- Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, Japan 235) at $10 is his “excellent Sherlockian calendar for 1987”. Aaron Blake Publishers (PO Box 130, South Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90055, USA) have issued the SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE MYSTERY MAP OF LONDON (full colour, l8” x 23”) at $4.95. Longmeadow Press (201 High Ridge Road, PO Box 10218, Stamford, CT 06904, USA) has issued THE CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED SHERLOCK HOLMES (illustrations by Eric Kincaid) - no price given. Also available in American bookshops is SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE’S SHERLOCK HOLMES: “Bill Barry presents a ‘special collectors’’ edition of his syndicated comic strip created in 1976/77”. The Newcastle Mint (2745 Winnetka Ave. N., Suite 139, New Hope, MN 55427, USA) offers THE SHERLOCK HOLMES CENTENNIAL ART MEDAL COLLECTION: 12 medals in .999 fine silver at $30 each medal.