Sherlock Holmes C Ontents
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March 1999 Volume 3 Number 1 Sherlock Holmes "Your merits should be publicly recognized" (STUD) Stix - Shaw Bolo Tie Comes to Minnesota very special acquisition occurred "Sterling, Hand Engraved Original by Ed in New York during the 1999 Morgan @1983" Contents annual Sherlock Holmes birthday weekend. Dorothy Stix, wife of The Shaw legacy lives on too, as Dorothy the late Tom Stix (who, as 'Wiggins' headed continues to buy more Sherlochan books. Stix - Shaw Bolo Tie the Baker Street Irregulars for eleven years), "I can't stop," said Dorothy. She also keeps presented Friends President Richard Sveum an eye on the papers for Sherlocluan refer- with a bolo tie that had belonged to her ences and trims them out. She said, in a 100 Years Ago husband, and had originally belonged to brief interview, that she's, "been doing it for n John Bennett Shaw. 25 years and just can't quit." More than once she would catch somethng that John After seeing a similar bolo tie belonging to had missed and he would compliment her 50 Years Ago their longtime friend, Saul Cohen, Dorothy on her "good eye." All of the new material 3 Shaw had an artist in Taos, New Mexico she is accumulating will, "eventually go to create one for John. After John's death, Minnesota," she said. From the President Dorothy was going through his desk and 4 found the bolo. She felt that John had We would lke to offer a heartfelt "thank you" intended to give it to Tom and so she did - to Dorothy Stix and the Stix family for pre- An Update from the with the understanding that upon his death senting d-us specd item to the Collections Collections it would join the rest of John's collection at and also to Dorothy Shaw for continuing to 4 the University of Minnesota. enhance John's magnificent collection. w Bruce Southworth Musings The Sherlocluan bolo tie features Holmes with a pipe. The clasp is sterling silver 2- 5 In inches high by 11314 in~he~wideshow- ing a right faced, head and shoulders, side Acquisitions profile portrait of Sherlock Holmes in 5 Invemess Cape and deerstalker. He is smohng a meerschaum pipe, which is held Using the Sherlock in his right hand. Smoke from the pipe Holmes Collections curls up and over the top of the deerstalker. There is a small cuff button done in a cop- 6 per-colored metal. The bowl of the pipe is of an inlaid light brown stone while the rim Supporting the Collections of the pipe of inlaid with a white material. 7 The woven leather tie is 38 inches long "' with 2 inch sterling tips at each end. Hand Remembrances engraved on the back of the clasp is 8 YEARS AGO The Strand Magazine is best known to many for printing stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The March, 1899 issue is no exception as it con- tains Doyle's "The Story of B24", print- ed on pages 243-52. However, this was not the only place within that issue where one could find the name of Dr. Doyle. In December, 1978, the Philip S. Hench family donated Dr. Hench's collection of blue-bound, hard-cover Strand magazines to the Sherlock Holmes Collections. In Arthur Conan Doyle. Of his sketch In 1967, "The Gentlewomen of Evil; Volume 17, with the January through she wrote: An Anthology of Rare Supernatural June 1899 issues, page 338 marks the stories from the Pens of Victorian "Turning to the 'pig literary', he Ladies" was published. The last story beginning of a curious article entitled must be wanting in imagination "Pigs of Celebrities" by Gertrude in this anthology was "The Gorgon's indeed who fails to trace in Dr. Head by Gertrude Bacon. Drawing Bacon, featuring an original piece of Conan Doyle's spirited little sketch artwork by Doyle. upon Greek mythology, it is a tale of the resemblance to the immortal young Miss Baker, who, while on a "There is ever a fascination in collec- and lamented Sherlock Holmes. cruise near the Greek isle of Zante, tions, and ours is, perhaps, a more That pig is evidently 'on the scent' hears the skipper's story of encounter- essentially collecting age than any of some baffling mystery. Note the ing the reflection of Medusa. The tales other." She began her article with the quick and penetrating snout, the in "The Gentlewomen of Evil" were above sentence to describe the art of alert ears, thrown back in the act of selected and introduced by Peter collecting objects. ."whose chief value listening, the nervous, sensitive tail, Haining, author of "The Sherlock would appear to lie in their strange and the expectant, eager attitude. Holmes Compendium" and "The character and utter uselessness." She The spirit of the great detective Sherlock Holmes Scrapbook. w noted that autographs had an advan- breathes in every line and animates tage over many other collectible sou- the whole." Julie McKuras venirs. Autographed photographs per- According to Geraldine Beare's "Index petuated the face as well as the signa- to the Strand Magazine", published by ture. Her article focused on collecting The Greenwood Press in 1982, this was drawings, which she felt embodied the the first of twelve articles Gertrude artist. Miss Bacon asked a number of Bacon wrote for the Strand. Her last "leading representatives of science, art, article for the magazine was published literature, society, etc." to draw a pig. in December, 1912, and was titled An easy task to draw a pig, but how "Pigs that Fly" Bacon was born in 1874 well would one complete this task and raised in a parsonage by her father, with eyes shut? This was the request of Rev. John Bacon. Rev. Bacon, 1846 the author. She felt that a man of -1904, was a pioneer aeronaut. In genius and strong personality would 1907, Miss Bacon's "The Record of an imprint his every work with his great- Aeronaut, being the Life of John ness. Her collection included drawings Mackenzie Bacon" was published, fol- of pigs by many notables of the day, lowed by the 1911 "How Men Fly". including Sir Henry Irving and Dr. Miss Bacon died in 1916. 2 Friends of the Sherlock Holrnes Collections Storybook Hero", his assessment of nation, and that a perfectly harmless Carr's biography ( in The Questfor Sir old professor was murdered at the Arthur Conan Doyle, Jon Lellenberg, , Reichenbach Falls. John Dickson Car? Editor), but also as shaping the biogra- And what has become of the personal phy into the picture of Conan Doyle papers that played such an important that both son and biographer wanted role in the writing of Carr's book? Jon to present to the public. But the validi- Lellenberg advises that Sir Arthur's ty of the statements regarding Carr's YEARS AGO papers were "tied up in a long dispute exclusive access to the papers has been over copynghts and rights to unpub- questioned. Biographer Hesketh lished materials between Denis Conan The New York Times Book Review of Pearson also had access, if somewhat ~o);le'swidow, Nina Mdivani February 6, 1949 carried an advertise- more limited, to Sir Arthur's papers for Harwood.. .on one side, and Jean ment for a recently published biogra- his 1943 Conan Doyle, His Life and Art, Conan Doyle and Adrians' widow phy Illustrated with photographs, and according to Lellenberg. But because of Anna on the other." It took years to priced at $3.50, the ad called John Adrian Conan Doyle's dislike for the resolve the lawsuit, but Dame Jean set- Dickson Carr's The Life of Sir Arthur book and author, he denied ever after tled it before her death in 1997. When Conan Doyle a superb biography of the that Pearson had had any access to the her own estate is settled, her portion man who created Sherlock Holmes. family papers. In the 1950's, French of the papers and manuscripts will go Doyle was portrayed as a "Romantic scholar Pierre Nordon had extensive the British Library, to other libraries Irishman, British Patriot, Crusader, access to Doyle's papers, and his 1964 and museums in the United Kingdom, Historian, Inventor, Novelist, Doctor, Conan Doyle is noted for its' more Detective, Athlete, and Lover". Vincent acute critical appraisal of the writer. and to auction to benefit charities she Starrett's note in the ad stated it was supported. Disposition of the portion "Magnificent reading from first to last". A letter to the Editor appeared in the of the papers going to the remaining June 26, 1949 New ~oik~imes.Mary heirs is not known at this time. Published simultaneously in 1949 by Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur's daughter by We would like to thank Jon Lellenberg John Murray in London, and Harper his first marriage to Louise Hawkins, for his invaluable assistance with this and Brothers in New York, The Life of wrote to say that although her name Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was hailed by appeared in the foreword to Carr's article. w reviewers, including Baker Street biography, she had neither been shown Julie McKuras Irregulars. Edgar W Smith, writing in the proofs prior to publication nor the New York Herald Tribune Book asked about her mother. She felt that Review of February 6, said: "John Carr's biography inaccurately portrayed Dickson Carr has told the story of this her mother as "negative, colourless, and many-sided man better than any one ineffectual". (Apparently no member of has told it before.. .Mr. Carr worked the Conan Doyle family disagreed with from the massive documentation made the portrayal of Sir Arthur as the per- available to him by the Doyle estate fect English gentleman.) out of a cache of trunks and boxes which had lain untouched since Sir The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has Arthur's death in 1930." Other writers been an integral part of Sherlocluan and like Howard Haycraft and Vincent Doylean libraries for the past 50 years.