Return Postage Guaranteed The Bootmakers of Toronto PO Box 1157 T.D.C. Postal Station The Journal of the Bootmakers of Toronto 77 King Street West Volume 33 Number 1 Toronto, ON M5K 1P2 Fall 2010 Canadian Holmes is published by The Bootmakers of Toronto, the Sherlock Holmes Society of Canada.
Bootprints (editors) are Mark and JoAnn Alberstat, 46 Kingston Crescent, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B3A 2M2 Canada, to whom letters and editorial submissions should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]
Membership and subscription Rates Canadian Individual - Cdn$35.00 Canadian Joint (One copy of CH per household) - Cdn$45.00 Canadian Student (Full-time student 16+) - Cdn$25.00 U.S. Individual - US$35.00 U.S. Associate - US$30.00 International - US$35.00 Past Issues of Canadian Holmes, including postage - Cdn$12.00 per copy
Further Subscription information and details are available on the society’s web site, www.bootmakers.ca.
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Copyright © 2010 The Bootmakers of Toronto. Copyright in all individual articles is hereby assigned to their respective authors.
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ISSN 0319-4493. Printed in Canada.
Cover : A variety of Strand covers, courtesy of Phil Bergem.
Canadian Holmes Volume 33 Number 1 Fall 2010 One hundred and twenty-fifth issue Contents Canadian Holmes Volume 32 Number 4 Traces of Bootprints 1 by Mark Alberstat
Duet with An Occasional Chorus 2 A song parody by Karen Campbell and Craig Brtnik
ACD and The Strand Magazine 3 A feature article on The Strand Magazine by Phil Bergem
A Toast to the Society 9 by Carol Abramson
“To Norraway, to Norraway…” 11 An examination of The Adventure of Black Peter by Peter Wood
The Transcendent Holmes 16 A book review by Dallas K. Miller
Sherlock Holmes Joins the crowded list for Dummies 19 A book review by Morley Wills
Photos from The Silver Blaze event – July 17, 2010 21 Photos courtesy of Bruce Aikin
The Foundations of Sherlockian Scholarship – Part IV 22 by Doug Wrigglesworth
Letters from Lomax 26 Musings from Peggy Perdue
A toast to The Woman 27 by Marie Burrows
News Notes 28 A roundup of Canadian Sherlockian events
Bootmakers’ Diary 30 A roundup of Bootmaker events RACES OF BOOTPRINTS
Kon nichi wa, Sherlockian
o create a memorable evening, start with Sherlock Holmes, add many plates of sushi and stir in a healthy helping of Japanese hospitality. TWeeks before a recent visit to Tokyo, I e-mailed the local group and Yuichi Hirayama, a BSI, Bootmaker and club-founder, replied and arranged to meet us on our first evening. When we arrived in our hotel lobby, we found not only Yuichi but also two other local Sherlockians and discovered that another two were on their way. Tokyo is a huge city, so finding a small hotel on the other side of town shows a commitment to hospitality that truly touched our hearts. After some introductions, we walked to a nearby seafood restaurant for what would turn out to be the most memorable evening of our month-long trek through China and Japan. We chatted about our respective clubs in Halifax and Japan, comparing membership levels and meeting formats. We digressed into a discussion about sports ranging from sumo wrestling to baseball and other literary topics such as Anne of Green Gables . The locals who attended were kind enough to bring us many gifts. I now have almost a full run of the Shoso-in Bulletin to read through this winter; a special 30th-anniversary publication from The Men with the Twisted Konjo, as the society is known, (given to me by Masamichi Higurashi, another of the club’s BSI); two lovely, detailed Sherlockian lapel pins; a Sherlockian magazine in Japanese; several Sherlockian postcards with images taken by Hiroko Nakashima, one of our new friends, and a few Snoopy Sherlockian keychains. Our evening ended after many dishes of sushi, sashimi and yakatori, and a couple of pints of beer. The friendliness and comraderie offered by these Sherlockians is an encouraging sign about the long-term future of our hobby. Dohmo arigatoh — Thank you very much, to our new-found Mark and five of Tokyo's many friends. Sherlockians.
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 1 Duet with An Occasional Chorus
The following song parody for The Adventure of Black Peter was written Karen Campbell and Craig Brtnik and performed for the Bootmakers on February 27, 2010.
The Ballad of Black Peter (sung to the traditional Sea Chanty, The Drunken Sailor )
What shall we do with the drunken sailor? What shall we do with the drunken sailor? What shall we do with the drunken sailor Early in the morning.
Chorus: Way, hey, and up he rises Way, hey, and up he rises Way, hey and up he rises Early in the morning.
Skewer his belly with a rusty harpoon (3 times) Early in the morning!
Give him a sniff of Devil’s Foot Root (3 times) Early in the morning!
Put him in the bed of Julia Stoner (3 times) Early in the morning!
Give his boot to the hound of Dartmoor (3 times) Early in the morning!
Let him play darts with little Tonga (3 times) Early in the morning!
2 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 ACD and The Strand Magazine
By Phil Bergem
Phil Bergem lives in Minnesota and is a member of the Norwegian Explorers. His obsession with Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle has resulted in him visiting locations no rational person would otherwise go to. Two of the more reasonable trips have been to Toronto and a walk on the Athabasca Trail in Jasper National Park.
rthur Conan Doyle was associated with The Strand Magazine through its entire existence, from an advertisement in the very first issue dated AJanuary 1891 to an article titled Holmesiana in the last issue of March 1950. The fortunes of Doyle and The Strand Magazine were closely linked through the 40 years from 1891 until his death in 1930. More than half of the 480 issues during that time period had something written by Doyle or about him or Holmes. In the decades straddling the transition from the 19th to the 20th centuries, The Strand Magazine established its reputation as a national institution and Doyle became one of the most-popular and highest-paid writers of the day. Doyle (1859-1930) had been selling stories to magazines since 1879 but by 1890 he had not yet sufficiently established himself that he could give up his fledgling medical practice. Some time in the summer of 1890, Doyle began a relationship with Alexander Pollock Watt (1834-1914), the foremost literary agent in England, if not the world. The relationship with Watt and his firm would last the rest of Doyle’s life. At the end of 1890, Doyle had decided to quit his practice in Southsea and study as an eye specialist in Vienna. He and his wife Louise busied themselves by letting out their residence, placing furniture in storage and arranging for their two children to stay with her mother. Doyle was still conducting some literary sales by himself and arranged to write A Straggler of ’15 for the magazine Answers . It was to Watt that Doyle
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 3 entrusted a story titled The Voice of Science. Watt sold the story in January 1891 and it appeared in The Strand Magazine in the March issue, the first of many Doyle stories to come. Arthur and Louise arrived in Vienna on January 5, 1891, and returned to London on March 24, shortly after the March issue made its appearance. In spite of the limited amount of specialized training he received, Conan Doyle set himself up as an eye specialist in London. He had the opportunity, between his few consultations, to write and expanded upon his Sherlock Holmes tales, this time setting them in short-story form. He lost no time in working on the stories. Watt had received A Scandal of Bohemia (the manuscript read “of”, not “in” and this is how it appeared in a number of newspapers in the United States) by March 31, 1891, and delivered it to The Strand Magazine on April 6. The next four stories were given to Watt in quick succession over the next five weeks and were eagerly accepted by the magazine. These started appearing in The Strand in July 1891. The story writing was delayed when Doyle contracted influenza in May of that year. It was during his recovery that he decided to give up his medical aspirations and make a living by writing. By 1884, his third year in Southsea, Doyle was earning about £300 per year and it is doubtful that his medical earnings ever rose much above that. The wages were not terrible in an economy where a general labourer typically earned £1 per week, but not up to the potential of what a doctor could earn with some effort. Watt helped to negotiate a rate of £4 per 1000 words for the British serial rights and Conan Doyle received £36 each for A Scandal in Bohemia and The Red-headed League . (Presumably this included printing in the US edition of The Strand Magazine .) Even after Watt’s fees and other expenses, it was clear that Doyle had found his calling. The Sherlock Holmes stories proved to be very popular with the public. On the strength of the success, The Strand paid Doyle a straightforward £50 each for the second set of six stories, from The Blue Carbuncle to The Copper Beeches . This was increased to £1,000 for the set of 12 stories from Silver Blaze to The Final Problem , or £83 6s 8d apiece. Beginning with The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1901, Doyle received at least £100 per 1000 words for his Holmes stories, thus becoming one of the highest-paid writers in the world. The final story, The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place , appearing in April 1927, brought him £628 14s for the British and colonial rights and a further £250 per 1000 words for the American serial rights. Of course, Doyle was not only writing Sherlock Holmes stories. The pages of The Strand Magazine were filled with other characters, short stories and serializations. These included the Brigadier Gerard stories, the Round the Fire collection, serializations of the books Rodney Stone , The Tragedy of the Korosko , Sir Nigel , The Lost World , The British Campaign in France and Flanders and many others. The Strand also provided an outlet for some of Doyle’s spiritualism and preternatural writings, including his conclusions regarding the Cottingley Fairies photographs.
4 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 The Strand in North America The edition of The Strand Magazine available in Canada was the same as that available on the streets of London. The same could not be said for the United States, at least not after the first few months. What was available in New York in January 1891 was the London edition with the note ‘Copyright by the International News Co.’ and the price ‘20¢’ rubber-stamped on the cover. Issue numbers 2 to 8 (February 1891 to August 1891) were exactly the same as the English editions except for a modified front cover which had the price of 20¢ printed at the top of the page, instead of the sixpence on the English edition, and the US distributor was indicated along the bottom. The inside contents, including the advertisements, were exactly the same as were found in England. There was a logistical problem with having identical monthly issues of The Strand Magazine on both sides of the Atlantic. The magazine continued to be printed in London and with the time required to ship magazines across the ocean, The Strand in North America was being released later than its competitors. While this apparently did not bother Canadian readers, it must have upset the American clientele. To amend this situation, the September 1891 issue in the UK became the Sept.-Oct. 1891 issue in the US. Subsequently, every American issue for the next two years was the same as the English issue for the prior month. This included the English adverts, with mention of prices in pounds, shillings and pence, and the table of contents page, which listed the month of the English printing and did not match the month on the modified American cover. The one-month offset between the English and American versions lasted until December 1893, when there was another shift resulting from the problem of how to handle the Christmas issues. In England there was a printing industry tradition of presenting something special for the Christmas season. In 1891 this constituted a few extra pages and a colour print similar to the one accompanying the first issue. In the US this became the January 1892 issue. In England the December 1892 issue contained The
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 5 Adventure of Silver Blaze and had 132 pages, more than the 104 to 112 pages found for the other months that year but not quite the bonus of a “Double Christmas Number” that the cover proclaimed. The December issue also had a colour plate and the price was increased from sixpence to one shilling. In America this became the January 1893 issue and it must have been a bit confusing for the readers. As this was the magazine for January instead of December, there would not have been a clear reason for the issue to have added content. It was also thought that the American readers would not wish to pay more for the special issue so the price remained at 20¢. The subject had to be addressed again at the end of 1893. The British December magazine had grown to 164 pages, far more than the typical monthly size. To further complicate matters, this Christmas Number once again had an inserted colour print and The Adventure of the Final Problem – a noteworthy issue indeed. In order to not waste the special issue on a January release again, the publisher decided to make it a special Christmas issue. The British November and December 1893 issues, therefore, became the December and Christmas 1893 issues in America. This meant that the January 1894 issue in Britain (and Canada) remained the January issue in the United States. The magazine issues for the two editions once again matched month by month throughout 1894 and the first half of 1895. It was not until July 1895 that another double-month issue (July-August) was released in the American market to allow the New York issue to lag a month behind the London issue again. The New York issue also ceased having the English advertisements and contained American adverts – admittedly very few at the beginning and never as many as in the English counterpart. Other changes implemented at the time included dropping the price from 20¢ to 10¢ per issue and the start of a quarterly issue released in red paper covers. When December 1895 came around, a decision had to be made once again about how to handle the American issue. The editors decided to excise some stories from the British edition and reduce the number of pages from 200 to 120 for the American January 1896 issue. Among the articles eliminated was Artists of The Strand Magazine , which contained some information about Sidney Paget and W.B. Wollen. (Wollen illustrated Doyle’s Brigadier Gerard stories, some of them appearing earlier that year.) This was the first instance of differences in textual content between the English and American issues of The Strand . Up until this date the content of the issues released in London and New York was the same. As best as can be determined, for US issue numbers 1 to 59 (January 1891 to December 1895), about the only way to tell the difference between an English and American edition is to examine the front cover. The inside contents remained the same, except for the month listed above the table of contents beginning with US issue number 38 (Feb. 1894) and the adverts starting with US issue number 55 (July-Aug. 1895). Starting in 1896 there were more and more differences in the content. An immediate example of this divergence happened with the serialization of Conan Doyle’s book Rodney Stone . It appeared in the English issues from January to December 1896 but did
6 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 not appear in the US Strand Magazine . Instead, in the United States, it was serialized in six newspapers between April and July. This set the pattern for a number of Doyle’s works, most notably the Sherlock Holmes stories. There were some stories and articles that appeared in the US edition and not in the UK. There were others that appeared in both, but separated by several months. An example of a modified article appearing in the US was Portraits of Celebrities at Different Times of their Lives, published in the July 1896 US Strand . The article with that name which appeared in the June 1896 English edition was modified for the US July issue. Due to Conan Doyle’s increasing popularity, the profile of one person was removed and one for Doyle put in its place. Conan Doyle had already been the subject of one of these ‘Portraits’ in the December 1891 UK edition (and the January 1892 US issue). The new page appearing in 1896 consisted of the same four images of Doyle that appeared in the 1891-92 ‘Portraits,’ with some of the same text and new material reflecting Doyle’s continued literary success. Doyle remained faithful to the London edition for all of his Holmes stories but this relationship did not hold true for the American edition. Competition among magazines in America led to the stories being printed farther afield that just in the pages of The Strand . The series of 12 stories later collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes also appeared in Harper’s Weekly, with the exception of The Final Problem , which appeared in McClure’s Magazine . There was an eight- year hiatus before Holmes returned to the pages of The Strand in 1901 with The Hound of the Baskervilles . The Strand , in both England and America, had a monopoly on the series of stories, although they were reprinted in a variety of newspapers across America after the first series was complete. The new stories increased circulation of The Strand by about 30,000 copies per month. The success of The Hound of the Baskervilles in magazine and book form caught the attention of the publisher of Collier’s Weekly in America. The magazine proposed to pay $45,000 for a set of 13 stories provided Holmes was found to be alive and well. As an added incentive, Doyle would receive
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 7 his £100 per 1,000 words from Newnes, Ltd. for the appearance of the series in the London edition of The Strand . The offer was accepted and the result was the series printed from late 1903 to early 1905 and later collected in The Return of Sherlock Holmes . None of these 13 stories appeared in the New York Strand edition as they all were printed in Collier’s Weekly. Collier’s lost its advantage after this arrangement. The remainder of the Sherlock Holmes stories appeared in a number of different magazines in the US, likely being provided to the highest bidder. Of the seven stories collected in His Last Bow , four graced the pages of Collier’s Weekly , one was in The American Magazine and two returned to the pages of The Strand Magazine . These two, The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot (January and February 1911) and The Adventure of the Red Circle (April and May 1911), were divided so they appeared in four issues. The Red Circle was written in two parts for England but The Devil’s Foot was not and had to be split to accommodate the plans of the US editor. This separate printing of a segment of The Devil’s Foot in February resulted in the need for a modified illustration. In order to provide a frontispiece for the second half of the story in the US, one of the half-page illustrations in the British edition was replaced with a full-page treatment of the same scene. The war years, with paper shortages, distractions and changing tastes, sounded the death knell for the American endeavour and the final issue was dated February 1916. The magazine continued on in England and was still available in Canada. Following the First World War, Doyle continued to have works in most of the issues, much of it now dealing with his spiritualistic interests. Sherlock Holmes still appeared in the pages as well, although at times very sporadically. It took almost 3½ years for the first six stories of The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes to be printed. The final story, The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place , appeared in April 1927. The end of the Holmes stories did not mark the end of Doyle’s contributions to The Strand . His non-Holmes stories continued to appear in the magazine until Doyle’s death in 1930. With the need for each issue to start being prepared for publication five weeks before printing, Doyle’s story The Parish Magazine appeared in the August issue with no mention of his death the previous month. The story The End of Devil Hawker was scheduled for September but instead it was delayed and in its place was a heartfelt tribute to Doyle written by H. Greenhough Smith, the longtime editor of The Strand and friend of Doyle’s,
8 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 along with a reprinting of A Scandal in Bohemia . Doyle’s final story, appropriately named The Last Resource , appeared in December 1930. One of the many myths that have arisen regarding Sherlock Holmes is that following the report of his death in The Final Problem, published in The Strand Magazine for December 1893, throngs of grieving readers in London wore black mourning crepe on their hats or arms. A search through contemporary issues of The Times and The Bookman cannot verify the tale. It is not mentioned in various reminiscences in The Strand Magazine either. In fact, the first mention found of such a reaction to Holmes’ supposed death was in John Dickson Carr’s The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1949, which leads one to suspect its veracity. There is, however, a more reliable report of the use of a mourning band. Reginald Pound, The Strand editor from 1942 to 1946, reported that Macdonald Hastings, the publication’s final editor, did wear a mourning band on his left sleeve on the final day that the presses ran for the magazine. It seemed to be a fitting tribute to mark the end of an era.
[This essay appeared in a longer form in A Doylean and Sherlockian Checklist of The Strand Magazine , available from the author.]
A Toast to the Society
The following toast was given by Carol Abramson at the June 3, 2010 meeting of The Bimetallic Question in Montreal.
Fellowship can be defined as affiliation, friendship, camaraderie and companionship. All of these words work within the context of this society. We come together with a common interest, and work together toward a common goal. Our shared fascination with the adventures contained within the Canon, as well as with the characters in each of these stories, allows us to meet regularly with fascinating people whose lives touch ours in no other way. Together we discuss, debate, imbibe and partake. We study each case, deliberating over the finer points of Holmes’s life, questioning the motives of each crime and learning the intricacies of the deductive method. We do this in good company and good fellowship. To the Society!
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 9 From Mrs. Hudson’s Kitchen
In the editors’ ongoing attempt to bring you varied and interesting articles, we start this new feature with a few tea-cake recipes from The Girl’s Own Paper of 1882-1883.
Yorkshire Tea-cakes — A true Yorkshireman would tell you that, compared with the sally-lunn of the London shops, they are as “moonlight unto sunlight or as water unto wine.” They may be easily made as follows: — Rub six ounces of butter into two pounds of salt. Dissolve rather less than an ounce of fresh German yeast in half a pint of lukewarm water, put the flour into a bowl which will hold three times its quantity, scoop a hole in the centre, leaving flour to cover the bottom of the bowl, and pour the dissolved yeast into the hole. Draw flour down from the sides and mix it with the liquor to make a smooth batter. Sprinkle a little flower over the top, cover the bowl with a cloth, and leave it in a warm place till bubbles begin to rise through the flour. Beat two eggs and mix them with half a teacupful of milk, add lukewarm milk, and knead well till the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl again, and let the dough rise till it is quite high. Divide the quantity into ten pieces, roll these till they are about the size of an ordinary saucer, put them on a baking tin and let them rise for a few minutes, prick them with a fork, and bake in a quick oven. When wanted, split them in halves, toast them, butter them, and serve them hot; or split them, butter them, and serve them cold. Much as we may enjoy these teacakes, sally-lunns are not to be despised, and they will doubtless find advocates among true-born cockneys. Sally-lunns — Put a pound and a half of flour into a bowl and mix a pinch of salt with it. Put three-quarters of a pint of milk into a stew-pan with four ounces of butter, and let it remain till the butter is melted. The milk should not be much more then lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast with a little sugar, add the milk gradually and stir both into the flour and also two well-beaten eggs. When quite smooth, divide the dough into four parts, place each of these in a well-greased tin, cover them over and let them rise till they are about three times their original size. Bake in a quick oven. Sally-lunns are, it is well known, split into three portions before being toasted and buttered.
10 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 "To Norraway, to Norraway..." (The Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens)
By Peter Wood, M.Bt., BSI
Peter Wood is a Sherlockian, retired and now living in Vancouver, B.C., who has contributed to Canadian Holmes over the past twenty-some years, and hopes to continue whilst health allows.
he Adventure of Black Peter poses several problems which remain unresolved at its close. In particular: why does Holmes announce at the T end of the case that he and Watson are going to be in Norway for some time? Patrick Cairns’ arraignment on a charge of murder will take some weeks to occur and the trial/sentencing/possible execution for murder will occupy more than three weeks. Chris Redmond has suggested in Somewhere in Norway ( Sherlock Holmes Review , 1989) that Holmes may have been involved in another Scandinavian- based investigation. Why though should he take Watson with him? Or he may have disbelieved Cairns’ account of Neligan’s death at sea and reasoned that Carey, both venal and alcoholic, may have taken a bribe to put him ashore in Norway. However, the Norwegian coast is not a friendly one and unless Neligan knew of a quiet fjord in which he could land from a ship’s boat, the landing would have involved visiting a seaport. This would have been recorded in the ship’s log, the relevant pages of which Carey had presumably destroyed. So what is Holmes going to seek? Redmond suggests he intends to track down Neligan in his Norwegian refuge; I think he may have had a more immediate objective, which I shall deal with later. There is another unanswered problem which seems to have escaped discussion at this time. Briefly, the story which Cairns recounts as told by Neligan does not stand up to close analysis. Consider the incident of the Cowardly Crew. A gaff-rigged sailboat with skiff.
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 11 At the end of the 19th century, single-handed sailing had become a popular sport. Neligan, as a yacht-owning banker in the West Country, would have been a member of the Royal West of England Yacht Club (based at Plymouth), in the same way that a professional man in an American town now belongs to a country club and a golf club. We are told by Cairns that Neligan’s crew had abandoned both vessel and owner and fled in the ship’s dinghy, presumably hoping to reach Norway. I find this totally incredible. Neligan’s boat is always described as being of small size: a “little craft” (Cairns), a “little yacht” (John Hopley Neligan Jr). From a contemporary article on yachting (Heinemann’s Encyclopedia of Sport & Games 1911, Yachting ), this would indicate a boat of around 25 feet in length (see illustration), gaff-rigged, with a displacement of some six to eight tons and accommodation for three people at most. Such small yachts were both seaworthy and capable of long single-handed voyages. For an account of what sailing such a boat would be like, I recommend reading Erskine Childer’s superb spy novel The Riddle of the Sands .1 There could have been only two paid hands at most in Neligan’s crew (there would have been inadequate space below decks for more). The dinghy would have been some six to eight feet long, suitable for harbour work and laying out an anchor. I cannot imagine any experienced small-boat sailor abandoning a yacht in a gale of wind (30 knots and over by the Beaufort Scale) with waves running some 20 feet high, whilst it was still afloat. A dinghy might have stayed upright for only a few minutes; after that it would have been found some days or weeks later, keel uppermost. Furthermore, Neligan’s crew (if they existed) would have been West- countrymen, used to sailing small fishing boats. Would two experienced sailors have abandoned their employer to drown by himself? He was a fellow West- countryman, whom they would certainly have known for some time. If they survived, I would not envy them on their return home, exposed to the scorn of their fellows and probably even that of their own families. But there are other matters to consider with this alleged “crew.” What sort of story had Neligan told them when he decided to flee to Norway on the evening of his impending arrest? During their voyage they could not put in at any English seaport where he might be recognised. He (and his crew) had become modern-day Vanderdeckens, the family name of the captain of the Flying Dutchman , unable to land anywhere. Surely the crew would ask their owner “Why?” What would he say in reply? Whilst we consider these problems, others immediately raise their heads. From Plymouth to the Straits of Dover is roughly 300 nautical miles (see Map 1). A yacht of that size would have a maximum speed of five to six knots at best, under full sail. Assuming optimum conditions of wind and current, the voyage would have taken around three days. With a southerly gale behind it, but the sails fully reefed, and assuming nothing carried away or damaged, at the end of that time the yacht would have broken out of the English Channel into the North Sea and headed — where? Presumably to Norway; I would guess that in the
12 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 prevailing weather conditions, it would have been far too dangerous to try for any of the Channel ports such as Calais, Boulogne or Ostend. The Flanders Banks would have been waiting as they waited for the Armada. Like the Spanish ships of old, Neligan headed North, with either Norway in mind, or intending to make a long loop around Scotland and Ireland to eventually take him southwards — but where to? The gale, and presumably some damage to the vessel, mast and sails (or the tale of his crew abandoning ship becomes even less believable), prevented him from making port in Oslo, Bergen, or Stavanger in Norway. All Neligan could do was continue northward for some 1,200 miles until, at least eight to 10 days later (and probably much more) he was sighted by the Sea Map 1: England and Europe. Unicorn and fell into the hands of a latter-day Captain Sharkey. Furthermore, after two weeks or more at sea, even if he were now sailing single-handed, Neligan could have been seriously short of food and water. Individual needs amount to roughly a gallon of water per day and three pounds weight of food. How much would he have taken aboard at Plymouth and for how long a trip was he provisioned? In the days before refrigeration, what kind of food would he have carried for a fortnight’s voyage at short notice? To me, considering these facts and the possible answers to the questions, it seems far more probable that Neligan’s voyage had all along been single- handed. In such a situation he would have had no explanations to give, no risk of betrayal and no need to share his ill-gotten wealth with anyone. Like many a small-boat sailor, he overestimated his nautical skill and underestimated the force of the weather at sea. Rescued by a ship bound for a Scottish port, he had a fresh problem to solve. He had, we are told, “some long talks in the cabin” with the captain, who, apparently no fool, soon realized that this shipwrecked sailor was no lubberly landsman caught in a gale but was, in fact, escaping from the English police. So, we are told, Captain Carey threw him over the ship’s rail “in the middle watch” (i.e., between midnight and 4 a.m.), observed and presumably heard, by no one but Patrick Cairns, who was the helmsman.
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 13 Now this story is totally unsupported by any evidence whatsoever. For all we know it could be made up from a spare bolt of sailcloth by Cairns. Equally well, the theory advanced by Redmond is a valid one — that Neligan bribed Carey to land him in Norway, and some 12 years later was there still, living a relatively comfortable, though expatriate, life off the proceeds of his crime. The Sea Unicorn could have put in at Trondheim at 63° N. l1° E., or any of the similar seaports on the rugged Norwegian coast. Her story would be believable. After a hard, long voyage she needed to replenish supplies. Whilst in harbour, she landed an English tourist who wanted to see the country. In the days before passports and visas, there would have been no difficulty with the authorities. Once Neligan was there, any coastal steamer would have taken him down coast to Christiana/Oslo, where he could have settled down for the rest of his life, secure from extradition, which was reserved for capital crimes. Its passenger landed, the Sea Unicorn , with bunkers and/or storerooms topped up, crossed to the Shetlands and landed the members of its crew who had the herring-fishery season to occupy them. It then sailed southward to its home port of Dundee, where problems would face the captain. There is no record, or the authorities would have come across it, of the rescue of Neligan and his later death at sea. How was this possible? A ship’s log is turned over to the port authorities at the end of her voyage. Carey may have falsified his official log, keeping the deck log (a notebook from which the official log is later compiled) as a somewhat grisly souvenir of his last voyage, along with his Map 2 - Norway. favourite harpoons and lances, etc. He must have entered the rescue of Neligan in the deck log (why else destroy the incriminating page?) and failed to transfer it to his official record, or enquiries would have certainly been made by the Scottish police force in Dundee. In that case, how did he keep his crew (there are some 50 of them on a whaler) from talking about the strange events of their return voyage once they reached port? A better yarn for recounting in a seamen's tavern is hard to think of, and if half the crew were from the Shetlands and well out of the way, 25 of them were landed in Dundee, to tell over their rum of how they had rescued some English lubber from his little yacht in a storm such as they had never seen before in all their time. How could Carey silence them? Answer — he could not. He took “early retirement,” as we now say, and left for a place as far from both Dundee
14 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 and the West Country as he could find, at Forest Row in Kent. Twelve years later, retribution caught up with him. One more question, posed, but only partially answered by Redmond is: Why would Holmes and Watson go to Norway for an indefinite period? I would guess that Holmes, following a train of thought similar to that outlined above, would realize that the port records of wherever the Sea Unicorn landed would show her as having entered and left the port, and quite probably that a passenger had been set ashore. The seaports of Norway are not unlimited in number. A coasting voyage in the beautiful scenery of the fjords from Bergen to Rorvik and all the other ports in between, would soon reveal if his theory was correct. Let us hope that he and Watson were good sailors and had an enjoyable holiday.
APPENDIX (Nautical data) • Spitsbergen whaling grounds: around 80°N, l0°E (cf. ACD's The Captain of the Polestar set in location 81°40’ N 2° E) • Bergen 60°N 5°E • Dundee 56°N 3°W • Shetland Light (Muckle Flugga l.h.) 61°N 1°W • Location of ice pack; from 70° to 75° of latitude onwards (depending on time of year and wind direction) • Sea Unicorn ’s cruising speed 7-8 knots; day’s voyage c.150 to 200 miles, or 2° to 3° of latitude • Sea Unicorn and JHN’s yacht probably met c.71°N 1°E, (roughly in the latitude of the Tromso-North Cape region of Norway).
REFERENCES Heinemann’s Encyclopedia of Sport (1911) Yachting Bartholomew’s (1914) Atlas of Europe Childers, Erskine (1903) The Riddle of the Sands Slocum Johua (1900) Sailing Alone Around the World
Frederic Door Steele’s 1904 illustration of Homes in Carey’s cabin. This image first appeared in the September 1903, edition of Collier’s Magazine .
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 15 The Transcendent Holmes
By Dallas K. Miller
The Honourable Dallas K. Miller is a Judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta and has been a member of The Bootmakers for several years.
he tenth anniversary of the publication of The Transcendent Holmes , an important work by a relatively unknown Holmesian scholar (at least Tunknown to Canadians), is as good a reason as any to review and remind people of this important work. The author, John Warwick Montgomery, is a law professor, philosopher/theologian, historian, a practising English barrister and member of the Ordre des Avocats in Paris, France. He holds 10 earned degrees, including three doctorates. While a prolific academic, he does step down from the ivory tower to represent clients in important human rights cases before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. He is a true Holmesian internationalist, a member of The Sherlock Holmes Society of London and contributor to its Journal, as well as an honourary member of The Sherlock Holmes Society of France. Montgomery has also been a keynote speaker at the annual Sherlock Holmes Society dinner in London. On another occasion, he was asked to respond to an address by the then Anglican Bishop of Durham. He boldly corrected the wishy-washy liberal theology of the Bishop and quite properly set forth what students of the Great Detective can bring to the discipline of theology and what the historic truths of the Christian faith can teach followers of Holmes. The Transcendent Holmes is to a great extent the product of his work in many disciplines and his early years in the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Nicholas Utechin, editor of The Sherlock Holmes Journal , provides the introduction. While Utechin gives high praise for Montgomery’s work, he cannot resist criticizing some of his conclusions, such as where Holmes went to university and what wine was consumed in His Last Bow . The introduction itself shows the depth of research and the controversies unearthed in this volume. The problem of the location of the Holmes-Watson apartment has plagued scholars for generations. The author systematically reviews the various proposals and thoroughly canvasses the Canon to arrive at a list of seven criteria for establishing the correct location. Using these criteria, he excludes several possibilities and narrows the answer to three options, thus leaving room for further exploration in this area.
16 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 One chapter is dedicated to Holmes’ jurisprudential views and the role of the Inns of Court in London. Any student of law or the history of London will find this chapter alone worth the price of the book. There are few references in the Canon to the Inns but the prominent one involves “The Woman” and her marriage to Godfrey Norton of the Inner Temple. The author takes this reference as an opportunity to describe this wonderful area of London, which is not very different today than in 1895. It is most helpful to have a mental picture of what the Inns of Court, legal London or ‘university of the law’ looked like when reading the forensic exploits of Holmes. Through the eyes of Holmes, a succinct history of the philosophy of law in the 19 th century with its implications for the 20 th century and beyond is depicted. Again, anyone with a legal bent will benefit from this chapter immensely. The subject of Watson’s injury and how to harmonize the seeming contradiction as to the location of the injury is given an entire chapter and reference is made to how other disciplines have resolved apparent inconsistencies. He argues that Aristotle’s basic hermeneutic principle, that the benefit of the doubt is always given to the author, should be applied. Further, the legal rule that a person, document or writing is innocent until proven guilty and that the burden of proof rests on the prosecution not the defence are to be maintained. Lord Bacon’s well-known aphorism, “ Non est interpretatio, sed divinatio, quae recedit a litera ” (“interpretation that departs from the letter of the text is not interpretation but divination”) is worthwhile and valuable in Sherlockian studies and many other disciplines as well. Another chapter is dedicated to Watson and his marital life. Here again, the author exhaustively reviews the Canon and clearly shows respect for the text in concluding that Watson was married three times. If one is faithful to the text, no other conclusion can be reached unless one is so hopelessly prejudiced by an a priori view. We are cautioned against using an interpretive lens of partiality towards Watson’s “character” as against fidelity to the text. The author’s constant reference to and reliance upon the Canon and proper interpretive principles assists in this issue and is a wise approach for other areas of study. Indeed, Dr. Montgomery has spent his career in the fields of law, theology and history, faithfully applying this approach. The final three chapters are truly the crescendo of this book. In the essay Holmes in Tibet , the author provides one of the most cogent explanations as to what really happened during the Great Hiatus. There is not much debate that before Reichenbach, Holmes was essentially a rationalist, a person who would only hear of naturalistic, scientific explanations for virtually all observed human phenomena. It was the visit to Tibet and his exposure to the total inadequacy of Buddhist thought, at least to the extent of handling total human depravity, which led Holmes, “back to his English religious roots.” The depth and originality of thought by the author of this essay will force Holmes scholars in generations to come to deal with this theory when discussing the Great Hiatus! The penultimate chapter builds on Holmes in Tibet by analyzing why the Great Detective brings such universal attention and attraction to himself. While
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 17 recognizing such explanations as Victorian romantic culture and Holmes as the ideal detective as understandable and yet inadequate, the author takes a novel approach. He provides what he describes as the mythopoeic solution. What do the archetypes of Carl Gustav Jung have to do with Sherlock Holmes? Rather than risk giving away the punchline, suffice it to say that the character of Holmes is truly transcendent. The curious reader must lay hold of this book and search out the true answer to the appeal of Holmes. Finally, Montgomery concludes his work with a pastiche titled The Search for Ultimates . This not only serves as the final chapter but was the author’s keynote address at an international philosophy symposium with the theme of Rationality and Spirituality held at California State University in the early 1990s. The dialogue between Holmes and Watson covers the diversity of religious claims, the need for a transcendent ethic and the issue of relying on facts in testing religious truth claims, a dialogue which troubled the philosophers who heard it and will challenge Sherlockians who read it. This chapter responds to the assertion by Watson in the movie Sherlock Holmes , “You have to admit, Holmes, that a supernatural explanation to this case is theoretically possible.” It also answers the perennial but often unasked questions that plague Sherlockians and non-Sherlockians alike. On this 10 th anniversary of The Transcendent Holmes , readers of Canadian Holmes would do well to obtain a copy from Calabash Press if they do not already have one!
18 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 Sherlock Holmes Joins the Crowded List for Dummies
By Morley Wills
Morley Wills is a retired librarian living in Nova Scotia. This is his second contribution to Canadian Holmes .
t long last, Sherlock Holmes has joined the extensive list of subjects covered by Dummies.com. For almost two decades, Dummies books Ahave been providing interesting and popular introductions to hundreds of topics as diverse as technology, health, travel, hobbies, religion, finance, and food and drink. Their black and yellow covers literally grab you by the eyeballs and demand your attention. Planned and written by specialists in laying out information in both an interesting and understandable format, Dummies books have long been noted for their effectiveness in transferring and retaining in memory a broad understanding of their subject. Steven Doyle, the main author of Sherlock Holmes for Dummies, is no stranger to Sherlockians. A co-founder of Wessex Press, and the publisher of The Baker Street Journal , he has long been explaining and entertaining us with “the little things that are infinitely the most important.” 1 In his current effort, he has followed the precepts and methods of the Dummies books completely. Like all the previous books, Conventions, Sidebars and Icons are used to explain and reinforce the information presented. Conventions explain vocabulary used such as ‘Canon,’ or ‘Holmesian.’ Sidebars are shaded boxes that are found throughout the text which explain concepts not actually needed to understand the current topic. Icons are used to serve a four- fold purpose: i-information to remember; ii- technical ideas which can be skipped; iii- relevant ideas for today; and iv- tips for future activities.
The book is divided into five sections: Basics, Characterizations, Canon, Influences and, finally, Activities for the enthusiast. There are many apt illustrations spread throughout the text which both rekindle warm memories as
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 19 well as sets our thoughts on unaccustomed byways. Each section is introduced by a cartoon drawn by Rich Tenant, setting the mood for forthcoming interest as we further advance into the world of Baker Street. Now that we have the technical details covered, let’s get on to the delights: Watson’s wound, Oxford or Cambridge, Irene Adler, 221b locations, Holmes’ rivals on the Surrey Shore and elsewhere, Sigmund Freud, Martha Hudson and all those answers to the puzzling questions a short chat with Watson would soon clear up. Since neither Watson nor Holmes is available, Steve Doyle provides us with the relevant details. Naturally, there are no spoilers here. Don’t we already know the actual answers in our heart of hearts? Lastly, a few tantalizing items: 10 Sherlockian sites to visit, 10 essential books and 10 masterly sayings, all ending with a listing of the active North American scions and an index. Here, I have a definite quibble. Only scions in the United States are given. No Canadian or Mexican groups are even hinted at. With Holmes a global presence to be reckoned with, surely, such a narrow outlook could have been avoided. If space were a problem, a brief mention of Peter Blau’s Internet site of active societies 2 should have been included. To sum up, Sherlock Holmes for Dummies is an engaging in-depth guide for those who seek to get to the bottom, or even the top, of the Sherlockian World. I have seen three or four of the more recent guides published, but not the new edition of Christopher Redmond’s Sherlock Holmes Handbook ~2nd Edition~ . With that caveat , Sherlock Holmes for Dummies is a most essential book for both the casual and the committed Sherlockian.
References 1. BOSC. 2. http://www.sherlockian.net/societies/index.html
Write for Canadian Holmes! We are looking for articles, reviews, toasts and more. If you are reading these pages, you, too, can write for us. E-mail Mark today [email protected]
20 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 21 The Foundations of Sherlockian Scholarship Part IV
The BSI and the Trilogy Dinner — Holmes and Watson in Wartime By Doug Wrigglesworth, M.Bt., BSI
Doug, a retired educator, is currently Meyers of the Bootmakers of Toronto. He is a member of Sherlockian societies across Canada and around the world.
England is England yet, for all our fears ─ Only those things the heart believes are true. ……… Here, though the world explode, these two survive, And it is always eighteen ninety-five.
incent Starrett’s iconic sonnet 221b has become a Sherlockian anthem. Few who hear it, almost 70 years after its first appearance in 1942, Vconnect it with those terrible years of war in which the world watched England face such tragic and horrible events. However, Starrett’s poem reflected well the opinions and concerns of many who inhabited in their imaginations the world of Holmes and Watson and the London of 1895. In July 1940, The New York Times printed an editorial, later appearing in The Times of London, which said in part: It is twelve o'clock in London. Hitler has spoken and Lord Halifax has replied. There is no more to be said. Or is there? Is the tongue of Chaucer, of Shakespeare, of Milton, of the King James translation of the Scriptures, of Keats, of Shelley, to be hereafter, in the British Isles, the dialect of an enslaved race? As Americans listened to the unmistakable voice of Edward R. Murrow reporting the London Blitz, and Canadians listened to The Voice of Doom – Lorne Greene on CBC, many found that their hearts were with England and her people. As Murrow said of Churchill: The hour had come for him to mobilize the English language and send it into battle, a spearhead of hope for Britain and the world. He added that Churchillian prose lifted the hearts of an island of people when they stood alone. It was in this context that the ever-growing group of American Sherlockians found succour in the words of Arthur Conan Doyle – and in the escape found in the playing of the Great Sherlockian Game. 1 They played it with vigour while displaying unmatchable wit and literary acumen. Of course, the output ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous, but those who played by Dorothy Sayers’
22 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 rules – as seriously as a County Cricket Match at Lord’s and without a trace of burlesque – produced a treasure-trove of Sherlockian scholarship. In a culminating celebration, three separate collections of these literary gems were released simultaneously to the members of the Baker Street Irregulars who attended the 1944 dinner at the Murray Hill Hotel in New York on March 31. 2,3 Like Inspector Lestrade in A Study in Scarlet, most Baker Street Irregulars were no spring chickens in 1944. Even so, military service had thinned the BSI’s ranks a bit by March that year. Those still around town were excited about the BSI’s special dinner scheduled for the end of the month. In 1940, Vincent Starrett’s book 221B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes had prompted Christopher Morley to call the first BSI dinner since 1936, as a publication party. Now not one but three new books about Sherlock Holmes were coming out simultaneously, from publishers taking the occasion seriously enough to launch them with lots of publicity and ration points. 4 The occasion was marked with more than the usual press coverage (and champagne). Full-blown reviews were featured in major newspapers such as The New York Times and the long-simmering feud between the Conan Doyle estate (read Adrian and Denis Conan Doyle) and the BSI boiled over into a major but silly confrontation. The Conan Doyle sons were most upset that the Sherlockian world was portraying their father as simply Watson’s literary agent. Shortly after the release, Edgar W. Smith ( Buttons of the BSI) received the following telegram: 5
BAKER STREET IRREGULARS EDGAR SMITH
GREETINGS TO MEMBERS STOP BRITISH PUBLISHING WORLD JUST INFORMED FAMILY OF PUBLICATION QUEEN'S MISADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES STOP WE DESIRE OUR FRIENDS BAKER STREET IRREGULARS TO KNOW THAT CONAN DOYLE'S FAMILY AND BOOK WORLD CONSIDER THIS PUBLICATION A MONSTROUS PERPETRATION AND HIGHLY DETRIMENTAL TO THE GOOD NAME AND HONESTY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
ADRIAN CONAN DOYLE AND EXECUTORS 6
However, all three books were received extremely well by the rest of the world – both Sherlockian and otherwise – and are prime examples of the best of Sherlockian scholarship.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: A Textbook of Friendship, edited by Christopher Morley This was the first serious attempt to annotate the Canon, and an early prelude to the Baring Gould edition of the 1960s. [From the dust jacket] This book is a new edition of five of the best-known Sherlock Holmes stories, selected to support Christopher Morley’s thesis of studying Holmes and Watson as if they were actual people. The stories: A Study
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 23 In Scarlet, The Sign Of The Four (Two Of The Long Stories), The Final Problem, The Adventure Of The Empty House, The Adventure Of The Bruce Partington Plans. . . . All the stories are copiously annotated, the annotations providing a running commentary designed to make London of the Nineties alive and understandable to new readers. Mr. Morley also contributes a long Introduction and a most-useful Appendix, the Guide to the Complete Sherlock Holmes, containing a one-paragraph description of each Sherlock Holmes story, with the date of its first publication in book form.
The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes . Ellery Queen (ed) This is a gathering together for the first time of some of the best parodies and pastiches. [From the dust jacket]: Parody, travesty, burlesque and exact imitation by Mark Twain, Bret Harte, O. Henry, Agatha Christie and others. (It was this book that really annoyed the Conan Doyle Estate!)
Profile by Gaslight: An Irregular Reader about the Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Edgar W. Smith (ed) [From the dust jacket] Profile by Gaslight is a gay excursion into the private life of Sherlock Holmes. All the world knows that he was a great detective, and that the melodramatic highlights of his career were recorded by Conan Doyle. But how did he collect his books? Avoid his dentist? Arrange his social life? Why did he take cocaine or was that a practical joke devised to fool his friend and biographer, Dr. Watson? Was the Sherlock Holmes who miraculously returned from the supposedly fatal encounter with Professor Moriarty the same man or an imposter? In this volume, a galaxy of distinguished writers answers these and many other questions. On a personal note, these books were happily 24 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 introduced to me by the late Cameron Hollyer, first Curator of the Conan Doyle Collection of the Toronto Public Library. Along with the Baring-Gould Annotated Sherlock Holmes , they gave me a splendid introduction to Sherlockian scholarship. And also happily, they are still readily available for exploration in the ACD Collection. Once you have been convinced, there are Internet sites such as abebooks.com that offer numerous copies for sale (at a price!).
Notes [1] It was Chris Redmond who raised this idea with me. It is one I have found to be most useful in considering the early years of the BSI and other early Sherlockian organizations.
[2] See Jon Lellenberg’s Irregular History of the Mid-Forties for a detailed account of this dinner and all that led up to it — and followed.
[3] Morley, Christopher (ed), Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: A Textbook of Friendship, New York. Harcourt Brace and Company (1944).
Queen, Ellery (Pseudonym of cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee) (ed), The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes, Boston. Little Brown and Co. (1944).
Smith, Edgar W. (ed) Profile by Gaslight: An Irregular Reader about the Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, New York. Simon and Schuster (1944).
[4] Lellenberg, op. cit.
[5] Lellenberg. p. 115.
[6] This is a very early shot in what was to become a long-standing and rather strange war between the Conan Doyle estate (primarily Denis and Adrian) and the BSI and those who played the Sherlockian game. The Conan Doyle scions believed that the literary legacy of their father was being trivialized. They found it impossible to understand the very real respect in which ACD was held by the Sherlockian world.
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 25 Letters From Lomax
Musing and comments from Peggy Perdue at the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection of the Toronto Reference Library.
orking in the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, one never knows what sort of reference questions are going to come up. Last week a woman Wcame in to announce that she was planning to kill someone and needed to find an appropriate poison for the job. “Something not too common,” she continued, “not arsenic or strychnine or anything like that.” Since I knew she was one of our local mystery writers, I gladly assisted her with her murderous project. We are seeing more writers in the ACD Room lately, now that the Collection has strengthened its connections with the mystery writing community through such initiatives as co-sponsored events with the Crime Writers of Canada and last year’s Crime Writer in Residence program. One little-known side of the Collection is a good selection of resources for authors of fiction, especially those interested in criminous literature. For our would-be poisoner, I was able to recommend Deadly Doses: a writer’s guide to poisons (Serita Deborah Stevens with Anne Klarner, Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest , 1990) and The Elements of Murder: A History of Poison (John Emsley, Oxford: Oxford U. Press, 2005). Poison not your weapon of choice? Other practical guides abound. Numerous books on Victorian times are available for anyone who needs authentic details for a vintage mystery, and handbooks describing the history and inner workings of Scotland Yard would be of use for a police procedural. For the author with a case of writer’s block, the true-crime section offers a gallery of real-life criminals that might serve as muses. Unsolved Classic True Murder Cases (Richard Glyn Jones, NY: Peter Bedrick, 1987), The Art of Murder (William Roughead, NY: Sheridan House, 1943) and Murder Guide to London: an A-Z of metropolitan atrocities (Martin Fido, London: Grafton Books, 1987) are just a few. There are helpful tips for beginning crime writers in such works as The Craft of Crime: conversations with crime writers (John C. Carr, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983) and Writing Detective and Mystery Fiction (A.S. Burack ed., Boston: The Writer , 1945). Even the old-but- good Writing the Short Story (J. Berg Esenwein, Springfield, Mass: Home Correspondence School, 1928) contains helpful information. Fashions in poisons may vary, but as any fan of the Holmes stories is bound to
26 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 believe, the basic elements of a compelling story never change. A relatively new book that discusses this premise in great detail is The Seven Basic Plots: Why we tell stories (Christopher Booker, London: Continuum, 2004). In 728 pages of small, dense text, Booker discusses every imaginable aspect of storytelling (frequently referencing Sherlock Holmes or the works of Arthur Conan Doyle to make a point.) This sizeable tome is heavy enough to make a decent little murder weapon in its own right, but like the other works mentioned above, it is both interesting and informative. In addition to all these practical guides for writers, there is the inspiration that can be found in the works of Sir Arthur, an author who has kept readers turning pages eagerly for well over a century now. Here, truly, is an opportunity to learn from the best. If you’re considering taking a stab at crime writing, why not make a trip to the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection to explore some of these resources?
A Toast to The Woman
Marie Burrows of the Bimetallic Question gave this toast on July 29, 2010.
At the time I attended my first Sherlock Holmes Society meeting in Ottawa at the Canadian Press Club, I had read only one Sherlock Holmes adventure, namely The Hound of the Baskervilles . So when a member of Capital Holmes proposed a toast to The Woman, my reaction was “Who’s she?” Later, I attended a couple of meetings of The Bootmakers of Toronto where toasts to The Woman seemed to be a regular occurrence. My reaction was “What’s special about her? There are lots of women in the Canon and the only other woman to get a special toast is Mrs. Hudson.” Even I knew that Mrs. Hudson was Holmes’s landlady. A few years later, on October 11, 2007, I attended my first meeting of The Bimetallic Question. Once again, The Woman was toasted. I said to myself “She must be really special. Everybody toasts her.” David Kellett won the quiz that night and decreed that he would base the next quiz on A Scandal in Bohemia . I said to myself: “Wow! I’ll finally get to know The Woman.” The adventure itself is exciting. Holmes dresses up like a drunken groom as well as a nonconformist clergyman while the King of Bohemia hides behind a mask when he visits Holmes. Irene Adler, The Woman, is beautiful, well- dressed, talented and smart. She’s also financially independent — a rarity in those days. Furthermore, Adler has found a husband who loves her. But most importantly, she outwits the King who jilted her and dresses in drag to confront the greatest consulting detective in London. After reading A Scandal in Bohemia , my reaction is “Wow! That woman. What a woman! No wonder that Sherlockians everywhere sing her praises.” Please raise your glasses now to The Woman. Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 27 ews Notes from across the country
Halifax — Would anyone like to play Sherlockian Jeopardy? How about taking a bus tour of the Norwood Builder's stomping grounds? Six members of the Spence Munros did not one but both of these activities at the June 27, 2010, meeting, held at the home of Mark and JoAnn Alberstat in Dartmouth. And we also enjoyed strawberry shortcake made with fresh tea biscuits and Nova Scotia berries. While the group sat on the deck on a fine summer day, Morley Wills hosted Sherlockian Jeopardy, complete with game board. Everyone enjoyed the game, despite being stumped by many a question about the story, The Norwood Builder . Mark won the quiz with 42 points out of a possible 100 and claimed two Sherlockian CDs as a prize. Richard Brown gave a presentation on a bus tour of South London that he took with other members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London and guests from around the world on May 26, 2007. The tour was lead by renowned Sherlockian Bernard Davies. Morley Wills and his Richard read excerpts from his travel diary and Sherlockian Jeopardy illustrated his talk with photos. A 1950s bus took board the group of about 20 people to various sites mentioned in The Sign of the Four, A Study in Scarlet and such story adventures as Cardboard Box and Six Napoleans . Most relevant to the current meeting was the drive through Upper Norwood, setting for The Norwood Builder . The places visited from that tale included the builder's house and the Anerley Arms pub. The group also saw Doyle’s house in South/Lower Norwood. The Spence Munros also met on October 3, 2010, at The Spitfire Arms pub in Windsor, Nova Scotia to discuss The Adventure of the Priory School . Although Morley was unable to attend, he did send in his prepared quiz. At this meeting the club welcomed new member Suzanne MacNeil.
Montreal — On June 3, 2010, more than a dozen members atteneded a meeting of the Bimetallic Question. Among the topics discussed was Paul Billette's encounter with the Sherlock Holmes Society in Paris. Also on the agenda was a discussion and quiz on The Adventure of the Missing-Three Quarter . Carol
28 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 Abramson scored 57 of a possible 65 points to come away with first place. The quiz was prepared by Roger Burrows. July 29, 2010, saw 16 members of the society meet at the Westmount Library. The customary round of toasts were given, including one reproduced on page nine. At this meeting the toasts started with the fifth one and worked their way backwards to the first. Mietek Padowicz gave his review of the recent BBC Sherlock series. According to Mietek, “It’s a mystery in the style of Spooks and Midsomer mixed together. A gentle dose of humour and some wonderful use of special effects that aid exposition and demonstrate the methods of deduction as practiced by our hero … These are the same people we know and love, just in 2010.” There was also a report and discusssion on the Bennington, Vermont, symposium Sherlock Holmes: The Man and His Worlds . A quiz on The Adventure of the Second Stain was prepared by Carol Abramson. Roger Burrows scored the best with 98 out of a possible 100 points.
Regina — July 24th saw a gathering of Regina's Irregulars in the garden of Therese Gerrond. After an excellent al fresco pot-luck supper, members discussed The Gothic Conan Doyle: the Supernatural in the Holmes Stories and other Short Fiction by Arthur Conan Doyle. This featured three stories from the Canon: The Illustrious Client , The Sussex Vampire and The Three Gables, together with three other non-Holmes Conan Doyle stories : The Captain of the Pole-Star , John Barrington Cowles and The Parasite . There was no “almost inevitable” quiz on this occasion, the members moving inside Thereses’ house to watch the new BBC TV Sherlock series A Study in Pink to conclude the evening.
Vancouver — On May 2, 2010, 12 Stormy Petrels met at the home of Peter and Audrey Wood. Len Haffenden mentioned The Naval Treaty , reminding all that we are now in the Centennial year of the founding of the Royal Canadian Navy. Orilea Martell gave a well-researched talk on how ACD became a knight. The story under discussion at this meeting was The Three Garridebs . On June 26, the club met again, this time for a trip to their own Reichenbach Falls, Shannon Falls, just south of the town of Squamish. This is the first time the club has met here in two years due to road construction. After viewing the falls, the dozen Petrels retreated to drier ground at the base of the falls and enjoyed a picnic lunch. The club played a round of “Getting Gertie’s Garter,” a ring-toss game with Canonical connections invented by the late Petrel Frank Darlington. President Fran Martin tossed a wreath into the rushing torrent in memory of the Master. Afterwards, the group adjourned to Toad Hall for some coffee, cakes and Petrellian hospitality.
Meeting notes are compiled by co-editor JoAnn Alberstat. Submissions are encouraged.
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 29 OOTMAKERS’ DIARY
… it is a page from some private diary. - The Five Orange Pips
Editor’s Note: Thanks go out to Donny Zaldin and Trevor Raymond for reporting on recent Bootmaker activities.
Saturday, July 17, 2010: The Silver Blaze Event (at Woodbine Race Course, Toronto) Thirty Bootmakers and guests attend this year’s 23rd annual consecutive Bootmakers of Toronto Silver Blaze Event in the fourth-floor Post Parade dining lounge at Woodbine Race Course, arranged by Colonel Ross, Karen Campbell . Everyone enjoys the varied and delicious buffet lunch and all those assembled wish Trevor Raymond a full and speedy recovery and sign a “Get Well Soon” card. Donny Zaldin and Barbara Rusch hold their 13th Annual Non-Consecutive Silver Blaze Event Betting Contest , won by punter Dave Sanders . Bruce Aikin achieves a perfect score by answering every question in a short quiz about the story, first published in The Strand Magazine in December 1892. There is also a contest and accompanying prize for finding the best Sherlockian link from the name of one of the entered horses, its programme number, jockey, owner, trainer or colours. The third race field includes Bold Maneuver , Ring Bling , She’s the Umpire , Wiggle and a Wink , Miss Olie , Knocker and three horses with the name Silver in their name ( Essence of Silver , Silver Sands and Silver Pizzazz). Bold Maneuver lives up to his name and wins the race. The winning betting contest entry is submitted by Margot French for Bold Maneuver , which aptly describes trainer Silas Brown’s attempt to conceal the Wessex Cup favourite by covering over his characteristic silver blaze. Honourable mentions go to Dave Sanders for Wiggle and a Wink , which he possibly attributes to the racing tout, Fitzroy Simpson, in trying to bribe Straker’s maid Edith Baxter to feed stableboy Ned Hunter curried mutton laced with powdered opium; to Barbara Rusch for Knocker , because Mrs. Hudson knocked up (i.e.- woke up) Holmes, who knocked up Watson in The Speckled Band ; and to Goldie Rash for her Ring Bling , which may describe any number of the valuable jewels and gems
30 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 recovered by Holmes. The respective winners of the Quiz, the (notional) Betting Contest and the Sherlockian Connection Contest each receive a Dick Francis mystery book about horseracing. Six Bootmakers chosen by random draw, Susan Adams , Dave Drennan , Margot French , Arlene Gelman , Doris Goldfarb and Victoria Thomason , present an engraved trophy of a racehorse to the winning jockey/trainer/owner combination in the winner’s circle following the race.
Thursday 24 th June –Sunday 27 th June, 2010 A number of Sherlockians gather in the idyllic setting of Bennington, Vermont, for Sherlock Holmes: The Man and his Worlds , a symposium jointly sponsored by Bennington College and The Baker Street Breakfast Club. The weekend features learned papers, Sherlockian films, musical entertainment, a fine banquet, and, of course, hearty Sherlockian fellowship. Canadian Bootmakers on the program are Peter Calamai, whose Friday morning presentation is called Where It’s Always 1895, and George Vanderburgh, who speaks on Saturday about Solar Pons of Praed Street . Also present from north of the border are Bootmakers Mary Calamai and Edwin Van der Flaes .
Friday August 6 th – Sunday August 8 th , 2010:Conference: The Spirits of Sherlock Holmes The Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota (EMPT) and the Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections at Minnesota held a three-day conference at the University of Minnesota Libraries Archives and Special Collections at Minneapolis, titled The Spirits of Sherlock Holmes . The conference and concomitant exhibit explored the many meanings of the word “spirits” and how they relate to Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle and the Victorian Era. A local Bootmakers of Toronto contingent of nine ( Bob Coghill , Cliff Goldfarb , Doris Goldfarb , Dayna Nuhn , Peggy Perdue , Barbara Rusch , George Vanderburgh , Donny Zaldin and Ihor Mayba of Winnipeg) were treated with gracious hospitality by the scion society, its members and the Library, wined and dined at two private receptions and at a formal banquet, and entertained and informed by the clever, scholarly and witty presentations and the Exhibit of the Allen Mackler Collection. The Conference was led by conference co-chairs Gary Thaden and Michael Eckman , society president and secretary-treasurer, respectively, aided by collection curator Tim Johnson . Speakers and Topics: Ray Betzner, BSI : “221B”; A Study in Starrett Library Panel: Tim Johnson (Minnesota), Catherine Cooke BSI (Marylebone, U.K.), Neil McCaw (Portsmouth), Peggy Perdue (Toronto): current state of affairs and future directions Steve Rothman, BSI : Stranded on the Shelves: A Leaf through The Saturday Review
Canadian Holmes Fall 2010 31 Gideon Hill, MD, BSI : Vintage and Spirited (Dr. John H. Watson, Alcoholic?) Russell Merritt, BSI (delivered by Julie McKuras, ASH, BSI ): The Curious Case of Holmes in Silent Cinema Jon Lellenberg BSI and Richard Sveum, MD, BSI : The Great Game: A Debate Covering the Founding of Sherlockian Scholarship Les Klinger, BSI : Sherlock Holmes and the Spirit of Detective Fiction (according to Raymond Chandler) Evelyn Herzog, BSI, ASH : Boys and Girls Together (BSI and ASH) Brad Kefauver, BSI, ASH : Rewriting History … Again Tim Reich : Guy de Maupassant’s “Le Horla” and the Haunting of Sherlock Holmes Susan E. Dahlinger, BSI, ASH : Haunting Libraries in Search of a Guaranteed Medium The Red-Throated League of the Norwegian Explorers - Play : The Giant Rat of Sumatra Barbara Rusch, BSI : Update on upcoming conference at Toronto, October 13-16, 2011 titled A Study in Scandal (SinS).
Wednesday, 25 August, 2010 A Real Sherlock Holmes Mystery says a headline in today’s Toronto Star , which features a four-column illustrated article occasioned by the purchase in England of a letter Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in Stockholm not long before his death. It was brought to Toronto by the author of the article, Peter Edwards , who writes about The Friends of the Arthur Canon Doyle Collection and the Bootmakers. Three local Sherlockians are quoted in the report: Bob Coghill , Hartley Nathan and Doug Wrigglesworth .
Tuesday, 31 August, 2010 Master Bootmaker and former Meyers (1989), Doug Elliott , now a resident of Australia, is briefly in town, and dines at C’est What? this evening with Cliff Goldfarb , Betty and Garth Hazlett , and Nancy and Doug Wrigglesworth . The previous day, he had lunch with Meyers and Peggy Perdue .
Saturday, September 25, 2010: Story Meeting The Bruce-Partington Plans Some 65 Bootmakers enjoy an evening that features four scholarly papers examining Sherlockian Submarines (Garry Marnoch) , Sherlockian Constitutions (Chris Redmond) , Sherlockian and Victorian Honour, (Bruce Aikin) , and a possible Sherlockian Torpedo (Hartley Nathan and Joe Kessel) . The evening is enhanced by the song stylings of Karen Campbell and Craig Brtnik with a witty Sherlockian rendition of Yellow Submarine , and a challenging quiz by the Quizzards, Donny Zaldin and Barbara Rusch . Mrs. Hudson (Lily Swartz and Arlene Stone Gelman) lays out a splendid spread honouring the cuisine of Goldini’s itself. A grand evening of Sherlockian fun was had by all.
32 Canadian Holmes Fall 2010
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