Sherlock Holmes C O L L E C T I O
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September 2015 Volume 19 Number 3 March 2009 D S O F N Volume 13 Number 1 E T 50 Years Ago...Continued from Page 3 I H R E bottle of Courvoisier plus one fifth of the history of the scion mentioned earlier, The physical book is an interesting F New Jersey cognac, with the note: ‘Tell Thomas Hart reports that a publication artifact in itself, featuring quarter bind- the bartender to serve the Courvoisier fund was established as early as 1952 ing with textured morocco-colored first. Then by the time the Sons get to (with the princely sum of $4.00.) Hart, as endpapers of the same stock as the the New Jersey cognac, they may not treasurer of the Publication Committee, covers. spot the difference’” (250). Today, goes on to apologize to the membership Lellenberg says of Starr, “I’m convinced for “his many exhortations for funds, and Leaves from The Copper Beeches was fol- Sherlock Holmes that Julian Wolff [who took over leader- many stern admonitions against failure, lowed up by a second volume, More ship of the Baker Street Irregulars under made at meetings” over the years. Leaves from The Copper Beeches, in COLLECTIONS the title “Commissionaire” after Smith’s 1976. The Sons are still flourishing as untimely death in 1960] would have an active scion society; perhaps some- “Your merits should be publicly recognized” (STUD) retired as Commissionaire sooner than he day we will be able to look forward to did if Bill Starr had not died at a some- a third volume. what early age in 1976 and had been Contents around in the early ’80s to take over.” John Bergquist, BSI Francine and Wayne Swift By Peter E. Blau, ASH, BSI Leaves from The Copper Beeches was par- Francine and Wayne Swift tially financed by contributions from Illustration by H.W. Starr, captioned “The appeal t has been said that marriages between two Sherlockians are the most permanent. members of the Sons, who are listed in for the Publication Fund,” printed in Jon 1 Many Sherlockians have found it easy enough to persuade a spouse to enjoy the Lellenberg’s Irregular Crises of the Late ’Forties the acknowledgments. In his memoir of Sherlockian world, but when two people who already are Sherlockians marry they (New York, 1999) 100 Years Ago I will sooner or later merge their collections, as well as their lives. And there is no custody battle, whether over the car, the house, the pets, or the children, that can possi- 2 bly match the difficulty of dividing a collection that has no duplicates. A Letter From a Friend So for two Sherlockians it’s a matter only of the better, and never the worse. That cer- 50 Years Ago tainly was true of Wayne B. Swift and Francine Morris, who were Sherlockians when 3 they met for the first time. Francine started her Sherlockian life in Texas, where she was Remembrances a librarian; she founded The Sub-Librarians Scion of the Baker Street Irregulars in the From the President American Library Association, and In supporting the Sherlock Holmes Collections, many donors have made 4 was one of the founders of The contributions either in honor or in memory of special persons. Practical, But Limited, Geologists at an informal luncheon in the Zodiac In Honor Of From Musings Room at Nieman Marcus in Dallas. Peter Blau Arthur E.F. Wiese Jr. 4 When she moved to Washington she Fred Levin Cliff Goldfarb quickly became a member of The Red Circle, and was one of the ring- In Memory Of From An Update from leaders in planning the society’s full- Paul Churchill John Baesch and Evelyn Herzog For any inquiries contact: the Collections fledged costume party at the Paul Churchill Thomas Drucker Timothy J. Johnson, Curator 5 National Press Club. Paul Churchill Warren Randall 612-624-3552 or Wayne was from Nebraska, an elec- Joseph Gillies Michael Kean [email protected] of The Sherlock Photo courtesy Holmes Collections Allen Mackler Patricia Nelson Recent Acquisitions Wayne and Francine Swift trical engineer and a teacher, and an Allen Mackler Once Upon A Crime Mystery Bookstore Sherlock Holmes Collections 5 early convert to the world of com- Allen Mackler Philip Swiggum Suite 111, Elmer L. Andersen Library puters. When he moved to Washington he decided to take an adult-education course in Beatrice McCaffrie John Lockwood University of Minnesota Sherlock Holmes at a local community college and soon attended his first Sherlockian E.W. McDiarmid Michael Brahmey 222 21st Ave. S. To the Editor function, a running of The Silver Blaze (Southern Division) at Pimlico Race Track in E.W. McDiarmid Jim DeLeo Minneapolis, MN 55455 6 Maryland, where he and Francine quickly discovered they shared more than an interest E.W. McDiarmid Jeffrey Klaus Telephone: 612-626-9166 in Sherlock Holmes. They courted , and wed, and had many happy years together, shar- E. W. McDiarmid Peter Klaus FAX: 612-625-5525 ing a multitude of interests, Sherlockian and otherwise. Robert Pattrick Vincent Brosnan A Beacon of the Future Mailing list corrections requested— Wayne became a member of The Baker Street Irregulars in 1978 (as “The Giant Rat of Jan Stauber Alexian Gregory Because of the high cost of returned newsletters, 6 Jan Stauber Francine and Richard Kitts we would appreciate being informed of changes Sumatra”). Francine became a member of The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes in Tom Stix Karen Anderson of address or other corrections. 1977 (as “Hatty Doran”) and was honored by the BSI as The Woman in 1983, and Dr. Richard Sturtz William Sturtz Remembrances awarded her Irregular Shilling and Investiture in 1994 (as “The Wigmore Street Post Timothy J. Johnson, Curator Dear Friends: 8 Continued on page 6 8 Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections 1 In profiling Carolyn Wells in your most recent issue, you’ve overlooked several of her strong Sherlockian credentials. Wells (1862- 1942) was born in Rahway, New Jersey, and despite being deaf from early childhood, wrote more than 80 books of crime fiction, parodies, and humorous verse. Among her nonfiction titles isThe Technique of the Mystery Story: A Complete Practical Study of the Theory and Structure of the Form with Examples from the Best Mystery Writers. Springfield, MA: The Home Correspondence School (1913, issued in a “new and revised edition” in 1929). The book includes numerous examples from the Canon—she references Doyle 25 times!—and includes much sound analysis of what makes the Holmes stories effective. Wells was apparently a favorite of the Senior and Junior Editors of The Bookman magazine (Harry Thurston Peck and Arthur Sherlock Holmes Bartlett Maurice) and was a frequently-published correspondent, often on the subject of Holmes and Doyle. The May 1902 COLLECTIONS issue of The Bookman included her charming poem, “A Ballade of Detection”: “Your merits should be publicly recognized” (STUD) Savants there be who joy to read Of lofty themes in words that glow; Others prefer the poet’s screed Where liquid numbers softly flow. Contents A Travel-Worn and Battered Box Others in Balzac interest show, By Ray Betzner, BSI Or by Dumas are much impressed; Some seek grim novels full of woe— I like Detective Stories best. A Travel-Worn and ne of the great dreams Battered Box of any Sherlock Holmes To my mind nothing can exceed devotee is to find Dr. The tales of Edgar Allan Poe, 1 Watson’s travel-worn and Of Anna Katherine Green I’ve need, O battered tin dispatch- Du Boisgobey, Gaboriau; box, jammed full of notes on the I’ve Conan Doyle’s works all a-row, 100 Years Ago unrecorded cases of Sherlock And Ottolengui and the rest; Holmes. What magical hours one How other books seem tame and slow! 2 could have sorting through the con- I like Detective Stories best. tents. What unexpected treasures would it contain? The dim, elusive clues mislead, 50 Years Ago Hiding the mystery below; Some of the same experience comes To fearful pitch my mind is keyed, 3 to mind when contemplating the Opinion shuttles to and fro! latest major library acquisition: a Successive shocks I undergo box full of items relating to Vincent Ere the solution may be guessed; From the President Starrett (October 26, 1886 – Janu- Arguments and discussions grow— ary 5, 1974). As many of you would I like Detective Stories best. 4 know, Starrett was a founding mem- ber of The Baker Street Irregulars, ENVOY: author of the seminal work The Sherlock, thy subtle powers I know, Acquisitions Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1933) Spirit of search, incarnate quest, 4 and for several decades one of the To thee the laurel wreath I throw— nation’s great bookmen, amassing I like Detective Stories best. For any inquiries contact: (and sometimes selling) great collec- Photo by Tim Johnson Timothy J. Johnson, Curator Musings tions about Holmes, Stephen Crane, A woman after our own hearts! 612-624-3552 or Robert L. Stevenson, Arthur Machen [email protected] 4 and others. He was an influential book reviewer and columnist in his adopted city of Chi- Regards, cago, where his “Books Alive” column was a mainstay for decades. Les Klinger Sherlock Holmes Collections Suite 111, Elmer L. Andersen Library An Update From the The University of Minnesota library already has one of the best public collections relating to University of Minnesota Collections Starrett. It’s appropriate, then, that this box has been added to the existing collection. 222 21st Ave. S. Purchased from a book dealer in St. Louis earlier this year, the banker’s box of Starrett Remembrances Minneapolis, MN 55455 5 memorabilia offers tempting glimpses into one of the great popular-culture bookmen of the early 20th century.