“I AM AN OMNIVOROUS READER” Book reviews by LISA BURSCHEIDT, GUY MARRIOTT, MARK MOWER, JOHN SHEPPARD, JEAN UPTON, NICHOLAS UTECHIN and ROGER JOHNSON A Study in Postcards: Sherlock Holmes in the problematical. He says that “it is hard to see Golden Age of the Picture Postcard by Sarah what piece of stunning new evidence or Obermuller-Bennett. The Sherlock Holmes deduction may be offered after more than a Society of London , 2019. 40pp. £6.00 including century.” This is close to saying that the subject postage (pbk) is closed. And, having reviewed the Has this particular topic been covered in commentaries, Nick proposes to settle the depth before? Sarah Obermuller-Bennett argument by noting that eighteen commentators presents some gems from her collection of have favoured Oxford, against eight for classic Holmesian postcards, beautifully Cambridge. I shall just make two observations: reproduced, with fascinating background details. Nick’s Oxford votes include those of Michael There are advertising cards for The Strand and Molly Hardwick, who wrote in 1962: “… we Magazine , and other, less obvious products. I will merely plump for Oxford. In spirit we have love the cards publicising plays: William encountered Holmes in the High; we have never Gillette is here, of course, and H.A. Saintsbury yet so much as caught the flutter of his and Eille Norwood, but do you know the French undergraduate’s gown in Christ’s Pieces,” and actor Firmin Gémier, or the Icelandic Bjarni Martin Edwards, who said in 2018: “I’d like to Bjornsson? A 1907 picture of Exeter Theatre claim that he was a Balliol man… Trouble is, Royal shows that Kenneth Rivington was evidence is rather thin on the ground. Perhaps playing the lead there in Sherlock Holmes — but I’ll have to make some up.” (I don’t believe the the 1917 photo of a Hastings cobbler with his Hardwicks or Martin Edwards claim that these prize marrows is extraordinary: in his shop contributions offer much in the way of window is a poster for Gillette’s play, starring H scholarship.) And Roger Johnson observed in Hamilton Stewart! Its inclusion in this book writing about our first debate, at the 2009 BSI demonstrates Sarah’s acute eye, as does the 1921 Dinner: “I’ve long believed that Sherlock picture of the Town Hall in Wivelscombe, Holmes was an Oxonian, but Guy’s ingenious featuring a poster for the long since lost 1914 argument for Cambridge, based on the film A Study in Scarlet . I’m delighted to see light forbidden, dangerous and undeniably exciting shed on this rather obscure aspect of practice of ‘night climbing’ there, easily Sherlockiana. trumped Nick’s outrageous fabrication of RJ evidence for Oxford." But overall this is a useful summary, and I The Controversity: Was Sherlock Holmes at would urge all those interested in the arguments Oxford or Cambridge? compiled and edited by to purchase this monograph whilst stocks last. Nicholas Utechin. Nicholas Utechin , 2019. (The Controversity is published in a limited 40pp. £10 including postage * (pbk) edition of 100 copies. Contact Nick Utechin at Nick Utechin’s early monograph, Sherlock [email protected].) Holmes at Oxford, was first published in 1977, GM and he has long argued for Oxford as Holmes’s [*Not, as in the printed Journal , £10 plus university. (I must declare an interest, as I have postage. Apologies for the error. Ed.] argued for Cambridge in debate with Nick on three occasions.) Watson Does Not Lie: A Chronology of Here are texts and summaries of the Sherlock Holmes and John H Watson by Paul arguments on each side. Nothing of consequence Thomas Miller. Wildside Press , 2019. 184pp. is missing, and Nick added no further thoughts £11.99 (pbk) of his own beyond those in his earlier “Too many chronologists resorted to monograph. In itself, this approach is good and claiming either Watson lied, or could not read useful, but the author’s conclusions seem his own notes,” says Paul Miller. “Such ideas are scandalous. I wanted a chronology built upon the everything wrong (but has he? most idea of Watson’s words as facts. Since I could commentators say no). And for good measure not find one, I created one.” The result is a you’ll get beaten up by the savage stalker, who valuable addition to the chronologies of Bell, I’ll then tell you is the good guy…” The Christ, Zeisler and the others, though the dogma “musings” were first published in The Petrel of Watson’s invariable veracity will certainly Flyer . This wider publication in more permanent prove controversial. form is well merited. For instance, the assertion that Watson had RJ six wives is far less believable than the “impossible” notion that he was occasionally lax Sherlock Holmes Goes Forth , 2018. 207pp. or economical with the truth. As Father Brown £7.99 (pbk) observed, “Tell me that the great Mr Gladstone, Upon the Chaldean Roots of the Ancient in his last hours, was haunted by the ghost of Cornish Language, with Observations on the Parnell, and I will be agnostic about it. But tell Early Tin Trade in West Cornwall , 2019. me that Mr Gladstone, when first presented to 86pp. £4.81 (pbk) Queen Victoria, wore his hat in her drawing- Sherlock Holmes’ ‘The Art of Detection’ , room and slapped her on the back and offered 2019. 395pp. £12.14 (pbk) her a cigar, and I am not agnostic at all. That is Sherlock and Porlock: A Study of Literary not impossible; it’s only incredible. But I’m Influence in the Sherlock Holmes Stories , much more certain it didn’t happen than that 2019. 188pp. £7.32 (pbk) Parnell’s ghost didn’t appear…” The Sherlock Holmes Ultimate Smoking Nevertheless, the book is a significant Companion , 2019. 287pp. £8.54 (pbk) contribution to Holmesian scholarship, despite All five titles, published by Cunning Crime one careless error: “ The Sign of the Four takes Books, are the work of the almost legendary place four months before the first known Kelvin I Jones. For the Society’s recent publication of A Study in Scarlet , and yet in it, excursion to Kent, Bob Ellis printed a special Watson tells us he had already ‘embodied it in a edition of Kelvin’s 1980 monograph Sherlock small brochure with the somewhat fantastic title Holmes and the South Eastern , which has of A Study in Scarlet .’” Sorry, no. Sign is prompted him to plan a revised and enlarged (correctly) dated here to July 1888, eight months version covering all Holmes’s rail connections. after the publication of Study in November 1887. Meanwhile we have these recent volumes. In RJ Sherlock Holmes Goes Forth are fifteen essays, selected from the many published in journals Sherlockian Musings: Thoughts on the and anthologies on both sides of the ocean. Upon Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sheldon Goldfarb. the Chaldean Roots… is presented as the thesis MX Publishing , 2019. 300pp. £11.99 (pbk) that occupied Holmes before the dramatic arrival Dr Goldfarb surveys each of the sixty stories, of Messrs Roundhay and Tregennis, and lighting upon all sorts of points that others may Sherlock Holmes’ ‘The Art of Detection’ not have considered. The style is friendly and purports to be the book to which Holmes said he informal, but always intelligent and thoughtful. would devote his declining years. Both are Of “The Empty House”, for instance: “Watson’s convincing, in style and substance. The subtitle bereavement, presumably the death of Mrs of Sherlock and Porlock , revised and expanded Watson, is almost a cheery note. The gesture from the original 1984 edition, is self- towards grown-up living, marriage, domesticity explanatory. The Ultimate Smoking Companion — that can all be forgotten now. Watson and reprints the 1981 monograph “Thank You, Holmes can be adventuring boys again, and will Watson — The Matches!” , with additional be.” Of “Lady Frances Carfax”: “Poor Watson. articles by Al Shaw, Wendy Heyman-Marsaw, He’s feeling old and rheumatic, and look how James C O’Leary, John L Hicks, R.D. Holmes treats him: Go to Lausanne, track down Sherbrooke-Walker and Mr Jones, plus stories Lady Frances, keep me informed — But then I’ll by David Marcum, Roger Johnson and Mr show up unexpectedly and tell you you’ve done Jones. There’s plenty of interest and entertainment here (though my “Disjecta Cut to: Baker Street — The On-Screen Membra” may confuse, as it wasn’t intended for Adventures of Holmes and Watson by Nicko publication). Vaughan. MX Publishing , 2019. 190pp. £12.99 RJ (pbk) Dr Vaughan says that she’s always written Keep Clear: My Adventures With Asperger’s with young and “casual” readers in mind. Her by Tom Cutler. Scribe , 2019. 352pp. £14.99 new book should appeal to them; it certainly (pbk) appeals to me. As a dedicated veteran reader, Tom Cutler is a bestselling author of with a special interest in dramatic and comedic humorous books, including the Amazon presentations of Holmes and Watson, I find Cut number-one 211 Things a Bright Boy Can Do . In to: Baker Street a helpful reference source, 2016 he was identified as being on the autism alongside Alan Barnes’s Sherlock Holmes on spectrum. This, he says, was the happiest day of Screen and others (including the invaluable his life. The diagnosis enabled him to make IMDB). The text doesn’t include full credits, but sense of many aspects of his life, including it covers the essentials, and it’s complemented obsessions with road-sign designs, magic tricks by Georgia Grace Weston’s witty drawings. and Sherlock Holmes. Honest, witty and Exceptionally useful is the inclusion of internet- informative, this is an important and valuable only and computer game productions, though book on many levels.