The District Messenger THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SOCIETY OF LONDON no. 69 21st January 1988 210, RAINSFORD ROAD, CHELMSFORD, ESSEX. CM1 2PD Please note my new address, which, will be operative from the 29th. January. There are 2 new facsimile editions of BEETON'S CHRISTMAS ANNUAL 1887. That from Magico is a nice, hardwearing, hardbound book on acid -free paper, with a bibliographical introduction by Catherine Cooke, the 1960 publisher's note by Edgar W. Smith & a nice dustj acket by Scott Bond. Much more expensive is John Michael Gibson's, but this is a completely accurate facsimile, coloured ads, paper covers & all. Both may be had from Rupert Books ( 59 Stonefield, Bar Hill, Cambridge CB3 8TE) . Rupert has 3 special offers: the BIBLIOCTOPUS poster ( 18 "x 24 ") based on the dustj acket of the 1st edition of THE ADVENTURES ( £5) ; Pointer's THE PUBLIC LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, mint & signed ( £5) ; ACD's ESSAYS ON PHOTOGRAPHY, mint ( £4. 50) - all prices exclude postage. From John Mayhew. Rosenstell's ( 35 Markham Street, London SW3 3NR) stock a good print ( 20 "x 30 ", code no. EG 52) of John O'Connor's beautiful atmospheric painting ST PANCRAS HOTEL & STATION FROM PENTONVILLE ROAD, SUNSET 1884, at £14 + VAT. From Lynne Godden: ENJOYING SHERLOCK HOLMES, a Day School, will be held at the Cornwallis Lecture Theatre, Gulbenkian Building, University of Kent at Canterbury on Sat. 13 February. Lecturers: Agnes Cardinal & Michael Hardwick. Fee: £11. 50; closing date 29 January. Application forms from The Tutorial Organiser, School of Continuing Education, Rutherford College, The University, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NX ( phone Canterbury 764000 ext. 7647) . Also from Lynne: The Bradford Exchange Ltd, ( London Office, 24 -28 London Road, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 7BR) offers a limited edition plate, Douglas Tootle's SHERLOCK HOLMES, first item in their Toby Eccentrics series ( £23. 95 - write for order form) . Since DM 68, I. Wood has had a letter from Tahtsa Ventures, apologising for the delay in production of the Holmes humidor. Stanley MacKenzie tells me that the 4th & last in the series of Holmes commemorative stamp books, based on "The Final Problem ", will be available at £1 on 26 January. From Catherine Cooke: Westminster City Library is selling the Godfrey Edition of Old Ordnance Survey Maps of the City at £1. 20 each ( "The West End ", in 2 editions - 1870 & 1914 - covers Baker Street south of Marylebone Road; there are 9 others, of more or less Sherlockian significance) . These very large -scale maps also contain early photographs & historical notes. Available from the Archives Department at Marylebone Library ( Marylebone Road, London NW1 5PS) & Victoria Library ( 160 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9UD) . "This northern air is bracing ". For those who live in those parts, there's now an offshoot of the Society called THE NORTHERN MUSGRAVES, pledged to meetings, outings & a magazine. The leader ( The Woman) is Kathryn White; contact her at 149 Myrtle Terrace, Cross Roads, Keighley BD22 9AJ. There are 3 Musgraves at present ( besides Kathryn, there's Carol Whitlam & David Stuart Davies) ; a promising start for a worthwhile venture. HERITAGE magazine for December/January ( £1. 80) has a ½ page article about Holmes. Longman's simplified texts from THREE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES are out in nice new editions illustrated with coloured photos from the Granada TV series ( £1. 25) each. THE SHERLOCK HOLMES REVIEW vol. 1 no. 3/4 ( $5) has good interviews with Jeremy Brett & Peter Cushing, articles by Al Rodin & Jack Key and others, and an account of the Great Swiss Pilgrimage by Inspector G. Lestrade ( available from 3209 East 10th Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47401, USA) . Next issue I'll review THE QUEST FOR SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE: THIRTEEN BIOGRAPHERS IN SEARCH OF A LIFE, edited by Jon L. Lellenberg, and JACK THE RIPPER: THE BLOODY TRUTH by Melvin Harris. .