The Sherlock Holmes Murder File

Here's a great reference book for Sherlockians.

'The Sherlock Holmes Murder File' (1985) is a great concept. The book acts as a reference book that catalogs and describes murders and attempted murders in the canon. The book has individual sections organized by victim, assailant, weapon used (method), and motive. The description of each victim is detailed, and draws conclusions about cause of death.

The book was authored by Kelvin I Jones, an English writer who published multiple books on Sherlock Holmes (https://thecwa.co.uk/find-an-author/jones-kelvin) and was published by Magico Magazine in 1985. The book includes an introduction by Marv Aronson BSI, who at the time was Chief Medical Examiner for the City of Philadelphia (you can read about Marv in his 2014 obituary here: https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/10/remembering-marv-aronson-bsi.html). 

Multiple copies of the book are available for purchase at the usual places (ebay, etc), and it's a great resource organized around a the theme of murder and attempted murder - and as such excludes victims of other crimes in the canon such as blackmail. There is certainly interpretation required by Jones, and room for disagreement in some of the conclusions he draws, but it is thorough analysis.

The books is 9'' x 6'' in gilt-lettered blue boards and 104 pages. I have to say I've never liked the Magico covers with their odd faux leather. They appear dated.

It's not clear how many copies of the book were published, but my copy states that 44 are numbered and signed.

The Table of Contents.

Example of the entry for Brunton in The Musgrave Ritual

Calling Simon Goodenough - the Sherlock Holmes Murder Dossiers

One of my favorite set of Sherlockian books are the "murder dossier" style books produced by Simon Goodenough in the early 1980s, and published by Webb and Bower UK. These books are not pastiches, they are created in the style of murder dossier books that were created by  (http://www.denniswheatley.info/crimedossiers.htm) J.G. Links and Dennis Wheatley in the 1930s. These dossiers are composed of a collation of case documents (police reports, interviews, photographs, and actual physical evidence), and traditionally acted as a presentation of evidence. At the rear of the dossier (bound in a cardboard folder and bound with string or ribbon) is a sealed section, and once the reader has decided "whodunnit", the section can be unsealed for a full explanation of the facts.

There were THREE such books created by Simon Goodenough and colleagues (including Malcolm Couch (dossier design), Matin Chambers (photography), Caroline Bidwell , Leslie Dominey) published in the early 1980s:

- A Study In Scarlet, 1983

- The Sign of Four, 1985

- The Hound of the Baskervilles, 1985

Webb & Bower also re-published the original Links/Wheatley books in the early 1980s, so they clearly saw an opportunity to re-launch the 'murder dossier' format.

The Webb & Bower catalog showing the reprints of the four J.G. Links murder dossiers (Murder Off Miami, The Malinsay Massacre, Who Killed Robert Prentice, and Herewith The Clues), and the three Simon Goodenough dossiers based on the Sherlock Holmes stories (The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Sign of Four, and Study in Scarlet).

I want to know more about this series was created - it's a wonderful Sherlockian effort ! 

I've been trying to track down Simon and speak to/interview him about creating these books. I wonder if he's connected to any Sherlockians out there? I have little information on Simon Goodenough but know he is British and was/is based in the UK. It appears his last publication credit was for 1997 ('Celtic Mythology') and he was active authoring/creating books in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

Similarly, Webb & Bower (Exeter, Devon) were the originating publishing house for these books. The company was formed by Richard Webb, who has a website on the history of his organization: https://www.dartmouthbooks.co.uk/richardwebb.htm but I've been unable to make contact with Richard. Similarly, the second founder Delian Bower hasn't been able to be contacted: https://exeter.cylex-uk.co.uk/company/delian-bower-publishing-18785943.html 

And so - if anyone associated with the Sherlock Holmes murder dossiers sees this post, please get in touch! (cispt2 at gmail dot com). I'd dearly like to write a Sherlockian article about this unique set of books, and have many questions.

Below are photographs from two of the three publications, as examples of the construction, and inserts.

The cover of Hound of the Baskervilles and publication details. Note that the dossier is bound with the original red ribbon, and all documents are bound into the dossier by this ribbon.

An example of physical evidence recreated in the HOUN dossier: the envelope to Sir Henry Baskerville is inserted and can be opened, and inside the envelope is the warning note: "As you value your life or your reason, keep away from the MOOR". Actually pasting the words onto the paper was understandably a bridge too far - the note is photocopied from an original!

The cover of A Study in Scarlet, and publication details. In this case the dossier is inserted into a sleeve box from which it is removed.

The first page of the Study in Scarlet dossier is bound with the original red ribbon, and all documents are bound into the dossier by this ribbon. The covering page is a letter from Simon Goodenough to Webb & Bower offering the documents (perhaps from Watson's Tin Box) - "produced out of the rubble" of a London building in World War 2.

Example of a newspaper page, with the advertisement placed by Holmes, in Watson's name, of a plain gold ring "found in the Brixton road". Also shown (right) is the plain gold ring in question.

What better piece of evidence from the case? The calling card of Mr Sherlock Holmes (No degree mentioned).

A note of thanks to Catherine Cooke from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London for pointing me to the information on Webb and Bower.

Sherlockian glimpses in London

 As part of a trip to London I put a call out on the 'Strangers Room' Facebook page for the best Sherlockian "things" to do with 6 hours spare in London. I received a wide range of responses, including a few that are sadly no longer possible (or at least not right now) because they are closed:

- Eat at Simpson’s on the Strand: this is closed, but reopening soon

- Take a Sherlock walking tour: not available at the moment

- Visit ACD’s portrait at the National Portrait Gallery: Portrait Gallery is currently closed for major renovations.

- Visit the Criterion Bar: now closed

But there were of course many suggestions that could be actioned, and other opportunities to experience Sherlockian London. This isn't that difficult given that Holmes, with and without Watson, charged all over London and up and down the Thames.

"221B Baker Street" viewed from across the street. This view certainly allows a sense of the general residences. Based on recommendations, I did NOT visit the museum (and therefore did not visit the gift store).

Looking at the building across from 221B, we can see where Col. Sebastian Moran positioned himself in 'The Adventure of the Empty House'  - all that Sherlockian debate and I just had to visit the street ;) In all seriousness though - Baker Street is quite wide and it would have required an exceptional shot to shoot from one side to the other.

Next, the entrance to Baker Street Station (the Underground/tube station) is just around the corner on Marylebone Rd. This is of course where Sherlock would have headed to when using the tube. It is the oldest underground station in London, opening in 1863.

Outside the Baker Street tube station is a statue of Sherlock Holmes! This statue was created by John Doubleday, and dedicated in 1999. Pipe in hand, and deerstalker on head, Sherlock watches over the entrance to the station. There is an excellent article (short book really!) on Sherlock Holmes statues by Howard Ostrom that can be accessed here: www.nplh.co.uk/sherlock-statues.html 

There is text on three sides of the statue base.

"The Great Detective"

A little awkwardly put: "221b Baker Street the address of Sherlock Holmes is at the original headquarters of Abbey National plc. Sculptor: John Doubleday"

"This statue commissioned by the Sherlock Holmes Society of London was sponsored by Abbey National plc to commemorate it's 150th Anniversary in 1999". It is not clear if it is the Society or Bank celebrating its anniversary and OH MY GOD THERE'S AN APOSTROPHE

Next on my list, and directly across the road from the British Museum main entrance, was the Museum Tavern. This is accepted as the true location of the Alpha Inn of goose club fame in 'The Blue Carbuncle'. 

The Museum Tavern certainly recognizes the wonderful canonical connection, with a photograph of Arthur Conan Doyle hanging aside a framed copy of the 'Blue Carbuncle' with the statement "The Museum Tavern is familiar to those who read Sherlock Holmes. In 'The Case of the Blue Carbuncle' it appears as the 'Alpha Inn'".

I took the opportunity for a meat pie and beer in the main bar room. While there I read the ACD short story 'The Case of Lady Sannox' in preparation for an upcoming meeting of the Bimetallic Question 'All of Doyle' discussion group. Definitely a group worth joining: www.bimetallicquestion.org

"When I first came up to London I had rooms in Montague Street, just round the corner from the British Museum". Just along the way from the Alpha Inn is Montague Street (running along one side of the British Museum) - and peering down Montague Street one can see this wonderful row of homes where Sherlock took his rooms.

Speaking of beer, I also walked down to the 'Sherlock Holmes Pub' for a couple of beers. There were some Sherlock Holmes paraphernalia framed on the walls downstairs, though the true connection to Sherlock Holmes is a little tenuous.

I took the chance to walk over to 'St Bart's' (St Bartholomew's Hospital) where Sherlock Holmes and John Watson first met. One can easily imagine both men passing through the old gates and doors. The museum itself was closed, and there is a notice saying that it will not re-open for some time. 

Finally, through a twist of hotel-booking disasters, I was moved to a different hotel - and it turned out the be 'Great Scotland Yard' !! This newly renovated hotel occupies buildings on the site of the Scotland Yard police station (not 'New Scotland Yard'). Recognizing the importance of the connection, the hotel has a range of historical London police memorabilia framed around the walls of the main floor. I could not find a specific shout-out for Sherlock, Watson, Lestrade, Gregson, or anyone else for that matter, but the setting was delightful.

Thank you to the following members of the 'Stranger's Room' who provided suggestions to me - I actioned as many of them as were possible given openings, closings, and renovations: Marjorie Tucker, Alistair Duncan, Robert Stek, Heather Owen, Michael Duke, iHOSE, Patricia Bohnke, Christopher Todd, Carla Kessinger Coupe, Lauren Rosales-Shepard, Tom Francis, Jim Ballinger, Rudy Altergott, Susan Dahlinger, Julie McKuras, Joshua Harvey, Tom Fahres, Steve Mason, Edith Pounden, Howard Ostrom, Jacuelynn Bost Morris, and Heather Owen.

Book finds in Stockholm

As part of my trip this week I have a few posts - the first will be the easiest. While walking in Stockholm I passed a used book store ('Antikvariat') called Antikvariat August (https://antikvariataugust.se/) at Drottninggatan 85, Stockholm. While it was a relatively small store, my eyes immediately fell on three of the red cardboard-covered books published under the BSI label by Edgar Smith. They are actually reprints of rare of classic Sherlockian books, and I was pleased to find them:

There are two series of BSI publications of identical page size, and identical appearance: softbound with a red cardboard cover. The first is the Sherlockian reprints published largely in the 1950s by Edgar W. Smith (including the three shown above) in a series termed the 'Baker Street Incunabula'. The second is the 'BSI Historical Series' published from 1989 to the mid-1990s by John Lellenberg with others. The incunabula reprints were organized by Smith as he recognized that classic Sherlockian publications became difficult to access for Sherlockians: "the demand was small, the supply was even smaller" as Smith puts it. Of course, these reprints are now also relatively rare - each was printed with several hundred (sometimes numbered) copies in the print run.

As far as I can determine, the Incunabula are comprised of the following reprints. This information is extracted from introductions to the volumes I have, and the list is in chronological order of reprinting by Smith. I cannot identify a further publication after the 1960 reprint of Beeton's. Given that each re-print required permission from publishers or copyright holders, it is remarkable that Smith was able to achieve what he did with this reprint series.

1953. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: the Chronology of Their Adventures, by H.W. Bell.

1954. Sherlock Holmes: Fact or Fiction?, by T.S. Blakeney.

1955. Baker Street Studies, by H.W. Bell.

1956. 221B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes, edited by Vincent Starratt.

1957. Baker Street and Beyond: Together with Some Trifling Monographs, by Edgar W. Smith.

1958. The Incunabular Sherlock Holmes, edited by Edgar W. Smith.

1959. Introducing Mr. Sherlock Holmes, by Edgar W. Smith.

1960. Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887. This includes Doyle's 'A Study in Scarlet', and was co-printed with the Sherlock Holmes Society of London.

1962. The Writings of John H. Watson, M.D., by Edgar W. Smith.

 

Publication: Jelland's Voyage, Shoso-in Press, 2000

My plan with this blog is to provide a look at publications new or old. They first is Doylean: "The Annotated Jelland's Voyage ; The Only One Japanese Story written by Conan Doyle". This pamphlet is about 20 pages long, edited by Hirayama Yuichi BSI, and published by the "Shoso-in Press" of Tokyo. The Shoso-in Press is best known for publishing 14 annual volumes of the Sherlockian "Shoso-in Bulletin". 

There is some information on the Shoso-in Bulletin here https://shoso.ninja-web.net/Shoso-inBulletin/index.html , and that page provides a summary of its purpose: 

There were many Sherlockian magazines, but most of them were published and written by American and British Sherlockians. We believed there were many Sherlockian scholars in non-English speaking countries, and wanted to support them as they communicate with other countries' Sherlockians. The Shoso-in Bulletin was published in English, but contributors did not need to write perfect English articles. Our editors provided support by checking their English.

As an aside, read the remarkable story of where the term "Shoso-in" derives from - an amazing repository almost 1,400 years old: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Ds%C5%8Din 

Along with the Bulletin, the Shoso-in Press produced one or two other monographs including this work - the transcription and annotation of the ACD short story "Jelland's Voyage". If you'd like to read the story, and learn about its publication history, you can do so here: https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/Jelland%27s_Voyage and note there is an excellent "Doings of Doyle" podcast discussing the story: https://www.doingsofdoyle.com/2021/11/20-jellands-voyage-1892.html .

My copy does not have any signatures or dedications, and has a light green softcover wrapper. The work does not have a Table of Contents. It contains the following sections, some of which I have provided photos of: 

- an essay on the "Background of Jelland's Story" of the story and the Japanese historical context that Doyle built his story around

- the story "Jelland's Voyage" with numbering for footnotes, that relates to the next section...

- the "Annotations" section that provides explanations and context. For example, the first term clarified is the now-problematic and dated phrase "Anglo-Jap".

- an "Appendix - Chronology of the Japanese and Western History in late 19th Century" , that provides a list of events impacting Japanese-Western interactions from 1953 onwards.

- There is also a brief bibliography listing sources used in the creation of the essay and annotations

The booklet is a wonderful focused view of a specific ACD story, with historical and cultural context provided by someone well placed to do so. There are multiple copies available at online book resellers, so I wouldn't consider this publication valuable. It's of more interest to those interested in ACD's bibliography, and a nice spin-out from a Sherlockian publisher.

BSI Weekend review 2023, published in the Passenger's Log

This past January (2023) I attended my first Baker Street Irregulars weekend. While it was daunting, it was an incredibly extremely welcoming group. Any Sherlock fan (Sherlockian!) even slightly tempted to attend should definitely consider going! in that spirit, I wanted to write a summary of the BSI weekend as a first-timer, and to describe the activities for someone interested in knowing what it's like.

Coincidentally, I recently joined the Sydney Passengers, a scion based in my home town of Sydney, Australia. You can learn more about the scion and how to become a member here: http://www.sherlock.on.net/ . Of course, virtual meetings make joining any scion worthwhile, and the Sydney Passengers have the added bonus of being a scion that produces a regular journal of Sherlockian scholarship of very high quality, called 'The Passenger's Log'.

A deerstalker in Sydney? The logo for the 'Sydney Passengers' scion - no Harbour Bridge or Opera House, but 'Pinchgut' (Fort Denison) is shown.

So I wrote up my report, and submitted it to The Passengers Log. My thinking was that my fellow Sherlockians on the other side of the world are least likely to be able to attend, and might like reading an account  of the BSI weekend - and an inducement for Aussies to make that trip of a lifetime to NY for BSI. The article was published in the January 2023 issue of the Passenger's Log (Vol 26, No 2), and below I've posted a late draft of the article you can find there... so become a member !!!

For the first time this year I attended the Baker Street Irregulars (BSI) ‘Weekend’ in New York, which was held from Wednesday 4th to Sunday 8th January 2023. The activities are organized by a range of groups and individuals, clustered around the central purpose of the gathering, the BSI Dinner - ostensibly to celebrate the birthday of Sherlock Holmes (6th January).   It would be more appropriate now to refer to the weekend as a ‘BSI week’ of activities. While I was only able to be in New York from Friday to Sunday (a BSI long weekend?), a couple of earlier events were broadcast by zoom so I was able to prepare myself for what is essentially an intensive week of social activities and conversations. And what a weekend it was, as I lurched from event to event, meeting and being welcomed by Sherlockians from all over the US (and other parts of the world).

While I must profess to being nervous entering a series of events where I didn’t really know many people except by name, that nervousness was quickly set aside thanks to the welcoming nature of everyone there. I was meeting people faster than I could remember their names (thank you name tags!) and friendship (mateship) was absolutely the the defining feature of my experience. I often find myself clarifying my background which sometimes makes me : “well yes I’m Australian but I didn’t travel here for Australia, BUT I’ve lived in the US for 17 years so I’m really basically American…. Well yes, it’s true I do still have my accent” etc. - which sometimes leads to feeling that I’m constantly letting my excited American friends down. Yes I’m Australian, but no it only took me three hours to get here. While I’ve been in the US almost two decades, I only discovered the existence of the Sherlockian world about five years ago, and just as I started to build up the confidence to attend events, the COVID pandemic cancelled them.

 

Let’s address the main event first. The BSI Dinner itself was first held in 1934, and has been an annual event since 1940. The dinner was held this year at the Yale Club (a private club primarily for those who attended that Ivy League university). It is a black tie event open only to members of the BSI, and invited guests. So while the main event was understandably not on the schedule for to this Sherlockain plebeian, virtually every other activity is open for all Sherlockians to attend. Attending does take some planning though, as events tend to sell out in advance of the weekend. The best way to be aware of when event registration will be occurring is through the BSI webpage (bakerstreetirregulars.com) where a specific page on all events is usually hosted (details on the 2023 weekend can be found here as an example: https://bakerstreetirregulars.com/2022/10/17/plans-2023-bsi-weekend/), and via the Facebook 

While I was not able to attend events earlier in the week, I highlight a few here to give a sense of the range of activities, nearly all of which are at venues in the ‘Mid-Town’ distract of Manhattan, close to thee Grand Central Terminal. On the Wednesday evening, the New York Scion ‘The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes’ (termed ASH, ash-nyc.com) held their 'ASH Wednesday Dinner’. The major daytime event on Thursday was more Doylean than Sherlockian: the Arthur Conan Doyle Society (acdsociety.com) ‘Doylean Honors Ceremony’. This event chaired by Ross Davies BSI was held at Otto Penzler BSI’s famous 'The Mysterious Bookshop’ (www.mysteriousbookshop.com), and thankfully also streamed live on Zoom. Awards for a number of categories were presented ('Fiction and Poetry’, 'Performing and Visual Arts', 'Scholarly Writing' and 'Lifetime Service’), and this was followed by the light-hearted racing of the Wessex Cup (wind-up toy horses with jockeys). Thursday evening was the first official BSI event - the BSI Distinguished Speaker Lecture. The 2023 Distinguished Speaker was Lakshmi Krishnan, MD, Ph.D, from Georgetown University, who spoke about her upcoming book 'The Doctor and the Detective: A Cultural History of Diagnosis’, which draws on  the role of detection in medical practice. 

On Friday, a there were a raft of activities ; the Doylean scion ’The Literary Agents’ (https://www.doingsofdoyle.com/p/the-literary-agents.html) held their Literary Agents Annual Zoom Meeting early, and The Mysterious Bookshop held an Open House that allowed BSI Weekend attendees visit not just the store, but descend into the basement storeroom (a very rare treat) and rifle through the shelves for treasures. As an example, I found a copy of a Donald Girard Jewell book called ‘Butterflies and Blind Beetles’, and a BSI Press book on founding members called (disconcertingly) ‘Aboriginals’ among others. Lunch was in a packed upstairs dining room at Connolly’s pub for the William Gillette Memorial Luncheon, organized by Shana Carter ASH - a tradition that started in 1945 and named thus since 1953. This is a wonderful opportunity to be assigned to a table and meet fellow Sherlockians. The room was graced with a portrait of William Gillette, and included a performance of the very short William Gillette one-act play "The Painful Predicament of Sherlock Holmes”, in which (and I don’t think I’m spoiling the plot here) Holmes appears but does not speak - wonderfully performed to a room full of laughter. The Friday evening is for the BSI Dinner (see above), and while there is traditionally a Gaslight Gala for the rest, it did not take place this year, and many gathered at a pub waiting to hear of the new BSI investitures and celebrate post-dinner.

Saturday kicked off early (too early!) with the BSI Merchants Room abuzz. Here, a wide variety of Sherlockiana was for sale, primarily rare & used books, but also paraphernalia, and a range of new publications both pastiche and Sherlockian studies. The BSI Press (https://bakerstreetirregulars.com/bsi-books-list/) sold out of the stock on hand for its two new offerings for 2023: 'The Haven Horror’ (a manuscript series book of ’The Retired Colourman’) and ’Stimulating Medicine’, a second volume on Medicine from the Professions Series. Adding to the fun, there was an autograph tale to add to the (nostalgic) value of those acquired books. As an example, I managed to find a copy of ’Sayers on Holmes’ and a very affordable copy of Starrett’s ’The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes’. Buzzing, the room finally emptied as we headed to the Yale Club for the BSI Luncheon Reception in a beautiful dining room on the 25th floor. Lunch included an auction of collectibles presided over by the the legendary Peter Blau BSI for the Dr. John H. Watson Fund that helps provide travel support to deserving BSI weekend attendees. After lunch and an impromptu happy hour, I was was upstairs at yet another bar (The Playwright Tavern) for dinner at Lost in New York with a Bunch of Sherlockians. This event is organized by Jerry and Jerry Kegley (both BSIs !) on behalf of a California scion - The Curious Collectors of Baker Street (https://ccobs.homesteadcloud.com). The Kegley's were remarkable and energetic hosts, facilitating the drawing of many door prizes, leading the Sherlockian Pledge of Allegiance, and there were hilarious toasts and a brain-sapping quiz.

By Sunday, the mind was foggy and the body weak but willing, and so I presented myself for the final event: the ASH Brunch (at the Long Room). This was a perfect ending, with a relaxed and friendly gathering of people working to piece together memories of the weekend, promise to attend BSI events a long long way from home, and generally laugh and have fun.

A real highlight for me was the chance to meet well-known Sherlockians. I’m lucky to live in Maryland (outside Washington, DC) and see Peter Blau (true Sherlockian royalty), but so many others I met for the first time: I was amazed to be seated at one lunch with the great annotator and defender of copyright Les Klinger (a fellow Sydney Passenger, as he pointed out to me) and the BSI ‘Wiggins' Michael Kean. I was thrilled to meet author Nancy Holder, get to know the webmaster and creator of sherlockcomics.com Johanna Draper Carlson, share brunch with German Sherlockian academic Dr. Maria Fleischhack, and have lunch with playwright Ken Ludwig and hear about his new play ‘Moriarty’ (www.kenludwig.com/moriarty). Those interactions, and so many more, made the trip all worth it. 

I hope this report of the BSI weekend encourages members of the Sydney Passengers to not hesitate if they are considering that once-in-a-lifetime trip to New York as part of a holiday. It’s a beautiful city, you’ll meet an incredible number of like-minded people, likely have a lot of beer purchased for you as an out-of-towner, and add a few books to your luggage for the return journey, along with all the new friends you'll make.