Tucked in a book - the Abbey National brick receipt

My favorite thing to post about are small personal connections in books that I find (see for example this post on Gisela Seligmann). 

Today I had a chance to drop by the wonderful Second Story books and spied this innocuous and non-valuable book: The Return of Sherlock Holmes containing HOUN and the Return short stories is facsimile directly from the Strand Magazine. It was published in 1995, the second of three volumes published by  

The first thing I do is look to the fly leaf and title page to see if there's an owners signature, or ex libris note, embossed library mark, address stamp, etc. In this case there were none of these, but it was a cared for book, with a mylar wrapped on the dustjacket.

But tucked in the inside jacket was a small piece of ephemera that could appear meaningless to an innocent book-buyer. It is a small booklet from the Abbey National, a British Building Society ( a form of bank). This bank was headquartered on Baker Street in the address range covering 221, and for many years received and responded to letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes. The pamphlet includes a small section on Baker Street, a card-sized map of the London tube, and a receipt. Let's take a look at the receipt...

The receipt is dated 13 May 1981, and is from the Abbey National Building Society on Baker Street. This is a bank teller receipt, but instead of a bank account number, it states "BRICK" with a price of 2 pounds sterling. Ah if only there was a brick tucked in this book. What brick?

Well earlier this year the 'Curious Collection of Robert Hess' was auctioned (Part 1 anyway), and among the items was the brick shown below. The description states 'A near fine example of this unusual piece of Sherlockiana. In the 1980s, 221b Baker Street was part of the Abbey National Building Society headquarters. When they decided to re-build the offices, several of the better bricks were set aside and sold to collectors in specially designed boxes, with the proceeds going to charity.' 

And so, the owner of this book in Maryland also owned the brick, purchased in London and lugged back in a suitcase to the United States. Certainly a unique piece of memorabilia. I actually tried to buy this brick was beaten by a larger waller on the day! I'll keep looking for a brick.

The nice coincidence is that the very latest Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes podcast on the Granada series (http://sherlockpodcast.com) the discuss a very short video created by the Granada team for Abbey National. No explanation exists for why this video was created, but perhaps the Abbey Treasure was a brick....

The Magic Door newsletter and the Edinburgh Editions

I recently became a Friend of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at Toronto Public Library (see http://www.acdfriends.org). This group works with the library to promote the collections and fundraise to support and enlarge the collection (there's a nice summary at https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php?title=Friends_of_the_Arthur_Conan_Doyle_Collection). 

The Friends send out a newsletter called "The Magic Door" three times a year. It's short (eight pages) with some nice articles highlighting holdings in the collection or new books being released. Along with the general merit of supporting such a cause, the newsletter certainly is worth the price of admission.

In the latest issue (Autumn 2023, Volume 3 Issue 3) there's an article highlighting the relatively new Edinburgh Edition of the Works of Arthur Conan Doyle, published by Edinburgh University Press. A selected volumes of ACD's works are being edited, with introductory essays to each volume, and some other features. Text is standardized by comparison of multiple published editions.

Each hardcover volume is in a handsome mauve (?) dust-jacket with identical illustrations fo ACD against a silhouetted Edinburgh University (where ACD studied). To date, three volumes have been published:

• Memories and Adventures
• Round the Red Lamp
• The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

These are 'scholarly editions', and in the world of academia the word 'scholarly' is also code for 'very expensive'. In my world of science, authors usually produce content without being paid, resulting in a volume that can cost $200-400. The Edinburgh Editions are not quite so costly, but one could probably purchase a first edition of some of the less-in-demand volumes for the price of an Edinburgh Edition. I state this not to be negative, but to provide context for how these volumes become expensive.

These volumes will likely be largely purchased by academic libraries and very committed Doylean and Sherlockian collectors. I have purchased Memories and Adventures, and hope to be able to continue adding the volumes to my collection. I'm partly optimistic that prices will drop - certainly the first three volumes have been published at consecutively lower prices.

Certainly many books published by ACD will not receive the Edinburgh treatment. While both fiction and non-fiction books are included, the books on spiritualism are not included, which includes ACD's 'travel books' such as 'Wanderings of a Spiritualist'. More information about the series can be found at https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/series-the-edinburgh-edition-of-the-works-of-arthur-conan-doyle/ .

The 44th Annual Enoch Pratt Saturday With Sherlock Holmes, Baltimore MD

Each year since 1980, Sherlockians have gathered in November at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in downtown Baltimore to hear presentations. It was originally called the 'Weekend With Sherlock Holmes' with the first day for Sherlockian presentations and the second day for a Sherlock film screening and discussion. Over time it evolved into 'Saturday with Sherlock Holmes' and that is the current format. 

In 2013, the Baker Street Irregulars published a volume celebrating 'Three Decades of Canonical. The volume contains articles from a number of prominent Sherlockians who had presented at the meeting over the previous thirty years.

And so, this year the Saturday with Sherlock Holmes returned, the 44th such event, produced and hosted by Andy Solberg BSI. As usual it was held in the Wheeler auditorium at the Central Library branch. Each year a theme is introduced as a guiding principle, and this year it was "Mysteries in the Canon".

This is the wonder poster advertising the 2023 Saturday with Sherlock Holmes, and the speaker agenda is shown below. The agenda included Daniel Thomas BSI who has presented at all but one of the 44 meetings held to date! 

Agenda for the meeting. Chair: Andy Solberg, ASH, BSI

Ross Davies, BSI - The Many Waltzes of the Dancing Men
Carla Coupe, ASH, BSI - Who Shot Charles Augustus Milverton
Daniel Thomas, BSI - The Many [sic?] Wives of Doctor Watson
Evelyn Herzog, ASH, BSI - The Original Baker Street Irregulars
Matt Hall - Australian Origins in the Canon
Patrick Ewing - The Adventure of the Persian Slipper
S. Brent Morris - A Consideration of the Disappearance of James Phillimore
Karen Wilson, ASH, BSI - The Education of Sherlock Holmes

The presentations were wonderful, and covered a broad range of topics. Ross Davies examined the fidelity of the dancing men messages shown both in the stories and in the illustrations - with humorous results. This included the passing around of messages and the code for attendees to decode. Carla Coupe presented examined the question of who really show Charles Augustus Milverton, with a number of possibilities examined. Daniel Thomas provided a comprehensive overview of the Sherlockian theories related to the number of wives Watson had.... from one to ten! Evy Herzog dicussed the Original Baker Street Irregulars. I naively thought Evy would discuss the US-based Sherlockian group, but in fact the ORIGINAL Irregulars are those that worked with Sherlock on Baker Street. Patrick Ewing discussed how tobacco could be stored in a Persian slipper, and the different types of slipper that could be referred to. As the photo below shows, props were presented to solve the mystery. Brent Morris gave a talk on freemasonry and the meaning of the phrase in Silver Blaze "There is a wonderful sympathy and freemasonry among horsey men." Finally, Karen Wilson delivered a delightful historiography and analysis of where Holmes studied, and what he studied while in University/College.

I did not mention my talk - my very first Sherlockian presentation. It was an opportunity to discus where ACD may have sourced his Australian influences for the canon.

Ross Davis took photos of some presenters, shown below. The Saturday With Sherlock Holmes is a wonderful opportunity for those interested in Sherlock to enjoy the enthusiasm of fellow Sherlockians, laugh at the puns, and meet a few fellow Sherlockians. Definitely worth considering for the 45th meeting in 2024!

Carla Coupe, ASH, BSI

Daniel Thomas, BSI

Evelyn Herzog, ASH, BSI

Patrick Ewing, with Morocco slide in hand demonstrating how tobacco could be stored.

S. Brent Morris 

And of course, Andy Solberg, ASH, BSI steering proceedings. 

Donald Girard Jewell’s Sherlock Holmes Natural History Series

Thanks to some serendipity, some kindness, and some impulsive purchase decisions I've finally managed to collect the complete set of nine volumes Donald Girard Jewell's Sherlock Holmes Natural History Series. 

This is a delightful set of booklets, each of the nine in the series focused on an aspect of natural history and their appearances in the canon. The books were self-published by the 'Pinchin Lane Press', and each volume has a card wrapper of a different bright color. Each book identifies references to the topic, and provides detailed history and context for the natural features mentioned in the canon.

The preface to each volume states:

"A careful study of the Canon, that collection of sixty cases committed to print, reveals how planst and animals figure prominently in the action and atmosphere of 221B Baker Street. Understanding more about natural history adds new meaning to many of the adventures."

Jewell himself is a naturalist. His 'about the author' section in the books reveal Jewell appears frequently in publications in the United States and Europe. Along with the Sherlockian series, Jewell used Pinchin Lane Press to publish 'A Field Guide to Wild Plants in Winter' and 'A Field Guide to the Underside of Life'. 

Donald G. Jewell’s Sherlock Holmes Natural History Series

• A Trout in the Milk: A Monograph on Fish and Fishing in the Time of Sherlock Holmes, 1991. 300 copies published.
• A Few Hours to the Birds: A Monograph on Birds and Birding in the Time of Sherlock Holmes, 1991. 500 copies published.
• Canonical Cats: A Monograph on Felines in the Time of Sherlock Holmes, 1992. 500 copies published.
• Butterflies & Blind Beetles: A Monograph on Insects and Insect Collecting in the Time of Sherlock Holmes, 1993. 500 copies published.
• A Canonical Dog's Life: A Monograph on Canines in the Time of Sherlock Holmes, 1993. 300 copies published.
• The Botanical Holmes: A Monograph on Plants in the Time of Sherlock Holmes, 1995. 100 copies published. 
• Horses of Different Colors: A Monograph on Horses in the Time of Sherlock Holmes, 1995. 100 copies published. 
• The Herpetological Holmes: A Monograph on Reptiles in the Time of Sherlock Holmes, 1996. 100 copies published. 
• The Meteorological Holmes: A Monograph on Reptiles in the Time of Sherlock Holmes, 1997. 100 copies published. 

In the ninth and final issue, the 'About the Author' section concludes with 'Look for his next book in The Sherlock Holmes Natural History Series, The Geological Holmes. It will deal with geology and its role in the cases of the famous detective.' This tenth volume was not published.

Each copy was signed by the author on the title page prior to sale/shipment.

Uniquely for the series, The Botanical Holmes could be ordered 'hand tinted', apparently with 25 such copies issued. Every black & white figure in these volumes were hand-colored by the author.

Many of my copies include a 'bookmark' of a matching color for that volume, which is a very nice touch.

As for where my copies came from, two contain receipts from when they were purchased by Richard Lakritz MD of San Antonio TX. I don't know if Richard owned the entire set of books, but only two were sold from his estate at the time I found them. Two other books came to me from a very kind Sherlockian James Vogelsang who helped me complete the set.

There is no question these books have had an enduring impact as Sherlockian scholarship. Perhaps this is best exemplified by the fact that over the past few years Burt Wolder and Scott Monty have used this series of books as source material to discuss trifles in the canon on their popular podcast. Three examples can be heard here: 

Trees, Part 1 https://ihose.co/trifles274 

Trees, Part 2 https://ihose.co/trifles276 

Herpetology: https://ihose.co/trifles260 

Surely a fitting tribute over two decades after the series was published, and when things like podcasts didn't even exist!