I Hear Of Sherlock Everywhere

"tucked like an umbrella underneath his arm" [BLAC] The BSI Press is busy again this year, adding another volume to the Manuscript Series. In this instance, the book is Deadly Harpoon, the manuscript of "The Adventure of Black Peter," with associated articles.   We spoke with the editor of this volume, Glen Miranker, BSI ("The Origin of Tree Worship"), who needs no introduction to regular listeners. In speaking with Glen, we discovered how broad and brooding this story is, and how Glen chose contributors. Add to that some talk about the latest restored silent film of Sherlock Holmes, cryptography, and three other manuscripts in Glen's possession, and we've got a full show.   We also have another installment of "As We Go to Press" with Mattias Boström, co-editor of the  series. We also finally got around to surfacing some of our listener voicemail, and of course the latest Canonical Couplet. See if you can figure out the story we're referring to, and you might win a prize.   Information on sponsors, links,

“good practical knowledge of British law” [STUD]    Following the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend, the BSI Press is cranking again. We picked up three new volumes, and we're pleased to have the editors of one of them with us in this episode.   Will Walsh, BSI ("Godfrey Norton") and Donny Zaldin, BSI ("The Last and Highest Court of Appeal") are the editors of Canon Law: Lawyers, Law, and the Sherlockian Canon. This is the second in the BSI Press Professions Series (the first being ).   We talked with them about how they selected contributors, what the state of Sherlockian-legal scholarship was until then, and about their star contributor.   We also have another installment of "As We Go to Press" with Mattias Boström, co-editor of the  series. Toward the end of the episode, you'll find the latest Canonical Couplet. See if you can figure out the story we're referring to, and you might win a prize.   Information on sponsors, links, and notes available below.       Please do consider becoming a .

“singularly adapted to our needs” [MISS]    With our first episode of 2019, we're pleased to welcome fellow podcasters Jeremy Latour and Arielle Lipshaw, hosts of . They came to our attention because of a couple of episodes they did on Sherlock Holmes.   Jeremy and Arielle have a process they follow, complete with a quadrant, to help make sense of their assessments of how literary works are adapted from medium to medium. They have a good sense as to what works and what doesn't, and are prepared to defend their rankings.   They reviewed their Sherlock Holmes and Hound of the Baskervilles episodes with us, and provided a preview to the very next Sherlock Holmes-themed show they have planned.   We have a new segment that we're debuting in 2019: "As We Go to Press" with Mattias Boström, co-editor of the  series. Toward the end of the episode, you'll find the latest Canonical Couplet. See if you can figure out the story we're referring to, and you might win a prize.   Information on sponsors, links, and not

“Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science” [SIGN]    We promised you a science-filled December, and we're keeping that promise. Following our previous episode on the  at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ, we're pleased to welcome the crime historian E.J. Wagner to the show.   E.J. wrote the 2007 Edgar Award winner  and was a technical advisor for the Exhibition. We had a chance to sit down with her and talk about the influence of Sherlock Holmes on forensics (and vice versa), the future of crime fiction, and how a crime historian gets her start.   Toward the end of the episode, you'll find the latest Canonical Couplet. See if you can figure out the story we're referring to, and you might win a prize.     Information on sponsors, links, and notes available below.     Please do consider becoming a . Your support helps us to ensure we can keep doing what we do, covering file hosting costs, production, and this year, transcription services.     Sponsors We're proud to feature  as o

“They had among their exhibits” [VEIL]  We're accustomed to seeing Sherlock Holmes on the printed page, screen, stage and even the Internet as a course of regularity. But it isn't all that often we have an opportunity to see an entire exhibition dedicated to Sherlock Holmes.   Amy Noble Seitz and Geoffrey Curley join us to discuss how their respective teams at Exhibits Development Group and Geoffrey Curley + Associates collaborated with the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate and other Sherlock Holmes experts to put together the International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes.   The exhibition has been traveling the world for the last five years or so, and it is now at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey.

“Volume 'H' in his encyclopaedia of reference” [PRIO]    If you were looking for the Sherlock Holmes media pundit, you've come to the right place. Howard Ostrom is a completist of Sherlock Holmes material in media, and he's been on the hunt for decades.   Howard has collected more than 4,300 names of individuals who have played Sherlock Holmes in various formats over the years, and has written the new book , with Thierry Saint-Joanis, BSI ("Monsieur Bertillon") as editor and illustrator, as an accurate documentation of Sherlock Holmes across all media.   In our conversation, Howard describes the discovery of an error and a determination of the correct identity of the first actor to play Sherlock Holmes on film; he shares his secrets of sourcing new material; he makes an expert suggestion on where new Sherlockians might start their journey; and shares one or two of his biggest surprises.   Toward the end of the episode, you'll find the latest Canonical Couplet. See if you can figure out the story we're referri

“colored plates illustrating the difference” [SIGN]  Sherlockians and Holmesians everywhere have been waiting decades for a book like this. All it took was the enterprising mind of Nick Utechin, BSI ("The Ancient British Barrow") and the professional eyes at Wessex Press to bring it to life.   For the first time anywhere, all of Paget's illustrations are reproduced in high quality images, scanned from the original Strand Magazine and 22 original prints photographed from collections around the globe. Nick shares how the project came about, how the originals and their owners became part of it, and what secrets the Paget family held for years.    It's an episode and a book you won't want to miss.   Toward the end of the episode, you'll find the latest Canonical Couplet. See if you can figure out the story we're referring to, and you might win a prize – you don't need to be a  – every listener is eligible to participate! (But we could still use your support.)     Please do consider becoming a . Your suppo

“Leslie...is certainly a man of energy and character” [MISS]    Without a doubt, one of the greatest Sherlock Holmes scholars of our time is Les Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange"). Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he updated and expanded the landmark Annotated Sherlock Holmes by William S. Baring-Gould, BSI ("The Gloria Scott"). His work took on two forms: The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, published by W.W. Norton, and The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library, published by Wessex Press.   But Les's work goes far beyond Sherlock Holmes. He has created five other annotated volumes, plus has edited a variety of mystery fiction books. He's a certifiable editing and annotating dynamo.   We talked with Les on the four (!) books he has out this year, and on what goes into the process of annotating classic books.   Please try your hand at the latest Canonical Couplet and try to win a prize – you don't need to be a  – every listener is eligible to participate! (But we could still use your support.)       Informat

"Your pictures are not unlike you" [3GAR] There's no question that being with other Sherlockians makes things eminently more enjoyable. And that was proven to be quite true during From Gillette to Brett V in Bloomington, Indiana earlier this month.   Nearly 150 Sherlockians gathered to celebrate Sherlock Holmes on the screen, and there were a wonderful grouping of talented people who put on the program and participated in it. We caught up with a number of them and got their unique take on things.   These people included: Nick Utechin Ashley Polasek Leslie Klinger Terence Faherty Charles Prepolec David Stuart Davies Jeffrey Hatcher Steve Doyle and Mark Gagen The result is a multifaceted view of a multifaceted character. There's something for everyone.   Please try your hand at the latest Canonical Couplet and try to win a prize – you don't need to be a  – every listener is eligible to participate! (But we could still use your support.)       Please do consider becoming a . Your support helps us to ensure

“a single large airy sitting-room” [STUD]    It's always fun to take a Sherlockian field trip. The British are fortunate in that they can hop on a train or in a car and find themselves at some of the original locations that inspired places in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Or certainly to Ground Zero: the rooms at 221B Baker Street in London.   In the U.S., it's not always quite so easy (even though  in Salt Lake City, the Vermissa Valley, and elsewhere). Which is why it's a pleasure to be able to step back in time and through the doors of 221B Baker Street in the home of Denny Dobry, BSI ("A Single Large Airy Sitting-Room") in Reading, Pennsylvania.   Burt traveled to Denny's home and descended those 17 steps to talk with Denny about a number of things, including the inspiration behind his remarkable collection of items, the Sherlockian group dedicated to recreating the famous sitting room, the BSI Trust, the Beacon Society, and more.   Please try your hand at the latest Canonical Couplet and try to win a priz

“the well-wrought crisis of a play” [SIXN]  Lee Eric Shackleford is a man of many talents. So many, in fact, that we don't have time to get into all of them in a single episode.    Suffice it to say that between his play Holmes & Watson, his secret desire (and success!) in writing for Star Trek, and the web series Herlock, we find much to cover with Lee. A Sherlockian from his earliest years, we go on a journey with Lee from his fascination with Sherlock Holmes that spanned from the Basil Rathbone era to the Nicholas Meyer reincarnations during Lee's formative years.    Lee took a one-man play and his own interest in acting, and turned it inward to focus on the finer points of the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in his insightful and exciting play. And he brandished his own sense of humor for years in the Baker Street Journal as a cartoonist.    We have some of his cartoons available exclusively for our Patreon supporters.    Please try your hand at the latest Canonical Couplet and try

“I will cable to Mrs. Hudson” [LADY]  Mrs. Hudson. We know her as one of the stalwarts of the Baker Street Scene. Together with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Mycroft, Inspector Lestrade, and Professor Moriarty, she's one of the most popular recurring characters in the Canon.  But what do we really know about her? She only made an appearance in nine of the Sherlock Holmes stories. And other than her "stately tread," we don't have any knowledge about her physical being.  Wendy Heyman-Marsaw is the author of Memoirs from Mrs. Hudson's Kitchen, a book that combines culinary curiosity with a new take on this independent and strong woman. Wendy is a longtime Sherlockian whose interests and career has taken her from the United States to England to Canada, and she joins us to talk about that journey and how it ultimately led to Mrs. Hudson's kitchen. And the book is comprised of columns that she wrote for Canadian Holmes, the publication of the Bootmakers of Toronto.    Please try your hand at the latest Canonical Cou

“"Excellent!" I cried. "Elementary," said he.” [CROO]    We'll be honest. The CBS drama series Elementary, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu doesn't get enough attention here on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.   It's largely because Scott and Burt haven't carved out the time to watch it. As a weekly series, there's much more to absorb than the three-episode series that the BBC produced every few years.   Fortunately, James O'Leary, a regular contributor on the IHOSE site, has made it his business to watch, follow, and dissect Elementary on behalf of all Sherlockians. And we welcome him to the show to talk about its strengths, its longevity, and how the writers are doing a wonderful job of engaging Sherlock Holmes fans along the way.   Please try your hand at the latest Canonical Couplet and try to win a prize – you don't need to be a  – every listener is eligible to participate! (But we could still use your support.)   Please do consider becoming a . Your support helps us to ensure we can keep doing wha

“requisitioned for the defense” [VALL]    Conan Doyle's real-life turn as Sherlock Holmes has typically been shared through the George Edalji case. But there was another case involving one Oscar Slater that has been more of a footnote than a feature. Author Margalit Fox set out to change that.   In Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World's Most Famous Detective Writer, she has crafted a fascinating true-crime narrative thanks to her career as an explanatory writer (most notably as a senior writer for The New York Times).   Our conversation with Ms. Fox ranges from the origin of her fascination with this story, to the societal prejudices and corruption that weighed on the victim and verdict, to Conan Doyle's own revulsion with the actions of the innocent man, and takes us from the streets of Glasgow to the barren north shore of Scotland, home of a gulag-like prison that held an innocent man for 18 years.   It's a fascinating and tragic sto

“a most united couple" [DANC]     Another episode in our Florin Society series, this time with Roger Johnson, BSI ("The Pall Mall Gazette") and Jean Upton ("Elsie Cubitt"). The Florin Society of course refers to spouses who each have received an investiture from the Baker Street Irregulars.   Roger's and Jean's story was a fun one to explore, not the least of which was because they're deeply involved in the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. During our conversation, they shared some of the early history of the Society and its members and the secret behind how they're able to regularly access the legendary 221B Baker Street sitting room at the Sherlock Holmes Pub.   Plus, we learn that Roger got an intro to the world of Sherlock Holmes in a Pontine manner, Jean grew up in a house once inhabited by a legendary Baker Street Irregular, and had her photos used as official documentation of the Granada set. It's a love story and a story of mutual affection for Sherlock Holmes — something we can all appreciate.   And

"no ordinary merit" [REDH]  In 2014, the Sherlockian world was taken by complete and utter surprise when William Gillette's 1916 film Sherlock Holmes was discovered. It was the closest thing we'd ever have to seeing Gillette on stage, and Russell Merritt, BSI ("The Trepoff Murder") was part of the team that restored it.   We carried the news on our site, but now we're pleased to share the backstory of how it came to be, thanks to an interview with Russell Merritt, a University of California Berkeley film professor and an expert on silent films. In this episode, Russell also discusses the impact of Eille Norwood and the whereabouts of his 45 movies, the recently rediscovered 1929 German film Der Hund von Baskerville, and how he is likely the last person to first read A Study in Scarlet in an original Beeton's.   And don't forget to try your hand at the latest Canonical Couplet and win a prize – you don't need to be a  – now every listener is eligible to participate! (But we could still use your support.)   I

“a slight nick” [SILV]    If you're a regular Sherlockian, you've likely discovered that many other people in this hobby also enjoy Star Trek (which makes the Spock / Leonard Nimoy connections all the more...fascinating, as Spock would say). But how often do you hear from a guest that Irene Adler was the Boba Fett of the Sherlock Holmes stories?   That's exactly one of the unusual and unique takes we got from Nick Martorelli, BSI ("Seventeen Steps"), the Headmaster of the Priory Scholars of New York, audio producer, and all-around good humored Sherlockian. Nick reminds us that looking across works as a whole, rather than at individual parts, can help us make more sense of things. He shares the premise of a major talk he recently gave at A Scintillation of Scions, which looked at the four long stories in the Sherlock Holmes Canon.    Plus, if you listen closely, you might hear Nick take a stab at the Priory Scholars school song and tease an upcoming Sherlockian audio book.   And don't forget to try your hand a

“at this conference” [MAZA]     Steven Doyle, BSI ("Western Morning News") is many things, among them half of the publishing team at Wessex Press and the Baker Street Journal. But more importantly for our topic on this episode, he's one of the sparking plugs behind .    We haven't been able to make it to the previous four installments, so we asked Steve all about this conference dedicated to Sherlock Holmes of the stage, screen and radio. He shared the foggy origins of the show, along with some of his favorite moments from throughout the years, and even a special preview of the exhibit that will be on display there.    And don't forget to try your hand at the latest Canonical Couplet and win a prize – now you don't need to be a  – every listener is eligible to participate!    Information on sponsors, links, and notes available below.      Please do consider becoming a . Your support helps us to ensure we can keep doing what we do, covering file hosting costs, production, and this year, transcription s

 “The date being—?” [CREE]    We all owe a debt of gratitude to the more clever, adventurous, and tireless among us – because this is the profile of the Canonical chronologist. The most famous among them is certain William S. Baring-Gould ("The Gloria Scott"), but he was flanked by other greats such as Bell, Christ, Blakeney, Zeisler, Dakin and more.     Add to that list one of our contemporaries: Vincent Wright. Hailing from Indianapolis, this intrepid researcher and proprietor of Historical Sherlock joins us to tell us why the dating of the Sherlock Holmes stories never gets old. He brings us along on the journey of a true researcher, shares a stumbling block, and posits how the future of Sherlockian chronology may lie in the standard template of a teenage book genre from the early 1980s.     Vincent's speaking engagements are far and wide, and he's always ruminating on a variety of topics, either in private or on his blog. The passion he brings to this hobby is infectious.       And don't forget t

"fixed like a plum" [SIXN]     The casual reader wouldn't necessarily associate Sherlock Holmes with P.G. Wodehouse. Or P.G. Woodhouse with Sherlock Holmes. Fortunately, we're more of the formal types.    And so are our guests!     Three – count 'em, three – guests join us this time around. They are Curtis Armstrong, Elliot Milstein, and Ashley Polasek, and they are the two authors and editor of A Plum Assignment: Discourses on P.G. Wodehouse and His World. They are Wodehouse experts who also happen to (mostly) have more than a passing familiarity with Sherlock Holmes.  We spend some time with them looking at the intersection of Plum and Conan Doyle's works, and also look at why Wodehouse was so universally enjoyable and why we keep returning to his stories again and again. And how Sherlockians and Wodehousians are remarkably similar in their interactions. The book itself has a survey of opening lines from Wodehouse works, where you'll find such gems as:  I reached out a hand from under the blankets and rang