iven the fact that Sherlock Holmes was one of the “great” smokers of all time –witness his Persian slipper, his three-pipe problems, the William Gillette posters with cigarettes, the famous profile with the calabash pipe, and so on– and the fact that tobacco companies have always been some of the major sponsors of almost every media form, it’s no surprise to find a proliferation of advertisements featuring the Great Detective. Indeed, many of these ads are now collectors’ items. Below are two of the better known. The first poster, with a Gillette-esque character in dressing gown, hails from 1907. The second is, of course, Basil Rathbone, then appearing in Dressed to Kill (1946), another of the “modern-day” Holmes series from Universal. I don’t know about you, but Rathbone here resembles the creepy guy that once hung out beneath the streetlamp down my block, who giggled uncontrollably whenever women walked past. It doesn’t exactly sell me on the idea of lighting up.

Note: Of course, I would be remiss in my civic duty not to remind you that cigarettes cause cancer, mouth sores, fetus problems, bad teeth, and a million other nasty things that prevent tobacco companies from getting rich. None of which hinders my secret desire to walk around with a calabash pipe, even if it does blow soap bubbles.

‘ve spent most of my life immersed in either Sherlock Holmes, or books about criminology and forensics (all quite relaxing late-night reading material, you understand). I’ve read the occasional account of the emergence of forensic science around the turn of the last century, and –while fascinating– it’s barely been enough to whet my appetite. And so I was thrilled to hear of a new book by E.J. Wagner called The Science of Sherlock Holmes. From the dust jacket:

The Science of Sherlock Holmes is a wild ride in a hansom cab through medicine, law, pathology, toxicology, anatomy, blood chemistry and the emergence of real-life forensic science during the 19th and 20th centuries along the road paved by Sherlock Holmes.

From a “well-marked print of a thumb” on a whitewashed wall in “The Adventure of the Norwood Builder,” to the trajectory and impact of a bullet in the “The Reigate Squires,” author E. J. Wagner uses the Great Detective’s remarkable adventures as springboards into the real-life forensics behind them.

You’ll meet scientists, investigators, and medical experts, such as the larger-than-life Eugène Vidocq of the Paris Sûreté, the determined detective Henry Goddard of London’s Bow Street Runners, the fingerprint expert Sir Francis Galton, and the brilliant but arrogant pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury. You’ll explore the ancient myths and bizarre folklore that were challenged by the evolving field of forensics—including the belief that hair and nails grow after death, and the idea that the skull’s size and shape determine personality—and examine the role that brain fever, Black Dogs, and vampires played in criminal history.

[…] Through numerous cases, including celebrated ones such as those of Jack the Ripper and Lizzie Borden, the author traces the influence of the coolly analytical Holmes on the gradual emergence of forensic science from the grip of superstition. You’ll find yourself turning pages of The Science of Sherlock Holmes as eagerly as you would of any Holmes mystery.

The advance praise seems to be quite flattering (which, one guesses, is why it’s called “praise” to begin with), even from noted Sherlockians, and the description on Wagner’s website has truly piqued my interest.

Coming this April to a bookstore near you, or order from Amazon.

Update: Her publisher Wiley has posted chapter one, the index and the table of contents on its website page for the book, if you’d like to read more.

f you’re familiar with the Grenada television series with Jeremy Brett, have a high-speed Internet connection, and are possessed of a strong bladder, wander on over to the Sherlock Holmes Literary Song Videos site. These are scenes from the series re-cut into music videos, and some of them are quite clever indeed. In particular, I can recommend “Everything I Own”, a touching tribute to the relationship of Holmes and Watson set to the sappy 70’s song from Bread, and “The Boxer”, the story of an oft-destitute Holmes seeking work in a world full of hardships, set to the classic Simon and Garfunkel tune.

Note that these videos are in MP4 format. If you have problems playing them, I can wholeheartedly recommend VLC, a free media player which handles almost everything flawlessly. It performs much better than QuickTime, even on my Mac.

received a few email asking me the origin of the somewhat familiar phrase “where it is always 1895″ in my welcome post. The line actually comes from a classic and oft-reprinted poem by one of the first –and most eminent– Sherlockians, Vincent Starrett, who wrote (among other things) The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1933) and 221 B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes (1940). This poem was first published in 1942 by Edwin B. Hill in a now very rare pamphlet called Two Sonnets. I’ve found some three dozen copies of this poem on the web already, and so I hope I’m not being too remiss in offering yet another.

hen I announced on one of my other blogs (a million monkeys typing) that I was going to launch a Sherlock Holmes blog, I had five people (two or three of whom were booksellers) appear out of the woodwork to tell me how much they enjoyed the D*I*Y Planner, and that they were going to send me books and other resources as a thank you. At first, I wasn’t quite sure how this would pan out, but sure enough, the past few days have seen a number of books arriving on my doorstep. Every package brings the same feelings that Christmas brought when I was a child: I’m happy, giddy, excited, and a thousand other joyous redundancies.

And so I must gratefully (and publicly) acknowledge the wonderful contributions of Jeffrey Cates, Eloah Simpson, Ralph Escott, Sherry Robbins, and “Ms. Adler and her husband”. Thank you, my friends, I’m glad you enjoy my other little project so much, and your gifts do mean a lot to me. They have plugged some rather critical gaps in my collection, and will certainly aid in the production of this site. Be sure to let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.

rom the February 27, 2006 edition of the Yorkshire Post Today comes an article by Martin Hickes about Dr. Francis O’Gorman’s new annotated edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles - A whole new world in the story of Conan Doyle’s famous hound:

EVEN Holmes would have been bemused.

Seventy-five years after the death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the erstwhile detective’s illustrious creator, a new edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles suggests Holmes’s best-loved case may actually have been more of a journey into the psyche of its author rather than a simple whodunit.

Dr Francis O’Gorman from the University of Leeds has just completed a fully annotated version of the Hound, a book first published 105 years ago, which is allegedly Tony Blair’s favourite detective novel, and loved by millions across the world.

And while Conan Doyle’s interest in spiritualism – he was after all the man who resolutely backed the infamous photographs of the Cottingley fairies – has been well-documented elsewhere, the leading English literature academic, believes it reflects his own inner debates about the supernatural more so than has previously been realised.

See also the publication details from Broadway Press: The Hound of the Baskervilles with the Adventure of the Speckled Band.

Careful observers have no doubt noted our little “scandal sheet” in the sidebar at right. Currently, these are tidbits of news brought to you on a semi-daily basis about all things Sherlockian, culled from the various online presses and news services. Now, there are a few problems with this, chief among them being the fact that the most interesting Sherlockian news tends not to appear online in any place easy to find, at least on a daily basis. (The very notable –and rather addictive– Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press does an excellent job with a monthly newsletter, however.) A second problem is due to the fact that roughly two-thirds of current Sherlockian news stories are part of a seemingly endless parade of reviews for Arthur & George….

So if you’ve found an interesting online news story, event, essay, photograph, review (aside from Arthur and George, that is), or anything else that may be of note or interest to other Sherlockians, please feel free to drop me a line with the particulars. Likewise, if you’d like to promote a new book you’ve written (or published), a meeting of your society, an article you’ve crafted about Holmes, or even a goofy picture of a Baker Street Irregular taking offence to your camera, don’t be shy — send it in. Just remember two things: the link, since this is an online medium; and to keep the nudity to a minimum, unless it’s something I can send along to my good friend C.A.M. for his perusal.

hen Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Holmes short stories, beginning with A Scandal in Bohemia, were accepted for publication in the fledgeling Strand Magazine, a commission for the illustrations was not sent to Walter Paget (below, left), as was intended, but rather to his older brother Sidney (at right).

Requiring a model who approximated ACD’s description of Sherlock Holmes, Sidney asked Walter to sit for him. This all turned out to be a happy accident indeed, for these illustrations were so linked to the successful series, at least in Britain, that the artwork of one brother and the physical likeness of the other became synonomous with Sherlock Holmes. After Sidney died in 1908, it was only apropos that Walter picked up the pen: he illustrated one Holmes story, The Adventure of the Dying Detective, in 1913.

Many of the illustrations peppered throughout this site are those of Sidney Paget, and are taken from facsimiles of the original Strand stories. To view more illustrations, please wander on over to the excellent Sidney Paget and Walter Paget galleries gracing the walls at Camden House.

Images are from The Life & Times of Sherlock Holmes by Peter Weller.

rom AZStarNet.com comes an article entitled It’s a new hunt, Sherlock, concerning a new stage play being performed in Tucson called Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure:

Steven Dietz is a liar. He freely admits it. Whether the playwright is adapting Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” P.G. Wodehouse’s “Over the Moon” or one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, he lies.

“That’s my job,” said Dietz in a phone interview from his Seattle home.

“My job is to lie to you and make you believe” the words spoken were written by Stoker, or Wodehouse or Doyle. He doesn’t want you to suspect for a moment that they are Dietz’s words.

Dietz has penned “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure.” Arizona Theatre Company’s world premiere of the play opens in previews Saturday. The script is full of the lush language Doyle used for his smart detective and loyal sidekick, Dr. Watson.

Quite a favourable review can also be found at the Arizona Daily Star — ATC’s Holmes tale a fine adventure indeed — although a not-so-public review from a fellow Sherlockian was… erm… somewhat less enthusiastic. Being on the other side of the continent, I have no opinion that actually matters. Have any readers here seen this performance? If so, what did you think?

“Oh! a mystery is it?” I cried, rubbing my hands. “This is very piquant. I am much obliged to you for bringing us together. ‘The proper study of mankind is man,’ you know.”

“You must study him, then,” Stamford said, as he bade me good-bye. “You’ll find him a knotty problem, though. I’ll wager he learns more about you than you about him. Good-bye.”

“Good-bye,” I answered, and strolled on to my hotel, considerably interested in my new acquaintance.

nd so Stamford, having been instrumental in the introduction of the most famous pairing in literary history, disappeared forever, leaving Dr. John H. Watson, late of the British Army campaign in Afganistan, to move into lodgings with Mr. Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street. The rest of the story, we all know.

Or do we?

Thousands of books have been written of Mr. Holmes, his companions, his cases and his villains. For a century now, thousands of films, television shows, theatrical performances, animations and radio plays have washed the airwaves, filled vast venues, and held captive untold millions in their homes while they awaited the startling deductions of the Great Detective. And yet, for all this, it’s difficult to capture the essence of the character. He is a chameleon, constantly shifting form in front of our eyes, mutating his guise in the hands and passions of those who attempt to breathe new life into the character. One moment, he is a calculating machine, incapable of human emotion, and the next he is a doe-eyed caricature embracing a love interest in a Japanese cartoon. And yet, there is still something recognisable, an archetype held deep within our subconscious, that stirs at the mere mention of his name.

This site seeks to explore the life and times, influence and cultural phenomenon that is Sherlock Holmes. As such, expect it to be entirely inconsistent in every way, except one: it is all borne out of a love and respect for this worthy creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A study in Sherlock can be a lifelong one, but I hope that you may see fit to join me, and the many others, for whom the year is always –in our hearts– 1895.

The photograph of The Strand appeared in Charles Viney’s Sherlock Holmes in London: A Photographic Record of Conan Doyle’s Stories.

n case you missed it, your local (United States) PBS station may be airing Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking once again tomorrow night (Sunday, March 12), although in some places it was broadcast last week. Not based upon any story of the Canon, this made-for-TV BBC production teams Rupert Everett as Holmes with Ian Hart as Watson against a psychopathic serial killer. While I’m not sure if I believe Everett is the “sexiest Sherlock Holmes ever” (to believe anything of the sort would be an affront to my masculinity), and I did find myself raising an objection or two against the characterisation of Holmes at certain points, I still quite enjoyed this film. The overall production was very slick and somewhat gritty, and there were a number of piquant moments, such as when Holmes was lectured about the pathology of the criminal mind by Watson’s psychologist fiancee. While purists may take offence at certain points of the story –they wouldn’t be purists, otherwise– I can still heartily recommend putting aside a couple of hours for this one. Just put the kids to bed first.

Also available on DVD from Amazon (amongst other sellers, of course).

ne of the many hobbies I’ve pursued over the years is collecting what are known as old time radio shows, or simply “OTR”. These are episodes of the many famous (and not-so-famous) shows that had their heyday from the 1930’s to the 1950’s, their death knell being sounded by the arrival of television into homes. Known affectionately as “the theatre of the mind,” these shows ranged from spine chillers to soap operas, from science fiction to quiz shows, from action/adventure to variety shows. And then, of course, were the mystery and detective shows, one of the most celebrated of which was Sherlock Holmes.

The series most firmly embedded in the North American psyche is the one starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, reprising their roles from the popular movie series. The scripts, mainly by Edith Meiser, Dennis Green, Bruce Taylor and Anthony Boucher, tended to be fairly sharp, well-written and somewhat faithful to the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. And when the producers ran out of stories taken from the Canon, they began to create their own, including many of the “unpublished tales” alluded to by Watson, such as those of Colonel Warburton’s madness, the notorious canary trainer Wilson, and the Tankerville Club scandal. Further refreshing is the fact that Nigel Bruce’s Watson is not quite the bumbling fool comic relief that he played in the movies (a.k.a, boobus Britannicus filmicus), although it is a little jarring to find him living in California and spinning a yarn to a Petri Wine spokesperson each week.

Each week we’ll be offering another episode from the archives, covering the many (out-of-copyright) series from both the U.S. and the U.K., along with a little bit of background on each one. For now, though, I can’t think of a better way to begin than with Rathbone and Bruce’s version of the first Sherlock Holmes short story, “A Scandal in Bohemia”, originally aired on December 10, 1945. Enjoy!

Listen to:
- New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1945-12-10 - A Scandal in Bohemia (6.7 Mb).

For those interested, an excellent 3-CD collection of several hundred Sherlock Holmes radio shows in MP3 format can be found at OTR Cat for a mere $15. It’s possible to find many of these shows by trolling the net and watching forums and newsgroups, but with the time and bandwidth you’d save, this deal is a hard one to pass up.