Category: News

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Billiards With Thurston: The Retired Beekeepers of Sussex

On behalf of our Editor-in-Chief “Pippin” and myself, a new feature we are excited to announce for The Watsonian is “Billiards with Thurston” – wherein we reach out to other Sherlockian societies to learn more about them and share in their interests. By doing so, we gain the benefit of learning more about our fellow Sherlockians, deepening ties with the wider Sherlockian world, and encountering perspectives that would otherwise be unknown to us.

On this very first occasion, our visiting friends are one of the newest Sherlockian societies in existence (yes, even younger than us): The Retired Beekeepers of Sussex

The “Billiards with Thurston” feature will include an interview and a guest submission to The Watsonian, a short story titled “The Tenderness of Patient Minds,” as you will see once the Fall 2015 volume reaches your mailbox soon.

Only a portion of the interview appears in the volume, so I am presenting here the full interview between myself and one of the co-founders of The Retired Beekeepers of Sussex: Elinor Gray, JHWS “Misty.”

Who are the Retired Beekeepers of Sussex?

The Retired Beekeepers of Sussex are an all inclusive, queer-run, LGBTQIA+ Sherlock Holmes enthusiast group. Run by Basil (aka ghostbees), Elinor (JHWS “Misty”), and Michele (aka neverwhere), the group meets monthly on Sundays at a pub in Brighton, England, to discuss the Sherlock Holmes canon, favourite adaptations, various issues relevant to the stories, and current events in the Sherlockian world. Members have also started volunteering to give short talks on the monthly topic, which have been splendid so far, and can be read at our website (retiredbeekeepers.tumblr.com).

What inspired the creation of your society and how did it form?

The creation of the Beekeepers arose from a desire to have a local and queer-friendly Holmes group in Sussex: an appropriate place for a society because it is, of course, where Holmes is reported to have retired. We also wanted a group that met with more frequently than the SHSL, because we believe getting together often with fellow Sherlockians for a drink and a chat is beneficial to our collective health. We came up with the name last, which seems silly at this point, because what else could a Brighton-based group call itself? We are proud members of #teamsussex, ascribing to the notion that Holmes and Watson retired together to keep bees and bicker long into their golden years.

What sort of activities does your society engage in?

Alongside our monthly meetings, we have held a field trip to Beachy Head for a walk along the Sussex Downs, and we have also published the first issue of our hopefully-biannual journal, The Practical Handbook of Bee Culture. The topic of the first issue is “First Encounters;” the topic of the second issue, which is now accepting submissions, is “Queerness in Holmesiana.” Going forward, we are planning a Halloween Hound of the Baskervilles movie night, and a “Blue Carbuncle” themed holiday get-together.

The Retired Beekeepers of Sussex is one of the newest Sherlockian societies to form. Were there any unexpected challenges for you and your co-founders?

Finding a place to meet was our first biggest hurdle. We knew we’d have no trouble building an online presence, but with a budget of £0 we had to search for a place to meet that was both accessible from the train station (and therefore relatively easy to find) as well available for free. Societies are, of course, run by volunteer enthusiasm, so we have to be smart about where and how to spend our limited resources. Michele, one of our Head Bees, found us a lovely meeting spot in the private side of a local gay pub, and they let us have it for a few hours for the price of a few drinks.

After several gatherings and the first society publication, what you learned from the experience so far?

Running a society is a lot of work! We come up with a new poster design every month, and write several newsletter emails between meetings: one before to let everyone know the theme, and one after to recap the meeting. The latter is always more work than the former. But it’s also easier than expected, in that people actually show up and get involved, and we haven’t had to beg or wheedle anyone to give a talk, and submissions for the journal came in relatively smoothly. It’s also a lot of fun; organising topics, planning media, and getting together with Sherlockians is infinitely rewarding.

The ongoing discussion on Sherlock Holmes spans several decades and there is an immense variety of viewpoints that have taken part to discuss every conceivable element of the Canon and the many adaptations, considering how often we’ve speculated on the Great Hiatus and even the nature of Dr Watson’s bullpup. Is the queer point of view relatively new, to your knowledge? Or have there been notable Sherlockian discussions in the past from this perspective?

Discussions of a queer Holmes have certainly arisen before now, but they’re rarely taken seriously by “serious” Sherlock Holmes scholars, and “the gay question” has often been played for laughs. There are several published Holmes pastiches with queer elements, but they’re either not written by dedicated Holmesians, not written in earnest, or not taken seriously upon publication. Likewise, there have been articles in “classic” publications, such as the BSJ and the SHJ, that consider a queer interpretation, but they’ve never been written by an (openly) queer-identifying person, and they don’t often conclude that the reading is a valid one . We’re actually pretty confused that a deliberately queer Holmesian society hasn’t been formed before now (perhaps it has, but we haven’t found one, and if so we’d love to know about it), but we’re not particularly surprised.

Published pastiches:

  • The Sexual Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Larry Townsend, 1971 – this one is rubbish, don’t read it
  • My Dearest Holmes, Rohase Piercy, 1988 – cute and very repressed; we hope to interview Rohase for our “Queerness” journal issue
  • Kissing Sherlock Holmes, T. D. McKinney & Terry Wylis, 2011 – written by people who seemed to be jumping on the Holmes bandwagon without a lot of background experience in Holmes
  • A Study in Lavender: Queering Sherlock Holmes, anthology, 2011 – an interesting attempt, but seems to be centered around the shock value of queerness rather than presenting itself as a serious exploration of queer characters
  • Elementary Erotica, anthology, 2011 – mostly Holmes/Watson erotica, one Holmes/Irene piece at the very end, all done with affection for the source material
  • Compound a Felony: A Queer Affair of Sherlock Holmes, Elinor Gray, 2015 – written for an audience familiar with the Holmes stories and able to pick up on references and asides, but not at all focused on mysteries and cases

Other resources:

Does gathering as an LGBTQIA+ group open up new avenues of Sherlockian discourse, or are discussions similar to other Sherlockian gatherings that you’ve experienced?

The discussions, for the most part, follow similar patterns to those at other Sherlockian gatherings that I’ve attended. We argue about adaptations, talk about motivations, and listen to radio snippets or watch TV or movie clips. But we want to talk about queer issues, so we talk about queer issues. Because the door is already opened to queerness in the discussions, sexuality and identity do come up more often than they usually do at other formal Sherlockian dinners.

Does being a part of “Team Sussex” (i.e. maintaining that Holmes and Watson retired together) call into question Dr Watson’s credibility as a biographer?

I would say yes, but Watson himself admits to alterations, cover-ups, and name changes to protect the innocent (or not-so-). Our own “Pippin” wrote his monograph about Watson’s early publishing career, and in it discusses the way that because the stories were written during the Hiatus, Holmes would not have been actually bringing up Watson’s previous publications, but that Watson is putting words into his mouth to remind his reader that there are other stories to purchase and read. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d adjusted the truth to fit the story. He’s a professional liar and manipulator of facts, even if his intentions are good, and there’s no reason he couldn’t move to Sussex with Holmes and simply tell his audience they had drifted apart. In fact, that falsehood would have been the safest option to protect their reputation and their privacy.

As our first guest society to be featured in the Watsonian, your group selected “The Tenderness of Patient Minds.” How do you feel this chosen story will be of interest both to the Watsonians and to the Retired Beekeepers?

“The Tenderness of Patient Minds” is a story I (Elinor) wrote originally for submission to MX Publishing’s New Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories. I’d been in touch with the editor before I submitted it and he was initially excited about my participation, but then when he read what I’d produced he essentially deemed it too gay for the collection. He asked me to remove the references to Holmes and Watson living together in retirement and sharing a life, and I refused. I could understand why the story I’d written wouldn’t fit in among all the others, but there were two main reasons I didn’t want to make such deep cuts. Firstly, I believed those elements were what made the course of the story logical: Holmes and Watson’s relationship, explicitly a romantic one, contributes to Holmes’s reason in passing the case on to Watson, and Watson’s motivation to finish the job and come home. Secondly, my queer interpretation of the Holmes/Watson partnership isn’t something I care to compromise on, even to make an editor happy: to jettison it in the name of a “traditional” pastiche is inauthentic to my own queerness and my reading of the canon, and to equate “traditional” with “non-romantic” is problematic. I offered it then to The Watsonian because I knew the JHWS, being only slightly older a society than mine, was open to giving a platform to an interpretation that often goes ignored or belittled.

So, to get back on track, I feel this story represents what the Retired Beekeepers of Sussex are all about, both superficially and more deeply. On the surface, it’s a story about a South Downs beekeeper who refuses a case on the grounds that he is retired from detecting, and sends his trusted companion, conveniently his husband, in his stead. Underneath, the form of the story as a traditional pastiche with queer elements underscores the way the queer interpretation of the canon doesn’t require a great deal of squinting or hand-waving. The Holmes/Watson romance, while integral, is incidental: this is both a detective story and a story about a detective. It has a few noteworthy elements: it takes place after the Great War and deals with some of the new medical and social issues of that era; it gives Watson the stage to bring about the mystery’s solution; and it celebrates the core of the Holmes stories’ popularity, which is the unbreakable partnership of the detective and his biographer.

 

I hope you enjoyed the interview and that you will also enjoy their guest submission to The Watsonian: The Tenderness of Patient Minds. Due to an invitation from Don Libey “Buttons” from very early this year, “Misty” and fellow co-founder of the RBS, Basil, agreed to present a story for the Spring 2016  edition of The Fiction Series and we look forward to that as well.

For our next “Billiards with Thurston,” we have extended an invitation to Uno Studio in Holmes, the Sherlock Holmes Society of Italy,  to join us for a friendly game and a warm chat. You can look forward to learning more about them in our Spring 2016 volume of The Watsonian.

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Our dear “Chips”

I am sad to report that our dear Chips is not feeling his best at the moment.

I last spoke with Ron Lies JHWS “Chips” about a month ago to help him prepare his regular “Chip’s Tid Bits” posts for the site. I anticipated hearing from him again soon to prepare for November, but when I didn’t, I did my best to contact him and I was able to speak with his very lovely wife, Mary.

His health took a poor turn recently, but she is hopeful that he is on the path to recovery. I’m very saddened to hear this news, as Chips’ enthusiasm for the Canon is inspiring and it hurts to know he is not feeling well. I relayed a message through her to Chips that we all hope for his safe recovery, that our prayers are with him, and that we shall be here when he feels better.

Until that time, the “Tid Bits” section of our site will be on hiatus so that he may rest without additional worry. I pray that our dear Chips will recover well.

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Weekly Forum #44

Please note: Since those who submit to The Watsonian retain the ownership of their own works, if your work is going to appear in the Fall 2015 volume and you would like a pdf copy of your submission (for your portfolio, records, or simply to print out and give to friends), please e-mail me and I’ll send you a file of your work as how it appears in the actual printed volume.

Related to that topic… what is an essay or story in a Sherlockian publication that you’ve read that you would recommend as essential reading?

 

 

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Weekly Forum #43

A surprise gift and a discussion topic today!

The upcoming volumes of the Watsonian and the Fiction Series are currently printing and getting ready for distribution. I’m looking forward to everyone receiving them in the mail!

One contribution I’m looking forward to is “Long-Lost Watson: Edward Fielding in William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes” by Jon Lellenberg, JHWS “Towser.” It is quite a nice write up in response to the Gillette film that was recovered and brought to theaters this year. I wrote a personal essay to accompany Towser’s piece and submitted it to The Watsonian to be featured with his.

However… on this occasion, we decided to be more strict on the page count and we had to make some difficult last minute decisions to move a few pieces to the Spring 2016 volume. In the process, I chose to cut out my essay. It won’t be featured in next year’s volumes, but Pippin suggested that we make it available for free. So I hope you enjoy a sample of our upcoming volume. Here’s the link:

“A Day at the Movies” – A free sample of The Watsonian for Fall 2015

On a related topic: This week’s forum was suggested by Willow. Thank you!

Have you seen the Gillette Film? What do you think of Edward Fielding as Dr Watson?

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Interview Series: JHWS “Pippin”

It’s been a little while since my last interview, but I’ll see about increasing the rate of occurrence from now on. On this occasion, now that we can take a breath of relief that the Fall volume is going to the printers, I’ve spoken with our Editor-in-Chief of The Watsonian, as well as our other JHWS publications: James O’Leary “Pippin.”

Carla Buttons: Please tell us about yourself and how you became a Watsonian.

Pippin: As my personal biography is a bit less interesting than watching paint dry, I’ll concentrate on how I became a Watsonian. While Sherlock Holmes is, and has been, a cultural icon since first appearing in the Strand Magazine, and I do remember seeing Mr. Magoo’s Hound of the Baskervilles, Daffy Duck in Deduce, You Say on TV, and reading the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries—“America’s Sherlock Holmes in sneaker”—starting in the fourth grade, my first introduction to Holmes and Watson was reading Hound in the sixth grade—then still a part of elementary school. Some of the language was a bit over my head at the time. But in junior high the library had an old library-bound copy of The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

When I got to the coffee—or whatever—stained pages at the finish “The Final Problem”, I could believe that they were the tears of past generations of readers reacting to the death of Holmes. My high school library had a copy of the Baring-Gould Annotated and I discovered the complete Canon and Higher Criticism. I became something of a Sherlockian Fundamentalist. I refused to watch the Rathbone/Bruce movies because they were set in the 1940s, refused to see The Seven Per-Cent Solution because Watson was played by an American, refused to see Young Sherlock Holmes because the movie made them school chums, eschewed Granada series on PBS in the late 80’s after my first viewing because it was “The Greek Interpreter” and while the first half to the teleplay was very close to the story, the second half went very far afield, with action-hero Mycroft clapping a gun to a villain’s head and especially making Sophie Kratides a participant instead of a victim of Latimer and Kemp’s machinations. That was, I felt, such a violation of the character, all for the sake of a semi-Canonical crack from Brett about the untrustworthiness of woman, so that I stayed away from the show for years. I’ve mellowed since then and I now can watch and enjoy the cinematic Holmes and even find worth in some not-so-great offerings.

At the same time, high school coincided with the Great Boom of the ‘70s, so after finishing the Canon for the first time and hungering for more of Holmes’ adventures, I sought out pastiche and Higher Criticism. I read a lot of pastiche for about fifteen or so years and still very much enjoy August Derleth’s Solar Pons series, Robert L. Fish’s Schlock Holes parodies, Nicholas Meyer for capturing the Watson style so seemingly effortlessly, Richard Boyer’s The Giant Rat of Sumatra, Michael Hardwick’s Holmes and Watson “autobiographies” and a few others, but after a while the bad pastiches outnumbered the good and even Doyle on a bad day is better than 85 percent of the pastiches published.

Another factor that lead to a dramatic decrease in pastiche-reading for me is the fact that, no matter how well written or plotted or how fascinatingly they explore the personas of Holmes and Watson, they are not canon. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson exist in only 56 short stories and four novels and nowhere else. One may enjoy the Holmes and Watson of, say, BBC Sherlock or the Mary Russell series or the Granada series but they are simulacra. The Sherlockian world is a wide one and I would never deny anyone from the pleasures they find in any corner of it, and in fact you may see me in some obscure frontier from time to time, but a drawing of Benedict Cumberbatch is no more a picture of Sherlock Holmes that a drawing of William Gillette is, even if it is by Fredric Dorr Steele. There must be a definition of what is Sherlock Holmes and that can only be the 60 stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle.

My first subscription to a scholarly journal was the Baker Street Miscellanea, which in its 76 or so issues is, in my opinion, one of the greatest Sherlockian journals ever to be published. I also subscribed to the Sherlock Holmes Journal and the Baker Street Journal. Over the years, my subscription to the last two have lapsed at times due to financial fluctuations, but I’ve always maintained my interest in the Canon and Higher Criticism.

When I got on the internet in 2011, I encountered an area of Greater Sherlockiana I was only dimly aware of. As I explored and gradually participated in it, I came across a post in Brad Keefauver’s Sherlock Peoria about Don Libey and 221B Cellars and in exploring found out about the John H. Watson Society and decided to join. I only knew Don for a short time through emails but the mark he left on the Sherlockian world cannot be understated.

Earlier this year, you were invited to become our Editor-in-Chief. What were your thoughts at the time?

“My God, can they really be that desperate?”

(Carla Buttons: In response, my dear Pippin, I can only say, “The answer is obvious.”)

How do you feel about the position and its responsibilities now?

While it is work, I have such a great amount of help from such talented Sherlockians that I’m having a blast. I hope that comes through the Fall issue. At the same time the responsibilities are huge and I’m very aware of them and fortunately, I’m not alone. One of those responsibilities is to see the JHWS and The Watsonian survive and thrive after the passing of Buttons. The JHWS is a part of his legacy, but it is more. It is the spirit and camaraderie of diverse individuals coming together emulating the friendship of Holmes and Watson, and their many positive attributes, which are the best of what humanity has to offer, while acknowledging those flaws that make them human and three-dimensional.

What would you like to see in future John H Watson Society publications?

Before the tenth anniversary of the JHWS, I can see us putting out a hardcover volumes of scholarly works on John H. Watson that would rival anything put out by the BSI, SHSL or such past masters of editorship as Edgar W. Smith, Vincent Starrett or Michael Harrison and be of value to many generations of Sherlockians and Watsonians—the talent pool of the society is that great. But really, the immediate goal is to keep the JHWS going and goings strong and to make the Watsonian one of the top magazines of Sherlockiana out today. If the Fall 2015 issue gets even one lapsed Watsonian to renew their membership or one new Watsonian to join us, I would consider the issue a success. Please, we welcome input. It’s your society, let us know what you’d like to see.

What have you learned so far from putting together The Watsonian?

“Education, Gregson, education. Still seeking knowledge at the old university.” Sherlock Holmes has been my hobby for over thirty years and I still feel like a newbie. Not because I don’t know much, but that there is still so much more to learn. Sherlockiana encompasses the whole breathe of human knowledge and experience, science, medicine, history, politics, economics, music, the arts, psychology, forensics—things that are universal and still relevant today—and no matter how long someone been engaged in the hobby, they have something to teach us, something of value to impart, if only they would share it. I feel privileged working with everyone who helped with the magazine, no matter how small a part they think they played; it was in fact enormous.

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Weekly Forum #42

“At this period of my life the good Watson had passed almost beyond my ken.” – LION

The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane is a curious case. Dr Watson is absent from the events and Mr Holmes took up his pen to describe what occurred. Although the case describes countryside intrigue, the actual culprit had no involvement in such interpersonal matters. Holmes wrote this case and yet it is one of the least flattering of his investigations.

What are your thoughts on LION? Why did Holmes write it? How would it have gone differently if Dr Watson were there? Do you personally think it is one of the better stories, one of the worst, or simply somewhere in the middle?

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Weekly Forum #41

“The work itself, the pleasure of finding a field for my peculiar powers, is my highest reward.” (SIGN)

I’m happy to announce that the autumn volume of The Watsonian is off to the printers. Huzzah!

For this week’s forum, share with us any Sherlockian (or Watsonian)-related projects you’ve worked on this year. Have you written an essay, drawn a picture, gathered with others to discuss the Canon stories (if so, which one?), written a mystery, performed in a play?

Tell us a little of what you’ve been working on this year.

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3rd Annual Treasure Hunt Awards, Kind Words from the Bootmakers

Hi All:  I’m hesitant to jump in here with all the excitement going on about the BBC trailer, but JHWS received some very kind words today, and I wanted to share them with you.  Our amazing Andrea “Asta” Stewart has been busy getting the keepsake treasure hunt awards out to our participants; she is now a customs expert!  I have received thanks to Asta and the JHWS team for the keepsakes from Sheila with the SOBs, and from Cliff and Peter with The Bootmakers of Toronto.  In his email, Peter provided a copy of an article about the 3rd Annual Treasure Hunt appearing in the fall issue of Canadian Holmes.  He gave me permission to print it here as well.  Please see below.

Thanks,

Margie

Sherlockian Treasure…Hunt

By Peter Calamai

Peter Calamai is a frequent contributor to Canadian Holmes and a riddle wrapped in an enigma. He is also a recipient of the Order of Canada.

Diabolical. An overused word but nonetheless an accurate description for many of the 100 questions in the third annual Treasure Hunt, an online Sherlockian quiz conceived by the late Donald R. Libey for the John H. Watson Society. Consider this example:

Of the six, one was missing something the other five had—perhaps for the same reason the owner no longer had a picture. Name the one, what the one did not have, and the owner. (Answer on page 12.)

Contestants had a month to answer such questions using any printed and electronic Sherlockian resources. They could work alone or in teams of up to five. The Bootmakers team consisted of Cliff Goldfarb, Peggy Perdue, Chris Redmond and me. Conferring by email starting August 1, we quickly knocked off about a quarter of the questions in the first week (and those answers proved largely correct). Another quarter fell in the second week. Then we laboriously ground our way along until only seven remained without a definite answer. An hour-and-a-half brainstorming teleconference produced much speculation and slowly more questions got answers . . . of a sort. The last question was answered on deadline day, September 1. Hunt quizmaster Margie Deck – she of a definitely diabolical bent – quickly totted up the entries and posted results on September 3. An excited Goldfarb emailed fellow team members that “we managed a podium finish for Canada against world-class competition.”

With 143 points out of a possible 156, we had tied for Honours with a two-person team from the Sound of the Baskervilles. However, in what Cliff called a Norbury moment, the High Honours, with 153 points, went to a five-person team from Uno Studio in Holmes of Italy competing in their second (or maybe third) language. Three other teams sent in answers, although more began the quiz. Full results, including the Order of Valiant Effort award, are at https://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/ Now, if only we’d managed the correct answer to that question above, we’d have garnered three more points. Oh well, there’s always next year, and there’s room for another Bootmakers team member.

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Trailer for the BBC Sherlock Special

Finally! A trailer is available online:

The trailer features our hero, played by Martin Freeman, as well as some of his amazing co-stars Amanda Abbington and Rupert Graves, some fellow named Cumberbatch, and – back by popular demand – a return cameo appearance of Dr Watson’s Mustache!

Yes, I’m excited. Are you excited? I’m excited.

I just wish they’d announce a date.

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Weekly Forum #40

What does it mean to be a Watsonian?

We’re all Watsonians and call ourselves so. The title of our publication proudly anounnces it. When we reach out to each other and converse, we already know what it means and who we are. We find common ground because we are Watsonians.

So, if someone (perhaps a Sherlockian, perhaps a layman unaware of what year it Always Is) were to ask you what does it mean to be a Watsonian, what is the cleverest answer you could provide them?

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Membership Renewals

I know, I know, it’s the dreaded “have you renewed?” post isn’t it?

Even if I can’t manage to keep this brief, I’ll try to keep this simple:

If you have renewed your membership to the John H Watson Society, ignore this post. We are on track with our work, so you should expect to see fresh new JHWS publications in your mailbox near the end of October.

If you became a member after January 2014 (like me!), fear not: you do not need to renew yet and you’ll hear from us at a future date when it is time for you to renew. So ignore this post, kick back, and relax.

If you joined before January 2014 and you have not renewed: please consider renewing your membership with us.

We’ve got a lovely new pastiche by our fellow member Blythe called “The Limehouse Lucifer” that you would not want to miss out on. We’ve also got the very first volume to be composed by our Editor-in-Chief Pippin, who you know well from his recent monograph on Dr Watson’s early writings.

Just to give you a tease: Our upcoming volume of the Watsonian will have some fantastic new features, such as “Billiards With Thurston” and “Roxie’s Canonical Ramblings”, as well as familiar ongoing works such as “The Great Hiatus – Part III”, a new “Watsonian Wit”, and a unique pawky puzzle from the Pawky Puzzler herself. The special section dedicated to Holmes and Watson on Stage and Screen is in itself more than worth the price of admission!

So please consider renewing your membership over this weekend. We Watsonians wish to continue to create new material for you to enjoy.

If you do not renew by this coming Monday, October 5, 2015, then we shall respectfully retire your name from the membership roster in the printing of this upcoming volume and you will not receive the latest publications coming out later this month.

If you decide at a later date to renew your membership, we will be delighted to have you rejoin us. However, please keep in mind that there could be a delay in sending the Watsonian and the Fiction Series to you if the pre-arranged addresses from current members need to receive their books first. Also, your name will return to the published roster in the next Watsonian to go to print after the time you’ve renewed your membership.

If you are not certain if you need to renew or not, or if you have any further questions, please contact me at carla@johnhwatsonsociety.com and I will get you in direct contact with our membership consultant, Robin, to help meet your needs.

If you wish to renew your membership now, please visit our JHWS Store.

Thank you for your time.

Best wishes,

Carla Buttons

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Weekly Forum #39

As it is that time of year, I’m currently in the middle of helping our Editor-in-Chief, Pippin, and his editorial team prepare The Watsonian for print.

So let’s discuss JHWS publications (The Watsonian, The Monograph Series, and The Fiction Series) this week. What have you enjoyed so far? What would you like to read more about in the future? And in what areas do you think we could improve our publications?

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Weekly Forum #38

Today’s discussion topic is from our fellow JHWS member “Gwen.” Thank you!

Is there one thing that has evolved in the greater Sherlockian world that you wish you could just make totally disappear?

(Gwen’s answer is “probably… that deerstalker.” For me, I’d say I wish the misconception that Dr Watson is some nature of boobus brittanicus would totally disappear…)

 

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Sherlock Holmes and the Sword of Osman

symondsTimThe latest novel from Tim Symonds, titled Sherlock Holmes and the Sword of Osman, is now out and available to purchase. Our friend “Dot” is working on a thorough review for you to look forward to, but I will go ahead and say that if you’ve experienced Symonds’ writings, enjoy a well-written Watson and a brilliant Holmes (of course you do), or have an interest in the Ottoman Empire during the turbulent early 20th century, then this carefully researched historical novel can deliver. I ended up learning so much in the process of reading a good story!

It’s 1906. Far from England, the Ottoman Empire ruled by the despotic Sultan Abd-ul-Hamid 11 is on the verge of imploding. Rival Great Powers, especially Kaiser Wilhelm’s Germany, sit watching like crows on a fence, ready to rush in to carve up the vast territories, menacing England’s vital overland routes to her Indian possessions. At his medical practice in London’s Marylebone Watson receives a mystifying telegram. It’s from Holmes. ‘Dear Watson, if you can throw physic to the dogs for an hour or two I would appreciate meeting at the stone cross at Charing Cross railway station tomorrow noon. I have an assignation with a bird lover at the Stork & Ostrich House in the Regents Park which has excited my curiosity. Yrs. S.H.’

Watson finds the invitation puzzling. Why should such a mundane meeting at a Bird House excite the curiosity of Europe’s most famous investigating detective or anyone else? For old times’ sake Watson joins his old comrade-in-arms. Within days Holmes and Watson find themselves aboard HMS Dreadnought en route to Stamboul, a city of fabled opulence, high espionage and low intrigue. Their mission: at all costs stop a plot which could bring about the immediate collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

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Weekly Forum #37

Today’s discussion topic is from our fellow JHWS member “Dash.” Thank you!

Holmes is known for his ability to look at someone and make insightful deductions… which are proven to be correct.  Have you had any Sherlockian moments yourself?

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BRASS

As you may recall from my conversation with John Longenbaugh, his radio serial “BRASS” involves a family of adventurers, including a quite brilliant lady detective.

The first two episodes of the serial are now available to listen to on the BRASS website. There’s also a campaign for a short film and an upcoming theater performance as well. It’s worth checking out – I’ve enjoyed listening to the first two episodes of the serial and I’m looking forward to more.

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3rd Annual JHWS Treasure Hunt Results Are In!

Hello!  As you all know, the 3rd Annual JHWS Treasure Hunt ended on September 1.  This third year saw a great increase in the number of submitted entries resulting in good competition in both the Team and Individual Categories.  We hope you enjoyed the competition; every effort was made to continue the proud tradition started by our Buttons. Thank you to everyone who participated.

This year is the first time the Treasure Hunt submissions were scored on a point system with a total of 156 points available.  Results are——-

TEAM CATEGORY:

High Honors:  High Honors for this year goes to Uno Studio in Holmes, our returning team from Italy. The outstanding work by this team captured 153 of the 156 points.  Congratulations to team members Michele Lopez, Stefano Guerra, Enrico Solito, Vera Mazzotta, and Roberto Vianello.

Honors: Honors for this year are shared between The Sound of the Baskervilles, returning champions from Seattle, and The Bootmakers of Toronto, with each team earning 143 points. Sheila Holtgrieve and Lauren Messenger represented The SOBs (as they are affectionately known); The Bootmakers are represented by Peter Calamai, Cliff Goldfarb, Peggy Perdue, and Chris Redmond.

O.V.E. Awards: Our Order of Valiant Effort awards go to second-year competitor  La Fayette of La Societe Sherlock Holmes de France with 129 points, and Two Guys Down in Illinois with 124 points. SSHF Lafayette team members are Alexis Barquin, Benoit Guilielmo, and Thierry Saint-Joanis.  The Two Guys are Rob Nunn and Brad Keefauver.

Honorable Mention:  Honorable Mention this year goes to first time competitors, The Retired Beekeepers of Sussex with 70 points; team members are Elinor Gray, Basil Chap, Crystal Noll, and Rowan MacBean.

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY:

High Honors:  First time competitor Greg Darak earns the High Honors in this category this year with his excellent work nabbing  145 of the available points.

Honors:  Honors this year go to our returning champion from 2013 and 2014 Denny Dobry with 130 points.  Denny was the first-in this year, submitting more than a week before any others.

O.V.E. Award:  Our Valiant Effort Award winner for this category is Gerry Turnbull with 89 points.

In keeping with the general fellowship of the JHWS, there is another tie in one category this year:

The Best Pull-The-Treasure-Hunt-Master’s-Leg Award

–Two Guys in Illinois for their answer to #47: “He let out a yell, and away he went as hard as he could lick it in the darkness”—SHOS; A year later, Holmes discovers how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop;

–Greg Darak for his answer to #89 (about the Fog): Mel Torme and Professor Moriarty.

Thank you for the comic relief!  🙂

The  JHWS will be sending the keepsake awards out soon, and may need to contact some of you for mailing information.  The answers to this year’s competition will be posted tomorrow on the Quiz page.  We will then return our quiz page to our wonderful Quiz Master Denny.  Please direct any questions about the 3rd Annual Treasure Hunt to treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com.

  Thanks for playing the game with us this year,

Ma

JHWS Treasure Hunt Master for 2015

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The Case of the Six Watsons by Robert Ryan “Caesar”

Case of the Six Watsons ebook cover(1)

Today, I’m happy to feature a review from one of the newest members of the John H Watson Society. Please welcome, “Dot,” who has written an early review of The Case of the Six Watsons by Robert Ryan, JHWS “Caesar” which will be available on September 3rd:

Robert Ryan, the John H. Watson Society’s own “Caesar,” has a new collection of short stories forthcoming, which I was fortunate enough to be able to preview. The Case of the Six Watsons presents stories that I am certain will delight members of the JHWS as much as they did me. Dr. John H. Watson is the focus of this collection, and each of the stories showcase his character and qualities in interesting ways.

The short story collection is dedicated in memory of Don Libey, the John H. Watson Society’s founder, known affectionately as “Buttons,” who passed away earlier this year, and is deeply missed. The short stories, themselves, contain a couple of lovely in-text references to Buttons, which I shall leave the reader to discover. I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise!

Most of the stories in the collection of six have, as their inspiration, a piece of writing by Arthur Conan Doyle. These are the “apocrypha,” including stories such as “The Man with the Watches” and “The Lost Special.” Ryan builds upon the apocryphal stories, imagining Watson, and sometimes Holmes, within the events. What I found thrilling was the sheer range of the six stories Ryan tells. They are all set at different periods in Watson’s life, giving us an interesting view of the ways in which his character changes over time, and the ways in which he remains constant. It also gives us a view of how his friendship with Holmes changes over this time. In some instances, Watson easily predicts Holmes’ behavior, and is able to react accordingly. In “The Broken Crocodile”, they are estranged. Not only do the stories give us an interesting sampling of different periods in Watson’s life, they also allow Ryan to tell stories that are flavored with a variety of different tones and genres. “The Brazilian Wife” transitions from a more standard mystery setup to become a tense adventure story. “The Wrong Detective” is a locked room mystery that takes place in a train, with a compelling drama at its heart. “The Beetle Lover” and “The Prisoner in B.24” have some intriguing gothic horror elements.

“The Prisoner of B.24” is also notable because it allows Watson to act in the role of judging a man’s innocence, and then acting upon that judgement in order to prevent a miscarriage of justice by the law. This is a role similar to those we have often seen Holmes play in the canon, so it is exciting to see Watson have his turn, and then to be able to relay what occurred to Holmes, when his friend returns to Baker Street.

I especially enjoyed two of the stories, “The Brazilian Wife,” and “The Broken Crocodile.” “The Brazilian Wife,” which I mentioned earlier, takes place during the Great Hiatus. Watson takes up the case of a client who appears at Baker Street during the time when Holmes is believed dead, despite receiving a mysterious message warning him to stay out of the matter. He finds himself embroiled in a situation that is not what it initially seems. The story has the feel of an excellent, suspenseful adventure story, and it is wonderful to see Watson show his qualities of adaptability, resourcefulness, and courage in a dire situation.

“The Broken Crocodile” is set within the “Watson at War” series, though it stands very well as an independent story. It is set in the Cairo of World War I, where Watson is working in his capacity as a military doctor, overseeing the implementation of a new blood transfusion technique. When a bowl purchased by Mrs. Emily Marchand at the market is accidentally shattered, Watson is introduced to T. E. Lawrence, who helps him find a local craftsman who is able to repair the bowl. From there, Watson is drawn into detective work and espionage, working to try to catch a spy copying maps produced in the map room where Lawrence works. This story is rich with intriguing details that evoke a strong sense of the setting, the period, and the characters. Also, I admit, I’m a mark for historical archaeologists (my undergraduate degree is in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology), so it was a thrill to read about Watson meeting, and having an adventure with, T. E. Lawrence. The references to the events within the “Watson at War” series were enough to give me a fuller sense of Watson’s character, and the context of his life at the time. They provided me with enough information to make me curious about the rest of the series, which I hope to be able to read in the future. On the whole, the story acts as a nice finale to “The Case of the Six Watsons,” providing a fun conclusion, as well as the possibility of being a jumping on point for future reading!

Happy Reading,

Lauren Messenger, JHWS “Dot”

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Weekly Forum #35: The Definition of Canon

There are no On This Day events recorded today or tomorrow, but on the Hounds website, messages are flying back and forth about the definition of the term “Canon.” What follows is a definition that I agree with totally. The message is from Esmeralda, a fellow member of our group:

One definition of Canon among many similar ones is: a collection or list of sacred books accepted as genuine. “The formation of the biblical canon”

The books published under the name of Arthur Conan Doyle, good and bad, are Canonical. Any Holmes works put out under other names, however good, cannot by that definition be Canonical.

The word was originally used to describe those early religious works gathered together under the name “The Bible” — other books, even if written at the same time on the same subjects, are apocrypha, not Canon.

The best fanfic, films, TV shows, and pastiches can never be Canonical, whatever else they may be. The worst story about Holmes published by ACD (and we can argue forever about which that is) is, like it or not, Canonical.

Of course we can use words to mean what we want them to mean, but in that case, don’t they become meaningless?

Comments, fellow Watsonians?