September 4, 1903: Trevor Bennett saw Prof. Presbury crawling down a hallway. (CREE)
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
On September 3rd…
September 3, 1903: Prof. Presbury took Lowenstein’s Elixir of Life an 8th time. (CREE)
The Case of the Six Watsons by Robert Ryan “Caesar”
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”
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?
Jody Baker and Dr Watson’s Pictures
There are no more events for the rest of the month, but I would like to leave you with the following writing. It was written by a Sherlockian of note who co-founded the only Scion society recognized by the Baker Street Irregulars in a nursing home. Known as Inspector Baynes in his postings, he was Jody Baker in real life. His postings and the gazettes he published are really some of the best around. I will post some more about Jody and his wonderful Sherlockian wife, his soulmate, but for now here is his incomparable style:
Dr. Watson’s Pictures of Devonshire Countryside [HOUN]
Dr. Watson, with pen for a brush and his words for his paints,
pictures for us vivid landscapes of the Devonshire countryside.
*******
“The journey was a swift and pleasant one… In a very few hours the
brown earth had become ruddy, the brick had changed to granite, and
red cows grazed in well-hedged fields where the lush grasses and more
luxuriant vegetation spoke of a richer, if a damper, climate.”
*******
“Over the green squares of the fields and the low curve of a wood
there rose in the distance a gray, melancholy hill, with a strange
jagged summit, dim and vague in the distance, like some fantastic
landscape in a dream. “
*******
“The wagonette swung round into a side road, and we curved upward
through deep lanes worn by centuries of wheels, high banks on either
side, heavy with dripping moss and fleshy hart’s-tongue ferns.
Bronzing bracken and mottled bramble gleamed in the light of the
sinking sun. Still steadily rising, we passed over a narrow granite
bridge and skirted a noisy stream which gushed swiftly down, foaming
and roaring amid the gray boulders. Both road and stream wound up
through a valley dense with scrub oak and fir.”
*******
Those Hounds, among us, who think of Watson as a dunce or a dullard
(as depicted by Nigel Bruce, in days of yore) may want to pause and
reflect upon Watson’s writings.
Respectfully,
Inspector Baynes
Weekly Forum #34
Mr. Holmes, starring Ian McKellen and based of the book A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin, has arrived at many theaters around the world at this point, so if you have seen the movie, I would love to discuss it with you. (Yes, there will likely be spoilers in the comments, so fair warning if you haven’t seen the film.)
Did you like it? What did you think of Ian McKellen’s portrayal?
On August 25th…
August 25, 1903: Prof. Presbury took Lowenstein’s elixir of life a seventh time. (CREE)
Watson the Doctor
Here’s a special song for Watsonians to enjoy! It’s called “Watson the Doctor.”
Now Available: Coin of the Canonical Realm
We are very pleased to announce that the electronic (PDF) edition of the Society’s first monograph, “Coin of the Canonical Realm”, by Nicholas Utechin (JHWS “Rex”), is now available in the Shop. Simply select “PDF Download” in the “Format and Postage” options. You will receive the download link as soon as payment is completed.
If you encounter any problems with the shop (or anywhere else on the site), please let Selena know!
On August 20th…
August 20, 1889: Jabez Wilson started copying the Encyclopedia Britannica. (REDH)
3rd Annual JHWS Treasure Hunt: Strategies for the final stretch
Hello– I’m jumping in here on the news page to send some info (and encouragement) to our 3rd Annual Treasure Hunt participants. As a participant in TH1 and TH2, I know that the third week can feel a bit discouraging and frustrating. More than likely at this point, those working on the hunt are now down to their final 1/3 of the questions–the 1/3 that seem too ambiguous or mostly hopeless. I know time is short, and frustration leads to thoughts of abandoning the thing entirely. I hope you will not! I also know at this point it is easy to forget that you’ve had some fun working on thing– the joy of getting lost in Holmes’s and Watson’s world, and from playing the game with your team members. I offer a reminder of a few strategies–we saw some of this in the warm-up questions– for working the questions this year:
1) Almost every question has a searchable phrase or word to help you find the answer. Some are really evident (‘alive and well’); others require a bit more thought, ie: another word for ‘single man’ is ‘bachelor’; ‘three’ could be third or thrice, etc.;
2) Punctuation matters: a lower-case ‘j’ in the word jack; an upper-case ‘Y’ in the word yellow;
3) Be sure to consider the section headings–“The problem has always been not to find but to choose” will mean you are looking for answers concerning the untold tales, as Watson is referencing some of them when he made that statement.
A full 15 days remain to work on the hunt. Should you find yourself a few answers short on September 1, please submit your answers anyway. The hunt will be scored on a point system; each question has a point value (i.e.: ‘who’ = 1 pt; ‘who’ and ‘where’ = 2 pts., etc.). With the exclusion of question #27, there are 156 available points. [ If your answer gets ‘who’ correct but misses ‘where’, you still earn 1 of 2 points.] Even if you are a few answers short, your total points could still equal High Honors!
Ok, I will stop going on and on. Thanks for your time and interest.
Your 2015 Treasure Hunt master who fully expects to be cursed profoundly over the next 15 days…
Margie
On August 19th…
August 19, 1889: Jabez Wilson applied for a job with the Red-Headed League. (REDH)
Weekly Forum #33
In a recent interview, Martin Freeman spoke of his role in BBC Sherlock and while answering a question about portraying characters who are “ordinary people dragged into the extraordinary,” he had a fascinating thing to say about Dr Watson (emphasis mine):
“Sometimes it’s forgotten… you know, I know what you’re saying about John and Bilbo both being ordinary people dragged into the extraordinary but sometimes it’s forgotten that before John Watson meets Sherlock he’s already an extraordinary man. He is a soldier, he is an army surgeon who saves lives, who can take lives. He is certainly a lot more capable than I am in real life. It’s just that he meets someone who’s even more extraordinary – you know, in a normal room of people John Watson would be the guy, ‘cause he can do stuff that hardly anybody else can do. But he just happens to meet his flatmate – he’s a genius. So a really impressive bloke meets a fantastically impressive bloke and together they make magic.”
That is certainly how Freeman presents him in the BBC adaption. Through the Canon, we can give examples of how Dr Watson saw himself and we know how Mr Holmes viewed his friend, but how did other people view Dr Watson? Was he “the guy”? What moments from the Canon can you find to support or refute that?
On August 17th…
No events on file today or tomorrow. Since the last case was CREE, how about three limericks by a wonderfully talented Sherlockian and Hound of the Internet who is sorely missed.
Which ending line do you like? Let me know and on with the show!
The Creeping Man
He ventured out every ninth night,
To scramble up trees in delight.
But then he was seized
By the dog he’d teased
Whose fangs tore his throat with one bite.
Don Dillistone, November, 2002
The Creeping Man
He ventured out every ninth night,
To scramble up trees in delight.
But then he was seized
By his dog whom he’d teased,
Who slashed his throat with a well-placed bite.
Don Dillistone, November, 2002
The Creeping Man
He ventured out every ninth night,
To scramble up trees in delight.
But then he was seized
By the dog he’d teased,
Who ripped his throat with a savage bite.
Don Dillistone, November, 2002
On August 16th…
August 16, 1903: Prof. Presbury took Lowenstein’s elixir of life a 6th time.(CREE)
On August 15th…
August 15, 1898: At 3am, Hilton Cubitt was shot to death by Abe Slaney. (DANC)
Holmes arrested Abe Slaney for the murder of Hilton Cubitt. (DANC)
On August 14th…
August 14, 1898: 7th and last dancing men with the message “Elsie prepare to meet thy God” appeared. (DANC)
On August 12th…
August 12, 1888: Holmes received a copy of Jim Browner’s confession from G. Lestrade. (CARD)
August 12, 1888: Hilton Cubitt visited Holmes again. (DANC)
Weekly Forum: #32
Today’s topic is from our fellow JHWS member “Dash.” Thank you!
Each of us has been given a JHWS moniker through mysterious means. Some, like Asta, are well-known; most are not as obvious. What do you feel is the background story or hidden meaning behind your moniker?