Use the Comment button to ask questions or request clarifications. Replies to your questions will be posted as soon as possible. This post will remain active for the entire month of the Treasure Hunt.
Treasure Hunt Began 1 August 2014 at Noon (US/EST)
The Second Annual John H Watson Society World Invitational Treasure Hunt began at noon 1 August 2014. The questions are available to download on the Treasure Hunt page. A questions post is available on the Quiz Page and will be the central point for communications, questions and clarifications. Good Luck!
Treasure Hunt Questions: Ask Here
Use the Comment button to ask questions or request clarifications. Replies to your questions will be posted as soon as possible. This post will remain active for the entire month of the Treasure Hunt.
Weekly Quiz to Resume 5 September 2014, After the Treasure Hunt
The Weekly Quiz will be on break until the Treasure Hunt is over. Please check back on Friday, September 5, 2014 for the next quiz.
Weekly Quiz to Resume 5 September 2014, After the Treasure Hunt
The Weekly Quiz will be on break until the Treasure Hunt is over. Please check back on Friday, September 5, 2014 for the next quiz.
Weekly Forum: 29 July 2014
Doctor Who:
This week’s Forum delves into the various screen and television portrayals of Doctor Watson. If we begin with the earliest Watson’s, including Roland Young and others, move through the Nigel Bruce period, then to the David Burke and Edward Hardwicke portrayals with Jeremy Brett, on to Jude Law, Martin Freeman, and Lucy Liu, can we contrast the Watsons and what each of them add to or take away from our own ideal version of John Watson?
Our own Society Members, Kieran McMullen “Raleigh” and Molly Carr “Brenda,” have written excellent books on the Dr Watson subject (The Many Watsons by Kieran McMullen and In Search of Doctor Watson by Molly Carr). Both are highly recommended to all who are interested in the Watson history. They are available on Amazon.
The key to this discussion is what you think and how you wish your Doctor Watson to be and remain. Please join in the discussion. We are most interested in your thoughts.
This week’s Forum delves into the various screen and television portrayals of Doctor Watson. If we begin with the earliest Watson’s, including Roland Young and others, move through the Nigel Bruce period, then to the David Burke and Edward Hardwicke portrayals with Jeremy Brett, on to Jude Law, Martin Freeman, and Lucy Liu, can we contrast the Watsons and what each of them add to or take away from our own ideal version of John Watson?
Our own Society Members, Kieran McMullen “Raleigh” and Molly Carr “Brenda,” have written excellent books on the Dr Watson subject (The Many Watsons by Kieran McMullen and In Search of Doctor Watson by Molly Carr). Both are highly recommended to all who are interested in the Watson history. They are available on Amazon.
The key to this discussion is what you think and how you wish your Doctor Watson to be and remain. Please join in the discussion. We are most interested in your thoughts.
The Hangman
One wonders if Doctor Watson and Mr Holmes ever encountered this beauty of the Victorian era:
William Calcraft, (1800–1879) was the most famous English hangman of the 19th century. One of the most prolific British executioners of all time, it is estimated that he carried out 450 executions during his 45-year career. A cobbler by trade, Calcraft was initially recruited to flog juvenile offenders after meeting the City of London’s hangman, John Foxton, while selling meat pies near Newgate Prison. He succeeded Foxton, but his controversial use of the short-drop method of hanging, in which the victims were strangled rather than had their vertebrae broken by the fall when the trapdoor on the gallows was released, caused some to consider him incompetent. Many took several minutes to die, and to hasten their deaths Calcraft sometimes pulled on their legs, or even climbed on their shoulders in an attempt to break their necks. Calcraft’s antics may have been intended to entertain the crowds of more than 30,000 that sometimes attended his executions before a change in the law in 1868 meant that executions could only take place in prisons. Among his victims were Marie and Frederick Manning, the first husband and wife to be hanged together since 1700.
Source: Wikipedia
The Artist of The Watsons
To All:Here is a self-caricature of the talented artist, Mr Phil Cornell, who created the two Watson’s I posted earlier. Enjoy, Chips.
Treasure Hunt Begins 1 August
A reminder to all Members, non-members and teams worldwide that the Second Annual John H Watson World Invitational Treasure Hunt begins at 12 noon Eastern US Time, Friday, 1 August 2014. It will end 1 September 2014 at 12 Noon US Eastern Time.
Full details are found on Treasure Hunt page. The 150 question Treasure Hunt will be uploaded to the Treasure Hunt page where it can be downloaded on 1 August 2014.
Please return to this page for regular updates. To ask questions regarding the quiz, please use the Treasure Hunt Quiz post on the Society’s Quiz Page, which will remain active for the entire month-long Treasure Hunt. Select “Comments” and ask your question; answers will be posted as soon as possible.
We are hoping that all of our Members and as many interested non-members as possible will participate in the fun. We believe you will quite possibly forever be a part of Watsonian/Sherlockian history as this is likely the longest and most difficult quiz ever to be created for worldwide participation.
Weekly Quiz 2014: 30
Download Questions and Answers
Results: Elinor Gray “Misty” was first in and takes the honours for the week. The SOB team of Ariana Maher “Carla,” Sheila Holtgrieve “Daisy,” and Margie Deck “Gwen,” triumphed again, adding more to the knowledge of the topic.
Buttons had selected the one reference in the Canon to ‘shotgun’ that is NOT listed in any of the usual references, concordances, encyclopedias, or other word compendiums usually consulted. It was “truncated flowling piece” (a sawed-off shotgun) found in VALL. This shows once again that Goodrich, Tracy, Baring-Gould and Klinger missed a few now and then. Answers are above.
This week’s quiz is short, but somewhat difficult. Have fun!
ONLY TWO DAYS TO THE TREASURE HUNT!
Weekly Quiz 2014: 30
Download Week 30 Questions and Answers.
Results: Elinor Gray “Misty” was first in and takes the honours for the week. The SOB team of Ariana Maher “Carla,” Sheila Holtgrieve “Daisy,” and Margie Deck “Gwen,” triumphed again, adding more to the knowledge of the topic.
Buttons had selected the one reference in the Canon to ‘shotgun’ that is NOT listed in any of the usual references, concordances, encyclopedias, or other word compendiums usually consulted. It was “truncated flowling piece” (a sawed-off shotgun) found in VALL. This shows once again that Goodrich, Tracy, Baring-Gould and Klinger missed a few now and then. Answers are above.
This week’s quiz is short, but somewhat difficult. Have fun!
ONLY TWO DAYS TO THE TREASURE HUNT!
Announcement of Appointment of New Director
Dear Fellow Watsonians:
he John H Watson Society is pleased to announce the recognition and appointment of Robert Katz, MD, BSI, JHWS “Willow” as Director and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Society. The Society Chair, Professor Don Yates, BSI, JHWS “Pal” has moved and approved this well-deserved appointment and recommends Dr Katz for his exceptional encouragement of Societal activities and his active and productive representation and member recruitment to the Society from organizations and scion groups within the Sherlockian and Watsonian communities. Dr Katz’s brief will be to continue to represent the Society as our official Ambassador and to encourage membership and inter-organizational relations among the numerous clubs and organizations in his sphere.
As you may know, Bob Katz has been unstinting of his time, energy, guidance, wisdom and encouragement in all of our activities and our relations with other clubs, societies and scions during his time as a Founding Member. He has furthered our scholarship, not only through his papers for The Watsonian, but through his innovations and support of the Weekly Quizzes and the Weekly Forums. He, additionally, assists with proofreading and editorial suggestions for the journal. And, he is a tireless recruiter and mentor of new members.
Dr Katz is not only among the foremost Baker Street Irregulars, but he is also an accomplished Sherlockian scholar and leader of a number of respected Sherlockian organizations.
We look forward to his continued contributions to The John H Watson Society and to his influence in forwarding our Society’s goals and aims in the years to come.
Please join in welcoming Robert Katz, MD, BSI, JHWS “Willow” as a Director and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the John H Watson Society.
With best regards on behalf of the Directors and Members,
The John H Watson Society
Don Libey
Buttons
The Weekly Forum
Doctor Watson speaks of Mary Morstan with a great deal of love in SIGN. In fact, one could posit that Doctor Watson was struck by ‘love at first sight.’ Was his love (or her’s) enduring? Was he successful as a husband? Like so many other matters, we have no definitive answers for these questions. But we have evidence, a great deal of implied and sketchy evidence.
There are many threads concerning Dr Watson’s marriage(s). Some propose multiple marriages, but little in the way of their histories. Is it possible for us to cooperatively take up the threads and find a supportable chronology of the good Doctors marital status and indicated lodgings and offer an overarching theory for his marital history?
And, as a second bit of theorizing, perhaps we could catalog the evidence and from it formulate the positive and negative aspects of his personality in order to answer the question: “What would it have been like to be married to Doctor John Watson?”
The Good Doctor a la the BBC
To All:
The 2nd drawing of the Watson’s, played by Edward Hardwicke, from the Jeremy Brett BBC Sherlock series done by a very talented artist from Australia named Phil Cornell.
You may be familiar with his work from The Baker Street Journal and many other publications.
All my best,
Chips aka Ron
The Grillparzer Club of the Hoboken Free State
Through the gracious generosity of Member Harrison ‘Terry’ Hunt “Dash” and his lovely wife Linda, copies of Hoboken Nights, the journal of the Grillparzer Club of the Hoboken Free State were recently received.The Grillparzer Club celebrates the life and works of the redoubtable author, wit and founder of the Three Hours for Lunch Club and the Baker Street Irregulars, Christopher Morley, a legendary Sherlockian and man of letters.
The journal takes its name and masthead design from a single-issue publication Christopher Morley prepared in April 1929 for distribution at one of the theatrical shows he produced between 1928 and 1930 in Hoboken, New Jersey.
The club was the inspiration of Linda and Harrison (Terry) Hunt. They became familiar with Morley when they worked in his beloved Rosalyn, Long Island–Linda as a staff member of the Bryant Library there and Terry as the Supervisor of Historic Sites for Nassau County Parks, which included overseeing Morley’s writing studio, The Knothole.
A number of Watsonians are members of the Grillparzer Club and include Robert Katz, Jon Lellenburg, Francine and Richard Kitts, Burt Wolder, Peter Crupe, Al Gregory, Richard Sveum, and our emeritus Member, the late Vinnie Brosnan.
Membership is open to those interested for a nominal $15 per year which includes invitations to all club dinners and activities and two issues of the very well-done and highly informative newsletter, Hoboken Nights, edited and produced by Linda and Harrison Hunt. Dues may be sent payable to Harrison and Linda Hunt and mailed to 113 North Street, Catskill, NY 12414.
We believe the joy and good humour associated with The Grillparzer Club, as well as the added knowledge to come of “The Old Mandarin” are well worth the very modest price of admission. Christopher Morley is an unending fountain of discovery.
Buttons first was introduced to Christopher Morley via his 1919 classic book, The Haunted Bookshop. This rich story created a life-long fascination with books, book collecting and–somewhere–was responsible for Buttons going into the antiquarian book dealing business. Mr Morley also wrote the preface to The Complete Sherlock Holmes, published by Doubleday, 1930, and his immortal introduction was the very first thing Buttons ever read, as an eight year-old, about Holmes and Watson. My Mother and Father may have given me the book for Christmas in 1953, but Christopher Morley told me what was in store . . . and it turned out to be an alternative life. Here is that first book from my collection: The Haunted Bookshop
A Doctor Watson With a Twist, Please
Weekly Quiz 2014: 29
Results: Our Seattle SOB Team of Margie Deck “Gwen,” Sheila Holtgrieve “Daisy,” Ariana Maher “Carla,” and Melissa Anderson “Faith” were the sole honor-takers this week. Congratulations! Answers are below.Seven days to the Treasure Hunt!
This week’s quiz is random but with a few twists. Please submit your solution to buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com by 4 pm 23 July 2014.
And, remember: The Treasure Hunt begins in 13 days!
A Serious and Sad Note
Our good friend and Member from UAE and India, Kumar Bhatia “Bobbie,” remembers the global reach and potential of Doctor Watson and Mr Holmes and sends this poignant thought:
Dear Friends and Fellow Watsonians:
Extremely sad and, indeed, terrible news about the shooting down of the Malaysian Airlines flight.
Why?
See what Sherlock Holmes had to say, more than 125 years ago:
“What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear? It must tend to some end, or else our universe is ruled by chance, which is unthinkable.”
Thank you, Bobbie, for your thoughts and for reminding us of the enduring hope of a better humanity in the Canon.
Weekly Forum: Mrs Turner
The Mrs Turner Question
Weekly Forum 2014: 15 July 2014
Below is all of the textual evidence concerning Mrs Turner who is mentioned only once in the Canon and then disappears forever into question.
From the text, a number of explanations can be developed from the following snippets: “Mrs Turner;” “brought in the tray;” “our landlady had provided.”
You may wish to put forth explanations as to Mrs Turner’s antecedents that seem most promising to you and perhaps others will do the same.
The text:
[Watson] “But what is it you wish?”
[Holmes] “When Mrs Turner has brought in the tray I will make it clear to you. Now,” he said, as he turned hungrily on the simple fare that our landlady had provided, “I must discuss it while I eat, for I have not much time. It is nearly five now. In two hours we must be on the scene of action. Miss Irene, or Madame, rather, returns from her drive at seven. We must be at Briony Lodge to meet her.”
“Chips” quotes “Pippin”
To All:
I have permission from the author of this Piece to reprint it here. He is James O’Leary, a fellow Watsonian and Sherlockian of the first order. He has a interesting comment that is to be found in full at that marvelously informative site, I HEAR OF SHERLOCK EVERYWHERE. The title of his piece is “Sherlock Boom . . . What Sherlock Boom?” I strongly suggest you read the whole piece. I want to share this part as I wish I could put the thought into words as well as he has:
“For as much as we play The Game that Doyle was the literary agent to John H. Watson, there is no higher accolade than to say an author created a character that lives. We read the words Doyle wrote with care for the clues they tell us about those living, breathing fictional characters and, like all good literature, tell us about us. There is nothing wrong with re-inventing Holmes for the times. Each generation has its own Hamlet, its own Macbeth, its own Romeo and Juliet, but Shakespeare is ever-present. There are no venerated Shakespeare pastiches, no continuing adventures of Othello. His characters have not become myth and that is the fear that some see in the face of Benedict Cumberbatch cum Sherlock; a Sherlock with multiple births, an archetype to be molded into any shape by any sculptor — a Holmes without a Doyle.
It is the now the Cumberbatch/Sherlock Boom and the great detective who was published between 1887 and 1927 is along for the ride. He survived the Reichenbach, Gillette’s on-stage betrothal and Rathbone’s bizarre windswept hairdo. He is made of sterner stuff. Because Sherlock Holmes and John Watson live, and live only, in four novels and 56 short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
“Aye, there’s the genius and the wonder of the thing!” And don’t forget it.”
Enjoy,
Chips
Words . . .
This morning, the tree nursery is coming to plant a Chinese Fringe Tree in our yard (Google image it if you haven’t seen one).
Those three words led me to ask myself if I could cite the use of each word in the Canon. Rather than do the research, I decided to let our intrepid Canonical Concordance Commandos attack the question. Where are the words Chinese, fringe and tree in the Canon? How many appearances for each?