I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

“make England ring” [THOR] 

Here's an interesting thing to consider: how often are cows mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories?

The easiest reference is most likely in "The Priory School," as we find Holmes and Watson tracing cow tracks across the moor as they search for the abducted Lord Saltire.

“Strange, Watson, that we should see tracks all along our line, but never a cow on the whole moor; very strange, Watson, eh?”

“Only that it is a remarkable cow which walks, canters, and gallops. By George, Watson, it was no brain of a country publican that thought out such a blind as that!”

Aside from cows (or not cows) on the moor, we find moorland cows in The Hound of the Baskervilles, as Watson describes arriving on location:

“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.”

In A Study in Scarlet, Lucy Ferrier was out riding when she came across a herd of cattle that spooked her horse. Jefferson Hope showed up and saved her, and she reacted:

“I’m awful frightened,” she said, naively; “whoever would have thought that Poncho would have been so scared by a lot of cows?” 

No mention of cowbells, but we can imagine them softly ringing across the fields and moors. There may be more references, but for now, let's see what's ringing in the ears of the boys at Baker Street Elementary...



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“it's the king of diamonds” [MAZA] 

It took Laurie R. King six years to find a publisher for her first book, but it was worth the wait. She won the Edgar in 1994 for Best First Novel with A Grave Talent , which launched her Kate Martinelli series, set in San Francisco. That same year, The Bee-Keeper’s Apprentice introduced the impressive, young Mary Russell, who would meet and eventually marry the retired Sherlock Holmes — “the least marriageable man I knew,” according to Mary, in 1921.

Since then, Russell and Holmes have traveled the world in eighteen novels, finding mystery and adventure everywhere from the English countryside to Palestine to California. Along the way, Mary’s partnership with Holmes has evolved, usually in plots that mix real events with suspenseful intrigue. 

Now Knave of Diamonds , the nineteenth book in the series, brings Mary a case not even Sherlock Holmes could solve: the very real theft of the Irish Crown Jewels from Dublin Castle years before. It comes with the sudden return of Mary’s unprincipled Uncle Jake, traveling on a cloud of fabrications and falsehoods.

Laurie R. King was named a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master in 2022. Join us for a conversation about the Irish Crown Jewels, Laurie’s approach to storytelling, Mary’s background and her conflicting loyalties, and much more.

So you can see what’s coming, we share the first half of August in “The Learned Societies ” segment. Madeline Quiñones is back with “A Chance of Listening ,” and the Canonical Couplet quiz tests your Sherlock Holmes knowledge, with a signed copy of Knave of Diamonds for the winner. Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock.com by July 14, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

Don't forget to become a supporter  of the show on the platform of your choice (Patreon  | Substack ). 

Download  [Save As] | File size: 58.1 MB, 59:00

Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts

Leave I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify ; listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Sponsors
MX Publishing  has a number of new Sherlock Holmes books out by various authors. You'll want to check out the breadth of their offerings by visiting the site  to learn more.

Would you care to advertise with us? You can find more information here . Let's chat!

Links

Knave of Diamonds The Mary Russell series Knave of Diamond reading group guide Laurie R. King's website Other episodes mentioned: Episode 281: The Lantern's Dance   The Learned Societies: Sherlockian Calendar A Chance of Listening: Elementary, My Dears Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock .

Goodpods Top 100 Mystery Podcasts

And would you consider leaving us a rating and or a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at 5-1895-221B-5. That's (518) 952-2125.

“I can take a joke with the best” [HOUN] 

"Dad jokes" are typically punny or corny humor used mainly by fathers (although anyone can tell them). Responses range from mild laughter to eye rolls.

That got us to thinking while there are plenty of fathers and father figures in the Sherlock Holmes stories, what is the state of dad jokes — or more broadly, jokes overall? We find a mixed bag.

Jokes as an Excuse
Let's begin with father figures. Who can you think of that, when brought to justice, claimed they were only joking?

The first is a stepfather, who, in collusion with Mary Sutherland's mother, duped her into believing Hosmer Angel was a real suitor in "A Case of Identity": 

“It was only a joke at first,” groaned our visitor.

“We never thought that she would have been so carried away.”

In "The Norwood Builder," Jonas Oldacre was smoked out of his hiding place after John Hector McFarlane was accused of his murder:

The wretched creature began to whimper.

“I am sure, sir, it was only my practical joke.”

And later, has he was being taken away by Inspector Lestrade: 

“It was a joke, my good sir, a practical joke, nothing more,” he whined incessantly. “I assure you, sir, that I simply concealed myself in order to see the effect of my disappearance, and I am sure that you would not be so unjust as to imagine that I would have allowed any harm to befall poor young Mr. McFarlane.”

In order to dismiss any fear her husband might have or keep him from harm, Elsie Cubitt claimed that the dancing men cipher was a joke: 

“She answered that it was some senseless practical joke, and that I should not take any notice of it.” 

Jokes Eliminated as Motives
There are also instances of jokes being eliminated as a motive in certain dire circumstances.

When he awoke to find the house abandoned in "Wisteria Lodge," John Scott Eccles told Holmes:

“I was furious. My first idea was that I had been the victim of some absurd practical joke.” 

Holmes and Lestrade, discussing the motive of the severed ears arriving in "The Cardboard Box": 

“You have observed, of course,” said he at last, “that the ears are not a pair.”

“Yes, I have noticed that. But if this were the practical joke of some students from the dissecting-rooms, it would be as easy for them to send two odd ears as a pair.”

“Precisely. But this is not a practical joke.”

Holmes played things up for Culverton Smith in "The Dying Detective," getting the criminal to admit that he sent Holmes a poisoned booby-trap:

“Yes, yes, I opened it. There was a sharp spring inside it. Some joke—”

“It was no joke, as you will find to your cost.”

Mistaken for a Joke
And there are cases where something considered a joke when Sherlock Holmes knew something much more serious was at stake:

After Jabez Wilson discovered he had been duped to be away from his shop, he viewed it as an inconvenience and a monetary loss:

“But I want to find out about them, and who they are, and what their object was in playing

this prank—if it was a prank—upon me. It was a pretty expensive joke for them, for it cost them two and thirty pounds.”

In "The Five Orange Pips," John Openshaw's father was left with the effects of his own brother, Colonel Openshaw. When an envelope arrived and told him to "put the papers on the sundial," the elder Openshaw dismissed the threat and remarked:

“ ‘Some preposterous practical joke,’ said he. ‘What have I to do with sundials and papers? I shall take no notice of such nonsense.’

When the race was over and Colonel Ross wondered where the murderer of John Straker was, Sherlock Holmes claimed that he was "In my company at this moment." Ross didn't take kindly to it:

“I quite recognize that I am under obligations to you, Mr. Holmes,” said he, “but I must regard what you have just said as either a very bad joke or an insult.”

The jokes that fly at Baker Street Elementary are nowhere near as mistakable...

Related:
Trifles Episode 259 - Did Sherlock Holmes Have a Sense of Humor?



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“from Portsmouth at midday” [LAST] 

The Portsmouth Library is home to the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, largely made possible by the bequest of Richard Lancelyn Green. This world-renowned collection, the work of one of the foremost Doylean scholars, is a treasure trove for researchers, enthusiasts, and the public. The Collection preserves books, manuscripts, artifacts, and ephemera that illuminate Conan Doyle's life, his beloved Sherlock Holmes, and the cultural impact of his work.

Laura Weston is the Education and Learning Officer for the Collection at the Portsmouth City Council, making the collection accessible and engaging to a global audience. Laura joins us to discuss the annual Worldwide Doyle conference, a series of virtual talks by writers, fans, and academics who are passionate about Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. The program is taking place in June and July; all events take place at 7:00 pm BST and are free of charge, and will be available online.

How does a city like Portsmouth turn a literary archive into a global attraction — and why does it matter? What behind-the-scenes choices shape the talks and exhibits that bring Sherlock Holmes to life for new audiences? Laura discusses all of this, including the unexpected item in the Collection that made even its curator stop and say, “I didn’t see that coming.”

So you can see what’s coming, we share the full calendar of July in “The Learned Societies ” segment. Madeline Quinones is back with “A Chance of Listening ,” and the Canonical Couplet quiz tests your Sherlock Holmes knowledge, with something from the vaults for the winner. Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock.com by June 29, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

Don't forget to become a supporter  of the show on the platform of your choice (Patreon  | Substack ). 

Download  [Save As] | File size: 66.1 MB, 1:11:20

Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts

Leave I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify ; listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Sponsors
MX Publishing  has a number of new Sherlock Holmes books out by various authors. You'll want to check out the breadth of their offerings by visiting the site to learn more.

Would you care to advertise with us? You can find more information here . Let's chat!

Links

The Annual Worldwide Doyle Lecture Series 2025 The Conan Doyle Collection at the Portsmouth Public Library Worldwide Doyle 2023 and 2024 Lectures (YouTube) Other episodes mentioned: Episode 8: To Keep the Memory Green Episode 153: The Rooms at 221B Baker Street   The Learned Societies: Sherlockian Calendar A Chance of Listening: However Improbable Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock .

Goodpods Top 100 Mystery Podcasts

And would you consider leaving us a rating and or a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at 5-1895-221B-5. That's (518) 952-2125.

 “His lectures were as brilliant as ever” [CREE]

In June and July, the Portsmouth Library and Archives will be hosting a series of four online talks related to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, following what began as the Professor Neil McCaw Lecture Series  (more on its origins in that link).

The Library and Archives are the home to The Conan Doyle Collection Lancelyn Green Bequest , an unrivaled collection of books, photographs, objects, documents, and memorabilia chronicling the life of Conan Doyle and beyond, coming from the estate of Richard Lancelyn Green.

This year's lineup is filled with experts on Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, and is guaranteed to educate, elucidate, and delight all who attend. Register for each lecture in the link under the descriptions to watch them for free via Zoom.

Worldwide Doyle 2025 Schedule
All events take place at 7:00 pm BST and are free of charge.

June 5, 2025 — Burt Wolder 
“Conan Doyle: Adventurous Life, Enduring Memories ” As Conan Doyle’s health began to fail, he looked back upon a life rich with accomplishment. In 1930 he drew a cartoon depicting himself as “The Old Horse,” pulling a wagon loaded with memories. This talk explores his life’s work, underscoring the characteristic decisions which made it uniquely memorable. Three lessons are suggested that could be applied to enhance our own experiences.
Burt Wolder, BSI (“Third Pillar from the Left”) is an editor and co-host of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, the first podcast for Sherlock Holmes devotees, and Trifles, a weekly podcast about Holmes’s cases. He also serves on the board of Frederic Dorr Steele Memorial, Inc., a non-profit organization publicizing the life and work of the illustrator F. D. Steele (1873-1944).

Register for this event here .

June 11, 2025 — Clifford Goldfarb “If Arthur Conan Doyle Met Charles Dickens” This talk is about Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens and the possibility of their actual meeting, as well as a general discussion of Conan Doyle’s view of Dickens and a bit of comparison.
Clifford Goldfarb is the author of The Great Shadow: Arthur Conan Doyle, Brigadier Gerard, and Napoleon ; and the introduction to the Barnes & Noble edition of The Complete Brigadier Gerard . Also Investigating Sherlock Holmes (with Hartley R. Nathan). He is currently editing Rodney Stone for the Edinburgh New Critical Editions Arthur Conan Doyle Project. 

His Doylean writing has been published in such places as Journal of Olympic History , Finest Hour (magazine of the International Churchill Society), Journal of the Oscar Wilde Society and Green Bag Almanac and Reader . He is Chairman of the Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at the Toronto Reference Library and the Advisory Board of the ACD Society. He is a frequent speaker on topics related to Conan Doyle. He practices charity and non-profit law.

Register for this event here .

June 25, 2025 — Dr Jonathan Cranfield

“Conan Doyle: Marriage and Divorce” This talk will examine Arthur Conan Doyle’s role in the movement for divorce reform in the early twentieth century. Doyle was perhaps an unlikely champion for divorce reform which had historically been the preserve of radical thinkers from the feminist and atheist margins. Yet the unpopular divorce reforms of the 1890s helped to assemble a diverse coalition to argue for a complete reformulation and destigmatization of marriage dissolution. Debates on this topic in Britain help to reveal Conan Doyle’s key role in the fraught transition away from deep-seated Victorian attitudes on the subject. The issue formed a crucial part of his developing views on a number of issues including home rule for Ireland, free trade and female suffrage.

Dr. Jonathan Cranfield is a Senior Lecturer in English Literature and Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University. He is the author of Twentieth-Century Victorian: Arthur Conan Doyle and the Strand Magazine, 1891-1930 (2016) and the editor of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (2023).

Register for this event here .

July 3, 2025 — Sheldon Goldfarb “Conan Doyle, Misquoter”
Did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle get things wrong? There is a whole Sherlockian industry devoted to errors in the Sherlock Holmes stories, but what about when he was writing non-fiction, as in his collection of essays called Through the Magic Door , a collection of charming observations about literature, boxing, and Napoleon, in which Conan Doyle recounts a series of anecdotes about Thomas Carlyle, Walter Scott, Oliver Cromwell, and himself. Often the anecdotes are wrong. And then there are his quotations: often they are wrong too.

Does it matter? Should we not worry unnecessarily about precision when listening to a good story? What did Doyle himself think? In this talk, Goldfab will explore the errors and the rationale for them, and see if we should care about whether Thomas Carlyle bought a whole set of Gibbon to start his private library.

Sheldon Goldfarb is editing Through the Magic Door for the new Edinburgh University Press edition of the works of Conan Doyle. He is the president of the Sherlock Holmes society in Vancouver, Canada (aka the Stormy Petrels of British Columbia) and is the author of Sherlockian Musings: Thoughts on the Sherlock Holmes Stories .

Register for this event here .

  

“an honored friend” [SIGN] 

Memorial Day just passed here in the United States. It's the day we honor those who have fallen in the line of duty to their country.

The British of Sherlock Holmes's time were no strangers to war; in fact, John H. Watson, MD was a military man who undoubtedly saw his fair share of death when he was overseas.

And the Canon mentions its share of wars — the Crimean War (GLOR, LADY), the Second Afghan War (SIGN), the U.S. Civil War (FIVE, CARD), the great war of Napoleon (SIXN), the Franco-Prussian War (NOBL), potential war in Europe if a document wasn't recovered (SECO), the Civil War involving Charles I (VALL), the Boer War (BLAN), and of course what would eventually become known as World War I (LAST).

And then of course, there is the unfortunate Colonel James Barclay, who died not in the line of duty, but nevertheless died as a military man, felled by a just providence decades after he sent his romantic rival, Corporal Henry Wood, into harm's way in "The Crooked Man." Barclay must have assumed that Wood perished in the arranged ambush, but we all know the rest of that story...

In just about every country in the world, we can count the honored dead who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Let us be mindful of the wise and timeless words of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg: 

“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“You can file it in our archives, Watson” [RETI] 

North America is home to a number of public collections, libraries, museums, and archives that hold treasures related to Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Not least among them is the Toronto Public Library.

Home to the famed Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, the TPL is a great friend to Sherlockians and Doyleans everywhere and regularly welcomes visitors to view and research its more than 25,000 items related to Conan Doyle. And curator Jessie Amalo joined us to talk about the digital offerings of the collection.

What can an online researcher find in the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection? What's been digitized already and what's coming up? Jessie talks about all of this, plus some of unique and wonderful surroundings of the Toronto Public Library.

Speaking of Sherlockian gatherings, we share June events in "The Learned Societies " segment, Madeline Quinones is back with A Chance of Listening , and the Canonical Couplet  quiz tests your Sherlock Holmes knowledge, with something from the vaults for the winner.  Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock .com by June 14, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

Don't forget to become a supporter  of the show on the platform of your choice (Patreon  | Substack ). We have extra material from this show available only to supporters.

Download  [Save As] | File size: 66.1 MB, 1:11:20

Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts

Leave I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify ; listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Sponsors
MX Publishing  celebrates 10 years of The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories  with its final collection. Get your volumes today!

Would you care to advertise with us? You can find more information here . Let's chat!

Links

The Toronto Public Library Digital Archive The ACD Collection The Sherlock Holmes Walk Friends of the ACD Collection Other episodes mentioned: Episode 129: Pop Sherlock   Episode 126: Becoming the Gillettes The Learned Societies: Sherlockian Calendar A Chance of Listening: The Fortnightly Dispatch Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock .

Goodpods Top 100 Mystery Podcasts

And would you consider leaving us a rating and or a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at 5-1895-221B-5. That's (518) 952-2125.

“Who do you give your casting vote to?” [ENGR] 

The Mysterious Bookshop is an independent bookstore in New York City and is one of the oldest mystery bookstores in the United States. Founded by Otto Penzler, BSI ("The King of Bohemia"), it has been in business for over 45 years.

And it needs your vote.

Established at 129 West 56th Street, its charm included a cast iron spiral staircase, a whole wall of Sherlock Holmes-related material, and a sign that read: "Nobody shoplifts from a store that knows 3,214 ways to murder someone." After 25 years at that location, Otto moved the store to 58 Warren Street in the TriBeCa neighborhood. And the sign went with him.

After 20 years in the new location, business is as strong as ever and is a nominee in USA Today's 10 Best Awards :

It's no mystery why book lovers have flocked to The Mysterious Bookshop since 1979. Located in the heart of Tribeca, The Mysterious Bookshop is the nation's oldest mystery specialist bookstore, and that includes all its sub-genres, such as detective, crime, thrillers, and suspense. Mystery lovers can browse the store's comprehensive collection of rare collectibles, Sherlockiana, and modern first editions. The Mysterious Bookshop also produces its own Bibliomystery series of novellas by some of the biggest authors in the genre.

Here's all you have to do: 
Go to this link every day and vote for The Mysterious Bookshop as your favorite independent bookstore. Vote early, vote often (voting refreshes at midnight every day). 

Let's give Otto's creation the attention and accolades it deserves.

Oh, and if you haven't listened to Episode 87 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere yet, now's the perfect time:

“the revolting business” [CARD] 

It's always pleasant to get along with others. It is, of course, how all great things are accomplished: through collaboration, pooling of resources, and scale.

Not everyone is able to get along, though. When ancient man turned to an agricultural society rather than a hunt-and-gather society, it required working with others. This not only led to conflicts with other growing societies, but to squabbles from within.

Rebellion typically arises when one group feels oppressed under a harsh leadership, with certain rights having been stripped from them. They organize, rise up, and see the results of their work (either negative or positive).

A couple of rebellions in the Sherlock Holmes stories come to mind:

"The Gloria Scott ": a mutiny aboard a ship of prisoners that led to the ship's demise and the delivery of incognito survivors to their destination. The Hound of the Baskervilles : Sir Hugo held the Baskerville seat during "the Great Rebellion," meaning the English Civil War (1642 –1651) A Study in Scarlet : John Ferrier and Jefferson Hope were considered rebels against the church's authority The Sign of Four : Jonathan Small tells of the 3d Bengal Fusiliers at the Fort of Agra and how, when the Great Mutiny broke out, he joined them "to meet the rebels at Shahgunge," and upon returning to the fort, the Four used the existence of rebels to mask their heist. "The Crooked Man": Corporal Henry Wood was sent into battle amid "ten thousand rebels round us, and they were as keen as a set of terriers round a rat-cage," before being captured by a group of them.

But perhaps it is the would-be mutineer John H. Watson we should have kept our eyes on the whole time — an Army man with experience in India and Afghanistan. He told us early on that he was considering rising up against Sherlock Holmes:

"I might have rebelled against these exasperating solos..." (STUD)

For more on the mutiny in "The Gloria Scott " listen to Episode 27 of Trifles :

Meanwhile, let's see if we can keep in check the instinct of the boys at Baker Street Elementary...



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“Is alcohol permitted?” [MAZA] 

 In the Sherlockian world, the saying made famous by John Bennett Shaw, BSI ("The Hans Sloane of My Age") is "All you need for a Sherlockian meeting is two Sherlockians and a bottle. In a pinch, dispense with the other Sherlockian."

But alcohol can be bit of a touchy subject. It's not everyone's thing, and for some, there may be negative connotations. Arthur Conan Doyle's father Charles Doyle was an alcoholic, and there's no doubt that the effects (some of which resulted in the elder Doyle being institutionalized) had a lasting effect.

We see it crop up in certain stories, such as in "The Cardboard Box," in which Jim Browner, an reformed alcoholic, went on a bender and killed his wife and her lover:

“I broke my blue ribbon and began to drink again”

We also saw tinges of the evil spirits in Henry Baker's hat, as evidenced by Holmes's characterization:

“He had foresight, but has less now than formerly, pointing to a moral retrogression, which, when taken with the decline of his fortunes, seems to indicate some evil influence, probably drink, at work upon him. This may account also for the obvious fact that his wife has ceased to love him.”

Watson's brother was an alcoholic, as we learned in The Sign of Four , which led to Watson's erroneous diagnosis of the Dundas separation case in "A Case of Identity":

“There is, of course, the other woman, the drink, the push, the blow, the bruise, the sympathetic sister or landlady.”

Holmes was quick to disprove Watson's theory: 

“The husband was a teetotaler, there was no other woman, and the conduct complained of was that he had drifted into the habit of winding up every meal by taking out his false teeth and hurling them at his wife,”

So much for the evil influence of drink.

For a deeper dive on this, see Trifles Episode 335 -Alcoholism ) and Episode 21 and Episode 22 - Pubs  & Taverns.  

Meanwhile, let's see what the boys at Baker Street Elementary are learning about it...



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“we can bring it to a successful conclusion” [EMPT] 

When we discussed the Midwest Canonical Conclave in Episode 308, we weren't exactly sure what to expect. Organizer Steve Doyle, BSI ("The Western Morning News ") gave us a general idea of what the aim was and what we might see there, but our expectations were blown away.

Unlike any other Sherlockian event we've attended, the inaugural BSI Canonical Conclave (this of the Midwest variety) was a true delight. Burt and Scott reflect on the event and their experiences, consider the benefits of having attended, and muse on the future of Sherlockian gatherings.

Speaking of Sherlockian gatherings, we share June events in "The Learned Societies " segment, Madeline Quinones is back with A Chance of Listening , and the Canonical Couplet  quiz tests your Sherlock Holmes knowledge, with something from the vaults for the winner.  Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock .com by May 14, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

Don't forget to become a supporter  of the show on the platform of your choice (Patreon  | Substack ).

Supporters can see photos from the event here and here .

Download  [Save As] | File size: 52 MB, 52:47

Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts

Leave I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify ; listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Sponsors
MX Publishing  is hosting a special event at Undershaw on May 17 , with a livestream component. Sign up and celebrate 10 years of The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories .

Would you care to advertise with us? You can find more information here . Let's chat!

Links

Other episodes mentioned: Trifles Episode 10 - The Dressing Gown of Many Colors Episode 193: Doings of Doyle   The Learned Societies: Sherlockian Calendar Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock .

Goodpods Top 100 Mystery Podcasts

And would you consider leaving us a rating and or a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at 5-1895-221B-5. That's (518) 952-2125.

 “even more highly” [SCAN] 

The early days of watching the Granada/ITV production of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , starring Jeremy Brett and David Burke, happened in the mid-1980s, when television sets were cathode-ray tube affairs and the primary recording devices were VHS machines.

As a result, viewing and re-viewing of these classic episodes meant a low-resolution experience that lacked the color and crispness that we have come to enjoy in modern television viewing.

The advent of DVDs and Blu-ray have resulted in high-definition (HD) viewings that have led to amazing details (such as subtle patterns in clothing or more visible props) to pop for modern viewers. And 4K technology is the latest in that evolution.

4K resolution refers to a display with a horizontal resolution of roughly 4,000 pixels, or 3840 x 2160 pixels. This means that 4K displays have a significantly higher pixel density than Full HD (1080p) displays, resulting in sharper images, more detailed textures, and improved color accuracy. 

And that's precisely what we've got with the latest iteration of the Jeremy Brett / Granada series.

YouTube channel Owen Davies has created a playlist of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series remastered in 4K , thanks to the advances in artificial intelligence.

He writes:

“Ultimately, this playlist will contain every episode of every season (The Adventures of, Return of, Casebook of and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes), plus the feature-length TV movies, AI remastered to 4K.”

You can find the videos on his YouTube channel and embedded below: 

The game's afoot!

“What a lovely thing a rose is” [NAVA] 

Sherlock Holmes was not a fan of emotions, particularly when it came to his work. In The Sign of Four , he reacted to Watson's write-up of A Study in Scarlet :
“Honestly, I cannot congratulate you upon it. Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science, and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism, which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid.” 

In "The Greek Interpreter," Watson tells us:

“His aversion to women and his disinclination to form new friendships were both typical of his unemotional character...” 

And in "A Scandal in Bohemia, he related just how foreign it would be for Holmes to feel deeply:

“Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his.”

So the famous "rose" speech in "The Naval Treaty" seems particularly striking in contrast, where we find Holmes getting sentimental, perhaps driven by intense contemplation and a philosophical mood.

“There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion,” said he, leaning with his back against the shutters. “It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.”

Of course, Providence created all kinds of flowers — even those that don't smell quite a sweet as a rose. Does that qualify as "goodness"?

The Baker Street Elementary team might just be saying OMG...



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“good enough to chronicle one or two of my trifling experiences” [SCAN] 

Don't care for Sherlockian chronologies? Well, you're not alone! Neither did our guest today, and he's written a number of books on the subject.

Brad Keefauver, BSI ("Winwood Reade") is a member of the Sherlockian Chronologist Guild and author of Holmes In an Hour or Two: A Sherlock Holmes Fan's First Sherlockian Chronology, or Create Your Own Timeline of Sherlock Holmes's Life in the Shortest Time Possible . It's not a matter of simply picking dates or looking for discrepancies; creating a chronology can take into account all sorts of data, and trying to put it all together is truly a thinker's puzzle.

We have some Sherlockian society events we share in "The Learned Societies " segment, and the Canonical Couplet  quiz tests your Sherlock Holmes knowledge, with a copy of Brad's book for one lucky winner.  Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock .com by April 29, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

Don't forget to become a supporter  of the show on the platform of your choice (Patreon  | Substack ).

Download  [Save As] | File size: 54.6 MB, 58:49

Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts

Leave I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify ; listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Sponsors
MX Publishing  is hosting a special event at Undershaw on May 17, with a livestream component. Sign up and celebrate 10 years of The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories .

Would you care to advertise with us? You can find more information here . Let's chat!

Links

Holmes In an Hour or Two (Amazon) Sherlock Peoria Sherlockian Chronologist Guild The OTHER Chronologists (Historical Sherlock) Other episodes mentioned: Episode 144: Chronologies of Sherlock Holmes   Episode 258: The Monstrum Opus of Sherlock Holmes The Learned Societies: Sherlockian Calendar Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock .

Goodpods Top 100 Mystery Podcasts

And would you consider leaving us a rating and or a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at 5-1895-221B-5. That's (518) 952-2125.

“It is late in March, so quarter-day is at hand” [WIST] 

In "Wisteria Lodge," John Scott Eccles tells Sherlock Holmes about his strange experience of waking up in a host's house completely alone. In his desire to discover more, he visits the office of a real estate agent. 

“I called at Allan Brothers’, the chief land agents in the village, and found that it was from this firm that the villa had been rented. It struck me that the whole proceeding could hardly be for the purpose of making a fool of me, and that the main object must be to get out of the rent. It is late in March, so quarter-day is at hand.”

What is quarter day and what does it have to do with real estate?

The short answer is there are four quarter days in a year: one each in March, June, September, and December. And rent was always due at the end of the quarter.

The longer answer is each of these quarter days has a special significance tied to a religious holiday or celebration:

March: Lady Day (the Annunciation) June: Midsummer Day (the Nativity of John the Baptist) September: Michaelmas (St. Michael and the Angels) December: Christmas (the Nativity of Jesus)

It is only Lady Day that gets mentioned in the Canon, though. We've already mentioned "Wisteria Lodge." The other is "The Resident Patient," when Percy Trevelyan recounted Mr. Blessington's offer:

“This was the strange proposal, Mr. Holmes, with which the man Blessington approached me. I won’t weary you with the account of how we bargained and negotiated. It ended in my moving into the house next Lady Day, and starting in practice on very much the same conditions as he had suggested.”

In the very first season of Trifles , we discussed the significance of quarter days : 

Meanwhile, at Baker Street Elementary, the dates seem to be the biggest mystification of all...



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“grazed the subclavian artery” [STUD] 

While the Baker Street Irregulars is the most well-known of Sherlockian societies, it is by no means the only one — nor even the most important. There are gatherings happening every week, in person and virtually, of Sherlockian societies.

And just like the Sherlockian societies that sprouted up in those early years of the hobby, Steve Doyle, BSI ("The Western Morning News ") thought it might be helpful to bring some of them together in a spirit of building Sherlockian community and creating connections.

And that's taking the form of the inaugural BSI Canonical Conclave, taking place in Indianapolis on April 26, 2025. We talk with Steve about what we might expect there and what he expects to come from this unique gathering. Whether you're attending or not, he shares vital information for your own activities.

We have some Sherlockian society events we share in "The Learned Societies " segment, Madeline Quiñones tells us about another Sherlock Holmes podcast in "A Chance of Listening ," and the Canonical Couplet  quiz tests your Sherlock Holmes knowledge with something from the IHOSE vaults for one lucky winner.  Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock .com by April 14, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

Don't forget to become a supporter  of the show on the platform of your choice (Patreon  | Substack ).

Download  [Save As] | File size: 73.3 MB, 1:16:26

Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts

Leave I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify ; listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Sponsors
Exclusive for IHOSE listeners from MX Publishing : codes for 5 free audio books .

Would you care to advertise with us? You can find more information here . Let's chat!

Links

The Sherlockian Calendar The Learned Societies: Sherlockian Calendar Featured podcast from "A Chance of Listening": I Hear of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Everywhere
Steve Doyle has been on six previous episodes of IHOSE. Find them all in our Archives . Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock .

Goodpods Top 100 Mystery Podcasts

And would you consider leaving us a rating and or a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at 5-1895-221B-5. That's (518) 952-2125.

“dared only whisper their religious opinions with bated breath” [STUD] 

Was Sherlock Holmes religious? That was something we contemplated together with Henry T. Folsom, BSI ("The Golden Pince-Nez") in Trifles Episode 427 on his Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article "My Biblical Knowledge is a Trifle Rusty ." [Listen below]

In considering whether Holmes subscribed to any Eastern or Western religion, Folsom made it clear that Holmes was familiar with a number of religions, but was more of an agnostic than an atheist. And of course, his famous "rose soliloquy" was indicative of his believe in some Higher Power:

“There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion,” said he, leaning with his back against the shutters. “It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.”

Religious aspects pop up throughout the Canon, from the heavy hand of the Mormons (STUD) to Holmes serving as a witness to a wedding in the first short story (SCAN) to his claim that “my Biblical knowledge is a trifle rusty” (CROO), it is a constant drum-beat.

But isn't it interesting that of his many disguises, two of them were religious in nature: “an amiable and simple-minded Nonconformist clergyman” (SCAN) and “a venerable Italian priest” (FINA).

Was he overly familiar with these professions? Or were was he able to get cassocks in bulk from his costume supplier? 

Here's some Sunday humor from the boys at Baker Street Elementary...



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“able to evolve from their own inner consciousness” [STUD] 

Now in its 12th year, 221B Con has become a mainstay of annual Sherlockian events, drawing people from all over the world to Atlanta every April. It was founded as a response to Sherlock on BBC, but has expanded beyond that to include the original stories as well as all forms of media.

Last year, the founders announced that this year would be the final 221B Con. As we narrow in on that date, regular attendee and volunteer Johanna Draper Carlson isn't convinced that has to be the case. But the future isn't quite clear at this point.

We talk with Johanna about what's changed over the years, how it compares to other major "Cons," what to expect in April 2025, and what she hopes the future will bring. 

We have some Sherlockian society events we share in "The Learned Societies " segment, Madeline Quiñones tells us about another Sherlock Holmes podcast in "A Chance of Listening ," and the Canonical Couplet  quiz tests your Sherlock Holmes knowledge with something from the IHOSE vaults for one lucky winner.  Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock .com by March 29, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

Don't forget to become a supporter  of the show on the platform of your choice (Patreon  | Substack ). Just for our supporters, we'll be releasing a video version of this episode.

Download  [Save As] | File size: 59.4 MB, 1:00:00

Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts

Leave I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify ; listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Sponsors
Exclusive for IHOSE listeners from MX Publishing : codes for 5 free audio books .

Would you care to advertise with us? You can find more information here . Let's chat!

Links

221B Con The Learned Societies: Sherlockian Calendar Featured podcast from "A Chance of Listening": From Adler to Amberley Previous episodes mentioned: Episode 163: 221B Con Episode 239: Sherlock Holmes in Comics Episode 275: Sherlock & Co. Episode 300: Sherlock & Co.'s Sherlock Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock .

Goodpods Top 100 Mystery Podcasts

And would you consider leaving us a rating and or a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at 5-1895-221B-5. That's (518) 952-2125.

“should you rather that I sent James off to bed?” [TWIS] 

One of the most vexing and early discrepancies in the Sherlock Holmes canon occurs in "The Man With the Twisted Lip," when Mrs. Watson refers to her husband as "James."

“It was very sweet of you to come. Now, you must have some wine and water, and sit here comfortably and tell us all about it. Or should you rather that I sent James off to bed?”

“Oh, no, no! I want the doctor’s advice and help, too. It’s about Isa. He has not been home for two days. I am so frightened about him!”

Having clearly introduced us to himself as "John H. Watson, M.D., late of the Army Medical Department" in A Study in Scarlet , it strains credulity that the good doctor would have misprinted his own name. So what does that leave us? 

Dorothy Sayers famously came up with what is probably the most clever and elegant solution when she suggested that Mrs. Watson was referring to her husband by his middle name, as something of a term of endearment.

"But wait," we hear you say. "His middle name started with 'H'!"

Yes, and that's where Sayers' solution is perfect. She suggested that Watson's middle name was Hamish , which is a Scottish version of James.

We have a companion Trifles episode on this topic: Episode 294 - James Watson, M.D. , in which we discuss Tom Cynkin's look at the matter:

It's literally another Case of Identity. Speaking of identifying oneself, let's see what the boys at BSE are up to today...



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“the high opinion formed of him by his contemporaries.” [VALL] 

When the first Sherlock Holmes short stories came on the scene, they were something of a novelty: non-serialized, self-contained tales that put the Strand Magazine on the map.

As with any success story, this one inspired imitators. These contemporaries of Sherlock Holmes inhabited the pages of the Strand and many other magazines of the day. Author Michael Cohen has stepped forward to catalog and categorize them from the years 1891 to 1914. This surprising array of characters includes those who were consciously not trying to be Sherlock Holmes, ranging from the occult to females, bumbling detectives, doctors and scientists, the criminal class and more.

In The Golden Era of Sherlock Holmes and His Contemporaries , Cohen gives us a handy and valuable resource; its subtitle indicates it is a Mystery Guide and Finding List. For readers interested in detectives in this golden era, this book is an essential companion to help identify and locate these sometimes famous, sometimes obscure detectives.

We also take a quick look at Sherlockian societies in "The Learned Societies " segment, Madeline Quiñones tells us about her absolute favorite Sherlock Holmes podcast in "A Chance of Listening ," and the Canonical Couplet  quiz tests your knowledge with a reward of a copy of The Golden Era of Sherlock Holmes and His Contemporaries  for one lucky winner.  Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock .com by March 14, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

Don't forget to become a supporter  of the show on the platform of your choice (Patreon  | Substack ).

Download  [Save As] | File size: 58.6 MB, 1:01:10

Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts

Leave I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify ; listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Sponsors
Exclusive for IHOSE listeners from MX Publishing : codes for 5 free audio books .

Would you care to advertise with us? You can find more information here . Let's chat!

Links

The Golden Era of Sherlock Holmes and His Contemporaries (Amazon ) The Learned Societies links: Sherlockian Calendar The Amateur Mendicant Society Featured podcast from A Chance of Listening: The Final Podblem . Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock .

Goodpods Top 100 Mystery Podcasts

And would you consider leaving us a rating and or a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at 5-1895-221B-5. That's (518) 952-2125.

“an old dressing-gown of Holmes’s” [EMPT] 

If you see a silhouette with a pipe, magnifying glass, and deerstalker cap, you know it's Sherlock Holmes. That famous headgear can't be worn without an association with the detective.

The same could be said for the Inverness cape, although that attire is slightly more common than the fore-and-aft cap. But there is one other garment that we associate with Sherlock Holmes that bear some consideration: the dressing gown.

In three different stories, we're told that Sherlock Holmes's dressing gown was purple (in "The Blue Carbuncle"), blue (in "The Man with the Twisted Lip"), and mouse-colored (in "The Empty House" and "The Bruce-Partington Plans"). What are we to make of this dressing gown of many colors?

As usual, Christopher Morley, founder of the Baker Street Irregulars, provided a perfect explanation for this palette, in his essay "A Christmas Story Without Slush" for the 1948 BSI edition of "The Blue Carbuncle": 

"The gradual solstitial fading of Holmes's dressing gowns is one of the statutory documentations of life as it happens. It is one of the accidentals that prove Doyle was a great unconscious artist, as all artists are."

Morley reasoned that the dressing gown had faded over time, from purple to blue to mouse. And thus was born the official color scheme for the Baker Street Irregulars.

For more on this topic, read "Sherlock Holmes's Dressing Gown " on IHOSE and listen to Episode 10 of Trifles :

Meanwhile, bundle up. The puns around Baker Street Elementary are cold...



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website .

“a wistful look on his wrinkled face” [BLAN] 

The first Sherlock Holmes adventure authored by Sherlock Holmes was “The Blanched Soldier.” It tells the tale of a family’s attempt to protect their son, a friend’s dedication to determining the truth, and Holmes’s actions to explain everything.

Ira Matetsky, BSI ("The Final Problem") edited this volume and in the process, assembled a group of Sherlockians who have unique talents to apply to the analysis of the story and the manuscript, which was generously made available from the Berg Collection at the New York Public Library.

This latest volume in the BSI Manuscript Series offers delights for the eyes as well as the mind, as the digital scan of the original manuscript as well as full color illustrations by Howard Elcock bring the volume to life.

Ira tells us a great deal about the book – and listeners will also be treated to stories about a key player from one of the contributors.

We'll cover the latest goings-on in Sherlockian societies in "The Learned Societies " segment, Madeline Quiñones reports on a long-running Sherlock Holmes podcast in "A Chance of Listening ," and the Canonical Couplet  quiz tests your knowledge with a reward of a copy of That Ghastly Face  for one lucky winner.  Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock .com by February 27, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

And just for supporters  of the show, we have a collection of Howard Elcock's illustrations for your visual delight (Patreon | Substack ).

Download  [Save As] | File size: 58.6 MB, 1:01:10

Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere anywhere you get podcasts

Leave I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify ; listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Sponsors
Exclusive for IHOSE listeners from MX Publishing : codes for 5 free audio books .

Would you care to advertise with us? You can find more information here . Let's chat!

Links

That Ghastly Face (BSI Press) Previous episodes Ira has appeared on:  Episode 186: Upon the Turf Episode 234: A Masterpiece of Villainy Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock .

Goodpods Top 100 Mystery Podcasts

And would you consider leaving us a rating and or a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at 5-1895-221B-5. That's (518) 952-2125.

 “that strange wireless” [LAST]

Radio came into the world concurrently with Sherlock Holmes, so it's natural to connect the two topics, particularly on World Radio Day.

According to Wikipedia ,

"The existence of radio waves was first proven by German physicist Heinrich Hertz on 11 November 1886. In the mid-1890s, building on techniques physicists were using to study electromagnetic waves, Italian physicist Guglielmo Marconi developed the first apparatus for long-distance radio communication, sending a wireless Morse Code message to a recipient over a kilometer away in 1895, and the first transatlantic signal on 12 December 1901."

In 2011, UNESCO Member States declared World Radio Day to be celebrated on February 13 and the United Nations General Assembly accepted it in 2012. 

We first developed the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere podcast as Sherlockian talk radio in 2007, recognizing that Sherlockians have enjoyed audio content related to the great detective since at least the 1930s. Edith Meiser , who was featured in the 2022 BSJ Christmas Annual , wrote many scripts for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on radio in the 1930s, including the very first episode that starred William Gillette.

Meiser would later go on to write The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes for Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce from 1939 until 1943.

In Episode 122 , we discussed the collaboration between Rathbone and Bruce, which included spending time on their radio series:

In Episode 136 , Ian Dickerson told us about the work that Leslie Charteris did on the radio plays, which he featured in his book:

The glorious two-parter with writer Bert Coules in Episode 68 and Episode 69 provides a glimpse into the history of British radio plays, ending of course with Bert's own contributions:

We even spoke with his Sherlock Holmes, Clive Merrison on Episode 202 :

Actor Nicholas Briggs and writer Jonathan Barnes from Big Finish Productions joined us to go behind the scenes of their series in Episode 247 :

Charles Kindinger, writer of the Audible series Moriarty: The Devil's Game told us his story in Episode 245 :

And the latest audio production taking audiences by storm, Sherlock & Co., features prominently in two episodes: Episode 275 with writer Joel Emery and Episode 300 with Harry Attwell, who plays Sherlock Holmes himself:

There are probably more episodes (we're going from memory), but it's enough to put a playlist together for this weekend at the very least...

The game's afoot!

 

 “there are points which make it quite unique” [MUSG]

Longtime readers of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere and true fans of Sherlock Holmes on the screen will recall that in the 1960s, Douglas Wilmer was Sherlock Holmes on the BBC television series .

A decade ago, we celebrated his golden anniversary of taking that role , including stories about him riding in your editor's car, The Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual dedicated to him, the grand exhibition in London, and Wilmer's investiture into the Baker Street Irregulars (in 2000, as "The Lyceum Theatre").

As mentioned in the latest edition of "A Most Valuable Institution ," the Sherlockian news segment for IHOSE supporters (Substack | Patreon ), serious collectors now have an opportunity to acquire a unique set of Wilmer items. These are not rare—they are one of a kind.

Al Gregory is offering four letters written by King Charles III, between 2013 and 2016, when he was still the Prince of Wales. They were sent from Highgrove House, Llwynywermod Carmarthenshire, and Birkhall.

Three of them were to Douglas Wilmer, of whose portrayal of Holmes the King speaks very highly. 

The fourth one was a very warm letter of condolence to Wilmer's widow. 

All are personally signed and marked up by Charles, who penned each greeting, underlined certain words, and signed each "Yours most sincerely".

27th July, 2013

Dear Mr. Wilmer,

It was so kind of you to go to all the trouble of tracking down the Sherlock Holmes D.V.D.'s—in France! I never understood why the B.B.C. is so cavalier about its remarkable archive of such treasures... 

I shall watch these films with the greatest pleasure, and I suspect I shall remember seeing them on the television years ago, when I was much younger, as the moment I saw your face (and Dr. Watson's) on the cover it brought the whole series back to me! 

Thank you so much for your great generosity and I send my kindest possible wishes.

Yours most sincerely,

Charles

14th December, 2014

Dear Mr. Wilmer,

A "little bird" has told me that you will reach a milestone birthday on 8th January, and I did not want to let this pass without sending you my warmest possible congratulations on such a special occasion. 

I need hardly say how enormously touched I was that you should have thought of sending me your marvellous memoirs. What splendid characters you encountered during your career, and how well you have managed to recall everything! I do hope you can take great satisfaction in knowing what immense pleasure you have given to so many people — myself included — in your work over so many years.

This comes with my warmest birthday wishes.

Yours most sincerely,

Charles

12th April 2016

Dear Mrs. Wilmer,
I just wanted to write and say how [terribly] sorry I was to hear the very sad news about your husband's passing. You have my deepest sympathy. I can only begin to imagine what an immense emptiness there must now be in your life and my heart goes out to you all.

I was so very touched when your husband sent me his marvellous memoirs only a couple of years ago and I much enjoyed our subsequent correspondence! His memoirs were such a splendid account of the personalities he had come across during his career, and I was astonished at the way he was able to recall so much detail...

I am glad to say that I can just recall his brilliant portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on television during the 1960s and I shall now make absolutely certain I get a hold of that series to watch it again. I need hardly tell you that I can't help thinking that they did these things so much better in those days!

I cannot bear it that yet another wonderful figure from that remarkable generation has now left us. We are all so much the poorer for his absence and while I am only too aware that this letter is hopelessly inadequate under the circumstances, and will probably be of very little comfort in making your sense of loss any easer to bear, I did so want you to know just how much you are in my special thoughts and prayers at such a heartbreaking time.

Yours most sincerely,

Charles

The four are matted and framed together as pictured above.

Please direct questions and serious offers to Al Gregory at gaslightandfog@verizon.net .

“Holmes refused a knighthood” [3GAR] 

One would think that ending up on the monarch's Honours List for the New Year would an honor, indeed. After all, becoming a member of the orders of chivalry is not something that just any individual can expect to happen.

So it seems surprising that Sherlock Holmes would have "refused a knighthood for services which may perhaps some day be described," as Watson related in "The Three Garridebs."

However, there may be a very simple explanation for this, aside from Holmes's natural recalcitrance, and it is associated with the date of the story.

"The Three Garridebs" is considered by chronologists to have taken place in 1902 or 1903. According to Wikipedia ,

"Honours have been awarded at New Year since at least 1890, in which year a list of Queen Victoria's awards was published by the London Gazette on 2 January. There was no honours list at New Year 1902, as a list had been published on the new King's birthday the previous November, but in January 1903 a list was again published."

If we accept 1902 as the date of 3GAR, could it be that Holmes felt slighted for not receiving the accolade in the traditional manner? Or perhaps he would have preferred to receive the knighthood from Queen Victoria herself, rather than King Edward VII.

After all, we know that at the conclusion of "The Bruce-Partington Plans" in 1895, he 

"spent a day at Windsor, whence be returned with a remarkably fine emerald tie-pin. When I asked him if he had bought it, he answered that it was a present from a certain gracious lady..."

Given the "patriotic V.R." Holmes shot into the wall of Baker Street (MUSG), he did seem to have spot in his heart for the queen.

The boys at Baker Street Elementary haven't quite figured out the honor associated with an honorific yet...



Baker Street Elementary  follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at  www.bakerstreetelementary.org .