Index Page Edition!
             Volume 08
April 2008
Number 4
Please visit our web sites at <http://www.sherlock-holmes.com>,
<http://www.cafepress.com/sherlockholmes2> and <http://www.printfection.com/liftyourspirits>

Dear friends of Sherlock Holmes:
You are receiving this communication because you have either purchased something from us, requested a catalog, or otherwise have done business with us in the recent past. The Sherlockian E-Times will contain Sherlockian news, announcements, features and will also call attention to a subset of new Sherlockian products which we feel might be of interest to you.. We would very much appreciate hearing from you concerning your reaction to this method of communication. Just click here to access our pre-addressed e-mail form. BTW, if you find something you'd like to purchase, but don't want to buy on line, the toll free telephone number is 877-233-3823. Or, you can always write to us at Classic Specialties; PO Box 19058; Cincinnati, OH 45219. Of course, you always have the choice to "opt out" - should you wish no longer to receive our E-Times (we hope this never happens!). When you receive your e-mail message through the CafePress email service announcing the URL for the new Sherlockian E-Times, just click the "unsubscribe" option. Thanks - but we do hope we can hold your interest.


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http://www.sherlock-holmes.com/index.html. Tell your non-subscribing friends!


We often wonder as to whether anyone actually reads our Sherlockian E-Times. In an attempt to do a little informal survey, we have imbedded, at several points on this page, invitations for you to let us know if you are reading our prose. You will be asked to click on a preaddressed e-mail form and to put a single digit in the "Subject" line. It won't take you long, and it will help us a lot with our future planning.

We're Back!
And we returned just in time for the last of the snow and ice >>>>!
We'd like to express our most sincere thanks to all our friends and customers for their tolerance and patience with us as we took our first real hiatus out of the Ohio winter. And it turned out that this was a really good winter to be out of Ohio!! Thanks much.


Links to Product Pages on this Site


A favor, please?!
We wondered as to whether there could be one of our long-time customers who might have bought from us, some years ago, an audio tape entitled, "Sherlock Holmes' Favorite Music?" Here is our situation, we would like to transfer that music to a CD format. We have the music, but we have misplaced the J-card insert that had a list of the musical selections printed thereupon. We can identify a few of the selections, but since neither of us is very knowledgeable about classic music, we need to know the names of the recorded selections. If it should happen that any of you might still have that cassette with the J-card insert, we'd very much appreciate it if you would send the names of the musical selections over to us. A scanned copy of the J-card should do, or a copy sent by e-mail would be really nice. What say? Thanks. Our email address is <sherlock@sherlock-holmes.com>

Curious? Click them!


This will be our last ad for
Classic Specialties' Sherlock Holmes Calendar for 2008

Please Click Here

(If you didn't get your birth date to us in time for the 2008 calendar, please consider adding it to the collection of your esteemed fellow Sherlockians for the 2009 calendar. E-Mail us and let us know your name and birth date. BTW, the theme for the 2009 calendar has been chosen to be "Sherlock Holmes in the Movies.")
Our Sherlock Holmes 2008 Calendar will be shipped directly from CafePress.

We hope that we are seeing an end to the long drought of new Sherlockian pastiches. Our friend and, new owner of Breese Books, Antony Richards, has alerted us to the envisioned publication of Sherlock Holmes and the Three Poisoned Pawns slated for June. We shall keep you informed.



There exists an e-mail correspondence group, called "ShamlockHolmes" whose members call themselves "Shamlockians." The origin of the group, and of its name, is complex and cloudy, but suffice it to say that "Shamlockians" tend to focus their attention to the lighter side of the Sherlockian hobby. The contrbutions of the list members this month have included classified newspaper ads which canonical characters might have placed (but we don't think they really did). We think that some of them are pretty funny. Here are a few "lifted" from recent "Shamlockian" e-correspondences.
If you are reading this, please click here to send an email to us. Just put the digit "1" in the subject line and click "send.".


FOR SALE: Engagement ring & wedding ring -- 200 pounds or best offer. Write R. St. Simon (Box 102)
Woman seeks male companion; must tolerate flawed complexion; cat lovers need not apply. Contact E. Ronder (Box 316X)
FOR SALE: Bicycle; used but in good condition. No longer needed by present owner. Write V. Smith (Box 18)
Widow seeks legal advice re: eviction of undesirable tenants. Write M. Hudson c/o 221A Baker Street
FREE FOR THE HAULING: Approximately 4 tons of dirt. Contact J. Wilson, Pawnbroker, Saxe-Coburg Square.
Man seeks female companion; must tolerate flawed complexion, women with knowledge of chemistry need not apply. Write Baron Gruner (Box 666)

(The ShamlockHolmes list is managed by our friend, the legendary Bob Burr.)


We think it is kind of neat to learn about what our Sherlockian friends are doing in other parts of the world. We speculate that there are those among you of a similar persuasion. Toward that end, Joseph A. Coppola B.S.I. (The Stranger's Room) of The Mycroft Holmes Society of Syracuse, NY has most kindly allowed us to offer to you copies of his scion society's new book. Voices from the Strangers' Room is a compilation of writings by members of The Mycroft Holmes Society of Syracuse. This volume offers a variety of short pastiches, commentaries, quizzes, puzzles, and other Sherlockian goodies from the pens of such notables as Warren Randall, Philip K. Jones, Mary Erickson, and, of course, Joseph Coppola himself, with cover graphics by the famous Sherlockian artist, Nancy Beiman. Please Click Here for more information and to place an order for this interesting new book.
BTW: If you'd like to know more about The Mycroft Holmes society of Syracuse, you are invited to visit their web site (click here). If you are reading this, please click here and put the digit "4" in the subject line,then just click "send."And another BTW: Please notice that Joseph Coppola is also the new head of The Beacon Society a scion society devoted to the encouragement of developing young people's interest in Sherlock Holmes. Each year, the Society awards a Beacon Award to outstanding people in the Sherlockian Community who have created programs or activities involving youngsters in the literature and the lore of Sherlock Holmes. The Society accepts nominations for The Beacon Award from members of The Community. For information about The Society and the procedure for submitting nominations for The Beacon Award, please visit The Beacon Society's site.

Our good buddy, Jim Hawkins, has recently created an outstanding new web site for his Nashville scion, The Scholars of the Three-Pipe Problem. We might editorialize a bit by saying that, in our opinion, the Nashville scion is one of the most vigorious, active, and creative Sherlockian groups that it has been our pleasure to know (and we aren't just saying that because they did us the honor of investing us as The Grice Patersons). Please CLICK HERE to pay The Scholars' new site a visit.

Links to Product Pages on this Site

These Canonical Cups (actually, mugs) have the names of all 60 canonical cases applied and baked onto the ceramic surface (plus a couple of real messages in the dancing men cypher). We count that we have about a dozen of these mugs remaining in stock (including the couple we will be keeping for our own collection). The people who originally made these mugs for us have retired and the original artwork is who knows where, so when the mugs we have in stock are gone, there will be no more unless some of you would like to replicate this real collector's piece. A friendly note, though - each of the four colors had to be hand applied with a separately manufactured decal! It was a very labor-intensive job for Mr. Mugs (yep, that is really the name the artist gave himself!).
Please Click Here to avail yourself of a Canonical Cup.

Erratum
We were informed by our friend Roger Johnson that we omitted one of the newly invested BSIs in our listing of last month. We apologize. Please add to the list, Guy Marriott, who, we are told, was invested as "The Hotel du Louvre." Thanks, Roger.



Remember this?
"I looked over his shoulder at the yellow paper and the faded script. At the head was written: "Baskerville Hall," and below, in scrawling figures: '1742.' "It appears to be a statement . . .” "Yes, Watson, it is a statement of a certain legend which runs in the Baskerville family."
An artist halfway around the world makes these for us - it usually takes a month or more to get these replicas of the original 1742 document describing the fate of Hugo and the original recording of the curse of the Baskervilles. Due to an error in shipping, we have a couple copies here in stock and can deliver these immediately. A really great collectors' item and a super gift item for the discriminating Sherlockian!

Please Click Here, and hurry; we only have two copies for immediate delivery. (pen not included)






Sherlockian Publications
Mr. Peter Blau's singular Newsletter Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press
Click Here to e-mail and ask Mr. Blau about subscribing.
The Illustrious Clients' News. You might send an e-message over to Steve Doyle.
The District Messenger is the official newsletter of The Sherlock Holmes Society of London.Roger Johnson at <rojerjohnson@yahoo.co.uk>
The Baker Street Dispatch. Click Here to ask our good friends and fellow Ohians, Tom and Janet, about subscribing.
The Gaslight Gazette is the official publication of Greenville, SC's scion,
Survivors of the Gloria Scott. Please e-mail our good buddy David Milner for further information.
An interesting and colorful newsletter from Columbia, SC's Hansom Wheels is The Pink 'Un.
Email Bob Robinson at rer@lindau.net
Click Here to contact The Blue Whale, Michael Bragg, about subscribing to The Whaling News, the newsletter of Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn
Chicago's Scotland Yarders produce a newsletter entitled The Police Gazette. Please Click Here to contact the Gazette's subscription manager.
The official web site of The Baker Street Journal
The Baker Street Irregular's Premier Publication of Sherlockian Scholarship
"Ineffable Twaddle" is a monthly publication of The Sound of the Baskervilles Serving the Greater Puget Sound Region of Western Washington. For information please email our friend Terri Haugen.
The Petrel Flyer , the newsletter of the Stormy Petrels of British Columbia. The Flyer is published six times per year and is in its 19th year of publication. Contact Mr. Haffenden
<len_haffenden@ shaw.ca>.


Ask Rafe McGregor about "CobwebbyBottles."

Links to Product Pages on this Site

Some Hyperlinks
Occasionally, we receive communications from fellow Sherlockians, and other mystery lovers, asking us to mention their web sites or edresses hereupon. We like to do this as a courtesy extended to our fellow Sherlockians. If you have any hyperlinks you'd like to see included, please let us know.
Sherlocktron
Nis Jessen's Study in Scarlet
The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes
The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn at
http://www.harpooners.org/
Chronicles of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
http://www.siracd.com/
Sherlock in Peoria
http://www.sherlockpeoria.net/index.htm
l
Balaji Narasimhan, our friend from India,
http://www.balaji.ind.in/
http://www.geocities.com/sherlockbalaji/
The Hansom Wheels
http://www.capnbilly.com/hansomwheels.htm
The Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Bob Ellis for membership information.
Judi Ellis for information re: The Sherlock Holmes Journal
London Walks
Dr. Watson's Pub
Sherlock Holmes Pub
Nashville Scholars of the Three_Pipe Problem
The Mycroft Holmes Society of Syracuse
The Beacon Society




November 16-18, 2007
November 16-18, 2007
On the weekend of November 16-18, 2007, Wessex Press sponsored another blockbuster Sherlockian conference. This one devoted to Sherlock Holmes on stage, screen, television, and radio. From Gillette to Brett II featured a film festival*, Sherlockian vendors, and an all-star roster of distinguished speakers and presenters. (Editor's note: The above description we admit to lifting from one of the Wessex Press's web sites and we wanted to comment that these folks are uncommonly modest in merely describing a "roster of distinguished speakers." In our experience there have been few, if any, Sherlockian gatherings in this country which have attracted to their programs so many truly eminent members of The Sherlockian Community from all around the world.)

Steven Doyle, one of the movers and shakers both at Wessex Press and in the organization of Gillette to Brett II, prepares to begin the classic film festival.*

Left to right: Mark Gagen, Jeremy Paul, Patricia Garwood, Steven Doyle. Mark is the other mover and shaker both at Wessex and in the organization of Gillette to Brett II.
Steven Doyle greeting author, editor, and celebrated Sherlockian, David Stuart Davies.
Kathryn White, another participant all the way from England. Kathryn White is a member of The Sherlock Holmes Society of London, and the The Baker Street Irregulars
Jeremy Paul, script writer for many of the Jeremy Brett/Granada TV productions.
Terence Faherty, noted Basil Rathbone scholar gives the gathering 10 reasons for loving the much maligned Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies.
Terence Faherty (L) with eminent Sherlockian scholar and author, Les Klinger. Wessex Press is the publisher of Mr. Klinger's peerless nine-volume work, "Sherlock Holmes Reference Library."
Michael Hoey being interviewed by Terence Faherty. Michael Hoey is the son of character actor Dennis Hoey (Inspector Lestrade in the Universal Sherlock Holmes series). Mr. Hoey was often on the set of the Universal Sherlock Holmes movies, and shared memories of personal encounters with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce!
Scott Nollen discusses Sherlockian cinema from the seminal Sherlock Holmes Baffled through to the classic films of Arthur Wontner, with emphasis on the silent films of Eille Norwood.

And last,but we hope not least, we were there! And a great gathering it was! We deeply regret that everyone in The Sherlockian Community didn't have the chance to attend this stellar gathering. We don't know anyone outside of Wessex Press who has the know-how and the influential connections to bring together such an august assemblage of eminent Sherlockians and great presentations. Kudos to Wessex Press for a great symposium!
*The films shown during the Symposium's FilmFest were classics and included The Man Who Disappeared starring John Longden, Do Detectives Think? starring Laurel & Hardy, Silver Blaze starring Christopher Plummer; The Devil's Foot starring Eille Norwood, and House of Fear starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
All Photos here, except one, were provided courtesy of Steven Doyle (thanks, Steve). The lone photo of us was provided by our Atlanta friend, Gord Shriver.
For a more in-depth coverage of Gillette to Brett II, please Click Here to visit one of the Wessex Press's web sites.

. . . on the terrace
Sadly we report the passing beyond Reichenbach of Kathleen Bragg of St. Charles, MO. Kathleen served as the "Finback Whale" (treasurer) of that city's scion, The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn, and was the wife of, Michael Bragg, The Blue Whale (president). Kathleen was also an honorary member of the Survivors of the Gloria Scott. Kathleen fought an incredibly valient struggle against cancer for nearly a decade. Much to the distress of all who knew her, she finally succumbed on March 31. Sincere condolences to our friend Michael and their friends and family.

Finally, springtime approaches in southern Ohio! The earth abides!

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our Sherlockian E-Times
Carolyn and Joel