“We have judged it best that you should come late” [ENGR] Editor's note: This may seem like heresy to traditional Sherlockians, who've been celebrating Sherlock Holmes's birthday on January 6th for nearly a century. Erik Deckers, longtime contributor to the Canonical Couplet on the IHOSE podcast and chief instigator behind the satirical H & W Con, has written to tell us our math hasn't been mathing. Whether or not you choose to believe him, he provides an informative history and some convincing facts.  We'll let Erik tell it himself. We've been making a terrible mistake about Sherl ..read more

“he was a born boon companion” [VALL] Today is January 6th — and that marks the date on which we traditionally celebrate Sherlock Holmes's birthday. We say "traditionally," because there is no definitive statement of his actual date of birth in the Canon, but beginning with Christopher Morley, the date of January 6th has become the de facto accepted date for Holmes' birthday. Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons. Of all of the quotes in the Canon, William Shakespeare was the most oft-quoted author. There is but one Shakespearean play that Holmes quotes twice: Twelfth Night. I ..read more

“I take up my pen” [FINA]  One of the great joys of contemplation is the practice of writing. When we're alone with our thoughts, we can take up a pen to write a journal entry, a heartfelt letter, or a thrilling adventure story, as the mood strikes us. And in doing so, we have many options for the type of writing implements we use. In "The Greek Interpreter," Mycroft Holmes makes this observation about an answer to an advertisement: “Here it is, written with a J pen on royal cream paper by a middle-aged man with a weak constitution.” In the Victorian era, the 'J' pen nib was t ..read more

“a combination of events” [3STU]  Keeping track of everything going on in the Sherlockian world is no easy task. And yet, every year without fail, Ross Davies, BSI ("The Temple") oversees a team at The Baker Street Almanac that does exactly that. We first spoke to Ross about the enterprise on Episode 219, but this time our conversation less about the mechanics and features than it is about some of the worthwhile items of note for Sherlockians in 2024. Ross chooses his top items and neatly divides things into categories: events, societies, publishing, and media. Burt and Scott add in a f ..read more

 “a couple of wooden chairs and a deal table” [REDH] It's Carbuncle Day — "the second morning after Christmas" — the day that Watson visited Holmes and discovered him studying the battered billycock and getting drawn into the mystery of the Countess of Morcar's missing gem. While yesterday was Boxing Day (a day traditionally celebrated by giving boxes of Christmas gifts to the working class in Great Britain), it's not too late to still do some shopping — for you and for a Sherlockian in your life. If you've delayed buying a Sherlock Holmes page-a-day calendar, you're in luck! I Hear of S ..read more

 “pestering me any more with your silly talk” [BLUE] It's always a joy when we hear about new Sherlock Holmes-related events, particularly when the attendees are guaranteed to have fun. So it was particularly gratifying to see that Erik Deckers' Laughing Stalk carried the following press release related to that cult classic, Holmes & Watson (covered here previously in "A Very Different Holmes and Watson"): (SIOUX CITY, IOWA)—Organizers today announced the dates and location for the eagerly awaited H&W Con, the Holmes & Watson convention based on the hilarious and timeless c ..read more

“a nasty cropper” [STOC]  We have to applaud the efforts of James Ryder in his ingenious solution to finding a hiding place for the blue carbuncle. Few in his situation would have known that a goose's crop would be the perfect receptacle for temporary storage of a gemstone. Yet, James Ryder was nowhere near as knowledgeable a fowl handler as his sister, Maggie Oakshott. If he were, he would have known that chickens and turkeys possess crops, but geese do not. "A goose has no crop," Miss Mildred Sammons stated in a letter to the "Line o' Type or Two" column of the Chicago Tribune on ..read more

“Let me have the straight tip and you won't be a loser” [SILV]  With the BSI Weekend coming up next month, we thought it might be helpful to provide a series of tips for the veteran attendees and the newbies alike. The Baker Street Irregulars Weekend is happening January 15-19, 2025, and it's usually a pretty big deal if you're taking time out of your life to head into New York City for three or more days of activities with people you haven't seen in a year (or years!) or those you may have only known online until now. Whether you're making the trip for the fi ..read more

“the number of the chapter is immaterial” [VALL] I love an advent calendar. During a cold, dark month, where the pressure to do just the right thing for other people can become overwhelming, it’s nice to have a daily gift to oneself.  Here's a new style one, a type I wasn't previously familiar with, with content that's a gift for any Sherlockian: Derrick Belanger's Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas.  Twelve traditionally styled stories are published with cliffhangers and labeled by date. You read the story setup on one day, then discover what happened the next, with ..read more

“the preparation for submarine attack” [LAST]  Good storytellers transport us to other places and times by virtue of their ability to create interesting characters and pull us along as the plot unfolds. Sherlock Holmes: Leviathan begins with two already interesting characters who are concerned with justice, and through Mike Baron's skillful storytelling that we find ourselves following the two as they unravel a global criminal conspiracy. Illustrated by artist Richard Bonk, it represents what may be the greatest work of both of their professional careers. As an Eisner Award-winning auth ..read more