Midweek Sherlock (Books) Links Roundup (May 12 - May 16, 2012)

There seems to be an inordinate but welcome deluge of Sherlock Holmes-related book announcements as well as reviews appearing this week so I thought I would post a special ‘book edition’ Midweek Sherlock links section. “1) Knowledge of Literature - Nil” = False!

Lyndsay Faye announced via Twitter that she’s “very proud of having written the intro to this fine essay collection regarding BBC Sherlock fandom!” which is titled Sherlock and Transmedia Fandom: Essays on BBC Sherlock. In my humble opinion the editors couldn’t have chosen a better person to write the introduction to a collection that “explores the cultural intersections and fan traditions that converge in Sherlock and its fandoms. Essays focus on the industrial and cultural contexts of Sherlock’s release, on the text of Sherlock as adaptation and transformative work, and on Sherlock’s critical and popular reception. The volume’s multiple perspectives examine Sherlock Holmes as an international transmedia figure with continued cultural impact, offering insight into not only the BBC series itself, but also into its literary source, and with it, the international resonance of the Victorian detective and his sidekick.” Sign me up!

[Sherlock and his Stradivarius looking to get transmediated!]

Sherlockology announced the winners for their Undershaw-related contest: “We had an overwhelming response for ‘Sherlock’s Home: The Empty House’, receiving almost 400 entries in the two weeks submissions were open for. They were sent from all over the world and the standard was exceptionally high - some were so good Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself could have written them! [They were] able to include 31 stories and poems instead of the 20 we originally stated.” You’ll recall that this is a “collection of short stories and poems centered around the Sherlock Holmes canon characters and for the benefit of the Undershaw Preservation Trust.” A special congratulations goes to our friend Charlotte Anne Walters (author Barefoot on Baker Street) for her enticing sounding entry “Charlie Milverton”. Look out for Sherlock’s Home from MX Publishing.  

[Click for larger version of this excellent cover.]

The Priory Scholars of NYC ran a ‘classic review’ of Chris Steinbrunner and Norman Michaels’ excellent  survey of movies featuring Holmes and Watson published in 1978 entitled The Films of Sherlock Holmes. “The first edition of The Films of Sherlock Holmes came out in 1978 (Citadel Press) and features pretty much every major Sherlock Holmes film ending on 1976’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. This fact alone makes Films a fascinating historical ‘snapshot’ of a time before Granada’s Jeremy Brett won over legions of fans and cemented a new image of Holmes in the minds of viewers at a level even greater than the Rathbone years (c. 1939-1946). Out of 252 pages, 120 are given over to a discussion and photographs of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce’s take on Holmes and Watson.” Steinbrunner and Michaels were original members of The Priory Scholars of NYC (and in the interest of full disclosure I’m a member of the PSNYC and actually wrote this review…shameless self-promotion I know!).

[“Out of 252 pages, 120 are given over to a discussion and photographs of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce’s take on Holmes and Watson.”]

NYTimes’ The Stone column published a piece ‘Logic & Neutrality’ (May 13 2012) which featured an illustration by Leif Parsons of Spock and Sherlock Holmes. If you are having trouble accessing the article I added just the illustration to my Twitpic site here (smaller version below). The article itself, though not directly related to Sherlockian matters, is of interest to any of you that follow various trends in philosophical logic (Frege, Kripke, Quine, etc.) and was written by philosopher Timothy Williamson, the Wykeham Professor of Logic at Oxford University. You may recall that many of those Sherlockians who argue that Sherlock Holmes attended Oxford make the further claim that Holmes was in fact a Wykehamist.

[Leif Parsons illustration for article on logic and whether or not it can be considered a neutral player in the world of philosophical debate.]

Baker Street Babes (Maria Fleischhack) reviewed Alistair Duncan’s new book An Entirely New Country: ACD, Undershaw, and the Resurrection of Sherlock Holmes. “The book is a brilliant read, never boring and it leaves one with a very vivid image of Doyle at the turn of the century. Alistair Duncan added profoundly to the already extensive source material we have on Doyle, and I highly and whole-heartedly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in Doyle and his contemporaries.” Duncan’s books on ACD are essential for any contemporary Sherlockian library and I highly recommend picking up a copy - and why not suport the Baker Street Babes while you’re at it and purchase AENC from the Babe’s new bookshop!

[AENC by Alistair Duncan.]

Quick Sherlock Links:

Better Holmes & Gardens has been running “an ongoing project on my Twitter feed, I’m delivering stories from the Sherlock Holmes canon in tiny installments of 140 characters or less…The current story is “The Adventure of the Abbey Grange”. Check out BH&G’s feed to start the fun!

Ross K posted a video review of Sherlock Holmes and The Murder at Lodore Falls by Baker Street Babe Charlotte Smith. For sale at the Baker Street Babes bookshop.

Pop2it ran a piece about Benedict Cumberbatch’s role in the upcoming Star Trek movie with some excellent photos of BC locked in mortal combat with none-other-than Spock: “in the upcoming “Star Trek” sequel, Cumberbatch shifts from fighting crime to a fighting criminal and in some new pictures from the set, we see him battling Zachary Quinto’s Spock…[BC] also rocks a diabolical ’80s New Wave Britpop haircut.” Rumor has it BC is playing Khan.

Masterpiece PBS hosted a live online chat (May 14 2012) with BBC Sherlock co-creator/actor Mark Gatiss (Mycroft Holmes) where fans had the opportunity to ask questions. I was quiet impressed with the depth of Mr Gatiss’ canonical knowledge and his familiarity with the various facets of Sherlockian culture and fandom, new and old. If you missed the chat, there’s a transcript available. 

Bullseye, a show on Public Radio International hosted by Jesse Thorn, ran an extensive interview with Benedict Cumberbatch that’s received rave reviews on twitter and is an intimate conversation with the man of the moment BC. As @JCrowther9 declared on twitter in reference to the BC interview: “brainy is the new sexy.” The audio is available on Soundcloud here.

Tea at 221B posted another excellent ‘text shot’, this time from The Sign of Four:

[“A client is to me a mere unit…” This passage from SIGN is one of best Holmes quotes of all time.]

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