Excerpt: “The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes”

lycettbook.jpgWall Street Journal recently ran a rather lengthy excerpt from the new book, The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes, written by Andrew Lycett. The excerpt focuses on the events leading up to and culminating in the birth of the boy that would eventually grow up to be Sir Arthur.

Such professional brickbats did little to boost the mild-mannered man’s confidence, which had been further undermined when his second daughter Catherine died from water on the brain in October 1858 when she was six months old. As Dicky discovered when he passed through Edinburgh shortly afterward, Charles was in poor spirits and living in distressingly reduced circumstances at 11 Picardy Place when his first son arrived on the morning of May 22, 1859 and was given the names Arthur Ignatius Conan at his baptism at St. Mary’s two days later.

As usual among the Doyles, these names were carefully considered. Arthur signified history and place, albeit a romanticized version, looking back to King Arthur, the mythic architect of Britain; Ignatius faith, evoking the saint’s day on which Charles and Mary were married; and Conan kin, referring to the mixed Irish and European heritage of his mother’s forebears. These three strands were to battle for supremacy in Arthur’s personality.

You can read the whole excerpt here, or purchase the book here.

Doyle’s childhood home becomes special-needs school

From The Herald:

The childhood home of Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle has been rescued and transformed to house children with special needs.

The neglected cottage and garden adjacent to the Cameron Toll shopping centre in Edinburgh, where the author reputedly saw his first fairies, will be home to Dunedin School for educationally fragile children.

The cottage, known as Liberton Bank House, is a listed building and forms part of a site acquired by the Kilmartin Group for the construction of a new medical centre.

The developer assumed the role of good fairy when it agreed, subject to sufficient funds being raised by the school trustees and their partners, to gift the cottage to Cockburn Conservation Trust (CCT) for a nominal £1.

Texas Radio Theatre offers up “Red-Headed League” for download

rhlpic.bmpThe Texas Radio Theatre Company is gearing up for a new production of “The Final Problem,” and it has spawned some real generosity on their part - they’re gradually releasing recordings of their previous Holmes productions in MP3 format. Here’s their 2002 performance of “The Red-Headed League.” It’s a full-cast recording, in front of a live audience.

Holmes is where the heart is

The Philadelphia Inquirer just ran a nice story on a handful of local Sherlockian groups, some hardcore, others free-spirited and focused on the fun aspects of reading the canon.

“I do see them as influential,” Anderson said of the stories. “The idea that by observation and thought we can discover the truth is really powerful. It’s a basis of science, and it says your own emotions never color what you’re observing.”

Smith is working on his own adaptation, with plans to self-publish a novel - in the voice of side character Dr. James Mortimer - in April.

But most of the other members are more casual fans, and Smith said it’s fine if people get too busy to read that month’s story. The conversation strays anyway.

The case of the disappearing clues


It’s Friday again, and time for a what might just become a weekly dose of Holmesian levity … cheers, and have a great weekend!

Positive review of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened in Washington Post

ph2007101800647.jpgThe Washington Post just ran a very positive review of the latest Sherlock Holmes computer game, “Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened,” in which everybody’s favorite detective goes up against the Cthulthu nasties of H.P. Lovecraft’s world.

Each conversation and clue is meticulously detailed in a notebook you carry. That is a good thing, because from time to time Holmes will turn to you (in your role as Watson) and ask where you think the duo should travel next. You have to type your answer, so paying attention is required.

The voice acting is excellent, with Holmes portrayed so well you will want to find clues just to trigger one of his calm monologues, in which he proves (again) that he is the smartest guy in the room.

Very few Sherlock Holmes games have been well-received by critics - “The Case of the Serrated Scalpel” comes to mind as a notable exception, and well worth seeking out - but The Awakened seems to be doing very well so far, ranking higher than any other Holmes title at Metacritic.

May we also suggest “Another Bow,” the very first PC game to star Sherlock Holmes? It’s an old-school text adventure with glorious four-color graphics - and it’s abandonware, so you can download it and play it at no cost.

Will Ferrell as Sherlock Holmes


It’s Friday, and it’s been a long week … here’s something short, sweet and silly to cleanse the old mental palette in time for the weekend.

Sherlock Holmes, poker instructor

830355_-royal_flush.jpgIs there any aspect of life that can’t be enriched by filtering it through the Holmes lens? Apparently not. The web site Launch Poker recently ran a brief essay on what lessons Holmes can teach us at the Texas Hold’em table.

This is the attitude you need to approach Holdem with. You need to know that you are capable of discerning the hidden meaning behind any of your opponents’ actions. You need to remember to reason through every choice you make, as well as every choice your opponents make. Are they trying to hide something? Is that a bluff or a true bet? These questions can be answered when you apply deduction and reason to your game.