My Ear-Trumpet Has Been Struck By Lightning

always1895:

I apologize for being a few days late with last week’s Friday Links, but better late than never…

Also, I know that the majority of readers receive information on new posts via their RSS readers, their Tumblr feeds, and/or via Twitter or Facebook, but for those of you that would like to receive an email update whenever a new post appears, I’ve set up (after receiving more than a few requests) an email list. To be alerted to new posts via email, please send an email to always1895@gmail.com and type “1895 Email Alert” in the subject (you can leave the body blank). If you ever want to stop receiving the alerts, just email that you no longer want to be on the alert list and I’ll remove your email address - it’s that simple!

Gasogene Books recently released CD that is going to be an essential item for my collection: Starrett Speaks: The Lost Recordings “is a collection of rare, never-released recordings by the legendary Sherlockian and bookman, Vincent Starrett. Recovered from hours of ancient audio tapes, you’ll hear Starrett reading from a selection of his own work, as well as participate in a lengthy television interview with fellow Sherlockian, Orlando Park. Starrett Speaks will transport you back in time to the late 1960s, and give you an opportunity to experience what was once thought impossible for so many of us…the opportunity to listen to Vincent Starrett talk about Sherlock Holmes.” Sounds like a little slice of Sherlockian heaven.

[Without a doubt one of the ‘must have’ Sherlockian items of 2012!]

Lyndsay Faye reviewed the The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes Spring 2012 Semi-Annual Meeting, and personally it was one of the best ASH events I’ve ever attended. I even got to deliver a toast! Here’s a snippet from Ms Faye’s review: “Among personal friends of the Babes we encountered were the ever lovely Susan Rice and Mickey Fromkin of ASH (more on them later).  Matt Laffey of @always1895 was of course a delight to behold [Yay that’s me!!], and his girlfriend Becca is no less of a charmer.  Jenn sat at a table with the perennially delightful ASH Jacquelynn Bost-Morris of Watson’s Tin Box and the Scintillation of Scions—the BSB will be speaking at the next Scintillation, which is quite an honor, and Jacquelynn is really too fabulous to be allowed to leave her house.  Also at Jenn’s table, a surprise treat visitation from Jaime Mahoney of the Better Holmes and Gardens blog, also known as @goddessinsepia. I, meanwhile, sat with longtime ASH pal Dr. Rebecca Robare, author Maria Konnikova, Melinda Caric (the BSB’s New York photographer), the legendary Principle Unprincipled Adventuress Evelyn Herzog with her lovely husband John Baesch, and the truly delightful staff and founders of Sherlock NYC, who were hosting an Avengers film excursion later that day.” In a word, it was quite a group! For more information about the amazing and wonderful Adventuresses, check out their website: www.ash-nyc.com/.

[Some of the most excellent Sherlockians you’re ever likely to meet: Front row: Lyndsay Faye, BSB, Susan Rice, Jenn, BSB, Mickey Fromkin Second row: Lee, SNYC, Christine, SNYC, Aubre, SNYC, Melinda  credit to The Serpentine Muse, subscriptions $15/year - subscribe!] 

Alistair Duncan gives a short, concise report on what went down at the Undershaw Judicial Review (for background info cf. Save Undershaw). UPDATE: “The judge’s decision has been reserved and we will find out in a week at the earliest. However the decision could take until the end of July.” Barefoot on Baker Street also weighed in. Even mainstream, non-Sherlockians are starting to notice that something is afoot at Undershaw as evidenced by pieces in The Telegraph and in  ‘Fight To Save Sherlock Holmes House’ contained in The New Zealand Herald.

[“The troops gather!” Click on image for more pictures of last week’s Undershaw face-off.]

Noteflight Yesterday, on one of the Sherlock Holmes mailing lists I subscribe, someone brought up trying to play the Granada’s Sherlock Holmes ’Intro’ (by Patrick Gowers) so I did a search for sheet music and came across a site called Noteflight which not only has the ‘Intro’ music, but gives various ways of previewing and sharing said piece. Sadly, I have no ability to read music (one day when I wake up completely independently wealthy I will dedicate my life to taking violin and Attic Greek and Latin lessons) but maybe someone will find this (or the other ‘Sherlock Homes’ tagged sheet music) useful:    

[From Sherlock Holmes (Granada) - ‘Intro Theme’ (by Patrick Gowers)]

Quick Sherlock Links:

Constant Stream of Debauchery posted this rather risque piece of Sherlockian fan art. I know that there’s tons of fan art images out there featuring Holmes and Watson I extra-canonical situations (to put it mildly) but this one is has a certain well-designed edge to it and was posted on a blog called “Constant Stream of Debauchery”.

[Sexy deduction time with Holmes and Watson, via Sir Arthur Conan Doilies.]

Express published a piece about ACD’s Undersahw years: “it was where he was visited by Dracula author Bram Stoker, Peter Pan creator JM Barrie and where Virginia Woolf took pictures of the party on the lawn. But it is chiefly known as the place where Conan Doyle wrote 13 Sherlock Holmes stories including The Hound Of The Baskervilles.” Let’s hope the outcome of Wednesday’s delayed decision (set for July) is a win for British history and literature. 

The Arts Desk has a short piece on The Russian Sherlock Holmes with Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes and Vitaly Solomin as Dr. Watson. (Thanks to Howard Ostrom for the tip!)

Dan Andriacco argues that ”Holmes was not a just a brain” and in fact can be much more emotionally-tinged than the majority of Sherlockians believe.   

Bookish Adventure gives us a grand opportunity to take a virtual tour of the Sherlock Holmes Museum - you can almost smell the shag tobacco in the Persian slipper and hear “the grind of carriage wheels against the kerb” (as Morley would say).

Christopher Morley - speaking of kerb grinding - used said phrase in this delightful little poem (click on text shot for Google Books page):