The NorburyChronicle
e-newsletter of the Holmesian Studies SIG of American Mensa
since ’88, Baker Street Irregulars scion since ‘95
"Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed." (Mark 4:22)
Issue XLIX Spring '17
SIG NEWS
I've been delayed in getting another newsletter out partly because I was hit by a car while crossing in a crosswalk in January. I'm nearly back to normal, if I ever was normal, but the litigations haven't started yet. Also I've been working on my next book, which is on math, rather than Sherlock Holmes.
O n the brighter side, we acquired three new members so far this year, Scolaighe Goebert, Warren Kuman and Ezra Aobn on facebook.
PARADOX REVISITED
I did re-read The Einstein Paradox by Colin Bruce recently, worth re-reading in that it mixes two of my interests, Sherlock Holmes and modern physics. As the blurb from the New York Times says, ''What better way to explain the sometimes mystifying world of modern physics than by enlisting the aid of that master demystifier, Sherlock Holmes.''
B ruce also inlists the aid of Prof. Challenger and Prof. Summerlee of Lost World fame in these adventures. My least favorite one has to still be ''The Case of the Lost Worlds'' in which Holmes ponders the Many-worlds theory. I especially pondered ''The Case of the Faster Businessman'', Barnum Rolleman, who sought to send a message faster than light, in effect from the future into the past. Since writing my own time-travel story, Sherlock Holmes and the Mad Doctor, I am not at all convinced by Mycroft's assertion that it is impossible.
I had forgotten the mention of Ullman II of Crolgaria in ''The Case of the Flying Bullets'' or the king of Molstein in ''The Case of the Disloyal Servant''.
PUZZLING
As a Christmas present I received The Sherlock Holmes Puzzle Case including 'The Seven Sword'' (the theft of a sword of Mary Queen of Scots), ''The Bank Job'' (robbery of Shoreditch bank), ''The Green Stone'' (the murder of Rupert Coynes), ''Suffocation'' (the murder of Lady Casterton), ''In Paris'' (cover-up at the World's Fair), 'The Fish Murder'' (murder of Frank Hale).. We also learn of some of Mrs. Hudson's relations: her mother Ada, third cousin once removed Sally, (''The Hudson Clan'', cousin Jennifer (''Cousin Jennifer'') and Holmes's imaginary friends Alfie, Bill and Charlie (''A Mental Trial''). The puzzles were classed from Elementary to Straightforward to Cunning to Fiendish, but I found some misclassified.
Most interesting to me, as I'm writing my math book were the pure math puzzles, ''A Curiosity'' on numbers one less than a square whose halves are also and ''Big squares'' on pandigital squares.
ON-LINE
At ''I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere'' we found reviews of some Lewis Carroll crossovers, a forgotten short film and a comic:
The Adventure of the Deadly Illusion by Ron Brackin (in 1872 Oxford with John Nevil Maskelyne, Jules Verne, Phineas Fogg, James Stand, Michael Moriarty and Alexandra Kitchin)
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Grinning Cat by Joseph W. Svec (with H. G. Well to Mars)
Sherlock Holmes and the Alice in Wonderland Murders by Barry Day (in 1898 vs. ''John Moxton'')
''The Sacred Flame of Coal Fire'' can be found at
http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2017/02/a-little-known-sherlock-holmes-film.html#.WJipDX-5rDc
''Baker Street Elementary'' can be found at
http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2017/02/new-feature-baker-street-elementary.html#.WJiqWn-5rDd
BOOKS
Steve Emecz shared some more book titles to check out:
The Vatican Cameos by Richard T. Ryan, In 1901 Pope Leo XII engages Holmes after Michelangelo's cameos commitioned by Alexander VI in 1501 have been stolen,
Sherlock Holmes Plays the Game by L. F. E. Coombs, These adventures involve tracking down a lost Shakespeare manuscript, illusions, railways, airships, kidnap of animals, and people, testing of alibis, coded messages, advanced communications and electric weapons, mingling fiction with facts and events of the Turn of the Century.
The Amateur Executioner by Dan Andriacco and Kieran McMullen, In 1920 London Boston-bred reporter Enoch Hale, investigates the Hangman Murders that began with that of an escape artist in his dressing room and meets Winston Churchill, William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ezra Pound. Hale, T. S. Eliot, Sherlock Holmes and the mysterious and lovely music hall singer Sadie Briggs.
In 1903: ''An Affair of the Heart'' in A Farewell to Baker St. by Mark Mower, demonstrates the critical interplay between the two men which made their partnership so memorable and endearing. ''The Curious Matter of the Missing Pearmain'' is a classic locked-room mystery. ''The Case of the Cuneiform Suicide Note ''sees Dr. Watson using his expert knowledge in helping to solve the mystery surrounding the death of an academic. ''A Study in Verse'' the pair assists the Birmingham City Police in a complicated case of robbery which leads them towards a new and dangerous adversary. ''The Trimingham Escapade'', the very last case the pair enjoyed together, which neatly showcases the inestimable talents of Sherlock Holmes.
The Case of the Russian Chessboard by Charles Roxburgh, In November in the 1890s, a secretive London refuge for Russian exiles, early feminists and socialists rub shoulders with exiled foreign revolutionaries in an Essex commune and an evil and twisted conspiracy.
A Few Lessons from Sherlock Holmes by Peter Bevelin, a practical and enjoyable book that tells in a short-easy-to-read way about what we all can learn from Sherlock Holmes. bite-sized principles and key quotes.
Sherlock Holmes and the Horror of Frankenstein by Luke Kuhns and Marcie Klinger is a graphic graphic novel of graverobbery in London 1888.
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Ruby Elephants by Christopher James
In the summer of 1890 an elephant escapes from the London Zoological Gardens, Engaged by a jeweller in fear for his life over eight ruby elephants said to unlock a vault containing the lost Nizam diamond sought by the Archangels, assassins in top hats and tailcoats.
two from John A. Little: Sherlock Holmes and the Musical Murders,
1925 London, where the trail of a serial killer of musical (gay) men leads the brilliant, buxom Miss Lily Hudson and Jasper Lestrade to the Bloomsbury Group and the Diogenes Club.
and The Case of the Shepherd's Bushman, with the title tale of a dying aborigine plus the Acton Body-Snatchers and the disappearing boy sopranos, the Notting Hill Rapist and the stripping of pregnant women, the Clapham Witch, who casts voodoo spells on sad old men and the Battersea Fetishists, a secret brotherhood with some truly murderous rituals.
and three interconnected stories from Tracy Revels: Shadowfall, When the sacred relics and mystical objects of London begin disappearing, Sherlock Holmes must call on more than his powers of deduction to solve a mystery that threatens the safety of the British Empire and Doctor Watsons mortal soul.
Shadowblood in which eccentric recluse Edgar Telfair's daughter disappears and he is horrifically killed. Holmes and Watson track sorceress Alice Telfair from Paris to Prague to America, a Pinkerton agent with a past, a Seminole showman, a blind photographer whose cameras capture the spirit world, and a strange little boy destined for a frightening future.
Shadowwraith.Holmes must locate and defeat the wraith of a powerful wizard with the assistance of an incorruptible saint, an immortal librarian, a troupe of ghosts, a Scotland Yard Inspector, and, of course, Dr. Watson by finding a missing spell, which is written on a page of the infamous Devil’s Bible.
THE FINAL PUNISHMENTS
"The Adventure of Sir Reginald Falmouth and the Giant Rooster of Woking" by Robert C. Burr: "To have some chicken catch a Tory."
"The Adventure of the Beaten Detective" by David A. Haugen: "[We had] "mayhem on the outside…violins in here."
"The Adventure of the Boulevard Assassin" by Richard Milne: "[He was] guilty, but in Seine."
"The Adventure of the Card Playing Cats" by Richard Milne: "The cat that wins continually has to be a cheetah."
"The Adventure of the Desperate Colonel" by Richard Milne: "Philately will get you nowhere."
"The Adventure of the Disillusioned Diamond Miner" by Richard Milne: "All Rhodes lead to Rome."
"The Adventure of the Gastronomical Clue" by B. J. Kready, B. J. and Steve Mann: "[It was] alimentary, my dear Watson."
"The Adventure of the Intermitant Island" by Angela Milne: "[It was] an optical Aleutian."
"The Adventure of the Mad Millionaire" by Richard Milne: "[The] mills will be alive with the Hounds of Munich."
"The Adventure of the Malevolent Orchestra Leader" by Richard Milne: "[He] is obviously a bad conductor."
"The Adventure of the Missing Scotch" by Richard Milne: "[I could tell] by the nip in the heir."
"The Adventure of the Oriental Banker" by Richard Milne: "So many owed so much to Tso Fu."
"The Adventure of the Prodigal Niece" by Richard Milne: "The Fairfax is Watson’s department."
"The Adventure of the Soft Cell" by Richard Milne: "Hope springs E. Turnell."
"The Adventure of the Wimbledon Racketeers" by Richard Milne: "The sun never sets on the British umpire."
"The Behemoth of the Thames" by Robert C. Burr: "[It was the] beast of Thames… [and the] wurst of Thames."
" The Bermondsey Cannibal Caper" by Robert C. Burr: "[He] had a friar and he went and boiled him."
"The Best Buns in Town" by Robert C. Burr: "Bakers can't be juicers."
"The Best of British Grub" by Phillip K. Jones: "[He had] bundts of steel."
"The Big Sleep" by Robert C. Burr: "There's no wick for the rested."
"The Brooding Bitch" by Phillip K. Jones: "[It's] just a melon collie baby."
"The Case of Something Fishy" by David R. McCallister: "There's no plaice like Holmes's."
"The Case of the Baker Street Burglary" by Michael Joseph Halm
"The Case of the Cold Shoulder…" by Richard Milne: "[It's a case where] Tooze Company freezes a crowd."
"The Case of the Devious Painters" by Robert C. Burr: "Repaint and thin no more."
"The Case of the Great Cover-Up" by Robert C. Burr: "[They've been] charged with statuary drape."
"The Case of the Matilda Briggs" by Phillip K. Jones: "He disagreed with something that ate him."
"The Case of the Murdering Swine(, Sherlock Holmes and)" by Tom Batiuk: "Quite plainly, Watson, it's the Earl of Buckingham."
"The Case of the Musical Murders(, Sherlock Holmes and)" by Tom Batiuk: "[This was] a crime of violins."
"The Case of the Screaming Greek" by Robert C. Burr: "[He was] the hoarse foreman of the Acropolis."
"The Case of the Spattered Chapeaux" by Rosemary Michaud: "[Call it] 'The Adventure of the Red-hatted Leak."
"The Case of the Unknown Biographer" by Thomas J. Powell: "He is un-Dupin-dable."
"The Caseophile's Soiree" by Robert C. Burr: "[It was the] Loch Ness muenster."
"The Curious Incident at Loo Fan Chew's": "[It was] the nog in the tight dime."
"The Dancing Doctor" by Alan C. Olding: "[He had a] fan in one hand, dango in another."
"The Deadly Throne of King Mabuto" by Dr. Neil Taylor: "People in grass houses shouldn't stow thrones."
"The Dog Who Did Bark" by Robert C. Burr: "His bark is worse than his blight."
"The Exorcist" by Phillip K. Jones: "He who doesn’t pay his exorcist should expect to be repossessed."
"The Fakir Was a Faker" by Robert C. Burr: "The thong has ended but the malady lingers on."
"The Farewell Tour" by Phillip K. Jones: "[He left] no tone unSterned."
"The Farmer's Market Fracas" by Michael Joseph Halm
"The French Hunchback" ["Der Französische Glöckner"] by Robert C. Burr: "How about 'Ringing in the Seine'?"
"The GI Microorganism Murder(, Sherlock Holmes and)" by Robert C. Burr: "[We've solved] the murder of Edward Coli."
"The Great Dormitory Mystery" by Sharon N. Faber: "Alimentary, my were-Datsun."
"The Hesitant Patient": "Suture self!"
"The Howard Hughes Affair" by Stuat M. Kaminsky: "Aristotle contemplating the home of Buster."
"The Impatient Patient" by Phillip K. Jones: "You shall just have to be a little patient until I can get to you."
"The Incident of the Digital Diversion" by John C. Sherwood: "The foot is a game."
"The Itinerant Detective" by Phillip K. Jones: "Holmes is where the Harz is."
"The Long Search" by David Galerstein: "A sweet Mr. E of Life, at last I've found you."
"The Man Who Feared Christmas" by Robert C. Burr: "[He's] another noel coward."
"The Masquerade Ball" by Phillip K. Jones: "Gods save the Queens."
"The Medici Vendetta" by Alexander E. Braun: "[Call it] 'The Case of the Pliant Hat of Sinatra.'"
"The Moth and the Flame" by Robert C. Burr: "[You're] burning your end at both candles."
"The Mummy's Curse" by Robert C. Burr: "Rodenhotep simply got a bum wrap."
"The Naturalist's Disappearance" by Alexander E. Braun: "Look for it under the mound of the Basque's herb pills."
"The Odiferous Defense" by David R. McCallister: "You gotta acquit his ass."
"The Old Shikari-Bengal Tiger Caper" by Robert C. Burr: "The Czech is in the male."
"The Party" by Daniel Antidormi: "Holmes is where the hearth is."
"The Plague Spot" by Phillip K. Jones: "[That's the] lessor of two weevils."
"The Problem of the Sore Bridge" by Robert C. Burr: "Steinroden's Bach was worse than his bite."
"The Psilly Psychic Psyndrome" by Robert C. Burr: "[I try] always to strike a happy medium."
"The Secret of the Two Professors" ["Das Geheimnis der Zwei Professoren"] by Brad Keefauver:
"[He's] guilty of making an obscene clone fall."
"The Spanish Question" by Richard Milne: "The reign in Spain has fallen mainly down the drain."
"The Star of Agra" by Phillip K. Jones: "When you wish to pawn a Star, it makes no difference who you are."
"The Sultan's Souvenir" by Frank Darlington: "I've grown accustomed to his fez."
"The Sultan's Souvenir II" by Alan C. Olding: "[The] eunuch was not cut out for the job."
"The Sumatran Horror" by Brad Keefauver: "Whatever remains, however imp-robbable, must be thet Ruth."
"The Tall and Short of It." by Robert C. Burr: "One Assize fits all."
"The Tarlton Murders" by Phillip K. Jones: "The will was a dead give away."
"The Teepee/Wigwam Syndrome" by Robert C. Burr: "The fellow in question is simply too tense."
"The Trained Cormorant" by Phillip K. Jones: "[Leave] no tern unstoned."
"The Weather in Mexico" by Robert C. Burr: "Chili today, hot tamale."
"The Whitechapel Floozy" by Robert C. Burr: "What's a nice joint like you doing in a girl like this?"
"The Whitechapel Horrors" by Thomas J. Powell: "I find this case altogether too earie."
"They Failed to See Eye to Eye" by Robert C. Burr: "It will be a site for sore eyes."
"They Were the Footprints of a Small Child" by Robert C. Burr: "[The culprit was a] boy-foot bear with teak of Chan."
"Things Go Better with Coke" by Robert C. Burr: "The bottler did it."
"This One Should Be Given the Pitch" by Robert C. Burr: "Oppernockety only tunes once."
"This One's for the Birds" by Sandy Kozinn: "Leave no stone unterned."
"Those Funny Red Rumps" by Robert C. Burr: "This painter has left no stern untoned."
"Three Little Indians" by Robert C. Burr: "[He could] see his red sons in the sail set."
"Tibetan Musings" by Phillip K. Jones: "The snow's not over till the bat lady rings."
"Too Good to Refuse" by David Galerstein: "They made me an Uffa I couldn't refuse."
"Too Much of a Good Thing" by Robert C. Burr: "We're just going to have to bite the pullet."
"Touché!" by Gary List: "This man died from van aerial disease."
"Update on Texas History" by Sam Siciliano: "[He was taken to court] and sued for Alamo knee."
"Victorian UFO" by Phillip K. Jones: "[He saw] a flying Chaucer in London."
"Voodoo in Cornwall" by Phillip K. Jones: "He left no Stone 'unturned'."
"Was it Crosby, the Banker?" by Robert C. Burr: "Never give an even break a sucker."
"Was Mrs. Hudson's Face Ever Red!" by Robert C. Burr: "[She] neutered like one of the family."
"Water, Water Nowhere II" by Robert C. Burr: "[We] didn't pass any water for seven days."
"Watson and the Higher Mathematics" by Robert C. Burr: "[You] can't teach an old doc new trigs."
"Watson Is at It Again" by Rosemary Michaud: "What's a knife girl like you doing in a place like this?"
"Watson Learns Another New Technique" by Robert C. Burr: "I can feel it in your bones."
"Watson Makes an Ash of Himself" by David R. McCallister: "[That's] when the ship hit the span."
"Watson Takes a Dive" by Robert C. Burr: "When you're out of slits, you're out of pier."
"Watson Wins One!" by Frank Darlington: "[It's a case of ] pre-minstrel syndrome."
"Watson's Patient Gets the Point" by Robert C. Burr: "It was a jab well done."
"Weekend Groaner" Calgary Sun: "A lemon entry, my dear Watson."
"Westward Ho Ho Ho!" by Karen Murdock": "[There's] no West for the rear-y."
"Westward How?" by Karen Murdock": "He who has a Tate's is lost."
"Where There's Smoke, There's a Clue": "Mr. Finspakler was yacht-land scarred."
"Wiggins of Moscow" by Robert C. Burr: "He has a clutch of TASS."
"With Apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan" by Mel Hughes: "[We found] the pie rats of Penn's aunts."
"With Apologies to Thomas Paine" by Robert C. Burr: ""[These are the] souls which time men's tries."
"Yet Another Unpublished Case" by Phillip J. Attwell: "[Call it] 'The Hound of the Pasta-Wheels'."