Alistair Duncan's Blog, page 65

No Place As Holmes?

Like many of you reading this post, I have seen a great many actors don the deerstalker (not necessarily literally) to play Sherlock Holmes. Some are good, some indifferent and some awful.
However, when it comes to the poorer ones, what’s worse – one that is just nowhere near or one that is tantalizingly close but mucks it up with something silly? I would venture to suggest the latter.
Letting the side downIn my opinion Matt Frewer has to go down as one of the worst Sherlocks of all time. From the performances that he gives it seems clear that he decided that he needed to channel Noel Coward for his portrayal. However his portrayal never had a hope of being considered highly so one thing that it cannot be viewed as is an opportunity lost.
To my mind Richard Roxburgh and Robert Downey Jnr are more disappointing as they got a lot closer to being good. When I say this I am looking at their characterisation not their film(s) as wholes.
Roxburgh comes in for a lot of criticism for his turn as Holmes but I feel he is done a disservice. He is not helped by the fact that he appears opposite Richard E. Grant who many thought should have been playing Holmes. But if I put Grant to one side I see a man whose portrayal was let down by things that were probably forced on him. His absurdly antagonistic relationship with a too prickly Watson and his taking of drugs during a case were not things he chose to do but were things dictated by the script. They damage his portrayal yet are not his fault. He also should have had black hair. Other than that I thought he did the cold logician with a flash of steel very well.  Near missesDowney Jnr would really be up in the pantheon of great Sherlocks if it were not for the fact that he plays an unhygienic Holmes who acts more like a blend of Chaplain (hardly surprising) and Captain Jack Sparrow. The sheer scruffiness is what annoys me. This is supposed to be a man who could blend in with the denizens of the great offices of state. Being of a Bohemian temperament does not mean you have to be a scruff. 
I fear that we will be subjected to many more unfortunate portrayals as each actor/director/scriptwriter tries to make their effort stand out from the crowd. I would rather have a Holmes that fitted in with the crowd as opposed to one that stood out for the wrong reasons.



For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

London in 1927 in colour

Amazing colour footage of London in 1927. This was the same year that the last Sherlock Holmes stories were published. A colour glimpse into Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's world. Three years later he would be dead.
The Veiled Lodger and Shoscombe Old Place were the two stories released in this year. A nice still of the Embankment

For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Article publication date - *almost* confirmed

I am pleased to announce that it is highly likely that my article on The Hound of the Baskervilles will be published towards the end of the year in two journals.

It will appear in The Torr - the journal of The Poor Folk Upon the Moor and also, hopefully, in The Passengers' Log - the journal of The Sydney Passengers.

It will concern the possible links between the famous story and Wales.

For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

How easy is it to get a Sherlockian article published in a journal?

Some Sherlockians out there will, at some point, try their hand at an article destined for one of the many society journals. So how likely are you to be successful?
This depends on many things of which your talent as a writer is but one. In my experience, your chances depend on the following:
The journal you chooseThere are many societies out there and most produce some kind of periodical. In my humble opinion, the two most influential are The Sherlock Holmes Journal and The Baker Street Journal. These are the periodicals of The Sherlock Holmes Society of London and The Baker Street Irregulars respectively.

As two of the most read journals these are the ones that many people aim for. However this also means that you face much stiffer competition.
The topic you chooseThe subject of your article directly affects its chances of publication. Many journal editors have a backlog of material for their consideration (which might be enough to last them for years) but you could jump the queue if your article is topical. If, on the other hand, your topic is either well trodden or very niche you may struggle (unless it really appeals to the editor). 
Your talent as a writerThe editors of journals do not have the time to sort out your errors - be they spelling, grammar or factual. Make sure your article is as good as it can be before you submit it. Prepare yourself for the fact that it may get cut about a bit and don’t take it personally if this happens. If your article includes images be sure to supply them separately to the text and provide details as to where they should go in the article. The editor may re-source the images or use different ones. Again, don’t be upset by this. They may know an image to be subject to copyright where you did not, for example.
Try and make sure that you cite everything correctly. Use end notes and make sure you list any books etc that you referenced as accurately as possible. An editor is more likely to look favourably on what you have done if you leave them little work to do. The more effort required on their part the greater the risk you run of not making the cut.
Once your article has been accepted make sure you don’t submit it anywhere else or post it on the Internet without that journal’s agreement. If they have taken it on they have a right to expect exclusivity. If you desire to submit to more than one location at least make sure the journals/editors concerned are happy with that.
So what should you do?
Write the article you want to write but also pay attention to the hot topics going on in the Sherlockian world. Submit your article to the journal of your choice and wait for feedback. Give it a few weeks before you chase. On no account submit to more than one journal. One reason for this has already been stated but another is that you run the risk of being published in more than one place and with this comes the risk of overlap as many Sherlockians read more than one international journal.
If your article impresses you may even find yourself asked to produce something specifically for a journal at a future date.
Good luck!


For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Fallen Holmes & black armbands

I noted with some interest a letter (written by Peter Calamai) in the back of the current Baker Street Journal in regards to the notion that members of the public wore black armbands in their mourning for Sherlock Holmes in 1893.  
As the letter states, this tale is often told and the scale of this sartorial fad varies from account to account. However, as pointed out in said letter, there isn't any contemporary evidence for the armband story and you can be relatively assured that had it occurred on any scale – no matter how modest - it would have made the press in the UK and beyond.
In fact, in many areas of the press, there was very little reaction and some UKregional newspapers even seemed rather relieved. One newspaper suggested that its readers would have “mixed feelings” about the end of Holmes. It is quite a leap from "mixed feelings" to scores of black armbands and stories of old ladies hitting Conan Doyle with their umbrellas.
It is fair to say that the public reaction to Holmes’s return was much more pronounced than that to his Swiss plunge.


For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Three words...three hints

In the spirit of Sherlock I thought I'd put together a three word list to indicate the subjects of my next three articles. The order of publication may vary from this though. I should clarify that these will be articles in Sherlockian journals (fingers crossed) rather than on this blog.

The words are:

Fan Snake Daffodil


For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

221B Con via @BakerStBabes

A feel of the recent 221BCon courtesy of the Baker Street Babes.

For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Review - Benedict Cumberbatch, In Transition: An Unauthorised Performance Biography by Lynnette Porter

Please note that this review is based on a preview copy of the book and aspects of it may have changed by the time it becomes available.
Release date: June 10th 2013
I was recently supplied with a preview copy of the “Performance biography” of Benedict Cumberbatch and asked for my thoughts on it. The problem is that it is a difficult thing for me to review.
Why, you might ask. Well it’s simple. I am a person who is very knowledgeable on Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. I have penned four books on the subject, the latter two being biographical accounts but this book is not a Sherlockian one and therein lies the problem.  Cumberbatch in MarpleI think it is fair to say that Benedict Cumberbatch is a fine actor and that he largely has his Sherlock portrayal to thank for his current popularity and recent film work. Many of his young (and not so young) fans follow everything that he does as can be seen from the legion of Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr efforts that seem to revolve around him and his co-star Martin Freeman. Personally however my interest in him (currently) begins and ends with Sherlock (and his excellent turn in Marple). If he were to pen an autobiography in the future (perhaps any time past the age of fifty) I would be very interested in reading it but that is not what this is in the sense that it is not a “proper” biography and it is not by him personally or anyone with proper inside knowledge.
My reading of the book has shown me that a lot of research has gone into it. It is far from the Wikipedia “cut ‘n’ paste” that some have predicted. For anyone interested in the minutiae of Cumberbatch’s performances this will be very much on the wish list. I have no doubt that copies of this book will be snapped up by his fans – even those who have questioned the need for it through social media – such is the appetite for all things Benedict.
As we are more used to seeing himIf it has one flaw it is that it does come across as a bit reference-like in parts. I very much doubt you would pick it up and read it from end-to-end. It is more of a book that you would dip-into (well it was for me). In fact it could well prove to be of significant use to future biographers of Cumberbatch. Regrettably, aside from the author’s speculations and personal commentary, I found it quite a dry read containing a fair amount of plain and simple (or raw) data. Producing an arid read is something I have been accused of myself and it may not strike all readers the same way. Perhaps I was pre-disposed to find it that way and a hard-core Benedict fan would lap it all up. Time – and Amazon reviews – will tell.
The bottom line is that if you are a fan of all (or most) of Benedict Cumberbatch's work to-date you will find this an interesting work. If, however, your interest in his work is confined to a sub-set of his work (or maybe just Sherlock) you might wish to wait for the traditional biography. In view of this I would rate the book twice.
For the person primarily interested in his Sherlock career:

For the person interested in his entire body of work:




For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Last night's SHSL Council Meeting

Last night saw the Council meeting of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. This is arguably the most important one of the year as it is the one that comes immediately before the AGM and hence before membership of the Council ends for some members.
The Council is made up of a number of titled positions – chairman, secretary etc; and six non-titled council members. I am presently one of these non-titled members. The people with titled positions have to stand for re-election at every AGM (but can keep doing so) while those of us in the non-titled positions serve three year terms. Those terms are staggered though in order to ensure that at every AGM two ordinary council members must stand down and be replaced (they cannot stand again for at least one year).
So at the AGM on May 16th two members of Council – at least – will change. If you are a member of the SHSL, and you can find another member willing to endorse you, you can stand for election to one of these posts. The present Council will also make two official recommendations. You will find details in your AGM notice which should arrive with you very shortly.
Proceedings are confidential so I cannot say what was discussed but rest assured, if you are a member, that we have a fun AGM planned and the good ship SHSL is sailing in calm waters.


For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Scribbling away...

I have begun work on a new article. I don't know where, if anywhere, it'll end up but I'll worry about that later. It will be based on The Hound of the Baskervilles.



For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.