The Sherlock Holmes Journal
When the latest Sherlock Holmes journal plopped through my letter box at the start of the summer, I was delighted with its sparkling new layout. Of course, fine feathers do not necessarily make fine birds, but I found the content equally attractive. Heather Owen’s fascinating editorial describes the evolution of the Journal from its first manifestation in 1952 to its present form. She describes the reluctance over many years for the Society’s Council to embrace change, replying to her requests to update with the answer ‘oh no, we must keep it the way it has always been. ‘
So she was pleasantly surprised when in February of this year, they replied ‘Yes, why not.’ The results will surely delight all readers.
Among the articles, stories and reviews are such whimsy as The Adventure of the Missing Tail, featuring Sherlock the Pooh. On the more serious side, Simon Smyth investigates The Case of the Two Coptic Patriarchs mentioned in passing by Watson in The Retired Colourman, as one of the many he has not had time to write up. Another by Anthony Butler examines the case for Norman Collie to be viewed as the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. Despite many telling similarities, both in personality and in appearance, however, Mr Butler is not convinced and sticks by Dr Joseph Bell.
For me as a crime writer, perhaps the most interesting article is by Vincent Delay, arguing the case for Sergeant Cuff in The Moonstone as a forerunner of Holmes. In the course of a lively piece he quotes from Roger Knox’s 1928 ‘ten commandments’ of detective fiction. These include: ‘not more than one secret passage or room allowable’ and ‘no Chinaman must figure in the story’ (this at a time when there was a surplus of sinister Oriental characters in detective fiction).
[image error]Sergeant Cuff questions Miss Verinder, by George du Maurier
My favourite
concerns ‘the stupid friend’, whose intelligence must be slightly below
average, so that, having finished the story, the readers, although surprised by
the ending, can congratulate themselves with ‘I may have been a fool, but at
least I wasn’t such a doddering old fool
as poor old Watson.’
See
http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk
pre-order ‘Mrs Hudson Investigates’ at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1787054845
