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Welcome! Like the book of the same name, this blog is an eclectic collection of Sherlockian scribblings based on more than a half-century of reading Sherlock Holmes. Please add your own thoughts. You can also follow me on Twitter @DanAndriacco and on my Facebook fan page at Dan Andriacco Mysteries. You might also be interested in my Amazon Author Page. My books are also available at Barnes & Noble and in all main electronic formats including Kindle, Nook, Kobo and iBooks for the iPad.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Sherlockian Tidbits

Here are as few snack-size items that I hope will be of interest, "some of which have lain long in my portfolio."

Quintessential Quote #7 ends with the words: "That is what you must expect to see when I am following you." I asked which story this quote came from. Live Out Loud, resisting the impulse to look it up, gave a good guess -- The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The correct answer is "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot." As you may now remember, the other party to the exchange was Dr. Leon Sterndale.

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One of the great things about Sherlock Holmes is that references to him do turn up in the most unexpected places. An example is Jasper Fforde's delightful fantasy novel Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron.

This highly imaginative book is about a world, presumably in the far future, with librarians but no books. There are, however, titles of books -- but in a very mangled form, such as The Most Serious Affair at Stiles and Gawky Park. One such book is The Complete Sheer Luck Homes.

Writing about the last Harry Potter movie from London, columnist Michael Gerson this week argued that "Harry Potter now determines the American conception of Britishness as thoroughly as Sherlock Holmes ever did." That's a pretty big claim. What say you, Americans -- true or false?

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My old friend Melvin Grier, esteemed photojournalist and long-time Sherlockian, reported an interesting sighting recently:

"Last week we were in NY for my son's hooding ceremony at NYU. The event took place at Lincoln Center. The man behind me was named Anthony Rathbone. When I jokingly asked if he was related to Basil, he said yes, his grandfather's cousin. He lives in the Midlands in England."

Have you ever had a close encounter of the Sherlockian kind?

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for letting us know the correct answer - I knew it wasn't The Hound but I couldn't remember the correct one!
    I do believe Mr Gerson is right - at least for the younger generation! Holmes will always be England for me, but I love the Harry Potter books (the movies not so much!).
    I'll have to ponder a bit to come up with a close encounter. :D

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  2. Oh, of course, 'The Devil's Foot'! Duh!!! Oh, well...

    As an American, I say no way to the 'Harry Potter' claim to American fame. The Brits are seen via their sitcoms which we call Britcoms. And, of course, 'Doctor Who'. (Classic.)

    'Harry Potter' does not show the British as well as a 'Fawlty Tower's or 'Are You Being Served' or 'Red Dwarf' or 'Keeping Up Appearances' and on and on and on...

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