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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, January 11, 2023

From Walking Sticks to Artificial Limbs

I own a few walking sticks, although I've never used one

My brother, who is not a Sherlockian, once asked: “How can there be anything left to write about Sherlock Holmes?” I answered, “You’d be surprised.”

Sometimes I’m even surprised at what I write! This past Saturday, Jan. 7, four books in the Merchants Room at Baker Street Irregulars Weekend included essays by me on a range of topics, from commonplace to quirky. The trifling monographs are:

  •  “Stick by Me: Walking Sticks and Canes in the Canon” in Steel Blue, Blade Straight 2022 Annual (Belanger Books). Walking sticks fascinate me, so I did a deep dive on how many times they appear in the Canon. Spoiler alert: Holmes and Watson both carried one, although that is seldom mentioned in the stories.
  • “The Craft of the Sherlockian Forgery” was written upon request from Derrick Belanger for Writing Holmes (Belanger Books), but it is a subject to which I’ve given a lot of thought and have opinions.    
  • “Sherlock Holmes and the Supernatural” in The Sherlock Holmes Review 2022 Sherlockian Annual (Gasogene Books) attempts to refute the assumption by many that Holmes rejected the possibility of supernatural. He never said that. Not once. In fact, many canonical texts indicate just the opposite.
  •  “Out of a Limb: Prostheses in the Canon” in The Haven Horror (BSI Press) is quite possibly the oddest topic I’ve ever been assigned. The book is the latest in the Manuscript Series, presenting manuscript of “The Retired Colourman”—who had an artificial leg. I’m glad editor Phillip Bergam, BSI, asked me to take on this one because it was quite interesting to research.

I’m not sure how much time I’ll have for my own writing in the future. Michael Kean, “Wiggins” of the Baker Street Irregulars, announced at the BSI dinner on Friday that I am the new editor of the Baker Street Journal. I’ll be assigning, selecting, and editing monographs for the premier periodical in our world. If you aren’t already a subscriber, please come aboard. Read about it here.  

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