Frederic Dannay, Sherlockian

Fred Dannay and a young James Yaffe in 1943

My friend Bob Byrne recently wrote a blog post over at Black Gate about the role of Ellery Queen's suppressed anthology of parodies and pastiches, The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes, in bringing Solar Pons back to life after a 10-year hiatus.

That was just one accomplishment of Frederic Dannay's life as a great Sherlockian, as well as half of the team of mystery writing cousins best known under the joint pseudonym of Ellery Queen.

Among his accomplishments (not shared by his cousin and partner-in-crime Manfred B. Lee):

• Dannay was an early member of the Baker Street Irregulars.
• He wrote an unforgettably evocative memoir of his discovery of Sherlock Holmes when he was a boy. It has appeared in many different forms, sometimes under the title "Who Shall Ever Forget?"
• As the hands-on editor of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, he was godfather to many pastiches and parodies of The Master - most notably Robert L. Fish's hysterical Schlock Homes stories.

Ellery Queen, the fictional sleuth, was once known as "the logical successor to Sherlock Holmes." Sadly, his fame has not proved to be as durable as that of the original. Most of his adventures are no loner in print. But his co-creator, Frederic Dannay, BSI, will long be remembered fondly within the Sherlockian community.