An Almanac Not Just for the Shelves

 When is an almanac not just an almanac? When it’s so much more.

 The 2023 Baker Street Almanac: An Annual Capsule of a Timeless Past and Future arrived at my house recently, and it is spectacular. Edited by Ross E. Davies, Jayantika Ganguly, Ira Brad Matetsky, and Monica Schmidt, it has what we have come to expect—a comprehensive account of worldwide Sherlockian activities the year before.

But beyond that, the editors give us 2022 updates on Sherlock Holmes in the comics, music and Sherlock Holmes, the Doings of Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and the law, and the return of in-person conferences—plus an ongoing inventory of Denny Dobry’s recreation of the sitting room at 221B, the Baker Street Irregulars Trust newsletter, and fun Sherlockian food recipes.

 As in past editions of the Almanac, there is a canonical story annotated by many (20!) hands—this time, “The Adventure of the Stockbroker’s Clerk.”

And then there is the “after-dinner mint” to that main course: Ross Davies’s commentary and annotation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s 500-word “How Watson Learned the Trick,” wonderfully illustrated by Madeline Quiñones in the book and in accompanying post cards. My copy of the almanac also came with a toothbrush inscribed with the name of the dentist Sherlock Holmes mentions in the mini-story.

Most almanacs sit on the shelves until needed, as Holmes picked Whitaker’s Almanac off of his desk in The Valley of Fear. This almanac is to be read and enjoyed. It's available from the publisher, The Green Bag, at www.greenbag.org. 

Breakfast on Baker Street -- by Madeline Quinones