meandering about detectives

[eruthros]

Happy Birthday, William (or Thomas, depending, apparently, on what mood Doyle was in) Sherlock Scott Holmes! The man who went by "Sherlock Holmes" was (possibly) born today in (probably) the North Riding of Yorkshire in (maybe) 1854. Ahh, the Holmesian canon: it's like trying to work out the Highlander universe. Or the wormhole physics of Stargate.

Which reminds me that I wanted to ask if anyone has checked out Sayers on Holmes: Essays and Fiction on Sherlock Holmes which has been out for a few years now. It's supposed to be a collection of Sayers' Holmesian essays, which I thought of as she wrote one attempting to pinpoint his birth year (fat chance!), though the reason I'm most interested in it is her famous radio play for Holmes' (possible) hundredth birthday, in which a young Wimsey consults Holmes on an Important Case. (Not that I used Sayers' essays today; Holmes' birthdate is from Baring-Gould.)

Actually, on the subject of writing about detectives, has anyone ever read Baring-Gould's Nero Wolfe of West Thirty-Fifth Street, in which Baring-Gould hypothesizes that Archie is Wolfe's nephew and that Wolfe is Holmes' son? (This would make Holmes Archie's great-uncle: hilarious.) It's not in print anymore, I don't think, but I might grab it somewhere if people said it was as amusing as it sounds.

And, of course, to bring this full circle, there's Rex Stout's famous speech to the Baker Street Irregulars: Watson was a woman.

Comments

[sineala.livejournal.com]

That's nifty. I wish I was more up on Holmes fandom than, well, I am. I think I have one book of random essays and pastiches (_The Game is Afoot_, ed. Kaye), which I thought was fun.

It's also Joan of Arc's birthday, sez Jen.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I own a copy of Sayers on Holmes. It's dreadfully tedious, except for the short story of Wimsey-Meets-Holmes when the former is eight. It is three pages long and I can scan for you if you like. :D

I've read the Baring-Gould book -- in fact I was certain that you were the one who had lent it to me! -- but aside from the whole Holmes thing it's mostly just a canon lexicon.

[eruthros]

*g* I might've been the one who loaned you the Baring-Gould, especially if I'd found it at the library booksale and hadn't gotten around to it yet, but I haven't read it.

Also, yes, it would be faaaaabulous if you could scan the Wimsey-Meets-Holmes in for me, because... Wimsey! Eight! Kitten! Holmes! Laurie King has a Wimsey-and-Holmesish scene in her Mary Russell (Beekeeper's Apprentice) books, and a number of other people have done similar things, but I want to read Sayers' version.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I've made a note for it on the To-Do list, right below "find it" :D I'll keep you posted :)

It's quite a funny little story, really. Very Peter-at-eight.