My God, it's Don Hobbs!* If you've been around Sherlockiana long enough, you've heard that phrase. That's because this week's Interesting Interview, the Maniac Collector himself, is known far and wide across our hobby. And for good reason. Don is one of the most energetic and welcoming folks you find in Sherlockian circles. If you are around Don, you will immediately be pulled in to a fun and engaging conversation.
But not only is Don a great guy, he's also known for assembling the world's largest collection of foreign language versions of the Canon. And in 2019, Don donated his entire foreign language collection to the DeGolyer Library Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. So what does Sherlockiana's Texas Tornado have to say about this hobby of ours? Let's find out!
How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?
I believe a Sherlockian is anyone who enjoys any aspect of the Sherlock Holmes world. Books, films, plays, Sherlockian meetings all fall into the realm of being a Sherlockian.
How did you become a Sherlockian?
I had been collecting Sherlockian books for a few years when I received a call from John Bennett Shaw. Somehow he had heard of me and invited me to the 1992 Un-Happy Birthday Celebration in Moriarty, NM along with an invitation to visit him at his Library. That was the crowning weekend where I became a Sherlockian. At the Un-Happy Birthday Celebration, I met John Farrell, Dick Miller, Ron De Waal, Saul Cohen and I decided these were people I wanted to be like.
What is your favorite canonical story?
My favorite story is Silver Blaze. I believe that story shows Holmes' ratiocination the best. He inferred from the dog that did nothing in the night time, that the dog knew who stole Silver Blaze. Of course, the story itself is not plausible at all. The horse missing would be scratched from the race but hey, it's Sherlock Holmes.
Who is a specific Sherlockian that you think others would find interesting?
I defer to what Peter Blau said, and I agree 100%. He said "If you take 100 people and place them in a room, 2 or 3 might be interesting but if you place 100 Sherlockians in a room, 2 or 3 might not be interesting." I think most people will find all Sherlockian interesting their own individual ways.
What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you?
I was fortunate enough to amass a collection of foreign translations of the Canon, unsurpassed in the world. When I first visited John Bennett Shaw in 1992, he had translations in 60 different languages. I had just bought a Polish and a Spanish edition of the Canon. My thought at the time was 'how hard can it be to find the other 58 languages?' In the 31 years since that day, there are still 2 of those language I have never found - Kazakh and Sindhi. However, I did manage to find 73 additional languages. Today, the Canon has been translated into 113 different languages.
What things do you like to research related to Sherlock Holmes?
Several years ago, I created an electronic bibliography of foreign translations. The Galactic Sherlock Holmes is over 10,000 entries with cover illustration for over 95% of the entries. I still do a lot of research discovering old newspapers from around the world that serialized the stories. I keep finding these and then adding the cover illustrations along with the entries to the GSH database.
You've often been referred to as "the maniac collector." What does that title mean to you?
When I began collecting foreign translation in earnest, I founded a scion society call the Maniac Collectors. I would find Sherlockians in other countries and send them a box of English editions. All I asked in return was for them to send me books in the language that they felt were of equal value. Of course the quote is from The Illustrious Client: 'He has the collection mania in its most acute form- and especially on this subject...'
What made you want to collect copies of the Canon written in different languages that you aren't fluent in?
A sad but true joke can answer that. What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks many languages? Multilingual. What do you call someone who speaks one language? American.
I think the challenge was my primary driving force. I have been lucky enough to have had Internet access since 1989, when it was still called the World-Wide-Web. one of the first books I bought on the Internet was Cú na mBaskerville, the 1934 Irish Gaelic edition. I found it in a bookshop in Wales in 1993. I have used this essential tool since day one.
What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians?
From Holmes to Sherlock by Mattias Bostrom is my personal favorite. The BSI Manuscript series is another excellent choice.
Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now?
There have historically been up and down periods of Sherlockian enthusiasm however we have been on an extended up period. With the growth of social media, I don't see a lull for the near future. There are seems to be new blogs, new books, and new societies very month. I think in 15 years we will look back at the early 21st century as the Goldest of Golden eras.
*If you're curious in the origin of this, you can see at the 8:10 mark in the following YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PExb3cKwoXk&t=505s
Don Hobbs was my John Bennett Shaw.
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