Interesting Interview: Rob Nunn by Max Magee

Editor’s Note: I decided to turn the tables on Rob, since he’s a good friend and I love reading his interviews. Well I am now amazed that he can get one of these out each month. From when I sat down to record him months ago, I’ve worked on this interview on and off for close to three months and I’m sure it’s nowhere near the high standards of editing he puts out on a much faster cadence. (Full disclosure, we talked for an hour on everything from Disney films to how to engage new readers to the Sherlockian hobby, to scotch, so maybe it was my meandering interview style that made the task all the more difficult.) My deerstalker’s off to you, Rob, this is not easy to do! -Max Magee

Rob Nunn, B.S.I. (2022 - Elementary) is a Sherlockian from Edwardsville, Illinois (near St. Louis, MO). By day Rob is a 5th grade teacher, and by night he is an author, blogger, and one of the leaders of the Parallel Case of St. Louis Scion. He’s also the principal organizer of the tri-annual Holmes in the Heartland Sherlockian Conference and a member of the [Nero] Wolfe Pack. Rob has recently taken up the mantle of Head Light of the Beacon Society. He’s written, edited, and contributed to many books including his debut novel, The Criminal Mastermind of Baker Street (2017), About Being a Sherlockian (2017), Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street (2021), an essay collection which he edited with Peter Eckrich, The Finest Assorted Collection (2022), and his latest, Canonical Cornerstones (2024).

Rob is funny, generous, knowledgeable, a doting father and husband, and an extremely nice person. Since how nice Sherlockians are seems to be the theme of ALL of these interviews…my first question to Rob is, will we ever see an interview with a complete a-hole? (The answer this month, of course, is no.)

So, will you?

Yes. Some day, I will interview you! But to answer the question seriously, there were some people who weren’t really my cup of tea, prior to the interview, but I still conducted the interview—and what they say is what I put up! I didn’t know if I would get along with this person until I interviewed them, but there was just one interview, maybe, where I walked away afterward and they were still not my cup of tea.  But as a whole, every person I’ve interviewed has been great and/or won me over once I got to know them.

Rob’s wife Amy (left) and daughter Savannah (center) with Rob (right)

How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?  

Anyone who takes their interest past a basic enjoyment of Sherlock Holmes (or even the shows). You need to go past that just a bit to be a Sherlockian. This includes re-reading, joining a scion society, doing original research, writing or any extra activity. Beyond just consumption.

At the beginning of the Interesting though Elementary project, I set out to answer the question (at the time there was a debate raging) and come up with a consensus about how we define Sherlockian. However, as part of the interviews, the answers were even more welcoming and far-ranging than I had expected.

How did you become a Sherlockian? 

One year for Christmas, I was given The Complete Illustrated Sherlock Holmes (including all of the Sydney Paget Strand illustrations) from the parent of one of my students. My life as a Sherlockian took off from there, I read the rest of the Canon and Apocrypha before anything else, then tried some pastiches. Some clicked, some didn’t. When I discovered the essays and books of scholarship—classic Sherlockian anthologies, there was no looking back.

What is your favorite canonical story? 

It’s always been Sign of the Four, (when I write it, I say The Sign of Four), it’s got everything. That boat chase down the Thames! When that boat pulls out in front of the police cruiser, oh man! And seeing Watson fall in love with his wife is wonderful. And TOBY! When he shows up in The Great Mouse Detective…I just love Toby.

I watch The Great Mouse Detective every year with my students. We conduct a two-week Sherlock Holmes unit with his 5th graders before a break (Thanksgiving, Christmas break, usually), and watch the film at the end of the unit.

Tamar Zeffren (left), Rob Nunn (center), and Madeline Quiñones (right) thinking deep thoughts at the ASH Brunch at the Long Room in Manhattan at the tail end of the 2022 BSI Weekend

What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you? 

Love the scholarship aspect. I love reading what other people research and ideas that they have that they can connect to the Canon. I’m continually amazed at how smart Sherlockians are. 

One essay that sticks out in my mind is Paul Thomas Miller’s article in the BSJ: There was this Victorian He-Man who “created” amazing literary characters, was for divorce reform, ran for parliament, introduced skiing to an entire country, defended the downtrodden, and there was no way he could be a real human. He makes a convincing argument that Arthur Conan Doyle was a figment of John Watson’s imagination. It’s a chef’s kiss of an article. The argument is laid out so well, you get all of your facts, step-by-step laid out for you, and Paul is just a master of the twist ending. (Honorable mention to Paul’s Was Sherlock Holmes an Elephant…which takes a full 90 pages to answer that question, and the last line made me laugh out loud.)

What things do you like to research related to Sherlock Holmes?  

I love historical research. Any time I can come up with a topic or am assigned a topic, I really love to delve in and see how it’s connected to the Canon. Phil Bergum asked me to write an article on railway travel for the BSI Press’ Haven Horror. It was so much fun learning about that stuff. I wrote about curried mutton for Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street. It inspired me to try it for the first time and I enjoyed it! I just love learning new things through a Sherlockian Lens.

The infamous Scarlett Deerstalker from interestingthoughelementary.blogspot.com

The Milwaukee Brewers are obviously the most storied franchise in the NL Central Division, but I noticed you have a Saint Louis Cardinals deerstalker (in that famous faded maroon color) on your blog. Are you a baseball fan, and how does baseball intersect with your Sherlockian Interests?

[expletive deleted] I love the Cardinals (even after last season), and there’s a story from (I believe) the 90’s, and somebody went to a Sherlockian costume party with a Cardinals jersey with “TOSCA” on the nameplate (a reference to the untold case of The Death of Cardinal Tosca in Black Peter).

You won't find much baseball in the Canon; however, Conan Doyle came to America and spoke very highly of the sport on his tour.

Recently we had a baseball outing that Steve Mason organized at the Holmes in the Heartland conference (2023) where a group of Sherlockians attended a Cardinals-Cubs 100 degree game. Busch Stadium has a great, family-friendly atmosphere.

As the Head Light of the Beacon Society, you are in an interesting position to answer a question you normally ask your other interview subjects: Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 to 10 years, HOWEVER, I’m not going to ask you that yet. I’m going to ask you this: What do you hope for the future of Sherlockiana, the BSI, and other Sherlockian clubs and organizations? What are the biggest obstacles and opportunities you see to getting there (and how do we overcome those)?

I really hope for a lot of collaboration (or as you say, “cross-pollination”) and collaboration between societies, individuals, and even international connections. There was a wave of younger Sherlockians who found Sherlock Holmes through the Cumberbatch wave. They engage differently with the Canon and with Sherlock Holmes. My hope is this becomes more accepted and normal in Sherlockiana.

But the inverse also needs to be true. You’ve got to respect the history of the groups and individuals and the work that they put in over the years that has gotten us to where we are today over the past 130 years. You have to honor the past and the work that’s been done, while also moving things forward. I also think it’s important for all of us to not let our own egos get in the way of moving things forward.

It’s like with pastiches—I don’t really enjoy those, BUT just because it’s not for me, doesn’t mean it’s not good. I have to keep reminding myself that Sherlockians can enjoy the hobby in different ways but we all stem from the same place.

Peter Eckrich (left) and Rob Nunn (right) at the Dealer’s Room at the Westin Hotel in NY

What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians and why is it your new collection that you edited with Peter Eckrich, Canonical Cornerstones (2024 from Wessex Press and Gasogene Books)?

Before I talk about Canonical Cornerstones, I want to talk about the book that I always recommend: From Holmes to Sherlock by Mattias Boström. It’s a perfect book from start to finish. It sums up what so many people have done in this hobby. When you start off talking about Conan Doyle and end up talking about Cumberbatch, he does it so well. He synthesizes what so many people have taken an entire book to do, he has combined into one tome between those two covers. It’s a gorgeous book from start to finish.

Speaking of gorgeous books…Canonical Cornerstones. I brag about this book and the previous anthology (The Finest Assorted Connection) all the time. I don’t feel bad bragging about them because I didn’t write those books. This book tries to decide on the seventeen items every Sherlockian should have in their Sherlockian library. There are amazing contributors in both of those. Whether you have read the title item in question or never heard of it, each essay came at it from different angles. All of the essays are well thought-out, impassioned, well-written, and bring a different viewpoint. From an editor’s standpoint, I’ve come to really appreciate the well-written essay. We hoped that this would stimulate the discussion of “Why wasn’t this book on there?” and the more books we’re talking about, the happier we’ll be. Seventeen beautiful essays by seventeen different writers.

Okay, now where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now? 

That goes back to a lot of what I was saying earlier. You’re going to see a lot more online. I LOVE all of the Zoom meetings that are always happening. Those Zoom meetings are allowing other people who would otherwise never be invited to the meeting to present. So you could have somebody from Nashville, TN, present in front of folks from California (editor’s note: Jim Hawkins of the Nashville Scholars was speaking to Scowrers and Molly Maguires of San Francisco the following day). You can’t keep track of it all!  It’s really opening up the world of Sherlockiana. I hope that leads to a more collaborative world of scholarship and socializing. It also will help to open our world up to new people who don’t look and act the same as us. The more diversity the better!

From top-left, clockwise Rob, Plaque dedicated to Nero Wofle, Archie Goodwin, and Rex Stout, David Marcum, Mike McSwiggin, Max Magee (editor of this interview)

 

Trivia/Tidbits that Max and Rob discussed about the format of these interviews as Max was preparing one for Rob (with a couple of curveball questions he’s never seen):

• The photos in his interview posts are mainly sourced from the interviewee (I assumed he went out of his way to locate entertaining or funny photos of the subject, but no!), otherwise he may source some from his own camera roll.

• Rob really has gotten along with all of his interview subjects! (I even asked him off the record)

• He loves learning new things through the Sherlockian Lens - he wants to start a new scion society for people who wear glasses named that (Interviewee’s note.  Max and I were drinking when we did this interview and I don’t remember saying anything about a new scion.  But I will gladly take credit for that idea.)