A Recap of the Sherlock Holmes @ 50 Conference

What a weekend!  The center of the Sherlockian universe was in Minneapolis, Minnesota last weekend as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the University of Minnesota's Sherlock Holmes Collections.  Over 170 people attended the conference that ran from Thursday evening to Sunday morning.  The full schedule can be seen on the conference's website, so I won't retype it all here, because even without the itinerary, there is going to be a lot in this post!

I drove up with Joe and Peter Eckrich on Wednesday and we were able to visit with Dick Sveum at his house for a bit when we hit town.  Dick personifies "Minnesota Nice" and getting to see his personal library was definitely worth getting to town early for.  

The next morning, Joe, Peter, and I met Tim Johnson at the University Library for a personal tour of their Sherlock Holmes collection and then took in the exhibit that the library had set up for the conference that weekend and then a quick visit to the Baker Street sitting room recreation they have on the second floor.  Seeing the underground storage facility that the University of Minnesota has for all of their collections was mind-boggling and trust me, these pictures don't do it justice.

Arriving back at the hotel, people were starting to hit town, so we met up with some others and grabbed a quick dinner at the pub next door and then headed back to campus for the welcome reception.  It should be noted that for this conference, the Norwegian Explorers had everyone set up in an off-campus hotel, but it was only a 10 minute walk to the library and there were plenty of restaurants within walking distance and a great lobby for us to fill up throughout the weekend.  Whomever chose the hotel location should be commended!

After the welcome reception, 20 or so Sherlockians headed to a speakeasy across town.  It had a cool vibe.  So cool, that even though I knew the password, there was a moment where our group thought we weren't going to be let in.  I clearly should not have been the one to try and gain entry.  As you can see, there were much cooler people with me that would've been admitted immediately.

Friday's program didn't start until 12:45, so that allowed for groups to have breakfasts and lunches with one another before organized activities started.  

Friday's speakers were a great mix of scholarly and energetic takes on their respective topics.  Rebecca Romney proved that young people are still reading and collecting Sherlock Holmes books, even though some fuddy duddies don't want to recognize that things may look different than it did in their time.  (Fuddy duddies is my term, not Rebecca's.)  Jim Hawkins shared his passion for spreading the gospel of John Bennett Shaw and Emily Miranker built on Shaw's spirit with her talk about the friendships she's built over her years as a Sherlockian.  

Up next was the annual meeting of the Friends of the Sherlock Holmes collection, in which Tim Johnson announced his phased retirement.  He is going to take 2 years to retire, because he will be shepherding the University in obtaining Denny Dobry's sitting room as well as Jerry Margolin's Sherlockian art collection.  You can see why he's going to need some time!  Ira Matetsky spoke next about the importance of investigating in your local library.  I hear many people talk about how they were motivated to see what their libraries had in their collections after his talk.

We were then released into the wild for the evening and I fell in with a rough crowd.  I may be scarred for life:

Saturday was the big day, packed to the gills with programming for a room packed to the gills with Sherlockians.  Eric Scace intertwined Victorian technology with the chronology of The Valley of Fear in his talk, Matt Hall got all sciencey with proving that phosphorus could have been used on Stapleton's hound on the moor, and Stephen Lee laid out a case for what we think of as Watson's blunders in his write ups were actually a clever conspiracy to help take down Moriarty.

A nice lunch and time to spend money with the vendors followed.  And I showed Greg Ruby how good I would look in a beryl coronet.

The afternoon sessions continued the high standard of interesting topics with Burt Wolder taking us through the life of Frederic Dorr Steele (and showing us the original color version of an illustration I'd never known had color), Will Walsh showing everyone how smart he is and how bad of an idea treason is, and Mark and JoAnn Alberstat making a strong argument that we can blame Canada for Professor Moriarty.

With some down time before dinner, I was able to lay out just how much new stuff I was taking home.  The first picture is of my new stuff.  The second one is a real selling point for the Minnesota conference: all of that stuff was included with our registrations!

A cocktail hour followed the break and then it was time for a lovely dinner filled with toasts and camaraderie.  The toasts were really impressive.  Whether they were from seasoned hands or someone attending their first Sherlockian event, each one delivered in its own special way.

I had known just how many St. Louisans were heading up to Minnesota, but at some point on Saturday it dawned on me that outside of The Norwegian Explorers themselves, I think St. Louis had the largest representation of Sherlockians at the conference!

For the final night's socialization, over 50 of us descended on the bar next door's patio.  This really sums up the allure of Sherlockian events for me.  Everyone was hanging out and enjoying the company of others.  Matt Hall convinced me what book I should read next, Eric Scace and I got in deep on the state of broadcast radio, and Erica Fair got recruited to help with the next 221B Con.  And that was just at my end of the table!  Just thinking about all of the people who were having great conversations out there makes my head spin.

After the bar closed at (an unreasonably early) 11pm, the party moved back to the hotel lobby.  No pictures exist from this and that's just as well as certain hotel chains may frown on the boxes of booze that somehow appeared in their main space.  But let me tell you, it was another party!

Sunday wrapped up the event with two more speakers and a radio play.  Max Magee infotained everyone with the history of Mrs. Beeton and her Christmas Annuals, Denny Dobry gave a tour of his sitting room and special consideration to how faithful adaptations have been to Dr. Mortimer's walking stick, and The Red-Throated League used talent both local and abroad to close the show.

Has this been a long blog post?  Yes.  But this just skims the surface of the great stuff I got to be a part of Minneapolis.  

Sherlockians time and time again prove what a wonderful group they are and I am beyond grateful to The Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota for provided and time and space for that to be proven once more.  The planning committee should all be very proud of themselves for the work that they put in to creating an event that brought so much joy to so many people.  From the heads of the event to the people working behind the scenes, thank you for an event that has shown us that Minnesota isn't just the center of the Sherlockian universe for one weekend every three years, but the standard for what we should all aspire to be.

Interesting Interview: Max Magee

This week, let's get to know a Sherlockian with a ton of energy, ideas, and friends.  Max Magee is one of those people who once you meet, you just hang on for dear life because this guy doesn't slow down.  As soon as you meet him, he feels like an old friend and is quick to jump into a conversation about any topic you like.  In a hobby full of friendly and welcoming people, Max's friendliness somehow stands out as going above and beyond.

And ideas?  Hoo boy, does Max have some!  All reports of his talk from this year's Holmes, Doyle and Friends equated to, "This guy's great!"  Max will also be presenting at the Norwegian Explorers conference at the end of this month.  He's led a cemetery tour in Chicago, coordinated group outings in New York, and talked me into being interviewed on my own blog.  I swear, the inside of Max Magee's head must look like an assembly line but populated with hyper-intelligent chimpanzees.  So buckle up, because if this intro didn't tip you off already, Max has lots of ideas and stories ahead!

Max Magee

How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?

First, let me say that, even to myself, I tend to be overly long winded, so I’m going to give a short answer and a long answer and let the reader choose which they want to read (makes skimming mine easier). For those of my generation, we call that the principle of Too Long; Didn’t Read (TL;DR).

Short Answer: It’s already long, isn’t it? Oh well…I think a Sherlockian is anyone who just can’t or won’t quit loving Sherlock Holmes.

Long Answer: I think the term Sherlockian is occasionally used as a weapon (along the lines of Not a REAL Sherlockian, or calling someone else a good Sherlockian in contrast). Just like there are no true Scottsmen, but I believe that in those cases, the user of the term is in the wrong. This is a form of gate-keeping, saying that someone’s engagement is wrong. Although it’s an American term (the Brits seem to prefer Holmesian), it applies to anybody, anywhere, who loves some aspect of the Sherlockian and Doylian worlds and engages with it at whatever level they prefer.

In a talk I gave at the 2024 Dayton Conference, which I titled “Becoming A Sherlockian,” I defined five levels of Sherlockians, more or less as follows:

1. Finding and Enjoying Sherlock Holmes in any form

2. Reading the Sacred Writings (Canon), Doing Independent Research and Networking/Joining a scion

3. Reading it all - Canonical, non-canonical, apocryphal, sacrilegious(?)—Sherlock Holmes was an American!?

Stage 3 Sherlockians wear top hats!: Photo credit Kira Settinsgard (Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu available here)

4. Joining the FUN (as Kit Morley put it, whiskey & sodality) - Writing, Researching, Sharing, Collecting, Recreating, Leading or forming a scion

5. Changing the Sherlockian World/Leaving a Legacy (Morley, Starrett, Shaw, Adventuresses, Doyle, too many to name, but you’ve probably heard of them) 

How did you become a Sherlockian?

Short Answer: I was 36, and was reading some of the great literature that I may have missed along the way. When I got to the Sherlock Holmes Canon, I used Randall Stock’s bestofsherlock.com surveys to read the good stuff. I started by reading SCAN, SILV, HOUN, and I realized I had to find people to discuss it with! I found Bert Coules’ BBC audio dramas, and I really enjoy audio books (I learned a lot about British English pronunciation from narrators like Stephen Fry), although the illustrated stories on paper between board covers are the best.

Before I knew it, I had read nearly every story in a matter of weeks (at that point in my life I was traveling frequently for martial arts training and competitions, so audiobooks and audio dramas were tremendous for those torturously long drives). I joined the Notorious Canary-Trainers for their next discussion of CARD (and brought a cigar box with two dried apricots in coarse salt). From the shared joy in the story, the discussion, to the minutiae, and the challenge of recreation, I was hooked.

Long Answer: I had tried reading the Canon at 12 or 13 (when most Sherlockians seem to fall in love with it) I had gotten a copy of the Complete Sherlock Holmes (Doubleday). I made it through A Study in Scarlet until a few pages into the Great Alkali Plains…one day I set it down and never felt like picking it up again—at least for 25 years.

It’s one of the great regrets of my young life, because when I did return, I got so much joy and have made so many friends through our shared passion for Holmes and the Canon, that I feel I missed out on a lot (and missed my opportunity to know some people that I think I would’ve really enjoyed knowing). But alas, we can’t time travel yet (other than escaping into these old stories).

By the way, as an Eagle Scout, I particularly liked the challenge of determining which knot was uniquely nautical. The knot that was used on that package is a carrick bend. It's simple to tie and untie and lays flat—unlike a square knot. Also known as a Sailor's Breastplate, it can be used to join lines of different diameters and won't bind or lock up when wet. It can also be used as a decorative element, and since it's almost always used nautically (where other professions might also use a sheet bend, square, or granny to join their lines), it's a good choice…but I digress!!!

What is your profession and does that affect how you enjoy being a Sherlockian?

Short Answer: I’m currently a software development manager at a local Madison company that does emergency notification to anyone anywhere. I think my ability to write scripts and parse data is very helpful to some of the analyses and discovery I’ve done using digital copies of the Canon in the past.

Long Answer: In my previous life as an aerospace engineer for a NASA contractor, I helped to support, train, and launch the Space Shuttle. After living in Houston the better part of a decade, the Space Shuttle was retired, and I wanted to return to the midwest (I was born and raised in Madison and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics).

My scientific background and love of physics makes me feel a kinship for Professor Moriarty. There are some really interesting tangents about the history of science in the Victorian era that I’ve learned about through Sherlock Holmes. For instance, the Dynamics of an Asteroid could also be described as the Three-Body Problem, and the Victorian contest contrived by Oscar II, King of Sweden and Norway to solve it in 1887, and how, in spite of not solving for a closed-form solution, Henri Poincaré was awarded the prize…but subsequently had to retract his paper, and reprint hundreds of copies out of his own pocket—at a cost more than the prize he received—as a result of a flaw found in it after printing had already begun.

I was also briefly the CTO of a short-lived cloud-based-artificial intelligence startup for real estate diligence. Since it never really got off the ground, it was really fog-based, I suppose. However, the knowledge I acquired of AI during that time informs my understanding of how difficult it is to achieve meaningful successes using machine learning and artificial intelligence vs. just developing really good algorithms or doing things by hand. This has also led to other interesting Sherlockian projects (see 2024’s Baker Street Almanac for a really weird one!).

In many ways, I think the development of modern technologies today, mirrors the rapid pace of technology evolution (from typesetting/printing to communications and vehicular travel) that was happening during the half-century covered by the Sherlock Holmes stories (or ~40 years of publication).

What is your favorite canonical story?

Short Answer: Currently, I’m really enjoying The Adventure of the Norwood Builder, although I have never considered it one of my favorites. My favorite of the novels is The Hound of the Baskervilles (although, I’ve never heard anyone mention my second favorite novel in these Interesting Interviews: How Watson Learned the Trick), in fact, Hound one of my favorite books of all time. If I had to pick a short story, Silver Blaze, because of how well it’s told.

Long Answer: Really, the way I navigated back into the Canon was through the Best-of- rankings on BestOfSherlock. I was hooked by those at the top:
1. "The Speckled Band"

2. "The Red-Headed League"

3. "A Scandal in Bohemia"

4. "Silver Blaze"

5. "The Blue Carbuncle"

6. "The Musgrave Ritual"

However, Silver Blaze stands out above the others because every page has something to discuss, it has a great train scene (and one of the best illustrations in the entire Canon).

Glen Miranker, is so generous to share his treasures with the world. This was part of his 221 Objects displays (taken at its stop at the University of Minnesota)

Who is a specific Sherlockian that you think others would find interesting?

Short Answer: Don Izban. He’s one of the head honchos of the Chicago Scions (and founder of several including STUD, the Torist International S.S., and the annual excursion called Canonical Convocation and Caper to Door County, Wisconsin). I’ve read a number of his publications, though I’ve only had the pleasure of his company once in person. We have had numerous rambling, uproarious phone conversations about all different sorts of topics. My favorite fun fact about Don is that he frequently claimed to have never read the Canon. (I secretly think he has.)

Long Answer: This question just seems like a way for you (Rob) to have us do your job for you, to pick your next interviewee. Otherwise, I’d say Madeline Quiñones (but you’ve already interviewed her), or Bob Sharfman (already recommended by Ann Margart Lewis) or Phil Cunningham. They are all great Sherlockians and wonderful, interesting people. One of my favorite things about Sherlockian Conferences is exploring the city in which they are held, and those folks are always up for adventures.

Here’s a recent picture of Madeline and me enjoying the Art Institute of Chicago during the latest Watsonian Weekend (we accidentally dressed in the same Sherlockian t-shirt): Photo courtesy of Madeline Quiñones

What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you?

Short Answer: Almost everything. Recently, I’ve been more interested in a Chronology project, but I also love learning about the origins of the hobby of being a Sherlockian and collectors. (To answer the inverse: what doesn’t interest me…I’d have to say bad pastiches—there just isn’t enough time to read that stuff.)

Long Answer: The tag-line and title of the Granddaddy (podcast) of Them All, I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere strikes me as an appropriate analogy for the way I encounter most things now. There are connections between Wordle, quantum computers, ENIGMA machines, and Dancing Men codes. I see the concept of quantum superposition as a great explanation for how Watson’s marriages, plot elements, and other “inconsistencies” or “impossibilities” could all co-exist in different realities—yet all probabilistically possible—at the same time.

I think this picture speaks for itself (at the Holmes in the Heartland Conference, 2023)

As a Sherlockain who gets out and participates in so many things, what are some highlights from all of your Sherlockian activities?

Short Answer: I’ve been lucky enough to visit a good number of local scion societies and their conferences, I’ve attended several BSI weekends, 221b Cons, and Norwegian Explorers Dinners. Of all of these, I think the most fun and most interesting overall experience I’ve had is the 2023 Holmes in the Heartland Conference (and I’m not JUST kissing the butt of the interviewer—the presentations’ lightheartedness, camaraderie, crowd, and events were so much fun and the biblical weather events, venue—including the workout space!—are some things I’ll never forget).

Long Answer: I think the short answer was long enough, but depending what you’re looking for, the Norwegian Explorers’ annual dinners, conferences, and publications consistently punch above their weight. The Explorers and Collections at the University of Minnesota are like a star whose gravity pulls the best of the Sherlockian world into their orbit. In fact, I can’t wait until next week for the first Triennial  Conference I’ll be attending! (this was actually the short answer)

If you could pick one era of Sherlockiana to time travel to, when would it be and why?

Short Answer: Now you’re speaking my language. If I had to pick one, I’d love to have been standing nearby in the Criterion Bar when Watson and Stamford met up, and I’d have followed them to the Holborn and on to St. Bart’s to hear that famous line “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Long Answer: I debated between the Criterion Bar in the 1880s and Baskerville Hall in the 1640s—this was about the time of the Great Rebellion, during which the unfortunate events (Roysterers, a yeoman farmer’s daughter, etc.) referred to in the 1742 letter in The Hound of the Baskervilles took place. Unfortunately, I might be stranded and have to wait years or more (according to some chronologists) to get to the right year. If I had to pick one date we know for sure, though, I would’ve liked to have been in Milwaukee on Thursday, October 25th, 1894 to hear a young Arthur Conan Doyle on his first American speaking tour. At that event he may have even read a chapter from his upcoming Brigadier Gerard novel, the first section of which would be published in December 1894 in the Strand Magazine as The Medal of Brigadier Gerard.

What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians?

I must recommend In Re: Sherlock Holmes, by August Derleth, one of Wisconsin's finest authors. It's cheap in paperback or Kindle and contains some of the first Solar Pons stories (originally written around 1930). It's pastiche, but it's original. Solar Pons and Dr. Parker solve some cases only mentioned in passing by Holmes and Watson. He exists in the same universe, but isn't the same character. He lives and evolves with the times, he's not fixed in 1895, he changes with the ever-changing age. Vincent Starrett was a huge fan and wrote in an introduction to the 1945 collection: That is the true story of the birth of Solar Pons; he was – as it were – an ectoplasmic emanation of his great prototype, and his adventures are pure pastiche. As such we acknowledge them gratefully. By we, I mean those frantic and incurable Sherlockians who, with August Derleth, deplore the paucity of Canonical entertainments and view without alarm the mounting uproar of our hero’s triumph, which already had called forth so garrulous a stream of apocryphal recollections. The full introduction is available here: http://solarpons.com/Pons_Adventures_IntroStarrett.pdf

Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now?

Short and Long Answer: Five to ten years is a short time and a long time—it’s short, as far as the hobby of Sherlockiana is concerned. But it’s a long time for new technologies, films, television shows, podcasts, etc. to develop.

I believe we’ll see more interconnectedness than ever before (I think you have to say this in these interviews because it’s been true ever since Doyle’s own day) travel, correspondence, electronic communications, video calls, etc. just make it easier and easier.

One trend I hope to see continuing is the scanning and making available resources and old journal articles. There are already fantastic resources, like Randall Stock’s page, mentioned several times above, but also the e-BSJ v2, and the Sherlock Holmes Society of London’s Scrapbook, and although it’s an expensive e-book (Kindle), Les Klinger’s New Annotated Sherlock Holmes is also a wonderful resource, particularly if you don’t already own the physical version.

What once took hours of combing through physical books (and potentially a trip or two to a collection or library in another state or another country) is now slowly making its way online. As copyright expires on the original works and permission is granted by the publishers of defunct journals, and as libraries scan and host their collections online (the HathiTrust is particularly amazing for this), I hope that more and more are digitized and made available for research.

One final bright spot is that parts of the United States are finally investing in their rail corridor (for the first time since its peak in the 1950s), and the new Borealis line just allowed the president of the Norwegian Explorers, Tom Gottwalt, to easily cruise on down to attend events at the Chicago scions’ Watsonian Weekend! I personally can’t wait until Madison is linked up with the other lines and we can have efficient, convenient, affordable rail travel again.

A gaggle of Sherlockians at the Museum of Science and Industry during one of the Torist events