BS: Short Sherlock Stories

Subject: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Rapparee
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 10:20 PM

I'm creating a bibliography of my Sherlock Holmes stuff, and that got me thinking of a writing festival for any other Sherlockians out there.

1. It's gotta be short -- very short.
2. It's gotta be in the Canonical Vein.
3. Otherwise, the road is open and the game is afoot.

Here's one to start it off.

The tendrils of a cold yellow fog such as we in London have in November were creeping into Baker Street as I opened the door and entered into the rooms I had shared with my friend Sherlock Holmes. A cheery fire burned in the grate, and Holmes, wrapt in his mouse-coloured dressing gown, reposed in his old chair, completely surrounded by newspapers.

"Ah, Watson!" he remarked. "Be a good fellow and bring me my briar, the Navy shag, and some matches from the mantle, thank you."

"Get it yourself, you lazy git," I thought. "You sit there all day while I break my arse trying to cure people with real problems."

"Here you are, Holmes," I actually replied. "Your foul, stinking briar, this horrid stench you consider tobacco, and, oh yes, your matches!" And I flung the first two at him, quite accurately. The matches I struck on the box and threw them, flaming, into the newspapers.

Mrs. Hudson wasn't home at the time, and by the time Lestrade came round to tell me of the terrible death of Holmes in an accidental fire, I had been in bed with my wife for fully half an hour.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: mack/misophist
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 11:11 PM

Are you aware of the parody by Bret Harte, The Stolen Cigar Case? It's opposite in tone from yours but has the same effect.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Rapparee
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 11:19 PM

Just for grits and shins, here's my list of Sherlockiana books. And yes, I have the Harte story -- it's great and I really enjoy it. (For whatever it's worth, the Starret, Queen, Smith, and Morley books are first editions.) The "Annotated" volumes are 2d edition, 6th printing.

Rosenberg, Samuel        Naked is the best disguise
Copper, Basil        The Dossier of Solar Pons
Kaye, Marvin, ed.        The Game is afoot
Morley, Christopher, ed.        Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
Queen, Ellery, ed.        The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes
Gardner, John        The Revenge of Moriarty
Ward, Alfred C.        Sherlock Holmes versus John Thorndyke...
Derleth, August        The Return of Solar Pons
Derleth, August        The Casebook of Solar Pons
Douglas, Carole Nelson        Chapel Noir
Hardwick, Michael        The Revenge of the hound
Ashley, Mike, ec.        New Sherlock Holmes adventures
Thomson, June        Holmes and Watson
Thomson, June        The Secret chronicles of Sherlock Holmes
Starrett, Vincent        The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Ross, Thomas W.        Good old index: the Sherlock Holmes...
Greenberg, Martin H., ed.        The New adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Greenberg, Martin H., ed.        Holmes for the holidays
Doyle, Arthur Conan        The Final adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Smith, Edgar W., ed.        Profile by gaslight: an irregular reader...
Greenwald, Ken        The Lost adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Doyle, Arthur Conan        The Annotated Sherlock Holmes... (Baring-Gould, ed.)

At least, that's all I have in the file right now.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Amos
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 11:21 PM

canonic: conforming to orthodox or recognized rules; "the drinking of cocktails was as canonical a rite as the mixing"- Sinclair Lewis
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn


(1) Conforming to the general rules for encoding--that is, not compressed, compacted, or in any other form specified by a higher protocol. (2) Characteristic of a normative mapping and form of equivalence specified in Chapter 3, Conformance .
www.unicode.org/glossary/


(adj.) Characteristic of adhering to standard, accepted, or authoritative procedures or principles.
docs.sun.com/db/doc/805-4368/6j450e60c

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Rapparee
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 11:54 PM

Amos, if you don't know The Canon you needn't be ashamed to admit it. Many don't. But that's alright, because even Holmes himself made allowances.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Peace
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 12:31 AM

The rigours of tending to the "Bedford Affair" had cause Holmes to seek relaxation. His enquiring, busy mind that got easily bored with day-to-day affairs has sought the solace of cocaine which he injected into his canonical vein. It was in a stuporous state that I found him that Monday morning in July of 18__.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Cluin
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 12:33 AM

Ha! One I wrote several moons ago as a time killer on a slow day at work.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 12:19 PM

Occasional Mudcat visitor Barrie Roberts writes SH novels for a living. The Strand Magazine has printed some of his short stories.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Ed.
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 05:06 PM

I realy can't see how "You sit there all day while I break my arse" (it's whilst btw) is in the Canonical Vein. I suppose you thought it amusing, whatever, never mind...

I love Conan Doyle's (Watson's) stories, but have never found any attempts at mimicry to be the least bit succesful.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 05:22 PM

I truly like the Holmes tales. Has anyone here noticed the brilliant similarity in a modern vein of the TV program MONK to the Holmes mileau.   Think about it---Monk is the Holms character, his nurse is the Watson pesona---and the detective is none other than a version of Lestrade---all updated in the modern era and done in a truly artistic and clever way.

Hope some of you have noted the similarity---sorry to have digressed from the canon.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Rapparee
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 06:21 PM

I would have done a better job, actually, if I weren't on painkillers for a tooth problem.

I first read Holmes in a children's edition years ago -- I remember reading "The Five Orange Pips" in bed by flashlight while eating an orange and wondering what "pips" were. The "Red-Headed League", "Sign of Four" and others were in the book, which finally fell apart from use.

Perhaps my brothers and I were attracted to Holmes because of his chemical work at 221B -- we felt a kindred spirit, as we were doing chemical "experiments" (about which the least said the better) in our shared bedroom. It was probably just as well that we couldn't get a salon pistol and Boxer cartridges.

No, I'm not a member of the BSI.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 03:57 AM

Bill - I've read one or two of the Monk books, butnot seen it on TV. When/what side was it on?

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 06:25 AM

Audio Books for Free dot com has HOURS of Sherlock... I believe OTR Cat has hours of radio as well.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: freda underhill
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 06:47 AM

More thread creep, but in checking out Cluin's story I found his website - Chuin, you are a fine artist!

Cluin's amazing website

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 08:02 AM

Rapaire,

If you can get hold of them M J Trow's "Lestrade" series of holmesian pastiches are very funny

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Cluin
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 08:41 AM

Thank you, freda. I will have to get back and update that website soon. It's getting pretty long in the tooth.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: GUEST,Sebastian Moran
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 09:14 AM

If thats Mycroft at the door Mrs Hudson, tell him to piss off, nobody likes a smart arse.

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Flash Company
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 09:46 AM

'Monk' is currently on BBC2 on Saturday afternoon, times vary, followed by repeats of th excellent Jeremy Brett Holmes stories.
For me, Jeremy Brett was Holmes, arrogant and selfish but remarkably sensative at the same time. Beat the hell out of Rasil Bathbun!

FC

Subject: RE: BS: Short Sherlock Stories
From: Rapparee
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 10:07 AM

I've always felt that Watson has gotten short shrift in the Holmes movies and shows. I can understand how, when he was the narrator, he would want to stay in the background and showcase Holmes. But when you move to an omniscient narration technique, he is nearly always written as a bit of a bumbling three-quarterwit. He was actually a physician, trained in Edinburgh (considered an excellent medical school!) who served in the Army and maintained his own practice on more than one occassion. Holmes also used his medical knowledge and expertise on more that one occassion, and certainly relied upon his revolver shooting skills (Holmes was skilled in many areas, but apparently he had a hard time hitting much beyond a wall with a pistol).