2013

• December 3  Reservations are due for the Red Circle's dinner meeting on December 6.
• December 6  Red Circle dinner meeting.

• December 17  How Sherlock Changed the World  This PBS special will reveal the astonishing impact that Holmes has had on the development of criminal investigation and forensic techniques. Originally scheduled to air in two parts beginning on an earlier date, then rescheduled twice, PBS now says the program will be seen in a single two-hour time block on December 17 from 9 to 11pm, Eastern Time. Your webmaster suspects the date may change again. We'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, you can read the PBS press release here.

2014

• January 6 and 13 Frankenstein   This is an encore screening of the splendid 2011 London production of Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle. The theatrical run was unique in that two actors alternated portraying the monster and its creator. And--what fun for Sherlockians--the same two actors, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller are currently playing Holmes on TV on opposite sides of the Pond. Their Frankenstein casting can truly be labelled "from Master to Monster" by Frankenstein and Holmes fans alike! You'll need to go to both screenings of Frankenstein to see each of them in each role, and of course then you get to decide who's better as whom. The screenings are at the Shakespeare Theatre's Sidney Harmon Hall in Washington, and tickets go on sale on July 29. All the information is here.
• January 12  Six Napoleons of Baltimore Meeting   "Busts" are permitted at meetings of The Six Napoleons just once a year, and January 12 is the date in 2014 on which ladies will be welcome. The meeting will feature a tribute to Sherlockian Bill Hyder, and all the information is here. 

• January 15 - 19  Sherlock Holmes Birthday "Weekend" in New York  Details of the events can be found in the October number of Peter Blau's "Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press" beginning on page 6. See it here.
• January 19Sherlock  "The Empty Hearse" airs on PBS at 10pm. Check local listings.
• January 26  Sherlock "The Sign of Three" airs on PBS at 10pm. Check local listings.
• February 2  Sherlock "His Last Vow" airs on PBS at 10pm. Check local listings.
• February 28 - March 9  The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes. Junior Sherlockians ages 4 and up will want to hail a four-wheeler and head to Arlington's Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre for this production from Encore Stage and Studio. In The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes the detective crosses paths with Marilyn Monroe, George Washington, Tarzan and Count Dracula. It's theatre by kids for kids and all the information is here. 

• May 2 - 4  Malice Domestic 26  The popular meeting of mystery lovers will once again hold forth in Bethesda Maryland. Check their website for details.
• September 12-14  From Gillette to Brett IV: Basil, Benedict and Beyond  The fourth in the series of these popular conferences is set for the University of Indiana. See their website here.
• September 26 - 28  Sherlockian Conference at the Hotel Schatzalp in Davos, Switzerland honoring Conan Doyle's visits to Davos in 1893-1895. One of the organizers is The Red Circle's Marcus Geisser. Details to follow.

For a much more comprehensive list of Sherlockian meetings and events around the United States and beyond, see Ron Fish's

Sherlockian Calendar.

Adventures in Printing   Many Sherlockians suggest that new readers of the Canon begin with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. And a fine way to do it has arrived just in time for the holidays at Washington's Politics and Prose bookstore. The folks there have selected more than 30 literary classics, with attractive new covers, that they'll print for you on the spot while you browse or have a cup of coffee. The Adventures is prominent on the list, but we're guessing that you'll want to pick up some of the other "Recovering the Classics" offerings as well. The cover design for The Adventures is by Alex Morris for "Recovering the Classics." All the details are here.

Tis the Season  If you're looking for a gift for your favorite Sherlockian (even if your favorite Sherlockian is you!), Randall Stock is out with his annual top ten gift list. He actually suggests more than ten items, so there's plenty to choose from. Read Randall's recommendations.

Sherlock Season 3 to air beginning January 19. In a surprise move, PBS has announced that the third trilogy of Sherlock films starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman will be broadcast much sooner than anticipated, beginning on January 19, 2014 with "The Empty Hearse." January 25 will feature "The Sign of Three," and "His Last Vow" will air on February 2. All programs are scheduled for 10pm on PBS. Read the details here. Also note that PBS is running a sweepstakes to give away a trip to London, featuring, among many other things, a visit to the Museum of London’s forthcoming Sherlock Holmes exhibit. US and Canada residents only. Enter the sweepstakes here.

Black Peter has a new entry in his logbook. Read it here.

Meeting Notes from the Red Circle's September 9, 2013 meeting are available here.

Celebrating Murray and Beyond   Over the past two years Sherlockians in the Washington/Baltimore area have gotten to know Marcus Geisser. He is a globetrotting delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and a devoted Sherlockian. While stationed here in Washington Marcus has been an active member of the Red Circle and has participated in other Sherlockian activities as well. . .at the UCLA conference celebrating Holmes onscreen. . .and at the recent Norwegian Explorers conference at the University of Minnesota, among others. Now, Marcus is saying au revoir to Washington and returning to Geneva, the home of the International Red Cross, to take up an important policy position there. To celebrate his time with us we present a remarkable paper that Marcus gave at a meeting of our sister society, The Six Napoleons of Baltimore, this past March. Celebrating Murray and Beyond links the work of the International Red Cross to the service performed by Watson's orderly in Afghanistan, the loyal Murray. It is well worth your attention, and you can read it here.

• You Don't Know Jack. . .Or Do You?  Sherlockians have often speculated about why Jack the Ripper never appeared in Watson's published annals, even as one of the thinly-disguised surrogates the good doctor so often sketched for us. Now comes an intriguing twist on the matter, sent across the pond by the ever-alert Roger Johnson. It's an illustration from an 1888 pictorial newspaper called The Graphic. Although it looks for all the world like a Sidney Paget drawing of Holmes and Watson in hot pursuit, it isn't. Unsigned, and published nearly three years before Paget's first Holmes illustrations, it purports to show a group of vigilantes following a man they suspect of being the Whitechapel murderer, a.k.a. Jack the Ripper. Did Paget keep a "clippings file" that helped him find his muse? Or is it just a coincidence that this early illustration gave us such an uncanny preview of Holmes and the doctor?

• Meeting Notes from the Red Circle's June 21 meeting are available here.
• The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany  The husband and wife team of Roger Johnson and Jean Upton are among the true "black belts" in the world of Sherlock Holmes. . .those folks who have probably forgotten more about the great detective than most of us will ever know. Roger and Jean are two of the many bright lights of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, and from their headquarters on the Master's home turf they warmly welcome all of us who cross their paths. Jean is also a member of The Red Circle, having attended meetings in 1988 and 1989. Their welcoming spirit is evident on every page of their new book, The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany. It is a remarkable work for one overriding reason: it serves admirably as a primer, speaking clearly, affectionately and authoritatively to Sherlockian newcomers, while at the same time giving old hands a valuable index to the details that devotees love to pursue. The films, the plays, the music, the important books are all referenced, not to mention statues, food, pipes, deerstalkers and the location of Watson's wound. The work is thoroughly up-to-date (for now, anyway!), and will always claim a place on the reference shelves of Sherlockians and Holmesians. When in A Study in Scarlet Holmes warned Watson of the dangers of overfilling one's "brain attic" with things that can be looked up easily, he must have had resources like The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany in mind. It is strongly recommended and is available from the usual suspects, including amazon. -- Alan Rettig

• Scuttlebutt: One Fixed Point in a Changing Age  Our own Peter Blau's monthly Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press has endured for more than four decades, and has a permanent home right here on our website. It's the most remarkable collection of Sherlockian news and notes anywhere, and your webmaster recommends a monthly visit. The November edition is available now, as are past numbers. It's just a click away--use the "Scuttlebutt" button at the top of the page.

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• For earlier, archived items from The Inner Circle, click here.