Red Circle Fall meeting to convene at Folger Shakespeare Library  Taking a break from our usual luncheon meetings, the Red Circle is planning to visit the Folger Shakespeare Library on Sunday, September 8. We’ll be treated to an exclusive tour of the Stuart and Mimi Rose Collection, which conveniently includes the manuscript of The Valley of Fear among its many eye-popping literary treasures. The collection curator, Greg Prickman, will personally conduct the tour at 2:00 pm, and reservations will be accepted in the order they are received.  Please request reservations via an email to Peter E. Blau, and we'll do our best to accommodate everyone. If you would like to know more about what you'll see at the exhibition, the Folger has kindly created a virtual tour which you can access here.  Case #4 will be of particular interest. There's much more to see at the newly renovated and glorious Folger, including the world's largest collection of First Folios, and docents will be available to tell you some interesting stories. The Folger will be open from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, in case you'd like to come early or stay late. There is no charge for admission to the Folger, but they do request a voluntary minimum donation of $15.00 for timed entry to the exhibition. The Folger is located on Capitol Hill at 201 East Capitol Street, SE, between Second and Third Streets. Capitol South is the nearest Metro stop. Because there is limited street parking, Uber or Lyft might be a good choice for some. So, “The game is afoot,” as the Bard said in two plays, both to be found in the First Folio.  Looking forward to seeing you at the Folger! 7/30/24 AR

 

Two New Sherlockian Pastiches  The Red Circle’s own Michael Dirda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic and columnist for The Washington Post, and it’s always especially fun when he writes about one of his favorite subjects, Sherlock Holmes. Mike's August 31 essay examines two new entries in the world of Holmesian pastiches, Nicholas Meyer’s Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell, and John Lawrence’s The Affair at Mayerling Lodge. Fair warning: after you read Mike’s column you’ll want to read both books! See the column here.  9/2/24 AR

 

Gomorrah by any other names  The television series Gomorrah, broadcast by Sky Italia in 2014 and 2016, is again available on Max, formerly known as HBO. The series is a fictionalized account of today’s crime syndicate in Naples. The title is a pun on the syndicate’s real name, the Camorra, which is well known to those who are aware that the manuscript of “The Red Circle” accurately identifies the organization as “Camorra.” However, when the story was published the name was changed to “Carbonari.” There are subtitles in English, of course; when the series aired in Italy it was subtitled in Italian, because the dialogue is in the Neapolitan dialect rather than in proper Italian. Fair warning: the series is not for the faint-hearted. 8/19/24 PEB

 

  The Red Circle’s June 22 meeting featured Burt Wolder’s fine presentation, “Arthur Conan Doyle: Adventurous Life, Enduring Memories.” Read Carla Coupe’s Meeting Notes here.

 

"The Red Circle" under the magnifying glass  A low bow to Alexander E. Braun, who is publishing detailed inquiries into the Canonical adventures on the Hounds of the Internet website. He's kindly made his fine paper on our namesake story available to us, and you're welcome to read and/or download it here. It's an essential reference work.  8/4/24 AR

 

Holmes manuscript brings record price at auction  June 26 saw five Sherlockian lots go under the hammer at Sotheby’s. The star of the show was the manuscript of the second Holmes novel, The Sign of Four, which sold for $960,000, making it the most valuable Sherlockian item ever sold at auction. Next up was the breathtaking original Sidney Paget illustration called “The Death of Sherlock Holmes,” which was an accurate title for the work when it was created. It shows Holmes and Moriarty grappling on the path above the Falls of Reichenbach just before the tumble into the abyss. Perhaps the most well known of Paget’s Sherlockian illustrations, it sold for $384,000, about 10% above the top end of the pre-auction estimate. Two of the other items brought good prices, and bidding on one didn’t reach the reserve. Detailed information about the auction is in Peter Blau's Scuttlebutt here. 7/8/24 AR STOP PRESS  We now learn, and it comes as no surprise, that the purchaser of both The Sign of the Four Manuscript and the Paget "Death of Sherlock Holmes" is one of the foremost collectors of Sherlockiana in the world, friend of The Red Circle and of all Sherlockians, Glen Miranker. It is gratifying to know that these items are now part of Glen's breathtaking holdings, where they will no doubt claim considerable pride of place. Congratulations Glen! When Glen visited the Red Circle in March of 2023, he talked to us about "Why Glen Miranker Collects." If you weren't at that meeting, or even if you were, this would be a great time to look at the video of his talk. You can watch it here. 7/28/24 AR

 

Video now available of Curtis Armstrong's presentation of "The "B" List"  The Red Circle's March 16 meeting featured a delightful presentation by the BSI's "actor and a rare one," aka Curtis Armstrong. Curtis guided us on a tour of the Canon's lesser villains, punctuated by irony, smiles and guffaws. Thanks to Matt Hall, it was all recorded, and you can watch it just by clicking the screen at the right.

And you can read Carla Coupe's Meeting Notes here. 

 

Red Circle Pins Available  The pin has been proudly worn all over the Sherlockian world, from Rockville to the Reichenbach, so Red Circle members (which includes everyone who's ever been to a meeting) will treasure having their own. The price is $14.95 each, which includes shipping anywhere. Send an email to Tom Fahres to order.

 

Scuttlebutt: One Fixed Point in a Changing Age  Our own Peter E. Blau's monthly Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press has endured for more than 50 years, 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 very latest edition is available now, as are past numbers. It's just a click away--use the "Scuttlebutt" button at the top of the page.