Volume 15, Number 2 - University of Minnesota Libraries

50 Years Ago...Continued from Page 3
bottle of Courvoisier plus one fifth of
New Jersey cognac, with the note: ‘Tell
the bartender to serve the Courvoisier
first. Then by the time the Sons get to
the New Jersey cognac, they may not
spot the difference’” (250). Today,
Lellenberg says of Starr, “I’m convinced
that Julian Wolff [who took over leadership
of the Baker Street Irregulars under
the title “Commissionaire” after Smith’s
untimely death in 1960] would have
retired as Commissionaire sooner than he
did if Bill Starr had not died at a somewhat
early age in 1976 and had been
around in the early ’80s to take over.”
Leaves from The Copper Beeches was partially
financed by contributions from
members of the Sons, who are listed in
the acknowledgments. In his memoir of
8
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections
the history of the scion mentioned earlier,
Thomas Hart reports that a publication
fund was established as early as 1952
(with the princely sum of $4.00.) Hart, as
treasurer of the Publication Committee,
goes on to apologize to the membership
for “his many exhortations for funds, and
many stern admonitions against failure,
made at meetings” over the years.
Illustration by H.W. Starr, captioned “The appeal
for the Publication Fund,” printed in Jon
Lellenberg’s Irregular Crises of the Late ’Forties
(New York, 1999)
Remembrances
In supporting the Sherlock Holmes Collections, many donors have made
contributions either in honor or in memory of special persons.
In Honor Of
From
Peter Blau
Fred Levin
In Memory Of
Paul Churchill
Paul Churchill
Paul Churchill
Joseph Gillies
Allen Mackler
Allen Mackler
Allen Mackler
Beatrice McCaffrie
E.W. McDiarmid
E.W. McDiarmid
E.W. McDiarmid
Arthur E.F. Wiese Jr.
Cliff Goldfarb
E. W. McDiarmid Peter Klaus
Robert Pattrick
Vincent Brosnan
Jan Stauber
Alexian Gregory
Jan Stauber
Tom Stix
Dr. Richard Sturtz
From
John Baesch and Evelyn Herzog
Thomas Drucker
Warren Randall
Michael Kean
Patricia Nelson
Once Upon A Crime Mystery Bookstore
Philip Swiggum
John Lockwood
Michael Brahmey
Jim DeLeo
Jeffrey Klaus
Francine and Richard Kitts
Karen Anderson
William Sturtz
The physical book is an interesting
artifact in itself, featuring quarter binding
with textured morocco-colored
endpapers of the same stock as the
covers.
Leaves from The Copper Beeches was followed
up by a second volume, More
Leaves from The Copper Beeches, in
1976. The Sons are still flourishing as
an active scion society; perhaps someday
we will be able to look forward to
a third volume.
For any inquiries contact:
Timothy J. Johnson, Curator
612-624-3552 or
johns976@tc.umn.edu
Sherlock Holmes Collections
Suite 111, Elmer L. Andersen Library
University of Minnesota
222 21st Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Telephone: 612-626-9166
FAX: 612-625-5525
Mailing list corrections requested—
Because of the high cost of returned newsletters,
we would appreciate being informed of changes
of address or other corrections.
Timothy J. Johnson, Curator
John Bergquist, BSI
R
F
I
E N
D
S
March 2009
Volume 13 Number 1
C O L L E C T I O N S
C o n t e n t s
Francine and Wayne Swift
1
100 Years Ago
2
50 Years Ago
3
From the President
4
Musings
4
An Update from
the Collections
5
Recent Acquisitions
5
To the Editor
6
A Beacon of the Future
6
Remembrances
8
“Your merits should be publicly recognized” (STUD)
O
Francine and Wayne Swift
By Peter E. Blau, ASH, BSI
F
T
H
E
t has been said that marriages between two Sherlockians are the most permanent.
Many Sherlockians have found it easy enough to persuade a spouse to enjoy the
Sherlockian world, but when two people who already are Sherlockians marry they
will sooner or later merge their collections, as well as their lives. And there is no
custody battle, whether over the car, the house, the pets, or the children, that can possibly
match the difficulty of dividing a collection that has no duplicates.
So for two Sherlockians it’s a matter only of the better, and never the worse. That certainly
was true of Wayne B. Swift and Francine Morris, who were Sherlockians when
they met for the first time. Francine started her Sherlockian life in Texas, where she was
a librarian; she founded The Sub-Librarians Scion of the Baker Street Irregulars in the
American Library Association, and
was one of the founders of The
Wayne and Francine Swift
Practical, But Limited, Geologists at
an informal luncheon in the Zodiac
Room at Nieman Marcus in Dallas.
When she moved to Washington she
quickly became a member of The
Red Circle, and was one of the ringleaders
in planning the society’s fullfledged
costume party at the
National Press Club.
Wayne was from Nebraska, an electrical
engineer and a teacher, and an
early convert to the world of computers.
When he moved to Washington he decided to take an adult-education course in
Sherlock Holmes at a local community college and soon attended his first Sherlockian
function, a running of The Silver Blaze (Southern Division) at Pimlico Race Track in
Maryland, where he and Francine quickly discovered they shared more than an interest
in Sherlock Holmes. They courted , and wed, and had many happy years together, sharing
a multitude of interests, Sherlockian and otherwise.
Wayne became a member of The Baker Street Irregulars in 1978 (as “The Giant Rat of
Sumatra”). Francine became a member of The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes in
1977 (as “Hatty Doran”) and was honored by the BSI as The Woman in 1983, and
awarded her Irregular Shilling and Investiture in 1994 (as “The Wigmore Street Post
Continued on page 6
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections 1
June 2011
Volume 15 Number 2
Sherlock Holmes
I
Photo courtesy of The Sherlock
Holmes Collections
Sherlock Holmes
c o l l e c t i o n s
“Your merits should be publicly recognized” (STUD)
C o n t e n t s
To the Success of
our Little Expedition
1
100 Years Ago
2
50 Years Ago
3
“To the Success of our Little Expedition”
by Timothy Johnson
U
nlike James Windibank in “A Case of Identity,” E. W. McDiarmid Curator of
the Sherlock Holmes Collections Timothy Johnson is always happy to receive
visitors. He was particularly pleased to have a visit this spring from Isanti
Middle School students who came to the Elmer L. Andersen Library to tour
the Sherlock Holmes Collections.
Carol Hazard, Success Teacher, Reading and Math, teaches these two subjects at Isanti
Middle School, in the city of that name about forty miles north of Minneapolis. Her
teaching responsibilities include remedial math for seventh and eighth graders and reading
for sixth graders. She is also a licensed children’s librarian and works part time in this
capacity at Isanti Middle School. She received her school administrator’s license from the
University of Minnesota and was familiar with The Children’s Literature Research Collec-
Continued on page 6
From the President
4
Musings
4
An Update from the
Collections
5
Acquisitions
5
Remembrances
8
Ms. Hazard's 6th Grade Reading Class
Photo courtesy of Carol Hazard
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections 1

100
Y E A R S A G O
y e a R S a g o
The March 2008 issue of this newsletter
O. Henry
featured
was
an
the
article
pen
about
name
The
of William
Sidney
Flag,
published in
(Sydney)
1908, which
Porter
benefitted
who was
the
born
Union
in Greensboro,
Jack Club.
North
One of
Carolina
the
entries
on September
in The Flag
11, 1862.
was Sir
He
Arthur
moved to
Conan
Texas in
Doyle’s
1882 and
“The
worked
Grey Dress
as a ranch
–
Unpublished
hand, a draftsman
Dialogue
in the
from
General
‘A Duet.’”
Land
Office, a bank clerk in Austin, started
The
a humorous
following
weekly
year, in
called
1909,
The
The
Rolling
Press
Album
Stone which
was published
soon failed,
to
and
aid the
in 1895,
Journalists’
began a career
Orphan
in journalism
Fund, and
at the
as he
had
Houston
done
Post.
the
An
previous
audit of
year,
the
Conan
Austin
Doyle
bank was
stepped
completed
forward
several
with
years
a contribution.
after
Porter left
The
their
book,
employ
edited
and
by
resulted
Thomas
in
Catling
charges
and
of embezzlement—a
published by John
charge
Murray,
he
has
denied.
an introductory
While freed on
note
bail,
which
he left
gives
his
the
wife
history
and daughter
of the Fund.
with family
It began
members
and
in
“1892 with
fled
a
to
gift
New
of £1,000
Orleans
by
and
the
then
late
Lord
Honduras.
Glenesk
His
and
observations
£500 by the
during
late Sir
his
John
travels,
Willox…Working
including his time
pressmen
in Texas,
throughout
gave him material
the country
for stories
commenced
he later
contributions,
wrote.
and in the same year
the first orphan was adopted.” The
reader
During
is
his
assured
wife’s terminal
that “Every
illness
penny
from
contributed
tuberculosis
to
in
the
1897,
Fund,
Porter
from
returned
its
beginning
to Austin to
seventeen
be with her.
years
He
ago,
was
has
found
been
guilty
devoted
of embezzlement
to the keep
in
and
February
education
1898
of
and
the
sentenced
orphans…Avoiding
to a five year
any
term
expenditure
at the Ohio Penitentiary
on bricks and
in Columbus.
mortar, the
principle
While in prison,
laid down
he wrote
was that
short
of
stories
saving
the
to help
child
support
to its home
his daughter.
and its home
He used
to
the
various
child.”
pseudonyms but was best
known as O. Henry, first used in the
Thomas
December
Catling
1899 issue
edited
of
The
McClure’s
Press
Magazine.
He
Album. Born
served
September
three years
23,
of
1838,
his term
he
worked
and upon
for
his
Lloyd’s
early
Weekly
release
News,
for good
as a
compositor,
behavior, moved
writer,
first
news
to Pittsburgh
editor from
1866
then to
through
New York
1884,
in 1902.
then editor
During
from
his
1884
time in
through
the city,
1907.
which
The
he
Scoop
described as
Database,
“Baghdad-on-the-Subway,”
subscription biographical
he wrote
dictionary
for publications
of British
such
and
as Ainslee’s
Irish journalists
Magazine,
from
Munsey’s,
the period
and New
of 1800
York Sunday
– 1950,
indicates
World. O.
he
Henry
extended
was able
the
to
circulation
capture
of
New
the
York
paper
City
beyond
life in
London
the first
and
decade
was
reputed
of the twentieth
to be the
century.
first to
His
use
stories
the auto-
of
mobile ordinary for people “journalistic were told purposes.” with witty
Catling narration was and active his famous in the Institute twist endings.
and traveled extensively
of
Journalists
through America, Canada, the Middle
East His first and collection Europe, including of connected France
during stories, World Cabbages War and I. Kings, He served appeared as a
delegate in 1904 and to the included Conference the story of the “The
International Admiral” which Association contained of “banana Journalists
at republic,” Berlin in the 1908, phrase and he later coined as to describe
Honduras. of the British His second International book, a
President
Society short story of Journalists collection, during The Four 1915. Million, He
passed came out away two on years December later and 25, contained
two name of his also best appears known in stories, con-
1920.
Catling’s
junction “The Ransom with of The Red Savage Chief” Club and of “The
London. Last Leaf.” Founded “The Gift in of 1857, the Magi” the memberpeared
come in his from 1910 the collection worlds of Whirli-
art,
ap-
drama, gigs. O. law, Henry literature, wrote 300 music short or stories science.
from 1900 Former to 1910, members including have included one
notables weekly for such the as New Charlie York Sunday Chaplin, World
Mark from January Twain, Wilkie 1904 to Collins, December James 1905.
McNeill His last years Whistler, were Sir unhappy Alexander ones and
Fleming, included a W. failed S. Gilbert, marriage, Sir Henry financial
Irving, struggles Dante and alcoholism. Rossetti, Dylan He died Thomas, on
Herbert June 5, 1910. Beerbohm Tree, Edgar
Wallace and Peter Ustinov. It is currently
The publication located at we 1 Whitehall wish to focus Place, on is
London his 1911 and posthumously their website published indicates collection
of one short of stories the leading Sixes and Bohemian Sevens.
it
“remains
Gentleman’s It contained two Clubs Sherlockian in London.” parodies
featuring Shamrock Jolnes and Dr.
In Whatsup. 1882, the “The Prince Adventures of Wales, of later Shamrock
Jolnes” VII, first became appeared an honorary in print on
Edward
member February of 7, the 1904 Club. in Joseph He enjoyed Pulitzer’s the
atmosphere New York newspaper and suggested Sunday that World. a O.
masonic Henry actually lodge would wrote three be a good short additiodies
of to Sherlock the facilities. Holmes. On December “The Sleuths” 3,
paro-
1886, and “The Catling Adventures wrote to of the Shamrock Grand
Secretary Jolnes” appeared of United in Sixes Grand and Lodge, Sevens
enclosing (Doubleday, an Page “imposing & Company, group of 1911). petitioners,”
“The Detective proposing Detector” that a was new in lodge Waifs
be and founded Strays (1917). for the Ellery approximately Queen included
of “The the membership Adventures of who Shamrock were
25%
Masons. Jolnes” in On The January Misadventures 18, 1887, of Sherlock The
Savage Holmes Club (1944). Lodge Otto was Penzler consecrated published at
Freemasons’ The Sleuths: A Hall Misadventure and Sir Henry of Shamrock Irving
was Jolnes invested by O. Henry as Treasurer. in 1999 There as number is no
longer 3 in his a series formal The connection Mysterious between Sherlock
the Holmes. Lodge The and Sleuths the Club. was also published
as a miniature book (74 mm, 31 pages
After with a his paper retirement cover) in from 1914, Lloyd’s as stated
Weekly in the booklet, News, Catling “The world’s undertook best short the
editing stories now task presented for The Press with Album. Egyptienne The
Straights cigarettes, Piccadilly little
table cigars, of Sovereign contents for cigarettes. this 224 One page story
illustrated accompanying book each includes package.” works Ellery by
Alfred Queen’s Noyes, copy is Arthur at the Morrison, Harry Ransom
Rosamund Center in Texas. Marriott-Watson, Eden
Phillpotts, John Galsworthy, F. Anstey
and The Jerome Sherlock K. Holmes Jerome, Collections to name but a
few has several of the contributors. copies of Sixes Page and 20 Sevens, features
including the poem the 1911 “By first the North American Sea” edition
Arthur by Doubleday, Conan Doyle. Page and It is Company, a short
by
Sir
poem, the 1916 and English there is first a facsimile edition, the of the
last 1920 stanza edition as by written Eveleigh by Conan Nash Co., Doyle. the
1916 Hodder and Stoughton edition,
the
Her
1931
cheek
Doubleday,
was wet with
Doran
North
edition
Sea spray,
We walked where tide and shingle meet,
and the 1931 Hodder and Stoughton
The long waves rolled from far away
edition.
To purr
According
in ripples at
to
our
the
feet.
World Cat
Identities And as we website, walked Sixes it seemed and Sevens to me has
appeared That three in old 67 editions friends had between met that 1910 day:
and The 2007. old old They sky, were the old released old sea, in three
languages And love, and which are is held as old by as 1,516 they. libraries
worldwide. So the Sherlock Holmes
Collections Out seaward is far hung from the complete. brooding mist,
We saw it rolling, fold on fold,
And marked the great Sun Alchemist
In April 1918, eight years after O.
Turn all its leaden edge to gold.
Henry’s
Look well,
death,
look
a dinner
well, oh
was
lady
held
mine!
in
his The honor grey at below, Hotel the McAlpin gold above; sponsored
by For the so Twilight the greyest Club, life later may know shine as
the All Society golden of in Arts the light and of Letters. love. From
that dinner a committee was formed
The to establish Press Album an O. added Henry over Memorial. £1000 to
the The Institute first volume of Journalists of O. Henry Orphan Memorial
Fund. Award Prize Stories was published in
1919 by Doubleday, Page and Company.
The Allen, O. Henry who contributes Prize remains fre-aquently
honor for to stories the ConanDoyle written in English (ACD) list and
Christy
on published the Internet, in an American is interested or Canadian in Conan
Doyle’s periodical poetry. selected She by wrote: a jury with the
intent I’ve tried to strengthen to do some the research art of the about short
story the and poem to proper stimulate and younger how/why authors. it
was written, but have come up
For empty. us O. Henry is best remembered
for the parodies of Sherlock Holmes.
He What shared I did the learn gift of was observation that it was and
details almost with certainly Holmes, written and used when it in Jean
his was writing. pregnant O. Henry with Denis honored (who by was
Sherlockians born in March during of 1909, the New just York one
Birthday month celebrations before The Press by gathering Book wasat
Pete’s published). Tavern on 18th and Irving Place.
It was there in a booth, as the story
goes, According that O. to Henry, Doyle’s facing own a correspondence
his weekly (from Sunday A Life in World Letters), column, this
deadline
for
wrote was the a worrisome Christmas time. story Jean “The was Gift of
the pregnant Magi.” with her first child at age
34 and Doyle was worried about her
Richard Sveum, MD, BSI
Continued on page 7
2
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections

50
y e a r s a g o
Anthony Howlett (1924-2003),
President (1992-2003) of The Sherlock
Holmes Society of London and Society
Chairman (1960-1964, 1986-1989),
wrote a forward to The Best of the
Sherlock Holmes Journal, Volume One.
Published by the society, the book appeared
in 2006 in a limited edition of
300 and included “Selections from the
first 8 Volumes,” the years 1952-1968.
In his forward, Howlett noted that the
first editors of the Journal, James Edward
Holroyd and Philip Dalton, wrote
in Volume One Number One (May
1952) of the publication that they
hoped readers would “find in it many
a pretty little problem whenever their
minds rebel against stagnation.”
Nicholas Utechin, The Sherlock Holmes
Journal’s co-editor for many years as
well as editor of the 2006 book,
selected articles from the Journal that
best represented a “balance between
scholarship and Society in the 1950s
and ’60s” and would “remind you of,
or introduce you to, a gentler age,”
as he noted in his introduction. Fifty
years ago, the Winter 1961 issue of the
Journal (Volume 5 Number 3), carried
a variety of articles and columns
written by S. Tupper Bigelow, James
Edward Holroyd, Lord Donegall, Colin
Prestige, C. O. Merriman, Lord Paul
Gore-Booth, A. M. Robertson, Bernard
Davies, Cornellis Helling, Alan Wilson,
G. W. Welch, and L. E. Fredman. The
article Utechin selected from that issue
which met his criteria for the book
was Lord Paul Gore-Booth’s aptly titled
“Sherlock Holmes,” an address he delivered
at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi,
on August 8, 1961.
Sir Paul Gore-Booth, K.C.M.G. (Knight
Commander of St Michael and St
George, 1957), K.C.V.O. (Knight Commander
of the Royal Victorian Order),
was the British High Commissioner in
India when he delivered his talk to a
student audience, and which he subsequently
submitted for publication. Journal
editors Holroyd and Dalton noted
in the 1961 issue that “This address,
by a very distinguished member of the
Sherlock Holmes Society is surely the
perfect novice’s introduction to the
study of the Holmes-Watson saga…”
In the necessary interests of brevity, his
opening introductory remarks and the
Canonical passages that were read to
the audience were deleted. Gore-Booth
stated that his goal was to study the
lives of both Holmes and Watson, consider
the virtues of the stories and “try
to understand why, despite their late
nineteenth century atmosphere, they
still live in the hearts and minds of the
mid-twentieth century reader.”
The article addressed a number of facts
and questions about Holmes, Watson
and the Canon. They were listed
by category, and included here are a
few of the salient points: “Oxford or
Cambridge?...I must admit myself to
being greatly attracted, despite being
an Oxford man, to the late Miss
Dorothy Sayers’ proof that it must have
been Cambridge.” “Holmes’s Life…
[after retiring to Sussex a second time]
Nothing has been heard of him since,
but it is of great interest that there has
been no death notice.” “Watson: Army
and Marriages…There is not much to
add about Dr. John H. Watson, whose
life was largely complementary to that
of Sherlock Holmes.” “Conan Doyle
Problems…Those of you who have
studied ancient philosophy will remember
that there are two very sharply
divided schools of thought, the Socratic
and the Platonic…Comparably, in the
Sherlockian world, there are of course
the majority of people who believe that
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote detective
stories about Sherlock Holmes
and Dr. Watson. There is, however,
a ferocious school of thought which
ascribes all authorship to Dr. Watson
and alludes to Sir Arthur impolitely as
‘the literary Agent, Doyle.’ I must not
prejudice this school’s interests.” “The
New Detection…Despite the work of
Poe and Gaboriau, the author of the
Holmes stories had the advantage of
being in a genuine sense first in the
field…Holmes and Watson would go
marching into literary history, taking
with them a world in which, as
an American authority so exactly
remarked, ‘it is always 1895.’” “Never
Dull…One can overdo the scientific
approach; a good detective story is
not a laboratory for beginners; it is a
puzzle about human nature and human
beings – and the moment you
admit that, there loom through the fog
of 1895 London the figures of Holmes
and Watson.” “Fact or Fiction...‘But
was Sherlock Holmes a real or a fictitious
character?’ The answer, ladies and
gentlemen, confidentially, is ‘Yes.’”
Lord Paul Gore-Booth was born February
3, 1909 in Yorkshire, England,
the son of Sir Henry and Lady Gore-
Booth. He was educated in Surrey,
where he became seriously ill in the
1918-1919 influenza pandemic, and
later transferred to St. Michael’s, and
then to Eton. He graduated from
Oxford University. He worked in the
Foreign Office in London beginning in
1933 before transferring to Austria in
1936 as Third Secretary. In December
1937 he was posted in Tokyo but he,
with his wife Patricia, were interned
at the embassy compound following
the declaration of war and witnessed
the Doolittle air raid on Tokyo on
April 18, 1942. They later returned
to London and then went to a new
posting in Washington, D.C. where he
served at the British Embassy. Gore-
Booth returned to London and later
Continued on page 7
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections 3

From the President
The Friends of the University
of Minnesota Library held
their Annual Dinner on May
10, 2011 at the McNamara
Alumni Center. University of
Minnesota alumnus Garrison Keillor
was our guest speaker. His talk was
interrupted by a tornado alert, forcing
the entire group to evacuate into
the underground tunnels. Thankfully
there was no injury or damage, but it
reminded me how glad I am that our
Sherlock Holmes Collections are kept
safely underground in the Elmer L.
Andersen Library.
While attending the Speckled Band
Dinner in Boston on April 29, I had
the pleasure of visiting with our friends
from Harvard’s Houghton Library and
with Tom Francis, chair of the BSI Trust.
We are thankful for all our Friends.
Please consider making a donation of
money or material. With your help
we will make The Sherlock Holmes
Collections a World Center for research
and study of all things Sherlockian.
Richard J. Sveum, M.D., BSI
Musings
Iwould like to thank teacher
Carol Hazard for not only the
time she took to introduce her
class to Sherlock Holmes at the
University of Minnesota, but for
her contribution to our lead article. It’s
teachers like Carol who ensure that a
future generation of students won’t be
described as “Knowledge of Literature.
– Nil.” Also, I’d like to thank Elaine
Coppola of The Beacon Society for her
comments about the importance that
teachers play in introducing Sherlock
Holmes to younger readers.
For our 50 Years Ago column, we’ve
discussed Lord Paul Gore-Booth’s
article “Sherlock Holmes” which
appeared in both the Winter 1961
Sherlock Holmes Journal as well as in
The Best of the Sherlock Holmes Journal,
Volume One. A limited number of
Volume One remains available as well
as the newly published Volume Two.
For more information, you may refer
to http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.
uk/shop.php
Dick Sveum writes about O. Henry’s
posthumously published Sixes and
Sevens and his ties with Sherlockians
as well as his view from the President’s
chair. Tim Johnson provides us with an
update of his busy spring.
The lead article in the March 2005
issue of this newsletter was titled “Dale
L. Walker’s Gift to the Sherlock Holmes
Collections” and outlined his donation
of Sherlockian books and letters. Dale
was featured in the February 5, 2011
Writers of the West website which features
contemporary as well as historical
Western writers. Dale, past president of
the Western Writers of America, is the
author of Jack London and Arthur Conan
Doyle: A Literary Kinship. He is also a
prolific author of books pertaining to
the West. The website http://writersofthewest.blogspot.com/
for February 5
of this year contains an interview with
Dale.
Julie McKuras, ASH, BSI
“YOUR MERITS SHOULD BE PUBLICLY RECOGNIZED”
With the kind permission of Steven Rothman, BSI, editor of the Baker Street Journal, we’d like to
reprint a paragraph written for his column “From the Editor’s Commonplace Book,” which appeared
in Vol. 61, No. 1, the Spring 2011 issue.
Not enough fuss has been made about the University of Minnesota creating the
first endowed Sherlock Holmes post, the E. W. McDiarmid Curator of the
Sherlock Holmes Collections. Tim Johnson, the Curator of Special Collections
and Rare Books for the Libraries at the University of Minnesota, was appointed
to this newly funded post last summer. Tim has been working with the Friends of
the Sherlock Holmes Collections and the Norwegian Explorers since coming to
the library in 1998. Though this is a big step for Tim, it is even a bigger step for
the Sherlockian world. The library of a major research institution has fully
recognized the importance of Sherlock Holmes and of Sherlockians. This should
improve access to the material and the flow of information. Sherlockians, both
researchers and idle readers, should applaud this initiative.
4
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections

An Update from the Collection
T
he end of the academic year
has arrived, the campus is
relatively quiet, and we’re
starting to shift into summer
gear. Now is the time to attack some
bigger projects that have been waiting in
the wings, catch up on some work that
was pushed to the side during the chaotic
rush of the last weeks of classes, catch
our breath (a little), and prepare for
the summer researchers who will arrive
shortly after the Memorial Day weekend.
It’s a time of year to assess where we’ve
been, what we’ve accomplished, and to
map out work for the months ahead. It’s
a good time of year.
We’ve continued to load materials into
the U Media Archive web site. Thanks
to many of you who sent comments
about this new research tool and the
material we’ve placed there. The site is
currently being upgraded to allow us
to handle more complex objects such
as scrapbooks, publications, plats, and
other archival materials. I’ve begun
to load one of our “complex” objects,
the clipping album about the wedding
of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and
Jean Leckie, and am interested to see
how this material can be presented to
researchers. By the time you read this
the upgrade to the system should be
complete and the album available for
viewing. We’ve also loaded a number
of sets of “cigarette cards,” including a
set produced in Barcelona, Spain. It’s
fascinating to see how the stories are
presented in various formats and in
so many different cultural contexts. In
addition, we’ve loaded a few sample
playing cards, and our four pages of the
Hounds of the Baskerville manuscript. If
you have material you’d like to see on
the U Media site please let me know.
We also want to alert you to material on
the U Media site that may be of related
interest, from other collections. I’m
thinking particularly of some images
recently loaded from the Mertle Collection
on the History of Photomechanics.
There are a number of images from
photographers who had studios on
Baker Street in London such as Thomas
Fall, Russell and Sons, Done and Ball,
and Elliott and Fry. Also, there are
some interesting photographs of individuals,
many of them politicians, who
lived at the same time as Conan Doyle.
Indeed, he may have known a few of
them. There are also a few portraits of
Queen Victoria. One wonders if Holmes
ever had his photograph taken in
one of these Baker Street studios. Many
of the negatives were destroyed during
the war, but perhaps a portrait may
turn up one of these days?
Some students (and their instructor)
showed up yesterday for a summer
class on Sherlock Holmes taught
through the English department. The
May term class, entitled “The Lives of
Sherlock Holmes,” is led by Heather
McNeff. We spent just under four
hours together talking about the history
of the collections, taking a tour of the
cavern and collections, looking at a
number of items from the collections
which are the focus of one of their
writing assignments, and discussing
two stories, “The Musgrave Ritual” and
“The Final Problem.” They are reading
a number of tales as part of their class
as well as viewing a number of movies
and television productions. During
part of the class I played a part of one
of the radio dramas written by Edith
Meiser and reproduced as part of the
Smithsonian series (with John Stanley
as Holmes). It was a splendid way to
spend a part of a late spring day.
I hope that you have an enjoyable summer,
that new tales come your way, and
that the friendship unique to Sherlockians
will continue to blossom. Thank
you for your continued support and
best wishes for the Holmes Collections.
Timothy Johnson
Acquisitions
H
ugo Koch donated a number
of items, and a lovely
letter accompanied his gift.
Among the items were:
1) Et Cetera, A Collector’s Scrap-Book,
edited by Charles Vincent Starrett,
published in Chicago 1924 by Pascal
Covici. #359 of 625 copies. In his note,
Hugo said “a Starrett rarity – it is much
rarer than the 625 limited editions will
indicate.” “It should have a permanent
home in the U of M Collection.”
2) An “Augustus Henry Keane and
Edward Streeter rarity on the Great Mogul
Diamond.” “It is a very scarce item
indeed…It is of great importance to the
scholarship of SIGN”
3) Correspondence he received in
response to his 2001 booklet from
Angela McCarthy of Fetcham, Surrey
– the great great great granddaughter of
Augustus Henry Keane.
Showsaku Mashimo added Studies of the
Nippon Sherlock Holmes Club.
Among the periodicals and journals
received were the latest issues of
Foolscap Document from the Three Garridebs,
The Pleasant Places of Florida’s
Communication No. 303, The Whaling
News from The Harpooners of the Sea
Unicorn, The Sound of the Baskerville’s
Ineffable Twaddle, The Occupants of the
Empty House’s Camden House Journal,
The Scotland Yarders News Gazette and
Peter Blau’s Scuttlebutt from the Spermacetti
Press.
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections 5

“To the Success of our Little Expedition” Continued from Page 1
Photo courtesy of Timothy Johnson
tion at the Andersen Library. But it was
a program on Twin Cities Public Television
that informed her of the presence
of the Sherlock Holmes Collections at
the same library.
A thank you note from the reading class
Carol previously taught Gifted Education
Literature classes and included The
Hound of the Baskervilles for her students.
She did extensive preparation for
that curriculum and felt that Sherlock
Holmes might prove just as fascinating
for her current sixth grade reading
class. Some of the students in Carol’s
classes receive special education services
in the area of reading while others
are general education students who, as
Carol described them, “are at risk for
not achieving grade level standards or
whose reading fluency and comprehension
skills are below grade level.”
Isanti Middle School Principal Tim
Trubenbach worked with Special Education
Coordinator Dave Eberhardt to
ensure that a class visit, including the
bus fee, would be possible. With that
covered, Carol’s class “read a simplified
version of ‘The Red-Headed League’
and then we spent several days discussing
Conan Doyle and the Victorian
Age.”
Carol and her co-teacher Tanya
Tacker, Special Education
Teacher and Reading Specialist,
accompanied their students
on the trip to the University of
Minnesota. She wrote that when
“the kids walked into the Elmer
Andersen library on our field
trip they didn’t understand at
first that it was a library. Some of
them asked me who lived there
and said they wanted a house like
this when they grew up!! Kids
who struggle with reading have
often had fewer life experiences
like going to a college campus or
public libraries. These experiences
build students’ vocabulary
and background knowledge. It
was so exhilarating and exciting
for Tanya and me to observe the
kids in this environment.”
After meeting the class and teachers,
Tim gave them a tour of the belowground
archives. Carol described it by
noting that “A highlight of the visit was
going to the basement book repository.
We stressed to the kids that because
people value books so much they put
an immense effort into preserving
them.” The students were able to see a
number of items that Tim had selected
for them. “The artifacts Tim showed the
kids were amazing. Our students were
obsessed with the worth of everything
and asked Tim the value of everything!”
She also felt that Tim “really enjoyed
the kids. He was wonderful. He got
excited about the artifacts, which made
the kids excited.”
In preparing for their visit, Carol
advised the students that they would
be seeing “a reproduction of Sherlock
Holmes sitting room, and we talked
about some items that he kept in his
sitting room. When we got there Tim
told them that we wouldn’t be able to
see the sitting room. [Allen Mackler’s
recreation of Holmes’s sitting room
at 221B Baker Street is on display at
the University of Minnesota’s Wilson
Library, not the Andersen Library.]
This was followed by a loud and disappointed
‘OOOOOHHHHHHH!’ Tim
then made arrangements for us to see
the room at the end of our tour! The
kids loved this!”
Carol also wrote that as an added
bonus to the Sherlockian holdings, “we
made another connection at the library.
During black history month we had
read the poetry of Langston Hughes
and studied his life. As the kids left
the room where Tim had shown us the
Sherlock Homes artifacts, there was
a thank you note on the wall to the
University from Langston Hughes, with
his picture! [From the The Archie Givens,
Sr. Collection of African American
Literature.] The kids were also excited
about this.”
Continued on page 8
A thank you note from the reading class
Photo courtesy of Timothy Johnson
6
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections

50 100 Years Ago Ago...Continued from from Page Page 3 2
health during and after the pregnancy.
This certainly would explain the
served on the delegation to the United
Nations Preparatory Commission,
somewhat sombre tone of the poem.
went back to Washington as head of
The use of the word “lady” in the last
the British Information Services, and
stanza seems to strongly
was appointed Ambassador to Burma
suggest that it was written to/for
1953-1956. From 1956–1960 he was
Lady Jean.
the Deputy Under-Secretary (Economics)
in London before he was appointed
as High Commissioner of India
Also, the fact that they were expecting
their first child may have
from 1960-1965. His last post before
influenced Doyle’s decision to contribute
to The Press Book in the
retiring was as Under Secretary of the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office in
first place. Being a father himself, I’m
London 1965-1969. In 1969 he was
sure he could easily empathize with
made a life peer and regularly attended
the fatherless children which would
the House of Lords. He served as
benefit from the sale of the volume.
chairman of Save the Children Fund
1970-1976. His autobiography, With
Finally, Doyle wrote a poem about
Great Truth and Respect, was published
orphans which was published in
in 1974. During his illustrious career,
Songs of the Road, just a few pages
he met many of the political and media
after “By the North Sea.” It was
luminaries of the time including the
called “The Orphanage” and is reproduced
below.
Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Queen
Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, President
Harry Truman, Adlai Stevenson,
I wonder, perhaps, if he was thinking
of the Orphan’s Fund when he
John Foster Dulles, Winston Churchill,
Anthony Eden, and India’s Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru, to name but a
wrote this?
few. He and his wife Patricia were the
parents of four children.
Jon Lellenberg wrote in Irregular Crises
of the Late ’Forties that “The Strand
Magazine, having received from Ben
Abramson the ’47 issues of the BSJ,
never the same for Francine; she
sent them for review to an English
missed sharing their interests and most
specialist, a diplomat at the British
of all, she missed his companionship.
Embassy in Washington, D.C., by
And when she passed away, their
the name of Paul Gore-Booth.” He
friends had the same reaction as people
wrote his first article, “The Journeys of
had when George Burns died; his passing
meant that he was together with
Sherlock Holmes,” for the Baker Street
Journal, Volume 3, Number 2, 1948,
Gracie again.
and joined the Red Circle of Washington
while living in the United States
Francine Morris Swift, ever the librarian,
planned to donate her Sherlockian
and attended the Baker Street Irregulars
dinner in 1950. He received the
collection to The Sherlock Holmes
Collections. Sadly, her death in
October 2007 meant her collection,
which she amassed with her beloved
Wayne, was ready to move to
Minnesota. Boxes of books, photographs,
ephemera and even a giant
Musings...Continued from Page 4
The Orphanage
Baker Street Irregulars’ titular investiture
When, of “The ere Three the tangled Gables” web in is reft, 1953 and
the The Two-Shilling kid-gloved Award villain scowls in 1970. and His sneers,
Sherlockian, And hapless or innocence Holmesian, is left activities
weren’t With no limited assets to save the sighs United and States. tears,
He ’Tis joined then, the just Sherlock then, that Holmes in there Society stalks
of London The hero, on watchful May 12, of her 1951 needs, with S.C.
Roberts, He talks! James Great Holroyd, heavens, and how Colin he talks
But we forgive him, for his deeds.
Prestige, and served as president of the
Society 1966-1978. He played the role
Life is the drama here to-day
of Sherlock And Death Holmes the villain during of the the plot. Society’s
1968 It is pilgrimage a realistic play; to Switzerland and
Lord Shall Holdhurst it end well during or shall the it not 1978 tour
to Interlaken. The hero? Oh, Nicholas the hero’s Utechin, part in The
Sherlock Is vacant—to Holmes be Journal played Winter by you. 2004,
wrote Then that act he it well! brought An orphan’s “to the society’s heart
activities May beat the the same lighter forceful, if you do. patrician,
yet immensely approachable style of
leadership Christy Allen that he and gave Julie in McKuras his public
life as one of this country’s most senior
References:
diplomats.” http://www.scoopdatabase.com/bio/catling_thomas
29, 1984. His papers, both public
Paul Gore-Booth died on
June
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Club
and http://www.savageclub.com/
private, were donated by his family
to the Bodleian Library in Oxford. The
Sherlock Holmes Journal carried a threepart
article by Utechin titled “Paul
Gore-Booth – His Holmesian Papers” in
Volume 27 Numbers 1-3.
On May 19, 2011, during the celebration
of the Sherlock Holmes Society
of London’s 60th Anniversary, Volume
Two of The Best of the Sherlock Holmes
Journal, stuffed rat 1969-1990, now adorn was the released Collections. at
the Our Annual thanks General go to Peter Meeting. Blau, As not editor only
Nick for writing Utechin about noted his in friends the Introduction,
and Francine that while but “latter-day also for helping stalwarts” with
Wayne
were the packing represented, and mailing “Older of members the many, and
contributors many boxes. are still included.” One of
those older members well represented
was John the Bergquist illustrious has Lord provided Paul Gore- us with a
Booth. look at Leaves from The Copper Beeches,
and its interesting authors and editors,
published 50 years Julie ago. McKuras, I’d like ASH, to BSI
thank Christy Allen for providing
information about Conan Doyle’s poetry
as featured in our 100 Years Ago
column. Dick Sveum updates us on the
status of the drive for the E.W.
McDiarmid Curatorship.
It’s gratifying to receive notes from
The Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections
is a quarterly newsletter published by the
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections
which seek to promote the activities, interests
and needs of the Special Collections
and Rare Books Department, University of
Minnesota Libraries.
Mail editorial correspondence c/o:
Editor
Julie McKuras
13512 Granada Ave.
Apple Valley, MN 55124
952-431-1934
mike9750@aol.com
Editorial Board
John Bergquist, Timothy Johnson,
Jon Lellenberg, Richard J. Sveum, M.D.
Copyright © 2006
University of Minnesota Library
Copyright © 2011
Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
The University of Minnesota is an Equal
Opportunity Educator and Employer.
readers and other interested parties,
and this issue features two of those:
Georgina Doyle, author of Out of the
Shadows: The Untold Story of Arthur
Conan Doyle’s First Family, read Dick
Sveum’s article from December 2008
with a careful eye and has corrected a
date. Soren Eversoll, an honored visitor
to the Collections last year, continues
his interest in Sherlock Holmes,
according to a note sent by his mother.
So it’s business as usual at The
Sherlock Holmes Collections, for
which we are all thankful.
Julie McKuras, ASH, BSI
7
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections 7

“To the Success of our Little Expedition” Continued from Page 6
Back in Isanti, the students sent handmade
thank you notes to Tim. They
also watched the film The Hound of the
Baskervilles. Carol said that additionally,
“We will be taking the kids to our
public library and making sure all of
them have a library card to be used this
summer. In the past we wrote a grant
for this class that allowed them to go to
two local bookstores. It is remarkable
how many of them have never been to
our public library.”
And it’s never too early to plan for the
next school year. “Both Tanya and I
wished we had spent more time on
Holmes. Next year we want to begin
the year with a Sherlock Holmes
theme, including questions like ‘Did
you look for details?’ ‘Can you find the
answer?’ ’What did you infer about a
reading?’ We would make each student
a private detective, that sort of thing.
Sherlock Holmes is a fantastic character.”
In addition to the Canon, Carol
plans on utilizing stories that might appeal
to her contemporary readers, such
as the Enola Holmes stories.
Elaine Coppola of The Beacon Society
wrote “Wonderful teachers like Carol
Hazard bring needed excitement to
learning. The students benefit by being
introduced to characters and adventures
that they can relate to and will
enjoy. The teachers benefit because stories
in the Sherlockian canon are easily
adapted to all age levels and reading
abilities and may be used in interdisciplinary
projects (e.g., reading, English
language, history, science/forensics).
And, of course, Sherlockians are
delighted to know that young people
are being introduced to the stories we
love so much. Please spread the word
that The Beacon Society (http://www.
beaconsociety.com), a scion society of
The Baker Street Irregulars, exists to
support teachers, librarians, and others
who, like Ms. Hazard, bring Sherlock
Holmes to life in their classrooms or
other educational activity.”
Julie McKuras, ASH, BSI
Remembrances
In supporting the Sherlock Holmes Collections, many donors have made contributions either in honor or in memory of special persons.
In Honor Of
Resa Haile
Axel and Daggan Ohrt
From
Thomas Drucker
Richard Sveum
In Memory Of
Edward Hardwicke
From
Mike and Julie McKuras
For any inquiries contact:
Timothy J. Johnson, Curator
612-624-3552 or
johns976@tc.umn.edu
Sherlock Holmes Collections
Suite 111, Elmer L. Andersen Library
University of Minnesota
222 21st Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Telephone: 612-626-9166
FAX: 612-625-5525
Mailing list corrections requested—
Because of the high cost of returned newsletters,
we would appreciate being informed of
changes of address or other corrections.
8
Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections
Timothy J. Johnson, Curator