The Notorious Canary-Trainers
A Scion of the Baker Street Irregulars
for friends and fans of Sherlock Holmes
-- celebrating our 40th year!

Cases for September and October 2008 11/13/2008

Artist: Frank Wiles for "Shoscombe OId Place"

OCTOBER 2008: SHOSCOMBE OLD PLACE
Tuesday, May 6 - Wednesday, May 7, 1902

This account was first published in "Liberty Magazine" in the U.S. on March 5, 1927, with illustrations by Frederic Dorr Steele, and "The Strand Magazine" in England in its April 1927 edition, with five illustrations by Frank Wiles. It now is found in the volume, "The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes" published in 1927.

According to William S. Baring-Gould's 1974 chronology in "The Annotated Sherlock Holmes," the case takes place almost a year after the case of "The Priory School" which we studied at our September meeting. At the time Holmes is 48 years old and Watson 46.

Quotes to Note:

(Holmes) "These are deep waters, Mr. Mason; deep and rather dirty."

(Holmes) "My business is that of every other good citizen -- to uphold the law."

(Holmes) "It is only the colourless, uneventful case which is hopeless."

(Holmes) "Sir Robert is a man of an honourable stock. But you do occasionally find a carrion crow among the eagles."

(Holmes) "Dogs don't make mistakes."

To read the full text of this story online, go to this Web site where you can choose a version which allows you to click on any highlighted word and find out all of its uses in other stories. Otherwise, go to Wikilivres or The Sherlockian Net.

For a Wikipedia plot summary and related links, click here.

Listen to radio dramatizations of this story from 1948 and 1959. (Thanks to NCT member Sean Duncan for finding these and hosting them on his Web site.)

For other questions to review after reading the story -- to test yourself on how well you have observed -- check out these links:

Hounds of the Internet

The Sherlockian Net

What else was happening in 1902? Click here to find out.

SEPTEMBER 2008: THE PRIORY SCHOOL
Thursday, May 16 - Saturday, May 18, 1901

This account was first published in the U.S. in "Collier's" magazine January 30, 1904, and in England's "The Strand" magazine the next month with 6 illustrations by Frederic Dorr Steele (Collier's) and 9 by Sidney Paget (Strand). It now is found in the volume, "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" published in 1905.

According to William S. Baring-Gould's 1974 chronology in "The Annotated Sherlock Holmes," the case takes place about seven months after the case of "The Problem of Thor Bridge" which we studied at our August meeting. At the time Holmes was 47 years old and Watson 45.

Quotes to Note:

** (Watson of the visitor) "The heavy white face was seamed with lines of trouble, the hanging pouches under the closed eyes were leaden in colour, the rolling chins were unshaven."

(Holmes explaining how he knew the visitor was three days later in arriving at 221B) "The state of your chin gives the date."

**(Holmes) "I am familiar with forty-two different impressions left by tires."

**(Holmes) "This case deserves to be a classic."

**(Nobleman's secretary to Holmes) "'His Grace is not in the habit of posting letters himself'."

**(Holmes) "It is the second most interesting object that I have seen in the North."

**"'Now', said Holmes, when the rejoicing lackey had disappeared, 'having secured the future, we can afford to be more lenient with the past'."

To read the full text of this story online, go to this Web site where you can choose a version which allows you to click on any highlighted word and find out all of its uses in other stories. Otherwise, go to Wikisource or The Sherlockian Net.

For a Wikipedia plot summary and related links, click here.

Click here to hear the Priory School episode broadcast on Dec. 12, 1962, in the Carleton Hobbs-Norman Shelley series of Holmes radio dramatizations,

For other questions to review after reading the story -- to test yourself on how well you have observed -- check out these links:

Hounds of the Internet

The Sherlockian Net

What else was happening in 1901? Click here to find out.

Read the report on this meeting here.

For information on other Sherlock Holmes stories we've recently discussed, click here.