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

Here's more news from the Notorious Canary-Trainers We celebrated Holmes' 155th birthday in January

"SCUTTLEBUTT FROM SPERMACETI PRESS" is a monthly newsletter available free online with news about all things Sherlockian. It's for those who take more than a casual interest in Sherlock Hollmes. You'll find it here.

HAVING BEGUN CELEBRATING OUR OWN 40TH ANNIVERSARY IN APRIL (2009), we met Sunday, May 17, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sherlock Holmes' creator (or for those who "play the game" Dr. John Watson's literary agent), Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born May 22, 1859. Click here for an excellent introduction to Doyle. You can view the Wikipedia entry here.

To help mark the 150th anniversary of Doyle's birth, we show above a visual pairing of Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. It was created for the "Better Holmes and Gardens" exhibit of architectural design and practice based on stories and characters from the Doyle/Holmes Canon, in 2002 at the Wilson Library of the University of Minnesota.

Dozens of scholars from across the country and overseas gathered at Harvard Univerity May 7-9 for a major symposium entitled "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: A Sesquicentennial Assessment." You can read a report online at here

OUR ANNUAL MASTER'S DINNER COMMEMORATING SHERLOCK HOLMES'S 155th BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY was held at J. T. Whitney's Pub and Brewery on Madison's west side (674 S. Whitney Way) Saturday, Jan. 10 (2009).

It was our ninth consecutive year for this event. About two dozen members and friends attended, including some new faces. Holmes was born on a January 6.

To get a flavor of what we do at these gatherings, click here.

Meanwhile, "the game was afoot" all over New York earlier at the same time we were meeting in Madison as Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts from around the world gathered in an annual ritual.

New York radio station WNYC sent Sarah Montague to a number of the events held by the Baker Street Irregulars that celebrate the "life" of the great detective. Here's her report, which runs 4 minutes 58 seconds.

MEETING HISTORY COMPILED. We've compiled and posted a record of our meeting dates, locations, and cases considered from January 1992 through April 2006. This record has not been available before except to members and only upon request. You'll find it for downloading here.

FIVE BASIC BOOKS FOR EVERY SHERLOCKIAN. Whether you're just beginning to explore the Sherlock Holmes adventures or are looking to build your Holmes collection, check out one Sherlockian's ideas about five basic books you should have to supplement the Holmes stories. Click here for his suggestions.

INTERESTED IN SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOKS BY AUTHORS OTHER THAN ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE? Wikipedia offers its list here.