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Feb 26, 2020

“work which will cut deep at the very foundations” [GOLD] 

"The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" first appeared in print in 1903 as part of The Return of Sherlock Holmes. It was the second story in the collection, after Sherlock Holmes was resurrected from what many thought was a watery grave.

We can forgive the...


Feb 19, 2020

“I saw the American stamp” [DANC] 

For all of his familiarity with American cities, American police forces, American language and attire, Sherlock Holmes may very well have been American.

A number of scholars have taken up the argument, including Christopher Morley in his famous essay. Even President...


Feb 12, 2020

“the City and Suburban Bank, the Vegetarian Restaurant” [REDH] 

We have plenty of instances of animal flesh on the side-board, whether it's a couple of brace of grouse, Henry Baker's Christmas goose, or a joint of beef.

There was one lone vegetarian restaurant mentioned in the Canon. It had a real-life inspiration....


Feb 5, 2020

“should not gossip about there being a black child in
the neighborhood.” [YELL] 

Steve Dixie in "The Three Gables," Lucy Hebron in "The Yellow Face," and the unnamed mulatto in "Wisteria Lodge" are notable black people in the Canon. Actually, they're the only ones. What does this say about Arthur Conan Doyle's...