Episode 58: Thankful for Sherlock

"We must be thankful for what we've got." [VALL]

For those in the United States, November is the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving. We thought it a fitting time to reflect on some of the things we have to be thankful for in the world of Sherlock Holmes, and they are many. The show's multiple topics and many links reflect that.

First, we have our Sherlockian society meetings. Whether you live in a city that is home to a venerable institution with a decades-old group of longstanding tradition or a town with a relatively new group, the autumn seems to be a time when meetings are held, toasts are recited and friendships rekindled. And if you haven't yet listened to Episode 4: Sherlockian 101 and Episode 5: Sherlockian 101 (part 2), in which we discuss getting involved in or starting your own society, we highly recommend it.

We're thankful of the work of Mr. J.D. Sutter, who helped us to transition the site from its years-old layout and to integrate content from the Baker Street Blog, to give the site its full functionality you see now. If you have a chance, get over to JD's site and thank him for his work.

It would be an understatement to say we're thrilled to have Matt Laffey's Weekly Sherlock Compendium Links back on the site again. After a brief yet unintentional hiatus, Matt's comprehensive links are back with us again.

We discuss the annual Baker Street Irregulars Weekend, including some of the changes afoot within the BSI itself. The BSI Press is getting dedicated leadership, with its many titles in print and on the way; the BSI Trust is also getting new leadership.

We're very fortunate to live in a time when news of Sherlock Holmes fills the airwaves, print publications and intertubes, and we cap off a few of them. There's PBS, BBC, and Doctor Who news from the world of television, we remember Jeremy Brett, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry's Sherlock Holmes exhibition is open, and we acknowledge a number of anniversaries of Sherlock Holmes films.

We share listener comments, both written and audio, note the inaugural issue of The Watsonian, and highlight the continued spirited debate about Elementary.

It's also the season for renewing subscriptions to The Baker Street Journal (one of our sponsors). We're issuing a related challenge: from now through March 2014, we're looking for 50 gift subscriptions of the BSJ to be made by our listeners. Listen to the show for full details.

Our gas-lamp this week: since our reading on Episode 56 was "On Advocating Sherlock Holmes" and Brad Keefauver was our guest, we thought it might be appropriate to read one of Brad's own editorials ("Zismanian scholarship?") as our gas-lamp for this episode, marking the very first time we've used an online publication as our reading.

Links:

• The I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere apps: Android and iOS.
• We wrote about the excitement that traditionally surrounds the BSI Weekend here.
• The Baker Street Irregulars and Friends Weekend website: bsiweekend.com
• PBS announces the air dates of Sherlock on Masterpiece
• The BFI premiere of Sherlock [via Sherlockology]
• The first image of Sherlock Series 3
• Jude Law breaks the silence on the third Sherlock Holmes film.
• The International Sherlock Holmes Exhibition is open and they even are running a social sweepstakes.
• The John H. Watson Society releases The Watsonian.
• The e-book version of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
• Sherlock Holmes London Itinerary [Visit London]
• Sherlock filming sites in and around London [Metro UK]
• TEDx talk about Sherlock Holmes and jealousy
• A Kickstarter for a Sherlockian deck of cards
• Bonus: The First Family Rides Again album [Amazon]

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Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email, call us at (774) 221-READ (7323) or use the Speakpipe app right here on the site. Connect with us and other interested Sherlockians on The Sherlock Holmes Community on Google+, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. And of course, our web- and app-based Flipboard magazine is a nice collection of links, articles and images.

And above all, please let our sponsors know that you heard us rant and rave about their excellence during the programme: Wessex Press and The Baker Street Journal. Don't forget to get your free audiobook download with your trial membership from Audible, at audibletrial.com/sherlock.

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