Episode 95: A Curious Collection of Dates

"It is a curious collection." [MUSG]

You've probably heard us extolling the virtues of A Curious Collection of Dates: Sherlock Holmes Through the Year on previous shows. We're big fans of this book. But after this episode, you'll understand why we're also fans of the authors.

Leah Guinn and Jaime N. Mahoney join us to give us the backstory on what it was like to develop the concept and bring this reference tome to life, including their decision to go with a premier publisher like Wessex Press, where their book wouldn't languish and become a remainder.

In our interview with Leah and Jaime, we uncovered their major source for dates — none other than William Baring-Gould's chronology from The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, backed by Ernest Zeisler'simpressive chronology, Martin Dakin's and others as needed, not to mention online sources such as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Wikipedia and Ancestry.com.

We also enticed Leah and Jaime to share their favorite entries with us. And rather than giving us the typical "I love all my children the same" response of creators, they actually spilled the beans. But you'll have to listen to find out exactly what they responded with.

You can find Leah at Commonplace Crime, The Well-Read Sherlockian and The Well-Read Sherlockian Facebook page; find Jaime at Better Holmes and Gardens and the Better Holmes and Gardens Facebook page.

Regarding sponsors, you'll be glad to know that the Sherlock Holmes Brand sponsorship is back. And we give you another opportunity to help us determine what our 100th episode should consist of: if you have ideas, please let us know by popping by this Facebook Event posting.

Our special thanks goes out to Mary Miller for her extraordinary Patreon support! Won't you join her and others by clicking on the button?

You'll also be treated to clips from Thomas Edison, the Dead Ringers and an Easter egg that includes an essential debate about Sherlock's Louise Brealey.

Notes

1:50 Welcome

3:35 Sponsor #1 - the Baker Street Journal

5:18 Burt's first Sherlockian newsletter

7:43 Welcome Leah and Jaime

13:47 Competing Sherlockian blogs

16:07 How the book came to be

18:18 Pulling the entries together

20:21 Sponsor #2 - Amanda Lester, Detective

23:33 How they balanced length and frequency of entries

26:14 Source material

30:32 Leah and Jaime disclose their favorite entries in the book

37:07 The April 30 entry from A Curious Collection of Dates

38:57 Is this the first book for either author?

44:16 Sponsor #3 - Wessex Press

47:26 Sherlock Holmes Brand spot

48:25 Jump on the Patreon bandwagon!

49:57 Make suggestions for our 100th episode

52:10 Downton Abbey spoof

55:26 Leave us a review/rating and closing comments

58:40 Easter egg

Sponsors

This episode includes our two longtime sponsors and a special sponsor who is supporting us for the first half of this year:

• The Wessex Press, featuring Sherlockian Heresies
• The Baker Street Journal, where you should get your annual subscription in now to secure all four issues plus the Christmas Annual.
• And Paula Berinstein's Amanda Lester, Detective series for young adults.

Would you care to become a sponsor? You can find more information here.

Download [Save As] | File size 28.1 MB, 1:01:19

Links:

• Brad Keefauver on Episode 56: Sherlock Peoria
• Back Home Again in Indiana - The Sterling Trio
• The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis
• Watson's Tin Box of Ellicott City, Maryland
• The Diogenes Club of Washington, DC
• The Red Circle of Washington, DC
• Lapham's Quarterly
• Leave us a rating or review on iTunes by going here
• The I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Patreon page

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