I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

"A collector of obscure volumes" [EMPT] 

Today we honor the enduring legacy of Vincent Starrett — the legendary journalist, bibliophile, and founding member of the Baker Street Irregulars — as we approach the 140th anniversary of his birth. To celebrate, the Torists International S.S. will host a landmark conference from October 23-25, 2026, in Starrett's longtime home of Chica...

"Only one word of epilogue" [DANC] 

Today we're joined by Bob Katz, BSI, the founder of The Epilogues of Sherlock Holmes, a scion society that spent over three decades exploring the world of 221B Baker Street. Bob named the group after the subhead of "His Last Bow," observing that an epilogue, after all, is something that follows — and for thirty years, the group followed the Great ...

 "I cultivate a large number of friends" [WIST] 

What does it take to build a legacy that lasts nearly a century? Today we're joined by Peter Eckrich and Rob Nunn to discuss their new book, On the Shoulders of Giants. It's a portrait gallery of twenty-one of the influential men and women who founded and fueled the Sherlock Holmes literary scene from its infancy in the 1930s. 

We ...

 "I was invited to a week-end gathering" [LAST] 

Join us as we look back on four whirlwind days of Sherlockian festivities in New York City, when hundreds of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts gathered for plays, dinners, luncheons, lectures, auctions, and — most importantly — each other's company, from January 7 to 11, 2026.

We recap the full slate of events, from intimate meals...

 "All good comradeship and friendship" [ABBE] 

Bob Sharfman's first impression of Sherlock Holmes came from Basil Rathbone's movies. Bob read Watson's cases later in life, and met others who shared his interest almost accidentally, when he came to a meeting of Hugo's Companions, a Chicago group then led by the legendary Vincent Starrett.

Although Bob became a serious player of the "Gr...

 "Holmes took it with admirable good-humour" [PRIO] 

For years, Holmes and Watson have served as a blueprint for an "odd couple" dynamic, usually by poking fun at the detective's ego, and the doctor's struggle to keep up. Humor can humanize these literary giants, making them feel less like statues and more like friends. 

Now Nicholas Sercombe's The Unexpurgated Adventures of She...

 "Important issues might hang upon our journey." [SIGN] 

Join us as we speak to Steve Mason and Greg Ruby about their adventure this past summer — a whirlwind, five-day odyssey through the rugged landscapes of Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, tracking down 39 locations with hidden ties to Baker Street. Decades after a simpler, four-stop Texas road trip set the precedent, our in...

 "Particularly bright and joyous" [THOR] 

Forget about the silence you might think is suggested by the word "pantomime." British panto is a raucous, musical, holiday tradition that expects the audience to be as loud as possible, booing the villain and cheering the hero. It's usually a comic, theatrical retelling of a fairy tale — like Cinderella or Aladdin — with slapstick...

 "'Why, Holmes, it is a child's drawing,' I cried." [DANC] 

Just when you thought everything about Sherlock Holmes and popular culture was known, a new mystery emerges from dusty U.S. newspaper archives. 

Join us as we interview the remarkable Ross E. Davies, BSI ("The Temple"), organizer of "The Scourers of the Dancing Men," a fascinating research project that dives deep into a ...

"An expression of the most dreadful horror." [HOUN]