This post reminded me of the following passage from "The Naval Treaty".
It is the occasion where Holmes has invited Percy Phelps over to
explain the case, but in his very dramatic fashion...

<q>
The table was all laid, and just as I was about to ring Mrs.
Hudson entered with the tea and coffee. A few minutes later she
brought in three covers, and we all drew up to the table, Holmes
ravenous, I curious, and Phelps in the gloomiest state of depression.
   "Mrs. Hudson has risen to the occasion," said Holmes, un-
covering a dish of curried chicken. "Her cuisine is a little
limited, but she has as good an idea of breakfast as a Scotchwoman.
What have you there, Watson?"
   "Ham and eggs," I answered.
   "Good! What are you going to take, Mr. Phelps -- curried
fowl or eggs, or will you help yourself?"
"Thank you. I can eat nothing," said Phelps.
   "Oh, come! Try the dish before you."
   "Thank you, I would really rather not."
   "Well, then," said Holmes with a mischievous twinkle, "I
suppose that you have no objection to helping me?"
   Phelps raised the cover, and as he did so he uttered a scream
and sat there staring with a face as white as the plate upon which
he looked. Across the centre of it was lying a little cylinder of
blue-gray paper. He caught it up, devoured it with his eyes, and
then danced madly about the room, pressing it to his bosom and
shrieking out in his delight.
</q>

As you can see, Holmes was not averse to Indian cuisine, since he
was presented some curried chicken by the landlady whereas it is
Watson who gets a proper English breakfast. But I guess, this was
perhaps not the normal state of things, and Holmes might have preferred
curry to enjoy a joyous occasion.

It is also interesting of his remark about Mrs Hudson's cooking abilities.
- "Her cuisine is a little limited, but she has as good an idea of
breakfast as a Scotchwoman."

Happy posting in 2008.

--Anand

On Dec 31, 2007 5:21 PM, Tim Symonds <tim.symonds@...> wrote:
> It seems to me quite likely that Dr Watson's tastes in food would be quite
> different from Holmes'.  Watson may have been influenced by his time in 'the
> East' and therefore would appreciate spicy food whereas my impression of
> Holmes is he ate to live, i.e. would have more simple English meals of the
> day, largely lamb or beef and potatoes and boiled vegetables, which the
> faithful landlady would be able to provide..
>
>
>
> Tim
>
>
>
>
>
> As from
>
>
>
> Summit Hotel
>
> Kopundol Height
>
> Lalitpur
>
> Kathmandu
>
> NEPAL.
>
> Tel.00977 1 5521810
>
> Fax.00977 1 5523737
>
> Summit@...
>
> www.summit-nepal.com <http://www.summit-nepal.com/>
>
>
>
>   _____
>
> From: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
> [mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...] On Behalf Of Naught
> Yew
> Sent: 31 December 2007 10:00
> To: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
> Subject: Re: FW: [sherlock holmes society of india] What did the Master eat?
>
>
>
>
> >
> > Dear Holmesians,
> > I came acroos this rather strange refeerence in a blog.
> > "The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook was published in 1976 and written by Sean
> > Wright and John Farrell, two Holmes devotees. The authors assert that
> > food was ever present at Holmes' and Watson's flat at 221-B Baker
> > Street in London".
> > Any comments on that?
> > Sumalsn
>
> At the 31st Meeting of The Goose Club (last night, Los Angeles) I
> mentioned The SHSOI and this post to Mr Farrell. He welcomes
> discussion, perhaps he can be invited to join the group?
>
> Email address: johnfarrellbsi@ <mailto:johnfarrellbsi%40yahoo.com> yahoo.com
>
> With all good wishes for the New Year,
>
> Mary G. Betz
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>



--
-Anand

Happy new year to all members

It seems to me quite likely that Dr Watson's tastes in food would be quite
different from Holmes'.  Watson may have been influenced by his time in 'the
East' and therefore would appreciate spicy food whereas my impression of
Holmes is he ate to live, i.e. would have more simple English meals of the
day, largely lamb or beef and potatoes and boiled vegetables, which the
faithful landlady would be able to provide..



Tim





As from



Summit Hotel

Kopundol Height

Lalitpur

Kathmandu

NEPAL.

Tel.00977 1 5521810

Fax.00977 1 5523737

Summit@...

www.summit-nepal.com <http://www.summit-nepal.com/>



   _____

From: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
[mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...] On Behalf Of Naught
Yew
Sent: 31 December 2007 10:00
To: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
Subject: Re: FW: [sherlock holmes society of india] What did the Master eat?




>
> Dear Holmesians,
> I came acroos this rather strange refeerence in a blog.
> "The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook was published in 1976 and written by Sean
> Wright and John Farrell, two Holmes devotees. The authors assert that
> food was ever present at Holmes' and Watson's flat at 221-B Baker
> Street in London".
> Any comments on that?
> Sumalsn

At the 31st Meeting of The Goose Club (last night, Los Angeles) I
mentioned The SHSOI and this post to Mr Farrell. He welcomes
discussion, perhaps he can be invited to join the group?

Email address: johnfarrellbsi@ <mailto:johnfarrellbsi%40yahoo.com> yahoo.com

With all good wishes for the New Year,

Mary G. Betz





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Holmesians,

   Though I've not heard of this anywhere before, I find it not so difficult to
believe. Living in a cold climate any food stored in the larder would not easily
spoil and there was nothing to prevent them from storing stuff like we do in a
fridge. I live with my bachelor friends and we always have a loaf or two of
bread and other ready-to-eat goodies around.

   Still, I think the main reason for this would have been due to Holmes' odd
eating habits. He might be (as he sometimes was) engaged in a three-pipe problem
and need nourishment at odd hours of the day while the rest of the house slept.

   Wishing you all a very, very happy, memorable, profitable, and satisfactory
New Year 2008.

   Cheers.


   Sridhar
   PS: New members are always welcome to the society. I'm sure Mr. Farrell will
find us only too eager to discuss the Canon and anything related to it.


Naught Yew <mgbetz@...> wrote:

>
> Dear Holmesians,
> I came acroos this rather strange refeerence in a blog.
> "The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook was published in 1976 and written by Sean
> Wright and John Farrell, two Holmes devotees. The authors assert that
> food was ever present at Holmes' and Watson's flat at 221-B Baker
> Street in London".
> Any comments on that?
> Sumalsn

At the 31st Meeting of The Goose Club (last night, Los Angeles) I
mentioned The SHSOI and this post to Mr Farrell. He welcomes
discussion, perhaps he can be invited to join the group?

Email address: johnfarrellbsi@...

With all good wishes for the New Year,

Mary G. Betz






---------------------------------
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>
> Dear Holmesians,
> I came acroos this rather strange refeerence in a blog.
> "The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook was published in 1976 and written by Sean
> Wright and John Farrell, two Holmes devotees. The authors assert that
> food was ever present at Holmes' and Watson's flat at 221-B Baker
> Street in London".
> Any comments on that?
> Sumalsn

At the 31st Meeting of The Goose Club (last night, Los Angeles) I
mentioned The SHSOI and this post to Mr Farrell.  He welcomes
discussion, perhaps he can be invited to join the group?

Email address:  johnfarrellbsi@...

With all good wishes for the New Year,

Mary G. Betz

Dear Pinaki and Sumal,

   Coincidentally, this adventure was my first intro to the Canon too...at least
in a written format...also while in school. Though I do remember having seen a
few of the adventures on Doordarshan way back in '85 (I think) I was too young
to understand what was actually happening.

   When I first read it in school, my first thought was that the man was a
magician. Then, as I began to realize the depths of his observation and
deductive techniques, I decided Holmes was a genius of the first order.

   Wish you all a very belated Christmas and an advanced Happy New Year 2008.

   Sridhar
   PS: BTW, I have just recently bought the adventures of Sherlock Holmes in The
Sign of Four and The Blue Carbuncle (BBC) starring Peter Cushing. I hope I'll be
able to buy more of these as they become available. Though TBC was good enough,
TSOF was not quite what I had expected (perhaps it was not dark enough for me).

sumalsn <no_reply@...> wrote:

Dear Holmesians,

Wish all of you a very happy Merry Christmas! That would be a great
idea. In fact , this adventure was my first introduction to the Canon.
It was prescribed reading in class VII in my english textbook. I was
keen to read more about him and that set me out on this fascinating
association with the Canon
Sumalsn






---------------------------------
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Holmesians,

   Wish all of you a very happy Merry Christmas! That would be a great
idea. In fact , this adventure was my first introduction to the Canon.
It was prescribed reading in class VII in my english textbook. I was
keen to read more about him and that set me out on this fascinating
association with the Canon
Sumalsn

Dear Sherlockians,

   Wish all of you a very happy Merry Christmas!

   This foggy morning on the day of Christ's Nativity reminds me of the situation
in Doyle's "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" when an apparently stray attack
on a goose-carrier during the Christmas days sets Holmes on the path of
investigating out the secret of who stole the precious stone!

   Why don't we discuss the short story today?

   Pinaki Roy


---------------------------------
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It was, indeed, "The Blue Carbuncle" that referred the Christmas Goose(inside
which, the  gem was found) and not Easter.
   Wishing all Holmesians "A Merry Christmas!"

Anand Balachandran Pillai <abpillai@...> wrote:
           Hi Sherlockians,

This is the season of Christmas and thanks-giving. In this
context, I was wondering how Watson and Holmes would have celebrated
their Christmas and new year, when they were bachelors staying
together (before the advent of Mary Morsten) ?

That brings to a related topic. How religious were they ?
Watson gave a pretty good analysis
of Holme's strengths in various areas, but I dont seem to recall any
mention of the extent of his
religious faith. From their names, we should of course assume they
were Christians and Catholic
in that.

The only story I can recall were something close to Christmas is
mentioned is the story of
the Blue Carbuncle, which involves the dead goose. Or was it Easter ?
I am slightly confused.

Won't this be an interesting topic to comment on towards the end
of the year ?

Merry Christmas.

--Anand

On Dec 11, 2007 9:18 PM, kumaaraswaami <kumaaraswaami@...> wrote:
>
> Doyle may be a patriot. But it's simply from Holmsian observations on
> Holmes findable that Holmes was not a patriot. But in the stories like
> 'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans', 'Naval Treaty, The
> 'Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle' etc. Or did he do all these for his
> brother Mycroft?
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

--
-Anand





---------------------------------
Never miss a thing.   Make Yahoo your homepage.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Holmesians,

   I think we can find the answer to this in "His Last Bow"

   "There's an east wind coming, Watson."
   "I think not, Holmes. It is very warm."
   "Good old Watson! You are the one fixed point in a changing age. There's an
east wind coming all the same, such a wind as never blew on England yet. It will
be cold and bitter, Watson, and a good many of us may wither before its blast.
But it's God's own wind none the less, and a cleaner, better, stronger land will
lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared."

   This obvious patriotic (and religious?) sentiment was expressed by Holmes in
this story written during the First World War. Some authorities are of the
opinion that Holmes was, in fact, a British spy during those difficult times.
Some others go on to say that he was actually a double agent, sending out false
info. to the Germans. Given how much spies are supposed to actually earn 
(watching some James Bond flicks makes this pretty clear - underpaid, overworked
- the things he does for Queen and country!!!), I doubt if Holmes did it for the
money (and this would also clarify Doyle's own patriotism). Holmes not only got
to ply his skills as a detective but also did something so exciting and
nerve-wracking in itself that made drugs (read opium) completely dispensable.


   Sridhar


kumaaraswaami <kumaaraswaami@...> wrote:

Doyle may be a patriot. But it's simply from Holmsian observations on
Holmes findable that Holmes was not a patriot. But in the stories like
'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans', 'Naval Treaty, The
'Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle' etc. Or did he do all these for his
brother Mycroft?






---------------------------------
Never miss a thing.   Make Yahoo your homepage.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Tim,

   I've heard a lot about the country from my Nepali friend and I would love to
visit there some time myself. It's a peaceful and lovely country by most
accounts.

   As regards your conjecture as to whether Holmes or the doctor ever visited
Nepal, I'm inclined to think the former did. Those 3 years that he spent as
Sigerson, the Norwegian (I think), traveling to these parts improves the chances
of Holmes having visited Nepal, or at least wandered across the outer reaches of
the country. Dr. Watson's time here was spent mostly in India and Afghanistan as
far as my recollection goes (that's where most of the fighting was) and I doubt
if he ever came close to Nepal.


   Sridhar

Tim Symonds <tim.symonds@...> wrote:
           Just for members' interest, I am in Kathmandu for a short period on
holiday,
visiting the Buddhist and Hindu sites (especially Kali's), and doing some
walking in the Annapurna. Quite nearby is a holy river because it flows
down into the Holy Ganges. There is a famous Buddhist temple on the edge of
Kathmandu, on this river, where cremations take place hourly, though
'ordinary' people are cremated on one platform, holy men on another, and
royalty on another, for example where the ten Royal family victims of the
assassination were cremated.
I wonder what Holmes would have made of Nepal - did he or Watson ever get
here?

Tim

_____

From: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
[mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...] On Behalf Of Tim
Symonds
Sent: 10 December 2007 04:23
To: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
Subject: FW: [sherlock holmes society of india] What did the Master eat?

I recall the estimable landlady bringing in substantial meals for Watson and
Holmes and presumably if guests were to be offered a meal she would cater
for them, from which I have the impression the food was solid English rather
than in any way cuisine.

_____

From: SherlockHolmesSocie
<mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia%40yahoogroups.co.in>
tyofIndia@...
[mailto:SherlockHolmesSocie
<mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia%40yahoogroups.co.in>
tyofIndia@...] On Behalf Of sumalsn
Sent: 09 December 2007 08:49
To: SherlockHolmesSocie
<mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia%40yahoogroups.co.in>
tyofIndia@...
Subject: [sherlock holmes society of india] What did the Master eat?

Dear Holmesians,
I came acroos this rather strange refeerence in a blog.
"The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook was published in 1976 and written by Sean
Wright and John Farrell, two Holmes devotees. The authors assert that
food was ever present at Holmes' and Watson's flat at 221-B Baker
Street in London".
Any comments on that?
Sumalsn

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






---------------------------------
Never miss a thing.   Make Yahoo your homepage.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Sherlockians,

         This is the season of Christmas and thanks-giving. In this
context, I was wondering how Watson and Holmes would have celebrated
their Christmas and new year, when they were bachelors staying
together (before the advent of Mary Morsten) ?

        That brings to a related topic. How religious were they ?
Watson gave a pretty good analysis
of Holme's strengths in various areas, but I dont seem to recall any
mention of the extent of his
religious faith. From their names, we should of course assume they
were Christians and Catholic
in that.

       The only story I can recall were something close to Christmas is
mentioned is the story of
the Blue Carbuncle, which involves the dead goose. Or was it Easter ?
I am slightly confused.

       Won't this be an interesting topic to comment on towards the end
of the year ?

Merry Christmas.

--Anand



On Dec 11, 2007 9:18 PM, kumaaraswaami <kumaaraswaami@...> wrote:
>
> Doyle may be a patriot. But it's simply from Holmsian observations on
> Holmes findable that Holmes was not a patriot. But in the stories like
> 'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans', 'Naval Treaty, The
> 'Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle' etc. Or did he do all these for his
> brother Mycroft?
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>



--
-Anand

Doyle may be a patriot. But it's simply from Holmsian observations on
Holmes findable that Holmes was not a patriot. But in the stories like
'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans', 'Naval Treaty, The
'Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle' etc. Or did he do all these for his
brother Mycroft?

Just for members' interest, I am in Kathmandu for a short period on holiday,
visiting the Buddhist and Hindu sites (especially Kali's), and doing some
walking in the Annapurna.  Quite nearby is a holy river because it flows
down into the Holy Ganges.  There is a famous Buddhist temple on the edge of
Kathmandu, on this river, where cremations take place hourly, though
'ordinary' people are cremated on one platform, holy men on another, and
royalty on another, for example where the ten Royal family victims of the
assassination were cremated.
I wonder what Holmes would have made of Nepal - did he or Watson ever get
here?

Tim

   _____

From: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
[mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...] On Behalf Of Tim
Symonds
Sent: 10 December 2007 04:23
To: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
Subject: FW: [sherlock holmes society of india] What did the Master eat?





I recall the estimable landlady bringing in substantial meals for Watson and
Holmes and presumably if guests were to be offered a meal she would cater
for them, from which I have the impression the food was solid English rather
than in any way cuisine.


_____

From: SherlockHolmesSocie
<mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia%40yahoogroups.co.in>
tyofIndia@...
[mailto:SherlockHolmesSocie
<mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia%40yahoogroups.co.in>
tyofIndia@...] On Behalf Of sumalsn
Sent: 09 December 2007 08:49
To: SherlockHolmesSocie
<mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia%40yahoogroups.co.in>
tyofIndia@...
Subject: [sherlock holmes society of india] What did the Master eat?

Dear Holmesians,
I came acroos this rather strange refeerence in a blog.
"The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook was published in 1976 and written by Sean
Wright and John Farrell, two Holmes devotees. The authors assert that
food was ever present at Holmes' and Watson's flat at 221-B Baker
Street in London".
Any comments on that?
Sumalsn

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I recall the estimable landlady bringing in substantial meals for Watson and
Holmes and presumably if guests were to be offered a meal she would cater
for them, from which I have the impression the food was solid English rather
than in any way cuisine.


   _____

From: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
[mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...] On Behalf Of sumalsn
Sent: 09 December 2007 08:49
To: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
Subject: [sherlock holmes society of india] What did the Master eat?



Dear Holmesians,
I came acroos this rather strange refeerence in a blog.
"The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook was published in 1976 and written by Sean
Wright and John Farrell, two Holmes devotees. The authors assert that
food was ever present at Holmes' and Watson's flat at 221-B Baker
Street in London".
Any comments on that?
Sumalsn






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Holmesians,
I came acroos this rather strange refeerence in a blog.
"The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook was published in 1976 and written by Sean
Wright and John Farrell, two Holmes devotees. The authors assert that
food was ever present at Holmes' and Watson's flat at 221-B Baker
Street in London".
Any comments on that?
Sumalsn

Dear Anand and Holmesians,
  Great analysis of the Canon.I agree with you completely.
Sumalsn

Errata to previous post :)

> The second type is where Holmes is already on to something and
> Watson (and hence the reader) is involved in it halfway (Milverton,
> , either very much towards the conclusion of it ("The Dying Detective",
>  "The Mazarin Stone" , "Empty House" etc). Personally, I do not have
> much affinity towards them since the reader is not present the final
> bits of the case and is not fully involved in the unraveling of it.

Read as...

" The second type is where Holmes is already on to something and
   Watson (and hence the reader) is involved in it either halfway (Milverton)
   or very much towards the conclusion of it ("The Dying Detective",
  "The Mazarin Stone" , "Empty House" etc). Personally, I do not have
   much affinity towards them since the reader is presented only the final
bits of the case and is not fully involved in the unraveling of it."

--Anand

On Dec 4, 2007 3:41 PM, Anand Balachandran Pillai <abpillai@...> wrote:
> Doyle has used several approaches in presenting a story to the reader.
>
> The most common one is where Holmes and Watson are in it from
> beginning to end, along with the reader also, from the point the adventure
> is defined (which typically involves narration by the client) to the point
>  where it is solved (or not). These kind of stories are the best of breed of
> the canon according to me. Examples - All the four novels, the Speckled Band,
> the Dancing Men...
>
> The second type is where Holmes is already on to something and
> Watson (and hence the reader) is involved in it halfway (Milverton,
> , either very much towards the conclusion of it ("The Dying Detective",
>  "The Mazarin Stone" , "Empty House" etc). Personally, I do not have
> much affinity towards them since the reader is not present the final
> bits of the case and is not fully involved in the unraveling of it.
>
> The third type is where Holmes and/or Watson do not have a lot to do
> and come right at the fag end of a case. They typically have a lot of
flashback
> (Veiled Lodger, Red Circle) which culminates in a final scene involving
> some quick action, but not much deduction.
>
> The fourth type are historical recounts of Holmes, either presented to
> Watson as the listener ("Gloria Scott", "Musgrave Ritual" etc) or directly
> to the reader in first person (There is only one such as far as I can
> recall - the Lion's Mane). Though they do not occur in the present tense
> of the story, they still are good enough to capture the attention of the
reader,
> since the story is almost presented like it is unraveling in the
> present ("Gloria
> Scott" is the best example).
>
> And of course, "Final Problem" is in a league of its own, since it does not
> fall in any of these broad categories since it is almost a biographical story
> of Holmes himself and his battle with Moriarty, as presented by Watson to the
> reader.
>
> I have found that of these, the most brilliant and best stories are those in
> which Watson is very much involved, either in a lot of the investigation
itself,
> or right from the beginning of the puzzle. I guess this is a psychological
> thing, since the readers experience the story vicariously through Watson
> and sometimes identify themselves with him. The ones in which Watson
> is either last into the game or is not present at all are the most dull.
>
> There are also those stories which promise a lot either with their title
> or their initial presentation but fails to live up to it at the end. I would
add
> "Sussex Vampire", "Copper Beeches" etc to it.
>
> Of course, this is not the only factor in trying to find out which is the best
> story in the canon, but one of the most important ones, I feel. And the
> best story is going to vary with reader perception and personal choice.
> For  example, the brilliance in detection demonstrated by Holmes is a
> very important factor.
>
> Thus according to me the best stories would be "The Hound", "The Sign of
Four",
> "Speckled Band", "Dancing Men", "Silver Blaze", "Bruce Partington Plans" and
> "Lady Frances Carfax".
>
> Also worth mentioning are "Golden Pince-Nez" (demonstrating brilliant
reasoning
> and very effective use of cigar ash) , "Beryl Coronet" , "Resident Patient",
> "Thor Bridge" (My list seems to be growing more than what I initially
> had in mind...!)
>
> By the same measure, according to me the most dull ones are "Crooked Man",
> "Mazarin Stone", "Blue Carbuncle", "Three Gables", "Yellow Face", "Missing
> three quarter", "Engineer's Thumb", "Wisteria Lodge", "Stockbroker's Clerk"
etc.
>
> --Anand
>
>
>
> On Nov 29, 2007 8:17 PM, sumalsn <no_reply@...> wrote:
> > Dear Holmesians,
> > What about The adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton?
> > Sumalsn
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> -Anand
>



--
-Anand

Doyle has used several approaches in presenting a story to the reader.

The most common one is where Holmes and Watson are in it from
beginning to end, along with the reader also, from the point the adventure
is defined (which typically involves narration by the client) to the point
  where it is solved (or not). These kind of stories are the best of breed of
the canon according to me. Examples - All the four novels, the Speckled Band,
the Dancing Men...

The second type is where Holmes is already on to something and
Watson (and hence the reader) is involved in it halfway (Milverton,
, either very much towards the conclusion of it ("The Dying Detective",
  "The Mazarin Stone" , "Empty House" etc). Personally, I do not have
much affinity towards them since the reader is not present the final
bits of the case and is not fully involved in the unraveling of it.

The third type is where Holmes and/or Watson do not have a lot to do
and come right at the fag end of a case. They typically have a lot of flashback
(Veiled Lodger, Red Circle) which culminates in a final scene involving
some quick action, but not much deduction.

The fourth type are historical recounts of Holmes, either presented to
Watson as the listener ("Gloria Scott", "Musgrave Ritual" etc) or directly
to the reader in first person (There is only one such as far as I can
recall - the Lion's Mane). Though they do not occur in the present tense
of the story, they still are good enough to capture the attention of the reader,
since the story is almost presented like it is unraveling in the
present ("Gloria
Scott" is the best example).

And of course, "Final Problem" is in a league of its own, since it does not
fall in any of these broad categories since it is almost a biographical story
of Holmes himself and his battle with Moriarty, as presented by Watson to the
reader.

I have found that of these, the most brilliant and best stories are those in
which Watson is very much involved, either in a lot of the investigation itself,
or right from the beginning of the puzzle. I guess this is a psychological
thing, since the readers experience the story vicariously through Watson
and sometimes identify themselves with him. The ones in which Watson
is either last into the game or is not present at all are the most dull.

There are also those stories which promise a lot either with their title
or their initial presentation but fails to live up to it at the end. I would add
"Sussex Vampire", "Copper Beeches" etc to it.

Of course, this is not the only factor in trying to find out which is the best
story in the canon, but one of the most important ones, I feel. And the
best story is going to vary with reader perception and personal choice.
For  example, the brilliance in detection demonstrated by Holmes is a
very important factor.

Thus according to me the best stories would be "The Hound", "The Sign of Four",
"Speckled Band", "Dancing Men", "Silver Blaze", "Bruce Partington Plans" and
"Lady Frances Carfax".

Also worth mentioning are "Golden Pince-Nez" (demonstrating brilliant reasoning
and very effective use of cigar ash) , "Beryl Coronet" , "Resident Patient",
"Thor Bridge" (My list seems to be growing more than what I initially
had in mind...!)

By the same measure, according to me the most dull ones are "Crooked Man",
"Mazarin Stone", "Blue Carbuncle", "Three Gables", "Yellow Face", "Missing
three quarter", "Engineer's Thumb", "Wisteria Lodge", "Stockbroker's Clerk" etc.

--Anand


On Nov 29, 2007 8:17 PM, sumalsn <no_reply@...> wrote:
> Dear Holmesians,
> What about The adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton?
> Sumalsn
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>



--
-Anand

Dear Holmesians,
What about The adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton?
Sumalsn

Do you mean "Valley of fear"
--- pramod shetty <getpramod1@...> wrote:

> Hello Friends,
>
>   According to me, the best SH story is 'The Valley
> of Death' ...it have great story and one of
> suspense, thrilling experience i ever had while
> reading any novel.
>
>   I would also rate 'The Hound of Baskerville' in
> the same league as 'The Vally of Death'.
>
>   Forced to choose between two....i would rate  'The
> Valley of Death'  as one of best SH story ever.
>
>   Regards,
>   Pramod
>
>
>
> On 11/8/07, sumalsn <no_reply@...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Holmesians,
> > Which is the story in the Canon you consider the
> best in terms of its
> > plotting, description and end? Give your reasons
> too
> > Sumalsn
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>  Now you can chat without downloading messenger.
> Click here to know how.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>


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Hello Friends,

   According to me, the best SH story is 'The Valley of Death' ...it have great
story and one of suspense, thrilling experience i ever had while reading any
novel.

   I would also rate 'The Hound of Baskerville' in the same league as 'The Vally
of Death'.

   Forced to choose between two....i would rate  'The Valley of Death'  as one of
best SH story ever.

   Regards,
   Pramod



On 11/8/07, sumalsn <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Holmesians,
> Which is the story in the Canon you consider the best in terms of its
> plotting, description and end? Give your reasons too
> Sumalsn
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






---------------------------------
  Now you can chat without downloading messenger. Click here to know how.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Not in the top league but the interesting angle on The Adventure of the
Greek Interpreter is how nearly redundant Sherlock Holmes is, in this story.
The ending has Watson giving the explanation for a change, rather than SL.

I think this is the first time Mycroft and his Club are introduced, or?


   _____

From: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
[mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...] On Behalf Of Nikhil
Prasad Ojha
Sent: 10 November 2007 09:00
To: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
Subject: Re: [sherlock holmes society of india] Which is the best SH story?



My vote is with the author's first choice: Speckled band.

Nikhil

On 11/8/07, sumalsn <no_reply@yahoogroup
<mailto:no_reply%40yahoogroups.co.in> s.co.in> wrote:
>
> Dear Holmesians,
> Which is the story in the Canon you consider the best in terms of its
> plotting, description and end? Give your reasons too
> Sumalsn
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

My vote is with the author's first choice: Speckled band.

Nikhil


On 11/8/07, sumalsn <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Holmesians,
> Which is the story in the Canon you consider the best in terms of its
> plotting, description and end? Give your reasons too
> Sumalsn
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Wishing all group members a happy Deepavali.
May the festival light up your Holmes!
:)
Siva

Dear Holmesians,
  Which is the story in the Canon you consider the best in terms of its
plotting, description and end? Give your reasons too
Sumalsn

Dear Holmesians,
  Here's wishing all of you a very happy Diwali!
Sumalsn

Hi All,

I think that cocaine was an accepted drug during SH's
days, insomuch that doctors of that time used to
prescribe them for pain relief. So SH being a coke
user would not have unduly concerned Watson nor the
general public.

On the other hand, if sniffing coke was commonplace,
then why did Watson write about it in the first place?
  I mean, its like saying someone today enjoys Red Bull
- its not really noteworthy in that context.

A conundrum worth solving!

Regards,
Jinesh
--- sridhar C <cs_gollum@...> wrote:

> Dear Sumal and Holmesians,
>
>   From what I understand, all of what Dr. Watson
> wrote for the reading public was written with the
> blessings of, and probably after being edited by,
> Holmes. Remember Holmes telling Watson at one point
> to write about a particular adventure? So if an
> indiscretion, like the coke habit, or some
> eccentricity was mentioned it must have been with
> Holmes' concurrence. As far as embarrassment is
> concerned, Holmes was, for the most part, way beyond
> such trivial human weaknesses. What say you?
>
>
>   Sridhar
>   PS: Besides, Watson seems very much like the usual
> reserved Britisher regardless of his origins, the
> sort who wouldn't wash anyone's linen in public...or
> am I wrong?
>
> sumalsn <no_reply@...> wrote:
>           Dear Holmesians,
> Don't you think that Dr Watson was slightly discreet
> in revealing that
> Sherlock Holmes was a cocaine user? I am sure, this
> would have
> embarassed SH no end!
> Sumalsn
>
>
>
>
>
>  __________________________________________________
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> Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam
> protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>


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Dear Sumal and Holmesians,

   From what I understand, all of what Dr. Watson wrote for the reading public
was written with the blessings of, and probably after being edited by, Holmes.
Remember Holmes telling Watson at one point to write about a particular
adventure? So if an indiscretion, like the coke habit, or some eccentricity was
mentioned it must have been with Holmes' concurrence. As far as embarrassment is
concerned, Holmes was, for the most part, way beyond such trivial human
weaknesses. What say you?


   Sridhar
   PS: Besides, Watson seems very much like the usual reserved Britisher
regardless of his origins, the sort who wouldn't wash anyone's linen in
public...or am I wrong?

sumalsn <no_reply@...> wrote:
           Dear Holmesians,
Don't you think that Dr Watson was slightly discreet in revealing that
Sherlock Holmes was a cocaine user? I am sure, this would have
embarassed SH no end!
Sumalsn





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It's an interesting thought that maybe Watson after many years in India took
on something of an Indian accent.  What would be very likely is he would
have picked up Indian words, just as the 'Tommies' did, as shown in
Kipling's works.  Of course Kipling lived in India and worked there as a
journalist.  I don't know what relationship ACD had with India, so he may
not have been as familiar with 'anglo-Indian' expressions except those quite
widely catching on in England itself, from the returning British.  Are there
any Indian words or phrases in the Canon?
Indian words spread very widely as the British left India and many did not
want to return to Britain's climate and especially not to the immediate
post-War austerity Britain was undergoing to try to recover from the
incredible cost of helping fight Hitler and the Japanese.  I remember when I
was in East Africa, quite a lot of Indian words were in use, especially in
domestic situations such as Ayah for nursemaid, sometimes tiffin for tea,
dhobi-wallah for laundryman etc.

   _____

From: SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...
[mailto:SherlockHolmesSocietyofIndia@...] On Behalf Of pinaki
roy
Sent: 26 October 2007 17:46
To: sherlockholmessocietyofindia@...
Subject: [sherlock holmes society of india] On Watson as a Scot



Dear Jeff and other Sherlockians,

The suggestion that John Hamish Watson, M.D ("late of the Army Medical
Department") was a Scot and spoke in Scottish accent is interesting and may
open up the question whether Arthur Conan Doyle created the surgeon as a
part of his own self-projection. If so, Watson was a Scot, as was his
creator, and as Jeff has pointed out, the very middle name 'Hamish' sounds
Scottish enough. Holmes's associate was, in fact, drawn on (the real life
member of the Southsea Literary and Scientific Society) Dr. James Elmwood
Watson, M.D (from Edinburgh), though Watson's physical appearance - very
briefly referred to in "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" - was
possibly resembling Doyle's First World War acquaintance Major Alfred Wood.
Both being Scottish, it is likely that Watson himself was a Scot and spoke
Scottish. William S. Baring-Gould, in the first volume of "The Annotated
Sherlock Holmes" (New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1967), has mentioned at
least six striking
similarities between Watson and Doyle to strike home his idea that Watson
was a Scot, and Doyle's self-projection. What do the other Sherlockians say
regarding this?

(Pinaki Roy)

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