Captain Basil

Sherlock Holmes is so omnipresent in media that multiple projects are often fighting for the public’s attention at the same time. All too often, the projects also align thematically.

On “Sherlock & Co,” the story is reimagined in a modern setting with a full-cast dramatization. By contrast, “Sherlock Holmes Short Stories” draws on the original text with a word-for-word reading by Hugh Bonneville.

Sherlock Holmes is so omnipresent in media that multiple projects are often fighting for the public’s attention at the same time. All too often, the projects also align thematically.

In 1985’s “Young Sherlock Holmes,” the hero nearly crashed a prototype flying machine into Big Ben. But the crash was only delayed a year when that same scenario played out in 1986’s “The Great Mouse Detective.”

Sherlock Holmes is so omnipresent in media that multiple projects are often fighting for the public’s attention at the same time. All too often, the projects also align thematically.

The most famous example is probably the pairing of concurrent TV shows “Sherlock” and “Elementary” which both transplanted the Victorian detective into a modern setting.

A “new spin” on Moriarty puts him at the center of the story. “New,” that is, if you haven’t read the “Moriarty” novel by Anthony Horowitz, the series of Moriarty novels by John Gardner, the Moriarty comic books by Daniel Corey or the “Moriarty the Patriot” manga series by Ryosuke Takeuchi.

Who can lay claim to the catch phrase “The game’s afoot?” If your answer is Sherlock Holmes, you’re right! And if your answer is Shakespeare, you’re also right! Today being Shakespeare’s birthday, it’s as good a time as any to celebrate the rhetorical bond between the two literary icons.

During his research, did Shapiro stumble on passages from Sykes’ book and mistake them for a Holmes story? Or did Shapiro simply fail to explain the source of his Sherlock reference? My guess is that Shapiro was trying to be funny but botched the punchline because he didn’t set up the joke properly.

Who can lay claim to the catch phrase “The game’s afoot?” If your answer is Sherlock Holmes, you’re right! And if your answer is Shakespeare, you’re also right! Today being Shakespeare’s birthday, it’s as good a time as any to celebrate the rhetorical bond between the two literary icons.

There you have it. Nothing written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle supports Shapiro’s characterization of Holmes as a Shakespeare truther. Why then would Shapiro say such a thing when so much of his book takes other people to task for twisting facts to fit their narrative?

Who can lay claim to the catch phrase “The game’s afoot?” If your answer is Sherlock Holmes, you’re right! And if your answer is Shakespeare, you’re also right! Today being Shakespeare’s birthday, it’s as good a time as any to celebrate the rhetorical bond between the two literary icons.

“The Lion’s Mane” is firmly set during Holmes’ retirement. The reader finds him enjoying the life of a beekeeper on the Sussex Downs, having given up his detective career years earlier. Nowhere in the story can I find any obvious reference to Shakespeare.

Who can lay claim to the catch phrase “The game’s afoot?” If your answer is Sherlock Holmes, you’re right! And if your answer is Shakespeare, you’re also right! Today being Shakespeare’s birthday, it’s as good a time as any to celebrate the rhetorical bond between the two literary icons.

Holmes quotes Shakespeare numerous times throughout the Canon. But I can’t recall that Holmes ever called Shakespeare’s authorship into question. Shapiro says it happened when Holmes came out of retirement. I can only think of three stories that fit Shapiro’s description.

Who can lay claim to the catch phrase “The game’s afoot?” If your answer is Sherlock Holmes, you’re right! And if your answer is Shakespeare, you’re also right! Today being Shakespeare’s birthday, it’s as good a time as any to celebrate the rhetorical bond between the two literary icons.

“When Sherlock Holmes was brought out of retirement to solve the mystery of ‘Who wrote Shakespeare’s plays,’ the famous detective concluded that it was Rutland who did it.”

Who can lay claim to the catch phrase “The game’s afoot?” If your answer is Sherlock Holmes, you’re right! And if your answer is Shakespeare, you’re also right! Today being Shakespeare’s birthday, it’s as good a time as any to celebrate the rhetorical bond between the two literary icons.

Outside of their shared battle cry, they don’t always agree. At least that’s what James Shapiro would have us believe. He wrote “Contested Will” about the myth that the works of Shakespeare were actually written by someone else. But while defending Shakespeare, Shapiro somehow impugns Sherlock.

The movie “Young Sherlock Holmes” contends that its hero developed the world’s first viable flying machine. Of course, that distinction actually belongs to brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Wilbur was born on this day in 1867.

The year was 1907 and Holmes’ popularity was surging. Arthur Conan Doyle had recently revived him from death in “The Return of Sherlock Holmes” collection of stories. Berg’s comments show that Holmes was more than a literary figure. His name was a byword for mental perception of the highest degree.

The movie “Young Sherlock Holmes” contends that its hero developed the world’s first viable flying machine. Of course, that distinction actually belongs to brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Wilbur was born on this day in 1867.

Wilbur prepared for the trip by hiring a consulting firm to manage his international business affairs. The firm’s agent, Hart Berg, was waiting at the London docks for the arrival of Wilbur’s ocean liner. Here’s how Berg described their meeting in a letter to his employers:

The movie “Young Sherlock Holmes” contends that its hero developed the world’s first viable flying machine. Of course, that distinction actually belongs to brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Wilbur was born on this day in 1867.