Jubilee@221B Conference 2022

Jubilee@221B Report by Donny Zaldin, BSI, ASH, MBt

Donny is a longtime Bootmaker and Sherlockian / Doylean author, editor and speaker, whose interest and experience extends over many nations and three separate continents. He has been published in the Sherlock Holmes Journal, Baker Street Journal, Canadian Holmes, The Serpentine Muse, several BSI books, and The Magic Door; and he was co-editor of The Magic Door and the 2018 BSI professions series volume, Canon Law.

September 22-25, 2022
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, The Bootmakers of Toronto and The Toronto Public Library conduct a four-day Conference (from September 22-25, 2022) entitled “Jubilee@221B” — to celebrate 50 years of the founding of the ACD Collection at the Toronto Public Library and of the Bootmakers, the national Sherlock Holmes Society of Canada.

The 4-day international Conference, held at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, explores aspects of both Doylean and Sherlockian scholarship with scholarly presentations, musical adaptations, and one “funny bit” on the creator, the creation and the holy writ. Close to one hundred conferees extending “over many nations and three separate continents” (including Canada, the United States, England, France, Japan and India) gather to pay homage to the iconic consulting detective and the diverse writings of the Renaissance Man who was voted the second most influential person in Britain in the first half of the twentieth century (after only Winston Churchill).

The Conference is organized by Clifford Goldfarb (Chairman of the Friends of the ACD Collection at the TPL), Michael Ranieri, President (“Meyers”) of the Bootmakers, and Wendy Heyman-Marsaw, assisted by organizing committee members Barbara Rusch and JoAnn Alberstat. Other major contributors include: Thelma and Larry Beam (registration and attendance); John Gehan, Doris Goldfarb, Karen Campbell and Peggy Perdue (conference greeters); Wendy (banquet greeter); Wendy, Mary Pea, Karen, David Sanders, and Philip Elliott (registration kits and swag bags); Wilfrid de Freitas and Susan Ravdin and Danna Mancini (conference sales of books, ephemera and collectibles); Philip (T-shirt sales); Philip and David (refreshments); Mike (website updates, email notices, all printing, including walk and conference guides, banquet menu, conference merchandise with logo, IT and sound recorder); and Jeff Rosenthal (video recorder). The Conference is chaired by Cliff and Mike, heads of the Friends and Bootmakers, respectively.

Day One: Thursday, September 22

The Conference commences with a 2-hour walking tour of Toronto, titled “In the Footsteps of Arthur Conan Doyle” — organized and led by Peggy Perdue, BSI, MBt (former curator of the ACD Collection at the Toronto Public Library and now the Senior Services Specialist of Special Collections) and attended by 30 conferees. The tour explores places in Toronto connected with local and Sherlockian history and ACD’s three visits to the city (in 1894, 1914 and 1922). Tour highlights include: Massey Hall, a concert facility at which he spoke — in 1894 about literature and in 1922 on Spiritualism; the former location of the Grand Opera House at which Henry Irving performed ACD’s play, “A Story of Waterloo” in 1895; and 104 Yonge Street (which stands to this day, 128 years and counting), where Canadian-born Vincent Starrett read his first Holmes story in his grandfather’s “bookshop.”

Day Two: Friday, September 23

Registration packages — which include the Conference Guide with a message from the Mayor of Toronto, Agenda, Schedule, Biographies of the speakers with titles and description, and a Quiz by Christopher Redmond — are distributed, in canvas bags. All conference merchandise (the complimentary Conference Guides and bags and the for-sale T-shirts) bear the copyrighted conference logo designed and donated by Bootmaker Laurie Fraser Manifold, MBt, a commercial artist who resides in the U.S.

Cliff Goldfarb recounts the 17-year effort of the Friends to celebrate the existence of the ACD Collection with public art on Sherlock Holmes Walk at the Library’s eastern perimeter. With the support of the City’s StreetArt department, the Toronto Public Library, and the Toronto Transit Commission, which owns the wall on which the art will be placed, a lengthy mural, with individual panels painted by a group of local artists, will soon be unveiled.

City of Toronto Chief Librarian Vickery Bowles, Toronto Public Library Foundation President Will Scott, Toronto Public Library Special Collections Manager Allison Lennox, and Catherine Clark of StreetArt Toronto also address those assembled. Ann-Marie Power of StreetArt Toronto gives a vivid presentation of the artists’ concept drawings, each of which is based on a particular Conan Doyle story or character.

Jessie Amaolo, Bootmaker and Curator of the ACD Collection at the Toronto Public Library, lists her curating duties and canvasses the Collection’s holdings, including some notable acquisitions and past exhibitions. In addition, she conducts several guided tours of the Collection throughout the weekend.

Ross Davies, BSI and head of The ACD Society, examines the phenomenon of singular “dancing men” letters featured in cryptic advertisements in newspapers across the U.S. in advance of the December 1903 publication of “The Dancing Men” in The Strand Magazine in the U.K. and in Collier’s in the U.S.

Julie McKuras, ASH, BSI and grand dame of the Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota, pays tribute to a multifaceted group of well-known to unknown Sherlockians of the past (including Bryce Crawford Jr., Leonarde Keeler, John Ball Jr., H. C. Potter, Orlando Park, Dr. Philip S. Hench, George F. Burrows, Marie Rodell, Zasu Pitts, Milton Caniff, Whitfield J. Bell, T. H. B. Symonds, Joseph Wershba, and Harry Lipsig), describing their diverse backgrounds, and their non-Sherlockian interests and accomplishments in print, film/television and theatre.

Mark Alberstat, BSI, MBt and co-editor (with his wife JoAnn) of the Bootmakers’ quarterly journal, Canadian Holmes, is the leader of The Spence Munros (in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), which he founded while in high school, at the urging of John Bennett Shaw. Mark references his research on Conan Doyle and sports, and details how, through the lens of sport, ACD created memorable athletic characters, whom he considered among his best and brightest.

Barbara Rusch, BSI, ASH, MBt and Vice-Chair of the Friends, examines whether ACD’s monument (“Steel True Blade Straight / Arthur Conan Doyle / Knight Patriot Physician & Man of Letters”) is a comprehensive assessment of his contributions or even an adequate distillation of his life.

Nick Martorelli, BSI, ASH, Headmaster of the Priory Scholars of NYC, focuses his magnifying glass on science fiction and Sherlock Holmes, highlighting the ways in which the Canon includes stories of many different genres, and how Holmesian adaptations interpret and re-mix those elements.

Karen Gold, MBt is a professional singer/songwriter and the Bootmaker songstress (Bootmakers Lassus) for the past eight years. Her parody lyrics have been published in Canadian Holmes and in the BSI International Series volume 6, Canada and Sherlock Holmes. She performs two song parodies: “By Yon Foggy Street” (words by Donald A. Redmond) and “50 Ways to Solve Your Murder” (words by Cliff Goldfarb).

Jim Ballinger, MBt, “Lassus” (1981-99), a singer/songwriter, published his collection of 60 songs (Sherlock Holmes in Song) in 2021. Jim sings “The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection,” written for the 20th anniversary. Karen then joins him for the premiere of “Deduction Blues”: “When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains is the truth.”

Special Guest Speaker Douglas Kerr, author of Conan Doyle: Writing, Profession and Practice and general editor of the Edinburgh Edition of the Works of Arthur Conan Doyle, delivers “The 2022 Cameron Hollyer Memorial Lecture,” titled “Editing Conan Doyle.” He describes the process of scholarly editing, using the example of the first published volume, Memories and Adventures. A more complete report on his erudite lecture will be printed in a future issue of Magic Door. In answer to a question, Professor Kerr states that while Conan Doyle was not a great writer, he was an important one: as the creator of the world’s most iconic and seminal detective and as a cultural phenomenon and a forerunner of new genres of writing (including science fiction and horror), which have been widely imitated and continue to flourish over a century later — in addition to his creating the world’s most iconic and seminal detective.

Day Three: Saturday, September 24

Rich Krisciunas is a member of the Bootmakers and several American scion societies, a former law professor in Detroit and a retired criminal trial lawyer, firstly for the prosecution and then for the defence. His presentation adds much to Sherlockian jurisprudence, positing how Sherlock Holmes, who never testified in court in the Canon, would perform on the witness stand as an expert witness if he were examined in one of his cases by trial counsel, subject to judicial rules of evidence.

JoAnn Alberstat, MBt is a co-editor (with her husband Mark) of the Bootmakers’ quarterly journal, Canadian Holmes and a member of The Spence Munros. JoAnn delves into Conan Doyle’s fascination with Italian inventor and wireless pioneer Guglielmo Marconi, to whom he reached out about Spiritualism in 1921-22. While Marconi was trying to register wireless radio messages from Mars, ACD was “seeking to communicate with heaven” via the same technology.

Ashley Polasek, BSI, ASH holds a doctorate in Film and TV Adaption Studies on Sherlock Holmes, and publishes, lectures and advises internationally. Her presentation, “The Hound of the Baskervilles in the 1930s: Looking Forward, Looking Back,” compares and contrasts the iconic 1939 film (starring Rathbone and Bruce) with the 1931 film, which was virtually forgotten because the soundtrack was lost. It only turned up in 1991 and was then married up with the film. The restored version may now be viewed at the British Film Institute Mediatheque in London.

Donny Zaldin, BSI, ASH, MBt is a Bootmaker of longstanding and the columnist of “What the dickens?” in The Serpentine Muse, the quarterly journal of The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes. Donny’s audience-participation presentation/quiz, “Sherlockian Carnac the Magnificent 2022” is a spoof of the Tonight Show’s recurring “mystic from the East” played by Johnny Carson, who could physically divine unknown questions to unseen answers posed by sidekick, Ed Mahon. Sherlockian example: Answer — a Shoscombe racehorse, a certain gracious lady, and a disguised Bohemian. Question: Who are a Prince (SHOS), a Queen (BRUC) and a King (SCAN)? Three dozen conferees accept Donny’s challenge and submit written entries of their own, with the best one earning a Sherlockian prize.

Jayantika (Jay) Ganguly, BSI (and its first Indian member) is the General Secretary of the 250+ member, web-based Sherlock Holmes Society of India and editor of its annual e-magazine, Proceedings of the Pondicherry Lodge, published 2013 to 2021. Jay is also a member of the SHSL and the BOT, a prolific Sherlockian author and speaker, and an international corporate lawyer and legal educator. Her illustrated PowerPoint presentation, titled “Sherlock Holmes in India” (delivered via Zoom) follows in the giant footsteps of the iconic detective: canvassing the history of the British Raj in India; listing “all things Indian” in the Canon; citing colonial India’s rich history, geography and cast of characters; and highlighting the presence and influence of Sherlock Holmes on the culture of modern-day India.

Charles Prepolec, BSI, MBt is a longtime member of the Bootmakers of Toronto, residing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and a prolific Sherlockian author, editor and reviewer on the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, horror and science fiction. His presentation, “Footprints to a Giant Hound: An Introductory Overview of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Gothic, Horror and Weird Fiction” surveys ACD’s published “weird fiction” leading up to The Hound of the Baskervilles.

PANEL of Authors: Angela Misri, MBt, Maureen Jennings and Vicky Delaney — in which the three authors of detection and mystery, all influenced by Sherlock Holmes, discuss “the keyboard when it comes to detecting and writing.” Ms Misri is a journalist, author and educator, best known for her 4-book, young adult detective series, The Portia Adams Adventures; Ms Jennings is known primarily for the popular TV show “Murdoch Mysteries, now in its 16th season; and Ms Delaney is a national U.S. author of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, featuring a young woman who thinks like the great detective himself. Immediately following, the 3AUT sign and sell their published wares.

Special Guest Speaker Nicholas Meyer delivers the keynote address of the conference at the Dinner Banquet at the Marriott Downtown Hotel. Titled “What, How – and Why – I Write What I Write,” he examines his creative process, especially as it relates to Sherlock Holmes. Mr. Meyer is the author of the ground-breaking and award-winning 1974 novel and 1976 movie, The Seven Per-Cent Solution, in which Holmes meets Sigmund Freud. Mr. Meyer’s body of creative work in publishing, film and television, which extends from writing screenplays to directing, spans over five decades and includes multiple awards and honours, including Oscars and Emmys. A more complete report on his inspirational, extemporaneous speech will be printed in a future issue of Magic Door.

Day Four: Sunday, September 25

Mitch (Masamichi) Higurashi, BSI is a founding member of the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club, founded in 1977 (reaching over 1,000 members before dropping off somewhat) and a freelance translator of literature of more than 190 books, six dozen of which are Holmes- and Doyle-related. His presentation, “A Brief History of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Works in Japan” provides an overview of: how and when Holmes was introduced in print in Japan — in 1894, a mere 7 years after he made his debut in England in 1887 in A Study in Scarlet: and how Holmes gained widespread popularity in print (both in English and Japanese translation), film and television, adaptation and Japanese culture.

RADIO PLAY: “Sherlock Holmes and the London Wheel,” written by Sherlockian author, editor and publisher David Marcum, with honorary director, Nicholas Meyer, and performed by R.H. Thomson, with Nick Martorelli, Mike Ranieri and improvisational comedian, musician and university professor, Jeff Rosenthal. The original radio production is in the style of the Rathbone and Bruce radio dramas of the 1940s. The story involves Holmes and Watson and, not surprisingly, a murder, at the site of London’s first Ferris Wheel, which opened in 1895.

R.H. (Robert Holmes) Thomson, CM (Member, Order of Canada) is a beloved and iconic Canadian film, television and stage actor and director, and the proud recipient of a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for his contributions to the culture of Canada, including his ongoing, multi-nation WWI commemoration, “The World Remembers – Le Monde se souvient.” Mr. Thomson concludes the successful, varied and well-attended, four-day Conference of Sherlockian/Doylean scholarship, fun and camaraderie with a moving recitation of Canadian-born Vincent Starrett’s immortal 1942 poem, “221B” — where like Jubilee@221B, “it is always 1895.”

After closing remarks by Cliff and Mike, Donny presents six individually-engraved metal plaques (which he conceived, designed and created) to organizers Cliff, Mike, Wendy, Barbara and JoAnn, and artisan Laurie Fraser Manifold.