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Sherlock Sunday: The Speckled Band
Feb. 16th, 2025 08:52 amI'm jumping around a bit in the first collection of stories The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" was published in February 1892. ACD got the idea for the story from an article in Nineteenth Century by Sir Joseph Fayrer about the Indian adder.
We get Holmes being kind to an abuse victim. And showing physical strength by unbending a bent fire poker. We get the deduction of the dog cart (which I think BBC Sherlock cribbed for the deduction of the Pink Lady's legs).
I once made the band an original character in the Inky Quill & Co 'verse. The band's name was Cyril Monteverdi No-Legs, and he liked opera.
Also, in real life, I have actually been even closer to a baboon than Holmes and Watson. When I visited Akagera safari reserve in Rwanda, a baboon entered the breakfast room and stole the jam off my table, the jam I was using! They really are fierce, strong, and intimidating creatures with a kind of blunt playfulness.
Quotes I like:
1. When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of criminals. [This is the money quote, right? The jackpot. Say what you will about continuity, but when ACD turned a phrase he turned it!]
2. These are very deep waters...
3. 'It is not cold which makes me shiver... [said in the right voice, this is very effective]
4. This exchange between Roylott and Holmes [the sass!]:
'I will do nothing of the kind. My stepdaughter has been here. I have traced her. What has she been saying to you?'
'It is a little cold for the time of the year,' said Holmes.
'What has she been saying to you?' screamed the old man furiously.
'But I have heard that the crocuses promise well,' continued my companion imperturbably.
So I did a collage. I realized when doing the junk journals that I really enjoy doing the edges, finding fun ways to trim the outer edge of the page, but for some reason, I haven't done that with my collages so I am going to start because it really is great fun. So see the gold cord for the Valentine pink and this one on the other side.
The first episode (1979) of the old Russian Holmes (aka Livanov Holmes) dealt with this story, along with Holmes & Watson's introduction, and I thought that the (probably) practical considerations of production budget, the dousing a lot of the set of darkness produced an extra sinister and eerie effect, which works very well, I think.
We get Holmes being kind to an abuse victim. And showing physical strength by unbending a bent fire poker. We get the deduction of the dog cart (which I think BBC Sherlock cribbed for the deduction of the Pink Lady's legs).
I once made the band an original character in the Inky Quill & Co 'verse. The band's name was Cyril Monteverdi No-Legs, and he liked opera.
Also, in real life, I have actually been even closer to a baboon than Holmes and Watson. When I visited Akagera safari reserve in Rwanda, a baboon entered the breakfast room and stole the jam off my table, the jam I was using! They really are fierce, strong, and intimidating creatures with a kind of blunt playfulness.
Quotes I like:
1. When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of criminals. [This is the money quote, right? The jackpot. Say what you will about continuity, but when ACD turned a phrase he turned it!]
2. These are very deep waters...
3. 'It is not cold which makes me shiver... [said in the right voice, this is very effective]
4. This exchange between Roylott and Holmes [the sass!]:
'I will do nothing of the kind. My stepdaughter has been here. I have traced her. What has she been saying to you?'
'It is a little cold for the time of the year,' said Holmes.
'What has she been saying to you?' screamed the old man furiously.
'But I have heard that the crocuses promise well,' continued my companion imperturbably.
So I did a collage. I realized when doing the junk journals that I really enjoy doing the edges, finding fun ways to trim the outer edge of the page, but for some reason, I haven't done that with my collages so I am going to start because it really is great fun. So see the gold cord for the Valentine pink and this one on the other side.
The first episode (1979) of the old Russian Holmes (aka Livanov Holmes) dealt with this story, along with Holmes & Watson's introduction, and I thought that the (probably) practical considerations of production budget, the dousing a lot of the set of darkness produced an extra sinister and eerie effect, which works very well, I think.