Worldwide Canonical Greetings

On the eve of our first official meeting, news from around the globe of Holmesian greetings from fellow Societies.

Thierry Saint-Joanis, président de la Société Sherlock Holmes de France, BSI, (wearing the kilt in the top picture and with Alexis Barquin, webmaster of www.sshf.com & http://www.sh-whoswho.com/ in the second) has said "bienvenue en Holmésie".
"We hope to meet you very soon somewhere in our country (Scotland or France) to sign our "Alliance" (the Sherlock Auld Alliance). Bravo et à bientôt!"

The Unscrupulous Rascals, the Sherlock Holmes Society of South Australia and their "phantom" sister society The Very Finished Types (which comes from a reference in the Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax) have also welcomed us into the extraordinarily friendly world of Sherlockdom..Canonical Greetings and warm congratulations on establishing your society for the appreciation of Sherlock Holmes in the nation of birth of his genius inventor and author.
Not before time after all. Well done That's from Dr Ross Philpot of that society, who is known by the Canonical name Dr Leslie Armstrong (from The Missing Three-Quarter).

We've also had messages of support and welcome from the Norwegian Explorers of Minneapolis, whose Karen Murdock has been in regular contact with some of her excellent writings on Holmes for various publications, which she rightly thought would be of help to me, and we’ve also had congratulatory messages from the Hounds of the Internet, one of whose contributors noted “actually, the first Sherlock Holmes Society in Scotland was The Dancing Men of Edzell founded in 1987. However, she seems to recall that this was founded by an American at an American military base and it may not have spread out into the community or lasted very long.
Another correspondent on the site noted: "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. Matthew 13:57".


 

Our First Official Meeting

Due to an arid imagination and a lack of confirmation regarding a city centre venue, it has been decreed that the Boswell Hotel will once again be the meeting place for the fledgling society.
Our first official get-together will be at 7.30pm on Monday, October 25th at the hotel in Mansionhouse Road, Glasgow G41 3DN.
There have been quite a few inquiries since the inaugural meeting, mainly through the bookshop and by email at sherlockscotland@btinternet.com, and I'm hoping there will be a smattering of fresh, eager faces when we next meet.
A Study in Scarlet is up for discussion, but no doubt there will be room for many more topics. Come one and all, bring an inquiring mind and a few pennies for a beer, and a good evening should be had by all.

The Inaugural Meeting

The first meeting of the fledgling Sherlock Holmes Society of Scotland was held in a little room off the bar in the Boswell Hotel in Mansionhouse Road in Glasgow's southside on Wednesday September 29th, 2010.
Present were Noelle Carroll, Amy Ferguson, Simone Hughes, Andy Lombardini, Gemma MacDonald, Elaine Mcleary, Louise Murray, Allan Rae, Jeanie Rae, Scott Stevenson and Barry Young.
Amy was along from BBC Radio Scotland's Book Cafe programme, which broadcast a short feature on the meeting the following Monday afternoon.
It was agreed that Barry should take the chair, and that the society should focus on the books, or "Sacred Writings" rather than the movies, TV series or other spin-offs, although discussion about anything and everything is positively encouraged. The traditional "Great Game" where Holmes and Watson are treated as real people and Conan Doyle as the Literary Agent was felt to be a bit too rarified for the members at present.
We are also looking for a less formal, more Holmesian name for the Society. Traditionally, names are chosen from the titles or contents of the Holmes stories, prefereably with a geographical appropriateness. However, despite Sir Arthur being a native of Edinburgh, there are few references to Scotland in the canon, and none that have an obvious use. Suggestions were invited for the next meeting.
Some members have a wide knowledge of the books, others haven't read any of them, so it was decided that for our next meeting we should read A Study in Scarlet, the first Holmes novel.
We will meet once a month, with the last Monday of the month being the least problematic day for the majority of people, at 7.30pm. A city centre venue was suggested, with Jeanie proposing the Arts Club, of which she is a member. However, as we were unsure of the availablility of the club, Gemma proposed her partner's photographic studio in the Merchant City, which she will confirm.
Scott offered to put together some ideas for a logo for the society, one result of which is on our home page, and Louise volunteered the help of a family member to set up a website.
It was a very enjoyable meeting, which could have continued for much longer, and everyone agreed that the society has made an excellent start.