Precision matters when you’re a detective. Whether you’re determining a bicyclist’s direction via tire tracks, or the intelligence of a man by his hat size, you’ve got to be accurate in your observations. A quick glance or a slap-dash measurement won’t do. It’s the same when it comes to time. The “curious coincidence” of the installation of a vent and faux bell-pull with the death of Miss Julia Stoner set Holmes on the trail of a merciless killer in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band.” In “The Adventure of the Creeping Man,” Trevor Bennett’s meticulous record-keeping helps the detective deduce the reasons for Professor Presbury’s disturbing behavior.
Watson, however, is not so meticulous when it comes to the calendar. Scores of articles and not a few books have been written by Sherlockians determined to come up with a definitive chronology of Holmes’ career using his Boswell’s unreliable date book. Sometimes, Watson obfuscates the date on purpose. At others, he’s…well, he’s just flat-out wrong. One imagines that the various Mrs. Watsons were often disappointed to find their birthdays or anniversaries go unmarked.
One hopes he made it up to them.
Now that we’re approaching the New Year, perhaps you’d like a new calendar for your own special occasions and appointments. This time, I’m happy to offer you a choice:
The 2015 BBC Sherlock Calendar, shown here….
Or, if you prefer something more traditional, the 2015 Sherlock Holmes calendar from The Strand Magazine, here:
Most of the months have arrangements of Paget illustrations.
To be included in the drawing, send in the correct answer to the following question, along with your choice of calendar:
Dr. Watson is known for his confusing chronologies. However, there is one date he gives in the Canon which we know must be incorrect. What is it, where is it found, and why is it wrong?
Again, please send your answer via FB PM, Twitter DM, or blog comment. You can find the complete Giveaway rules here:
https://wellreadsherlockian.com/2014/12/20/its-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year/
Day 1 Winner!
Congratulations to Resa Haile, our first winner of the season! She knew that Sherlock Holmes once decorated the wall of 221B with a patriotic “VR”in bullet-holes…because he was bored. Other entrants mentioned Watson’s framed portrait of General Gordon, evidence of his patriotism and continued loyalty to his brethren-in-arms, and Holmes’ scientific charts, described in “The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone,” possibly suggesting that he didn’t rely on his “brain attic” for everything!
The Well-Read Sherlockian 
