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Gawgon

"Very well," said the Gawgon. "I shall call you -Boy. The Boy. With capital initials. The capital make all the difference." It wasn't these last lines on the dust jacket of Lloyd Alexander's book titled Gawgon and The Boy that caught my Sherlockian eye. It was actually something far less subtle. It was the picture on the book's cover that I saw. There was our HERO with his arms spread and the calabash is falling from his gaping mouth.

Also on the cover were Napoleon, Mona Lisa, The Sphinx, and an old spinster, whom it looks like The Master is trying to scare. Also on the cover is The Boy.

The boy is named David. He lives in Philadelphia during the depression but is too sickly to attend public school so elderly, tough-minded Aunt Annie tutors him. She was a frightening as a monstrous, snaked haired Gawgon, which was his secret name for her. He is a dreamer and enjoys losing himself in his imaginary adventures.

One of his adventures is found under the chapter titled "The Consulting Detective". The Gawgon soon begins to co-star in his fantasies. She gives him a book of mystery stories and tells him, "Better than just mystery stories. Sherlock Holmes can show you how to pay attention to details and figure things out logically. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson soon captivated the Boy. "The Affair of the Seated King" involves Sherlock and The Boy along with The Gawgon and Dr. Watson with a dash of foggy London's gaslight lit streets.

The book now lives on my overloaded shelf next to such great titles as Sherlock Chick and the Peekaboo Mystery, Sherlock Hound and the Case of the Foul Smell, and Sherlock Hound and the Mysterious Pumpkin. These may not be on the Shaw 100 but they still serve some purpose in the Grand Sherlock of things. We simple must figure out what that purpose is.I am Still Waiting (follow-up)

I thought I would give a follow-up on the status of the ever-elusive Ubek translations of Sherlock Holmes. I had an e-mail from Sherzod and it seems my envelpe arrive in Uzbekistan but the money was missing. Here is Sherlozod's e-mail:

>>>July 3, 2002

Hi Don,

how's everything?

I got your letter, and guess what, there was no money in it. The whole envelope was wrapped with a transparent stick tape, did you do that? There was a paper in it (you probably wrapped the money with), nothing else. Perhaps, a post-office guy just took it off and wrapped the envelope.

Anyways, I will try to send the book whenever I get a chance. Probably during July or even August. Also I found one more new one, so I have two books now (one new and one not-so-new). Let me know if you want them both. Don't send me money, probably I won't get to touch it.

Be in touch, bye.

Sherzod.

It is like I originally said -- I am still waiting

Happy Collecting!!