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Sherlock (This month)

Sherlock #49 arrived at my house this week. I have a complete run of the magazine in my collection. As I thumbed through this issue I began to reflect on where it started and wondered where it was going. I thought I would replay a bit of Sherlock's history.

In May 1991, a new Sherlockian publication hit the newsstands. The first issue of The Sherlock Holmes Gazette featured an editorial by Elizabeth Wiggins, who was savvy enough to make light of her Canonical namesake. Of course the "Letters to the Editor" column was blank. However the subscription rate of $40 for 4 issues set such lofty goals that survival was questionable.

The first issue relied heavily on the American success of the Granada series starring Jermy Brett. The first article was titled "Worldwide Success for Holmes Series". Issue #01 also had stories on Sherlockian London, Reichenbach Falls, Jermy Brett, and the Literary Agent. All in all, there were 24 pages of Sherlockian tidbits. Some of it was new but most the information inside was not.

Physically the gazette was an odd size. Issues 1 through 5 were printed on beige paper and measured 11" x 8". There were no color photographs, only sepia-toned pictures. These complemented printed pages that used brown ink instead of black. For some reason Issue # 5 has always been the most difficult one for collectors to locate when they try to complete their run of the gazette.

Sherlock Holmes Gazette Issue #06 came out in spring 1993 with a new look. Not only had the "The" dropped, the entire magazine had trimmed down to 8'' x 11" with a slick color cover. There were many other changes that came with this issue. There is a subtitle - "The Master Detective's International Journal", a new publisher, and a managing editor. Ms. Wiggins is still listed as the editor. Issue #07 came out for the summer 1993 with a new subtitle - "Classic Detective Magazine". There is wonderful article on the newly formed French Sherlock Holmes Society. A reprint of the Strand Magazine July 1891 - "A Scandal in Bohemia" is also of interest to the Canonical Completists. The next 3 issues remained pretty much the same.

With the 9th issue, Ms. Wiggins has retired, another publisher was in place along with a new editor named Eddie Bissell. Subscription rate had gone down to $35 beginning with the 6th issue and stayed at that rate. It is interesting that the "The" returned for this one issue. It was back to Sherlock Holmes Gazette with issue #11. This issue also saw the Old English font dropped for "Sherlock Holmes" which is the way it had appeared on every cover. It seems that with issue #11 the gazette had finally settle on a look it liked. At least it was good enough for the next 10 issues.

When the 21th issue was came off of the press, the gazette once again had a new name and new design, I thought here we go again. David Stuart Davies had taken over and now the magazine was all his. Sherlock Holmes: The Detective Magazine, as stated in the editorial had come of age. This was a distinctively British slanted Sherlockian worldview publication. It has continued to be slick and full of interesting Sherlockiana. This was November 1997 and that is the way it stayed until the 47th issue came out in January 2002.

This is where the name once again changed. What we now have is simply called Sherlock. The contents have remained steady even if the name has not. The subscription rate is back to $40 a year but this is now for 6 issue instead of 4. The subtitle is now "Number One for Crime Fiction". Hmmm, "Fiction" and "Sherlock" on the same cover, this could border on Heresy, could it. What will they come up with next? Better yet what will they call it?

Happy collecting.