Episode Details

If you were looking for the Sherlock Holmes media pundit, you've come to the right place. Howard Ostrom is a completist of Sherlock Holmes material in media, and he's been on the hunt for decades.

Howard has collected more than 4,300 names of individuals who have played Sherlock Holmes in various formats over the years, and has written the new book Sherlock Holmes Cyclopædia Volume I: 1929-1939, with Thierry Saint-Joanis, BSI ("Monsieur Bertillon") as editor and illustrator, as an accurate documentation of Sherlock Holmes across all media.

In our conversation, Howard describes the discovery of an error and a determination of the correct identity of the first actor to play Sherlock Holmes on film; he shares his secrets of sourcing new material; he makes an expert suggestion on where new Sherlockians might start their journey; and shares one or two of his biggest surprises.

Toward the end of the episode, you'll find the latest Canonical Couplet. See if you can figure out the story we're referring to, and you might win a prize – you don't need to be a Patron of the Arts – every listener is eligible to participate! (But we could still use your support.)

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• This episode: ihose.co/ihose157
• Sherlock Holmes Cyclopædia Volume I: 1929-1939
• The A-Z of Sherlock Holmes Performers
• The Diogenes Documentaries
• Don Hobbs on Episode 64 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

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