The Baker Street Irregulars Trust: 1930s

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Starrett letter to Smith 1937 re: his absence

Edgar W. Smith, having read Vincent Starrett's book <i>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</i>, wrote to Starrett on October 15, 1936 offering some insightful comments on the work and asking for advice on a book Smith was working on.  That book appeared as <i>Appointment in Baker Street</i> in 1939.  Starrett did not reply to Smith for nearly a year and in this 1937 letter he explains why.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSrUlxkKGy-s5Yky55MIZC2Wl_y73AmCeuozawvRd_iQvfiEpCXlO5GG6FwO-tmjgnRfmvLpWeQpujU_3lBDmJ7v6zprc8kYD2ujgWbdnx_e3E8GdK04vqbPjr5Q5hjHo8Ox17eNsYnTA/s1600/letter-starrett-smith-1937-08-16.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Letter, Vincent Starrett to Edgar W. Smith, August 16, 1937" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSrUlxkKGy-s5Yky55MIZC2Wl_y73AmCeuozawvRd_iQvfiEpCXlO5GG6FwO-tmjgnRfmvLpWeQpujU_3lBDmJ7v6zprc8kYD2ujgWbdnx_e3E8GdK04vqbPjr5Q5hjHo8Ox17eNsYnTA/s1600/letter-starrett-smith-1937-08-16.jpg" title="Click this 1937 letter from Vincent Starrett to see a larger version" width="365" /></a></div>
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Letter, Vincent Starrett to Edgar W. Smith, August 16, 1937</div>
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Click on the above photo to see a larger version of it, and maximize your browser window to see the most detail.</div>
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Glen S. Miranker donated this letter to the BSI Trust in 2005.<br />
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Related Materials</h4>
"A Gift to the Archives" by Glen S. Miranker, <i>For the Sake of the Trust</i>, Vol 1. No.1 (Fall 2005), pp. 1-7.<br />
The <a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/news/trust-newsletter-2005-fall.pdf">Fall 2005 Newsletter</a> (4 MB PDF) includes a transcription of this letter and related information.<br />
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See all the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/search/label/Correspondence">BSI Correspondence</a> on our website.<br />
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The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive at Harvard</a> page.<br />
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Page composed in 2004 by Glen S. Miranker.<br />
This page last updated 1/15/15 by Randall Stock.<br />
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Starrett letter to Smith 1937 re: his absence

Edgar W. Smith, having read Vincent Starrett's book The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes , wrote to Starrett on October 15, 1936 offering...

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The 1936 BSI Dinner

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6PitAg7WByNpOaCBDVG5sWSHR31cUYh86lP2Yrj8O-feTnXnTVO4ZgRSCMT0dMO9gwxWUMCSdau0KxxzlrN9rli4Tz_b-8rVHs12zz1j5gAA8JiqmoF9aWTUOHz45z8Ue5_ou-iFDdIZ/s1600/bsi-dnner-1936-menu-v1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="1936 BSI Dinner menu cover" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6PitAg7WByNpOaCBDVG5sWSHR31cUYh86lP2Yrj8O-feTnXnTVO4ZgRSCMT0dMO9gwxWUMCSdau0KxxzlrN9rli4Tz_b-8rVHs12zz1j5gAA8JiqmoF9aWTUOHz45z8Ue5_ou-iFDdIZ/s1600/bsi-dnner-1936-menu-v1.jpg" title="Click this photo of the 1936 BSI Dinner menu to see a larger version of it" width="232" /></a></div>
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The 1936 BSI Dinner is considered the second BSI Annual Dinner. We know that it occurred, and we know most of the people who attended, because we have a dinner program signed by many of the attendees. However, not very many additional details about the event are known or verified. Approximately thirty people attended, including author Henry James Forman, poet Stephen Vincent Benét, and columnist and author of <i>Archy and Mehitabel</i> Don Marquis.<br />
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Dinner Details: January 6, 1936<br />
Christ Cella’s Restaurant, 144 East 45th Street, NY, NY<br />
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Dinner Photo Information</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As far as we know, no group photo was taken of the January 6, 1936 BSI Dinner.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The above <a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:11370665">1936 BSI Dinner menu photo</a> is from the digitized BSI Trust collection at Houghton Library, Harvard University. Click on the above photo to see a larger version of it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>
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BSI Honours List</h4>
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<b>Investitures:</b></div>
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Not awarded until 1944.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is an Investiture?</a></div>
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<b>Two-Shilling Award:</b></div>
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Not awarded until 1962.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is a Two-Shilling Award?</a></div>
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<b><i>The </i>Woman:</b></div>
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Not identified; possibly none.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is <i>The </i>Woman honour?</a></div>
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<b>"Stand with me here upon the terrace..."</b></div>
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(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing)</div>
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None this year.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the origin of "standing on the terrace?"</a></div>
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<b>Morley-Montgomery Award:</b></div>
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Not awarded until 1959.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?</a></div>
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Reports on the Dinner</h4>
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The Baker Street Irregulars, <i>Irregular Memories of the ‘Thirties</i>, ed. Jon L. Lellenberg, (New York: Fordham University Press, 1990)</div>
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<a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/dinner/bsi-dinner-1936-attendees.pdf">List of 1936 BSI Dinner Attendees</a> (PDF)</div>
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Recordings</h4>
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None available online at this time.</div>
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Related Materials</h4>
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<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:11370665">1936 BSI Dinner Menu</a> (digitized images at Harvard)</div>
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Cover, interior, and back.  Sequence 7-9.</div>
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Previous dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/02/the-1934-bsi-dinner.html">1934 BSI Dinner</a> (No dinner was held in 1935.)</div>
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Next dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/03/the-1940-bsi-dinner.html">1940 BSI Dinner</a> (No dinner was held in 1937, 1938, or 1939.)<br />
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For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/dinner-summary.html">BSI Dinner Summary</a> list.</div>
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The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive at Harvard</a> page.</div>
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Page composed on 10/6/14 by Andy Solberg.<br />
This page last updated 2/7/15 by Andy Solberg.<br />
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The 1936 BSI Dinner

The 1936 BSI Dinner is considered the second BSI Annual Dinner. We know that it occurred, and we know most of the people who attended, ...

+ Read more »

The 1934 BSI Dinner

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGOtwlxfr_RTYhnGa3jj1znN_SpWJ1P60SUg8Sgg68FI1tghqHWS1pHWIpzC7-I8JQt04uzHndAy3Icq-kKFDjfKMZq6yEPzpwFqL31jyk6795aSBgl1nyzS2VeYxd8jZ18tU0wz_rOZ9/s1600/christopher-morley-1937.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BSI founder Christopher Morley in 1937" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGOtwlxfr_RTYhnGa3jj1znN_SpWJ1P60SUg8Sgg68FI1tghqHWS1pHWIpzC7-I8JQt04uzHndAy3Icq-kKFDjfKMZq6yEPzpwFqL31jyk6795aSBgl1nyzS2VeYxd8jZ18tU0wz_rOZ9/s1600/christopher-morley-1937.jpg" title="Click this photo of Christopher Morley to see a larger version of it" width="201" /></a></div>
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The December 1934 BSI Dinner is called the “First BSI Annual Dinner.”  However, it was preceded by two earlier BSI events that year.</div>
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Founded on January 6, 1934, the BSI held its “first meeting” (cocktail reception) at the Duane Hotel to celebrate Sherlock Holmes’ birthday.  It was attended by 15-20 men and women, mostly members of Christopher Morley’s earlier clubs.  There was also a “First Formal Meeting” of the BSI on June 5, 1934, held at Christ Cella’s Restaurant. This one was “stag,” and only eight men attended.  At this, Morley read his manuscript of “Was Sherlock Holmes an American?”  </div>
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Despite these earlier events, the December 7, 1934 BSI Dinner has always been considered (even by the founding fathers) to be the First Annual Dinner. Eighteen to twenty people attended, including archaeologist Harold W. Bell, actor William Gillette (who authored the play “Sherlock Holmes” and played the lead role for many years), writer Vincent Starrett, illustrator Frederick Dorr Steele (who drew the original Sherlock Holmes stories in <i>Collier’s Magazine</i>, boxer Gene Tunney, and critic and commentator Alexander Woollcott. </div>
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Dinner Details: December 7, 1934</div>
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Christ Cella’s Restaurant, 144 East 45th Street, New York, NY</div>
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Dinner Photo Information</h4>
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As far as we know, no group photo was taken of the December 7, 1934 BSI Dinner.</div>
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The photo of Christopher Morley on this page is courtesy of Steven Rothman.</div>
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BSI Honours List</h4>
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<b>Investitures:</b></div>
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Not awarded until 1944.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is an Investiture?</a></div>
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<b>Two-Shilling Award:</b></div>
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Not awarded until 1962.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is a Two-Shilling Award?</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>The </i>Woman:</b></div>
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Not identified; possibly none.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is <i>The </i>Woman honour?</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>"Stand with me here upon the terrace..."</b></div>
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(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing)</div>
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None this year.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the origin of "standing on the terrace?"</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Morley-Montgomery Award:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Not awarded until 1959.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?</a></div>
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Reports on the Dinner</h4>
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The Baker Street Irregulars, <i>Irregular Memories of the ‘Thirties</i>, ed. Jon L. Lellenberg, (New York: Fordham University Press, 1990)</div>
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See also our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/bsi-history.html">Brief History of the BSI</a> for more about the beginnings of the BSI.</div>
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<a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/dinner/bsi-dinner-1934-attendees.pdf">List of 1934 BSI Dinner Attendees</a> (PDF)</div>
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Recordings</h4>
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None available online at this time.</div>
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Related Materials</h4>
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<a href="https://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/findingaids/view?brand=general&docId=InU-Li-VAE0576&chunk.id=VAE0576-00022&startDoc=1#mets=https%3A%2F%2Fpurl.dlib.indiana.edu%2Fiudl%2Flilly%2Fmets%2FVAE0576-00403&aid=VAE0576-U-00403&pn=1">1934 BSI Dinner Menu</a> (digitized images at Lilly Library)</div>
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Cover, interior, and back.  Sequence 1-3, plus a second copy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.unz.com/print/SaturdayRev-1934feb17-00491/">Constitution and Buy-Laws of the BSI</a> (at unz.com)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">First published in the <i>Saturday Review of Literature</i>, Feb. 17, 1934 in "The Bowling Green" </div><div><br /></div></div>
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Next dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/03/the-1936-bsi-dinner.html">1936 BSI Dinner</a> (no dinner was held in 1935).<br />
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For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/dinner-summary.html">BSI Dinner Summary</a> list.</div>
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Material in the BSI Archive may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our <a href="/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive</a> page.</div>
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Page composed on 10/03/14 by Andy Solberg.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Page updated 12/8/14 by Randall Stock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This page last updated 2/26/23 by Randall Stock.</div>
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The 1934 BSI Dinner

The December 1934 BSI Dinner is called the “First BSI Annual Dinner.” However, it was preceded by two earlier BSI events that ye...

+ Read more »