The Inner Room: Editorial (ACD Journal vol. 5)
The Inner Room: Editorial [Vol. 5] is an article written by Christopher Roden published in the A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (Vol. 5, 1994).
This editorial reflects on the Arthur Conan Doyle Society's exceptionally successful year in 1994, from publications and commemorations to growing institutional recognition. Its central news is the discovery of an uncollected Conan Doyle story from 1884, which the Society announces it will publish in a special edition in 1995.
Editorial
We have all heard the story of how, in the 1890s, queues of people eager for the new Conan Doyle story in the Strand used to form at news-stands. Perhaps each and every one of us has, at some time or another, visualised the scene: street lights glimmering in foggy London streets; railway trains clanking and clanging their way to a halt in station after station across the capital, spilling their cargo of commuters onto cold and draughty platforms; streets full of horse-drawn cabs (we romantics rarely, I am sure, pause to think of the problems that caused for the street cleaners); the news-vendors plying their wares: 'Sherlock 'Olmes's latest case. Get yer Strand 'ere!'
At this distance, surrounded as we are with our home comforts-electricity at the flick of a switch, hi-tech equipment, and every modern convenience it is perhaps difficult to appreciate just how much excitement would have been engendered by the appearance of a new Conan Doyle story.
In our own era, a number of 'new' Conan Doyle stories were served up by John Michael Gibson and Richard Lancelyn Green in their Uncollected Stories, part of their series The Unknown Conan Doyle, first published in 1982. And, of course, there are items that have never been published but which can be examined by anyone interested in doing so: the manuscript of 'Angels of Darkness' and the unpublished ghost story 'The Haunted Grange of Goresthorpe' are what I particularly have in mind. But, although we might hope that something new will turn up-and it is difficult not to think that something else by ACD must lie hidden in the pages of the magazines of his time-the very thorough search carried out by Messrs Gibson & Green makes this less likely as time passes. That, in any event, was what I was prepared to believe until early October 1994.
1994 has, without any question, been the most successful year since the Society's founding in 1989. The first half of the year was a particularly active time: the Toronto Convention in early May was accompanied by our first casebound publication, Western Wanderings. The Future of Canadian Literature was specially reprinted as a memento for those attending the Toronto event, although additional copies were printed in order to meet what we assessed to be the likely demand from members unable to make the trip. Both of these publications are now virtually sold out. We also managed to produce Conan Doyle of Wimpole Street in time for Toronto — but only just: finished copies were delivered to us at midnight on the evening before our departure. This booklet was, of course, published to commemorate the unveiling of the plaque in Upper Wimpole Street, which was unveiled by Dame Jean Conan Doyle on ACD's birthday, 22 May. From all viewpoints — the success of the Toronto Convention, the plaque unveiling, and the publications-1994 was a very good year. We might have been excused for thinking, as we drove home from London on 22 May with news of the plaque unveiling being broadcast to the nation on BBC Radio News, that it was unlikely much else of great excitement could happen in 1994.
But in early October a chance visit to a friend in the North of England was to produce something which, even now, is difficult to believe: a story by ACD which has not been reprinted since its first appearance in early 1884, despite ACD's considering it for inclusion in his collection of stories known as The Captain of the Pole-Star and Other Tales. The story is uncredited in the magazine in which it was published, but a letter in ACD's hand confirms the authorship. The Society is now preparing a special edition of the story, which will be published in the Spring of 1995. Full details will be sent to all members shortly.
This new story really is the icing on the cake as far as the Society's year is concerned. But fate decrees, once more, that success shall be tinged with sadness. As this issue was being prepared for the printer, we heard the devastating news of the death of our first President, Mr Julian Symons. Julian, as readers of ACD will know, was forced by ill-health to relinquish his position within the Society last year. I find it difficult to express the sadness I feel at the loss of one who helped me so much in the Society's early days.
Other friends, too, have left us in recent months. John Bennett Shaw, the great Sherlockian, collector, benefactor and gentleman, died in October following a heart attack. John was always supportive of our efforts on behalf of ACD and the last letter we received from him, ordering a copy of Conan Doyle of Wimpole Street, had this to say: 'I do want to take this opportunity to let you know I for one appreciate the fine work you and the Society are doing. I know ACD wrote the stories and created Holmes.'
Finally, we join with our Sherlockian friends in mourning the loss of Peter Cushing, who died in August. Though not a member of our Society, Peter Cushing was a devotee of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and, as David Stuart Davies notes in this issue, did much to ensure that his portrayal of Holmes stayed as close as possible to the original.
And so 1994 was a year of extremes. The Society's membership holds steady, and we are encouraged by reports of growing demands for Conan Doyle's non-Sherlockian works. In Britain, the Society has enjoyed increasingly warm relationships with Sherlockian groups, joining The Sherlock Holmes Society of London for their Back to Baker Street festival, The Northern Musgraves for their Mr Holmes and Dr Conan Doyle meeting, and the Franco-Midland Hardware Company for their Micah Clarke weekend. We have supported the Conan Doyle Company for their Micah Clarke weekend. We have supported the Conan Doyle (Crowborough) Establishment and welcome the publication of its first 'Research File', which contains much interesting information. In North America, we were able to make a donation to The Bootmakers of Toronto during the Toronto Convention to enable them to purchase a reading lamp for the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library. Unfortunately, news of the unveiling of a memorial to ACD in Indianapolis, by The Illustrious Clients, did not reach us in time for a contribution to be made. Nevertheless, we congratulate that group on its initiative. A growing number of University Libraries in North America is subscribing to the Society's Journal and we can only ask that members do everything they can to spread awareness of this important publication: if you provide us with details of libraries who may be interested, we will make the necessary approaches.
We can, I think, look forward to 1995 with confidence. The first major event will be the publication of a facsimile edition of ACD's manuscript of the short story 'A Regimental Scandal', which has been made available to us through the generosity of Wilfrid de Freitas of Montreal. We feel sure that members will welcome the opportunity to own a non-Sherlockian manuscript by ACD, and hope that response to this particular publication will be such that similar projects of this nature may be considered in future. Full details of this exciting publication are enclosed with this issue of the Journal.
In addition, plans are in hand for a special ACD day in London in late Spring, and details of this will be posted to members soon. It may not be as active a year as 1994, but there is always so much in this exciting world of ACD in which we can all share that it will never be a boring one.
Christopher Roden
- Article courtesy Christopher Roden, founder of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (1989-2003).
