15 May 2014

The Case of the Teeny-Tiny Book


The shortest Sherlock Holmes story is in a 1.5" book in the library of a dollhouse constructed for George V's wife, Queen Mary.  The story was written by Conan Doyle specifically for the dollhouse book:
Watson had been watching his companion intently ever since he had sat down to the breakfast table. Holmes happened to look up and catch his eye.

‘Well, Watson, what are you thinking about?’ he asked.

‘About you.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes, Holmes. I was thinking how superficial are these tricks of yours, and how wonderful it is that the public should continue to show interest in them.’

‘I quite agree,’ said Holmes. ‘In fact, I have a recollection that I have myself made a similar remark.’

‘Your methods,’ said Watson severely, ‘are really easily acquired.’

‘No doubt,’ Holmes answered with a smile. ‘Perhaps you will yourself give an example of this method of reasoning.’..
You can finish reading the 503-word story ("How Watson Learned the Trick") at Futility Closet, from whose podcast I first learned about the existence of the book.  More about their podcasts later, after I've finished auditing the series.

Photo [of a different book in the library] via Decor to Adore (scroll down to bottom), where there are many photos of this remarkable dollhouse.

3 comments:

  1. I have not looked in on TYWKIWDBI for a while. I do not follow favorite blogs like I used to. This was obviously a mistake. There is always real meat and potatoes in your material. I never clicked off your blog still feeling hungry. I am not such a great butterfly fan.but I love your appreciation, like mine, with good stonework and some of the great things that were made before the internet. Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Matthew. I have not posted as much material this year as previously, because of competing interests. Remember you can click open the "blog archive" in the right sidebar to look for interesting titles you may have missed while you were away. I have also recently added a "translate" button near the top of the right side.

      Delete
    2. Futility Closet--the blog and the podcast--rule. My only complaint about the podcast is that it's too short.

      Delete