Baker Street Irregulars Items of Literary Note and Games · The History of the Baker Street Irregulars Through 221 Objects

Mark Twain. A Double Barreled Detective Story. New York: Harper & Bros., 1902. Penciled note by the author pasted to front endpaper. From the library of J. K. Lilly, Jr.

A Double Barreled Detective Story

Mark Twain’s novella finds Sherlock Holmes in the American West. His powers of observation and deductive skill fail him in this story, one designed more to parody Holmes than to celebrate him.

The Game Sherlock Holmes

From the game instructions: “The play of the game is simple and very exciting, and is entirely new. Any number from three to eight can take part. The object is to capture as many “Burglars,” “Robbers,” and “Thieves” cards as possible, and to obtain valuable “Sherlock Holmes” cards. ALL PLAYERS PLAY AT ONCE and there is not a dull moment.”

Each of these games contains 56 cards. During the 2019 exhibition, curators counted the individual cards so that the total number of items on display was, as promised, 221.

Click through the carousel to view all the components of the original edition of The Game Sherlock Homes.

The Game Sherlock Holmes

The Game Sherlock Holmes. New Edition. With rules insert. Salem, Mass.: Parker Brothers, Inc., 1906. Originally in the collection of Edgar P. Smith. On loan from the collection of Glen S. Miranker.

The Game Sherlock Holmes. New Edition. Without rules insert. Salem, Mass.: Parker Brothers, Inc., 1906. Originally in the collection of Edgar P. Smith. On loan from the collection of Glen S. Miranker.

Songs of Baker Street. Sung by James Montgomery. Baker Street Suite for Violin and Piano, by Harvey Officer. In four movements, with Harvey Officer at the piano and Harold Kohon on the violin. 1 disc. 10 in. 33 rpm. Morristown, N.J.: The Baker Street Irregulars, 1959.

Songs of Baker Street

Early BSI member Harvey Officer composed the songs and suite for violin and piano in the early 1940s. This record, produced by the BSI in 1959, was limited to 200 copies.

Vincent Starrett. Typescript of poem “221B.” Page 31 from the typescript of Autolycus in Limbo. March 1942. On loan from the collection of Ray Betzner.

"221B" Poem

Vincent Starrett was the author of the classic book The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, the best biography of the world’s first consulting detective. He also penned a classic sonnet, “221B,” that is recited at many Sherlockian gatherings across the world. This page is from the typescript of Starrett’s book of collected poetry, Autolycus in Limbo. The poem had appeared in newspapers, but this was its first publication in a book.