It's very satisfying to be able to assist someone on a project. I've had the honor of doing it quite a few times, and it's always great to see the final product. I've helped with papers, presentations, articles, and other means of relaying information about Sherlock Holmes to the world, and over the last few years I've been the chronological consultant for a book that has just come out. I was lucky enough to get a complimentary copy for helping, and it is gorgeous! Wait until you see this thing!!
It was back in June 2020 when I was first contacted about assisting with chronological questions for the story. I have no desire to give away too much, but I will say that it's Holmes and Dr. Watson getting involved in the George Edalji case in 1907. It's based on all of the actual facts in said case, but has The Great Two looking into it. Kind of fun. If you want to know more, order your own copy here. (And while you're on that site, look for my name under the 'Author' tab.) (Pretty cool, right?!)
When I got the package I was quite thrilled. It was much larger than just a book, and I wondered what was inside. Once I opened it, I saw this...
Talk about great packaging! That's a postcard resting on the paper, one you can see on the webpage I linked to above. The back had a personalized note just for me, so you don't get to see that. Once I opened that paper, I laid my eyes upon a very nicely made card with a bee on it. The card is decorative and functional - it has a magnet that helps keep some flaps that cover the book closed.
I removed the card and opened the diagonal folds. What I saw next really knocked me sideways because it's exactly the kind of thing I would do given the chance. It's visually stunning, and quite unique.
Okay, to be fair, that's the shot from the webpage, but it's exactly what I saw. That's the box the book is in! And the "wings" are covered with newspaper pages.
Now, as if I wasn't already reeling from all of this, I removed the book itself (which contained further surprises that I'll get to in a moment) and saw this under it...
One of those surprises in the book was a little note tucked under the front cover...
Intrigued, I turned to said page and found a wee blurb about me. The Simpson's reference is there because of an idea I presented to the author. It was used, but you'll have to read the book to find out how.
The book itself is a two-parter. That was one of those surprises, too. It has three covers - top, middle, and back. See, the first part is the story itself. The case. The second part, which is attached to the first part, is acknowledgements and the research that went into the work. You read the first part, then literally flip the book end-over-end to read the second part.
It's a little unusual, but I think it's fantastic. The opening page of the first part contains an author's name, but I'll tell you that it's not the name of the person I was communicating with. I'm going to leave the reason a small mystery, but I had to tease you with it. Yes, it's an alias, but there's more to it. (Hate me yet? Lol.)
The opening page of the second part tells you what to expect in it...
Also included was this little booklet. I have always been a big fan of liner notes and annotations and endnotes and footnotes and marginalia, so naturally I flipped through this before the book itself. (Here's a problem I have - when I come to a new page in a book, my eyes are immediately drawn to asterisks and such. My instantaneous reaction is to go straight to them and read the accompanying note. I have to force myself not to. Anyone else deal with this?)
I realize, of course, that this post has about as many pictures as words, but I wanted to give you the full flavor of this masterpiece of presentation. I haven't actually read the book yet because I just got it not long ago and want to have plenty of time to drink it in properly. I have a feeling it's going to be very engaging, and I am really looking forward to that soon-to-come-weekend when it's just me and the book. I'll read it a few times (doesn't everyone do that?) and then give you an update, so look forward to that in a future post.
I will admit here that I am not an expert about the Edalji situation - something I need to rectify. I'm relieved the author didn't ask me to be a consultant about that because I would've had to turn them down. This book will go a long way toward helping me better understand the entire set of circumstances, and will be fun to read, as well. So, I will bring this post to a close so I can check my calendar for a time to enjoy my new gift. I can't actually see when you make it the bottom, so I just have to keep imagining that you do. It makes me happy, even if it may be a bit presumptive on my part. I'll see you next month, and as always...thanks for reading.
