As usual, I'm going to warn against the excessive use of the word chronology. Yes, there are other words like timeline, sequence, history, and the close linguistic relative of chronicle. But, we are known as chronologists. We study Sherlockian chronology. We brush our teeth with Baring-Gould, and gargle with Zeisler. (Okay, that's a bit much, but you can see what I mean.) Still, it's the word everyone uses when discussing the timeline problems in the canon, and I have to follow suit. But, is our kind of chronology the only kind? Allow me to explain.
Seems there are many types of Sherlockian chronology - maybe even kinds that don't cause people to get all glassy-eyed and sleepy. And it's everywhere. You probably have some of it on your shelves right now. I'm talking about those that place timelines on other things related to Holmes and Dr. Watson. We are all familiar with the chronology of the life of Arthur Conan Doyle. As more research is done on him, more is found, and more updates are needed. To me, that's wonderful. Ol' Arthur isn't a big draw for me personally, but without his part in all of this, I wouldn't be here talking about it. There are those who do pursue him, though. Matt Laffey and Mattias Boström have a series of books out that track the known instances where Holmes and Doyle appeared in newspapers around the world in the sequence in which they occurred. It may not fall under the same umbrella that we stand beneath, but it's chronology.
In the back of the Sherlockian Chronologist Guild newsletter TIMELINE is a listing of all known chronologically-based works that have been put out over the last 100+ years. It's an ongoing project as new pieces come out, or are discovered, with some regularity. It is a true Sherlockian Sherlockian chronology chronology. (I think that's a legitimate sentence.) We all know that a new article or paper can appear seemingly out of nowhere, and like the Doyle chronology, Brad Keefauver (publisher of the newsletter) makes sure the list is updated when it does.
The last example I have of this kind of thing is from a conversation I had with someone, though I cannot for the life of me remember who. I also seem to recall reading about it somewhere, but again - no idea. The idea was about the Jeremy Brett / Edward Hardwicke episode for Granada of 'The Musgrave Ritual' (MUSG). Mention was made of the fact that the Holmes and Watson were in it from beginning to end. (Based on the original story, that's very wrong.) And that they were of advanced years. (Based on the original story, that's also very wrong.) We discussed if I had ever considered trying to figure out a chronology of Holmes movies and TV shows. Basically, it would be interesting to figure out the dates the shows are trying to portray, and making a chronology out of that. In the case of the Granada episode, for example, MUSG would be much later than the accepted early chronological dates we hold as true. See what I'm getting at? I remember thinking it wouldn't be totally impossible, and would be a fascinating endeavor. I think this would also be considered Sherlockian chronology. Different, yes, but you know what I like to say - all chronology is good chronology.
So, it seems that other people are dabbling in our trade without being "orthodox" chronologists themselves. They don't even know they should be sitting at our table at a party! They've unknowingly contributed to our cause, and there's plenty of room for more of them. It's a big table. And there's going to be a seat for you here anytime you want to sit for a spell. Stop by whenever the fancy strikes you, and enjoy yourself. We'll all gather right back here next month for another installment of my Sherlockian chronology thoughts and adventures. I'll see you then, and as always...thanks for reading.
