004 - Story 4 How Watson Learned the Trick

While the legendary Sherlock Holmes canon is typically defined by four novels and 56 short stories penned by Arthur Conan Doyle, there exists a treasure trove of tales beyond these traditional boundaries. This LibriVox album invites you to explore four intriguing short stories authored by Doyle himself yet excluded from the official canon for various reasons. The journey begins with The Field Bazaar, a whimsical tale first published in 1896 in a special edition of The Student, a University of Edinburgh newspaper, crafted by Doyle to promote a fundraising event for his alma mater. Scholars often view this brief narrative as a parody, distancing it from the canon. Next, we delve into The Lost Special and The Man with the Watches, both published in The Strand Magazine in 1898, featuring enigmatic train-related mysteries. Although Holmes is never named in these stories, literary enthusiasts posit that the unnamed characters are indeed inspired by the great detective, a theory embraced for this albums purpose. Lastly, we present How Watson Learned the Trick, written for Queen Marys Dolls House in the 1920s, which shares a playful conversational style with The Field Bazaar. This charming piece is similarly regarded as a parody and thus excluded from the canon. Join us as we uncover these lesser-known gems of Sherlockian lore. - Summary by David Purdy