Life is full of coincidences that in fiction would seem incredible.
The story of Michael J. Crowe鈥檚 new book, 鈥溾 (Wessex Press) has a startling number of coincidences鈥攁nd just as many unlikely University of Notre Dame connections.
The story really starts more than 35 years ago, a time when there was a local Sherlock Holmes society, 鈥淭he Solitary Cyclists.鈥
, the Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C. professor emeritus in Notre Dame鈥檚 Program of Liberal 91视频 and an expert in the history of the physical sciences, was a founding member and a dedicated Sherlockian (a devoted fan of or an expert on the adventures of Sherlock Holmes).
A chance meeting
One day Crowe got a letter from a 15-year-old boy who wanted to join the group. Steven Doyle鈥檚 father was stationed at Notre Dame teaching in the program, and Doyle, who鈥檇 received a matched set of the Sherlock Holmes stories for Christmas, wrote a letter to the group鈥檚 contact, Michael Crowe. He received a handwritten note from Crowe, addressed to 鈥淢r. Doyle,鈥 inviting him to join and noting that annual dues were $2.
鈥淭hen I had a sudden fear鈥攐h gosh, they don鈥檛 know I鈥檓 a kid,鈥 Doyle recalls. 鈥淚 wrote again and fessed up. He wrote back and said it would be okay.鈥 Doyle doesn鈥檛 remember much about that first meeting, only that he wasn鈥檛 yet old enough to drive, and his father had to drop him off.
Doyle attended the group for a year or so, until he got a little older, acquired his first car and developed an interest in girls. Doyle鈥檚 role in the early part of the tale ends here鈥攂ut he will return at the end of our story.
Enter the monsignor
At one of those meetings of the now-defunct 鈥淪olitary Cyclists,鈥 Crowe had presented to the group a memorable essay he had written on Msgr. Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (1888 to 1957), a convert from Anglicism who at one time was said to be 鈥渢he most celebrated Catholic priest in England.鈥
Today, says Crowe, the only people who have heard of Knox are 鈥渙ver 70, Roman Catholic and well-read.鈥 But Knox was well known in the early 20th century for his translation of the St. Jerome Vulgate Bible into English, and wrote many works of Catholic apologetics.
Like his peer and friend G.K. Chesterton, Knox also wrote detective novels鈥攕everal of which (鈥淭he Viaduct Murder,鈥 鈥淭he Footsteps at the Lock鈥) are still in print. Along with Chesterton, Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, he helped found the Detection Club, and created a 鈥渢en commandments鈥 of sorts for writers of detective novels, including: 鈥淣o accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.鈥
鈥淗igher Criticism鈥 of Sherlock Holmes
The witty Knox (who, biographer Evelyn Waugh noted, was remembered at Eton as 鈥渢he cleverest boy who ever passed through that school鈥), and who had been interested in Sherlock Holmes from the time he was a boy, in 1911 wrote a satirical essay 鈥91视频 in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes.鈥
At the time, 鈥渉igher criticism鈥 of the Bible was in vogue鈥攁 form of literary analysis that focused on the sources of documents. In his essay, Knox mockingly described in the lofty terms of literary criticism the structural elements of a Sherlock Holmes tale: Exegesis kata ton diakonta (鈥渃lient鈥檚 statement of the case鈥) and the Anagnorisis, wherein the apprehension of the villain takes place.
The essay was read to societies in Oxford and London, and was read by Arthur Conan Doyle himself. Thus Knox is credited鈥攊n that 1911 essay鈥攚ith creating from whole cloth the notion of 鈥淪herlockian studies鈥濃攃alled 鈥淭he Grand Game鈥 by generations of loyal fans鈥攖reating Sherlock Holmes as if he actually existed, and Conan Doyle鈥檚 stories as based on historical fact.
Conan Doyle wrote to Knox in 1912, expressing his amusement鈥攁nd amazement鈥 at the essay. 鈥淭hat anyone should spend such pains on such material was what surprised me. Certainly you know a great deal more than I do, for the stories have been written in a disconnected (and careless) way, without referring back to what had gone before.鈥
An essay lost, found鈥攁nd then published
Michael Crowe鈥檚 essay on Knox was never published鈥攊t contained an unpublished letter from Arthur Conan Doyle to Knox he didn鈥檛 have permission to print. But he did give one copy to friend and 1937 Notre Dame graduate John Bennett Shaw, cautioning him that he must never show it to anyone else.
Shaw (1913 to 1994), whose 2,000-volume G. K. Chesterton collection and 2,000-item collection of the work of English engraver and typographer Eric Gill are held in the Hesburgh Libraries, also amassed one of the world鈥檚 largest collections of 鈥淪herlockiana.鈥 The collection was eventually transferred to the University of Minnesota, where physician and Sherlock Holmes aficionado Dr. Richard Sveum located a copy of Crowe鈥檚 unpublished essay and wrote to him, suggesting that he publish it and perhaps turn it into a book.
The return of Steven Doyle
Sveum put Crowe in touch with specialty publisher Wessex Press, the premier publisher of Sherlockiana in the world. Crowe contacted the press co-director who (plot twist!) is revealed to be none other than Steven Doyle, whom Crowe had last met as a 15-year old high school student.Crowe updated the essay as the introduction to 鈥淩onald Knox and Sherlock Holmes,鈥 which includes Knox鈥檚 鈥91视频 in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes.鈥 The book was published just in time for the 100th anniversary of the original presentation of Knox鈥檚 essay.
In Crowe鈥檚 introduction to the book, he notes that Knox complained about his fame as the purported inventor of 鈥淭he Grand Game.鈥
鈥淭he sad irony,鈥 Knox wrote, 鈥渋s that my one permanent achievement was setting the groundwork for all the Sherlockians that followed.鈥
Crowe and Doyle will discuss Crowe鈥檚 book on March 1 (Tuesday) at 7:30 p.m. in the Hesburgh Center Auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public, with a reception to follow. After the talk, Crowe will autograph copies of his book; Doyle also will be available to sign copies of his recent book 鈥淪herlock Holmes For Dummies.鈥