ONLINE: The Notorious Canary-Trainers

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The Madison-based group has been reading and discussing Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes canon since 1969 (!), most often in recent years on a monthly basis. If you've been meaning to read (or re-read) these iconic detective fiction works, now is the perfect time to join the NCT discussions as they are returning to the first Holmes tale, “A Study in Scarlet,” for October. Reading it before the meeting is recommended, but even if you haven't all are welcome (if you are not offended by spoilers). The meetings are taking place on Webex for the time being; email MaxPMagee@gmail.com for a link.

media release: The Notorious Canary-Trainers is a group of individuals (and some families) who read and discuss a different Sherlock Holmes story each month. We've been reading and discussing Sherlock Holmes for over 50 years, since the group's inaugural meeting in Madison in 1969! There are 60 original tales, published by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle between 1887 through 1927, including 56 short stories and 4 novel-length tales. October 17th marks the beginning of our next cyclic journey, going all the way back to A Study in Scarlet (a novel that has been called Conan Doyle's most important work). Original copies of the magazine in which this story was originally published in 1887 sell for up to half a million dollars at auction due to its rarity and importance.

This story is a perfect place to start reading Sherlock Holmes, as it features the introduction of the famous sleuth to his amanuensis and (eventually) faithful companion and chronicler, John H. Watson, M.D. If you've always wanted to read Sherlock Holmes, join us! We'll explain the details along the way. If you've already read through the Canon and know both Watson's real first name, and how many wives he's had, let US know, we're hoping to answer that question along the way too!

We'll be reading A Study in Scarlet (~130pp) to fully engage at the meeting, but feel free to join us if you haven't (just be prepared for spoilers)! The first quarter—to half—of the stories are generally regarded as superior to the remainder, so you'll be joining us at a great time. Eventually, we hope to resume in-person meetings when COVID-19 has been brought to heel. There is no membership fee or cost to attend meetings.

For more information and an invitation to the Webex meeting, please email MaxPMagee@gmail.com or join us earlier at our Google discussion group at https://groups.google.com/g/nct1969