Wilde left with a commission to write his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which appeared in Lippincott’s June 1890 issue. “He had a curious precision of statement, a delicate flavour of humour, and a trick of small gestures to illustrate his meaning.” For both writers, the evening would prove a turning point. “His conversation left an indelible impression upon my mind,” Conan Doyle remembered. But he was captivated by one of the other invited guests, an Irish playwright and author named Oscar Wilde. At the suggestion of a friend, he had invited Conan Doyle to join him for dinner in the Langham’s opulent dining room.Īmid the bustle of waiters, the chink of fine silver and the hum of dozens of conversations, Conan Doyle found Stoddart to be “an excellent fellow,” he would write years later. Now Joseph Marshall Stoddart, managing editor of Lippincott’s Monthly, a Philadelphia magazine, was in London to establish a British edition of his publication. The magazine Beeton’s Christmas Annual had recently published his novel, A Study in Scarlet, which introduced the private detective Sherlock Holmes. Then living in obscurity in the coastal town of Southsea, near Portsmouth, the 30-year-old ophthalmologist was looking to advance his writing career. One summer evening in 1889, a young medical school graduate named Arthur Conan Doyle arrived by train at London’s Victoria Station and took a hansom cab two and a half miles north to the famed Langham Hotel on Upper Regent Street. The meeting concluded with the reading of Vincent Starrett's "221B" poem, followed by our singing of The Anthem.The city, in all its brooding grandeur, takes center stage in stories featuring the master of deduction. Our former Melas, Donald Yates, has written a brilliant verse " One Minute Hound", which may be viewed by clicking on the name. The stories in the canon are of variable quality, but in toto remain the benchmark against which others are measured. As Dorothy Sayers noted in her introduction to "The Omnibus of Crime", Edgar Allen Poe established many of the fundamental characteristics of the modern detective story however, Doyle's creation, Sherlock Holmes, has cemented them in our expectations. It was suggested that "The Valley of Fear" is a better detective novel, and that the eerie atmosphere of the former is responsible for its attraction and favorable reputation. The ranking of "The Hound" relative to the other novels in the canon was explored. Because our members are well acquainted with this famous novel, the comments and questions extended over much more than the three designated chapters. Following a supper of roast beef or whitefish, resolution of the quiz was conducted by Bill Reusch (the chemist).Ī spirited discussion ranged over many topics. The meeting opened with the customary Canonical Toasts to Mrs. The evening's quiz and discussion centered on Chapters 6 to 8 of " The Hound of the Baskevilles". The Spring meeting of the Greek Interpreters was held on Wednesday, May 11th, 2011, with twenty members and guests in attendance.