Discussion Post: The Valley of Fear, Pt. 1, Chaps. 1-3

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

This week, the canon story we’re looking at is The Valley of Fear (Pt. 1, Chaps. 1-3) and the chosen topic is Whitaker’s Almanack.

A few facts:

📖 Whitaker's Almanack ...contain[s] a wealth of information on UK & world politics and government statistics, astronomy, literature, Nobel prizes, religion, sport, weights & measures and significant events during the past year. [Whitaker’s Almanack Collection]

📖 Whitaker’s Almanack [was] published for the first time on 10 December 1868...total sales [of that issue] reaching 60,000 copies. [whitakersalmanack.com]

📖 The first issue contained 365 pages with an index of four pages and 1100 entries. [Whitaker’s Almanack Collection]

📖 A copy of the 1878 edition was included in a time capsule placed beneath Cleopatra's Needle in London. [Whitaker’s Almanack Collection]

📖 1884 edition: Price - one shilling (£0.05) for the paperback issue, two shillings (£0.10) for the larger hardback. 1897 edition: Price - [still] one shilling (£0.05) for the paperback issue. 1887 edition: the price is listed as going up to £0.13, which I assume means the Almanack cost two shillings and thruppence for the hardback edition. [Whitaker’s Almanack Collection]

📖 The original editor, Joseph Whitaker, died in 1895. He was succeeded by his son Cuthbert, who edited the Almanack for 55 years. [whitakersalmanack.com]

📖 The Almanack is of course mentioned in VALL. Some other literary works it has appeared in are: Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Fascinating Foundling by George Bernard Shaw, The Mark on the Wall by Virginia Woolf, Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh, and Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell. [whitakersalmanack.com]



Some useful resources:

Whitaker's Almanack 1869 Its entry on Bloomsbury’s website, which gives a quotation from Joseph Whitaker’s introduction to the first edition.

Whitaker's Almanack 1869 by Bloomsbury Publishing A sample of pages from the published facsimile of the 1869 edition.

A History of Whitaker’s Almanack On whitakersalmanack.com

Literary References Part of Whitaker’s Trivia on whitakersalmanack.com

Whitaker's Almanack Collection On turner123.plus.com Compiled by Michael & Gloria Turner. Facts, and photographs of some of the covers over the years.

Developments and Changes The history of Whitaker’s Almanacks on turner123.plus.com

Just What Will a Whitaker's Almanack Get You? by Chris Redmond on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. Some information about the 1893 edition of Whitaker’s Almanack.



Please feel free to discuss this topic in the comments.

Please also feel free to comment about the canon story itself or any related aspects outside this week’s theme. For example, any reactions, thoughts, theories, fic recs, favourite adaptations of the canon story… Or any other contribution you wish to make. And if you have any suggestions for fic prompts springing from this week's story, please feel free to share those in the comments as well.

Comments

[garonne.livejournal.com]

Very interesting. I always wondered what exactly was in Whitaker's almanac. It seems to be mentioned so often!

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

It's weird - Whitaker's Almanack is still going but I don't think I've ever come across it outside of VALL. I was curious to find out what it was all about ^^

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

The Obituary for Joseph Whitaker, the founder was published in the MMI. And at that time we learnt Cuthbert, his successor, was the 12th of 15 children.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed - I remember. In the course of my search for information, I think I read somewhere that Joseph Whitaker came up with the idea for the almanack because he needed more income for his large family.

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

I had a valued and much thumbed WA once, and some light fingered lady seemed to think it worth pinching. And it was about twenty years old by then!

Definitely good value.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Crikey, I'm sorry about your copy ^^" At least you got good use out of it though ^^