Tom Ue, an assistant professor at Cape Breton University, has been inducted into the Baker Street Irregulars, an invite-only literary society dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The group, founded in 1934, counts notable figures like former U.S. presidents and author Neil Gaiman among its members. Ue becomes one of only two members from Atlantic Canada.
Tom Ue, an assistant professor specializing in the long nineteenth century at Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia, is among the newest inductees of the Baker Street Irregulars. This invite-only society, named after Sherlock Holmes' fictional address, focuses on scholarship about the detective and his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Founded in 1934, it is the oldest Sherlockian society worldwide, with 772 members in its history and 331 still active.
The society's alumni include novelist Isaac Asimov, former U.S. presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman, author Neil Gaiman, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Michael Dirda, New York Times bestselling writer Nancy Holder, and actor Curtis Armstrong, known for playing Booger in the "Revenge of the Nerds" films.
"It brings together Holmes readers from all walks of life," Ue said in an interview. "So you've got lawyers, you've got artists, you've got some distinguished filmmakers, you've got so many different people who are part of this organization that celebrates Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle's writing."
Since 2021, Ue has edited "The Magic Door," a Holmes journal published with the Toronto Public Library and a related Sherlockian group. He is working on a two-book project introducing readers to Holmes—one covering the four novels, starting with "A Study in Scarlet" in 1887, and the other the 56 short stories. Ue is also authoring a book for the Modern Language Association on teaching the stories in classrooms.
Members produce books, journals, and research, including editions with original manuscript facsimiles and essays. "It was still a surprise that they would invest me, and to be one of two people in all of Atlantic Canada to be recognized is just wonderful," Ue said.
The other Atlantic Canadian member is Mark Alberstat of Halifax, who joined in 2014. A former sports reporter, Alberstat studies sports in Conan Doyle's works, noting Holmes' skills as a boxer and fencer, and Doyle's involvement in boxing, tennis, golf, rugby, soccer, skiing, and baseball. "He helped introduce, or popularize, skiing in Switzerland, of all places," Alberstat said.
The society's annual event in New York features lectures, dinners, tours, and new member investitures. "When you go to a Sherlock Holmes meeting, you could be sitting next to the guy who drives the bus in the morning or the postmaster general," Alberstat noted.
Recent adaptations, including Robert Downey Jr.'s films, Benedict Cumberbatch's television series, and the upcoming "Young Sherlock" series, have renewed interest. Guinness World Records lists Holmes as the most-portrayed literary character in film and TV, with 254 portrayals as of 2012. Ue highlights Holmes' complexity, ethical dilemmas like entrapment and drug use, and the fandom's depth, akin to "Star Wars" enthusiasts.
"I am quite excited to follow the footsteps of these people and also to carry the torch forward," Ue said.
