Beacon Society News and Links

Why read Sherlock Holmes today?

We help teachers and librarians use the literature of Sherlock Holmes to engage kids in the pleasures of reading. We're a not-for-profit scion of the Baker Street Irregulars, providing resources that bring the magic of Sherlock Holmes to life in the classroom.

Each year, our Jan Stauber Grants help local teachers and librarians develop Sherlock Holmes teaching units in their schools. We also give Beacon Awards to people or groups who have made an outstanding contribution toward the Beacon Society’s mission.

We provide over $2000 for grants and awards each year, but we'd love to support more programs. If you'd like to help, please make a tax-deductible donation here on our website. We accept PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Security is guaranteed by PayPal, the company that handles our online account.

We hope our website is meeting your needs. Drop us an email and let us know a) whether you're a teacher, librarian, student (or something else), b) how you heard about us, c) what kind of information you're looking for, d) what you liked, and e) how we might improve our site.

The Beacon Society is now on Facebook! We have joined several other Sherlockian groups on Facebook. Drop by, "friend" us, and tell us what you'd like to see.

Sherlockians enjoy developing teaching materials and sharing them with others. Look through contributions from Beacon Society members and supporters.

Sherlock, a 3-episode series from the BBC, first aired in the US in October 2010 on PBS "Masterpiece Mystery." We were very pleased to find that PBS mentioned the Beacon Society in its Book and Film Club: Sherlock list of "Resources" for the first show, A Study in Pink. More episodes of Sherlock air on PBS in May 2012 and another series has been promised for 2013.

MAY 1 was the deadline for 2012 applications. This year we welcomed candidates from Canada as well as the USA. The Jan Stauber Grant provides up to $250 in assistance for developing a teaching project that will introduce more young people to Sherlock Holmes. Past winners enjoy sharing their experiences. Guidelines and application forms are available on the Jan Stauber Grant page.

Winners will be announced at noon EDT on 1 August 2012, during Sherlock Holmes Week (30 July - 5 Aug 2012).

William S. Dorn, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at The University of Denver, has taught his undergraduate students about the logical reasoning and adventures of Sherlock Holmes for 30 years. He has written five books about Sherlock Holmes and has been a member of The Baker Street Irregulars since 1999. In 2011, Bill generously gave the Beacon Society permission to share his 2-volume set of Study Guides to Sherlock Holmes, which were published in 2001 and are now out of print. The Foreword and Introduction to the Study Guides explains the unique character of this project that covers every story in the Canon. Thank you, and congratulations, Professor Dorn!

The Beacon Award annually recognizes a project that has successfully introduced young people to the Sherlock Holmes stories. The award comprises a certificate and a check for $221. If you're thinking of a nominee for next year, review the nomination form here, and note that you cannot nominate yourself.