Holmes & the Lost World
Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 23rd, 2007
The four day weekend is turning into a monster. No time to yourself. The turkey sandwiches, turkey stew, and turkey anything are getting old. The cries to go shopping are reaching new heights. All the football games were too predictable. There’s not been a good Sasquatch flap or decent African dinosaur report all year. Otters, fox squirrels, and mangy bears are haunting your dreams.
You need a short break from “Black Friday,” (traditionally those 24 hours after Thanksgiving in which the malls are filled with holiday shoppers looking for cryptid replicas and supposedly other things).
How about a cryptofiction journey to the Lost World?
The “BBC – Cult Presents” site, a few years ago, published “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Lost World” by Dominic Green.
Of course, it was the original The Lost World that inspired Bernard Heuvelmans to undertake his cryptozoological pursuits. A few years later, On the Track of Unknown Animals would be the result. It is always good to take a restful trek to the Lost World, understand it is the journey most of us can afford right now, and think of our brothers and sisters roughing it in Guyana, Mongolia, Sumatra or South Dakota presently.
Original art was produced for the BBC series, and this intriguing painting (above) accompanies Green’s short story. I could rapidly locate the name of the artist, but Brent Swancer (mystery man) has discovered the art is by Peter McKinstry.
The story is located here.
Thanks for an idea from Jim Jackaman for this.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Here is a gallery of artwork by McKinstry for “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Lost World”. Beautiful stuff.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/sherlock/gallery/mckinstry/index.shtml
On Animal Planet “The Real Lost World” was a real interesting documentary. I remember that cryptozoologist from Australia. But I forgot his name though?
Dean Harrison.
I have a large edition of Sherlock Holmes stories, including one which could be considered cryptozoological, “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” Holmes was always my second-favorite fictional detective (the first wears a cape and a mask and patrols Gotham City-yes, of course, that is Batman). Interestingly enough, Batman creator Bob Kane took his character’s penchant for disguises and detective skills from Holmes. So there is a bit of Sherlock Holmes in the Dark Knight.
Oh yeah!. Hound of the Baskervilles is almost like a mothman-like creature. Only thing missing was the glowing red eyes 😉
I’ve seen test footage done by Jim Danforth of several scenes for a Sherlock Holmes film(s). In one of them there is a giant snow baboon, and one where there is a dinosaur. Mr. Danforth is considered by many to be the heir apparent to Ray Harryhausen and his creatures are all done with stop motion animation. The stills from these scenes looked great to me! http://pharosproductions.com/aosma/aosma_masters_danforth.html
Great stuff, but could have done without the Basil Rathbone imagery. I always think of Jeremy Brett whenever I think of Holmes. He WAS Holmes.