vivdunstan

... using a local trade directory to understand the Scottish print trade, venues for reading and the urban hierarchy in the 1820s.

https://vivsacademicblog.wordpress.com/2025/09/24/a-look-at-my-new-urban-history-academic-journal-paper-using-a-local-trade-directory-to-understand-the-scottish-print-trade-and-urban-hierarchy-in-the-1820s/

After submitting another academic journal paper (wish me luck!) briefly pausing to take stock of others in progress. 4 more in development; all Scottish history; 16th, 17th, 18th & 19th centuries; genealogy & court history, legal history, black history, music history & popular culture. Lots to do!

Researching, writing and submitting these - including dealing with all the *fun* of peer review - as a sole author is *interesting*. But something I enjoy, and will keep doing for as long as I can.

Got my new tablecloth - a William Morris design, thick cotton, newly hemmed to the required size, including overhang - and looking forward to using it soon with my new small folding table for gaming on. Here's what the design looks like.

On to the Twelfth Doctor era. I'm going to dissect this episode quite a bit so best put things behind a spoiler cut. ( spoiler space )

Onto another story, and, like "A Scandal in Bohemia", this is one I've appreciated more on reads than watching the Jeremy Brett TV version. And this latest read was no exception.

It is gloriously Christmassy, and I really feel as though I should have been reading it in a couple of months time from now! There are vivid descriptions of the cold, wintry weather. And I think reading that is far more immersive than even a visual depiction on the TV version.

The story revolves around a festive goose which has turned up in mysterious circumstances. And even more mysteriously it turns out to have a giant gemstone inside it. Holmes has to deduce how this happened, and solve a crime, and of course he does so, brilliantly.

There is a very lengthy deduction section, where Holmes shows off his skills. This time starting from a hat. It's great to read, not feeling overlong, and it does set up the rest of the story.

I loved the dashing from location to location as Holmes and Watson followed the clues about the goose, back to its origins. There is also a highly amusing conversation in Covent Garden, with a very reluctant poultry seller. And I was amused when Holmes traced someone by placing an advert in the newspapers, that he was sure the person would see the next day.

Ultimately the mystery is resolved, and things are wrapped up. And all round it's just very satisfying. Though again, I think, best read at Christmas. I do wonder what I will think when I rewatch the Jeremy Brett version soon.

On to another Sherlock Holmes short story, and again I'm going to discuss this with big spoilers. ( spoiler text )

Continuing my reread, and going to discuss this with some ( big spoilers )

So a rather predictable plot, but nevertheless a good read with some interesting details.

This is a story I like a lot. A working-class man, notable for his brightly coloured red hair, gets caught up in a strange Red-Headed League, and mysteries unfold.

( spoilers )

A strong story, well worth reading.

Back in April I blogged about my plan to reread all the Sherlock Holmes short stories in sequence. And blog through them as I go.

That plan was put on hold while I was extremely ill again from May through August. But I'm now firmly back on track. Already part way through a reread of "A Scandal in Bohemia". And making notes for a blog post/review/critique/reflections.

So blog post upcoming. Not my favourite Holmes story, but I'm having a fresh appreciation for it this time. And definitely appreciating it more than 11-year-old me did in 1984, watching the Jeremy Brett TV version.

The Holmes short stories are also an extremely tempting reading option, one at a time, if I feel I need an alternative to my current fiction book(s) or rather more heavy-going non-fiction books.

More soon ...

Jotting down quick thoughts in the middle of the night about the latest episode. Which I greatly enjoyed, as did Martin. He has had very mixed views for a lot of the episodes up till now, including 73 Yards which was my favourite. So often he's felt disappointed by the endings, but thought this one "stuck the landing". ( spoilers )