By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
Chip.Chandler@actx.edu
An encore screening of PBS’s well-received “How Sherlock Changed the World” on Tuesday is part of a month’s worth of Holmes-mania in Amarillo.
In addition to the special, which shows the surprising but significant impact Holmes had on modern-day crime-solving techniques, Amarillo Public Library will kick off its spring series of Amarillo Reads activities.
This year’s selections are the Mary Russell Mysteries by Laurie R. King. Beginning with 1994’s “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice,” King explored an alternative version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s storied detective through the eyes of Mary – his apprentice and, later, his wife – over the course of 14 novels, including the April release of the ominously titled “The Murder of Mary Russell.”
“Sherlock Holmes is just a lot of fun, and of all of the different people who have reimagined him in a different way or another, we think she is one of the best,” said Stacy Yates, the library’s public relations coordinator. “The mysteries are just terrific books. They are good read, but they are also thought-provoking.”
Activities begin Tuesday with the first of four “Amarillo Reads at the Movies: Sherlock Through the Years” film screenings at 6 p.m. weekly at the North Branch library, 1500 N.E. 24th Ave.:
- Tuesday: “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (1959), starring Peter Cushing
- March 22: “Young Sherlock Holmes” (1985), starring Nicholas Rowe
- March 29: “Without a Clue” (1988), starring Michael Caine
- April 5: “Mr. Holmes” (2015), starring Ian McKellen
Other activities include:
- Downtown Lunchtime Book Club: Club members will discuss “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” at 12:15 p.m. March 24 in the Downtown library, 413 S.E. Fourth Ave.
- Amarillo Opera performance: Stars of the Opera’s upcoming performance of “The Pirates of Penzance” will perform at 11 a.m. March 26 in the Downtown library, tied to King’s “The Pirate King.”
- “Beekeeping 101”: Apiary expert Caroll Moore will discuss the ins and outs of beekeeping at 10 a.m. April 2 at the Northwest Branch library, 6100 S.W. Ninth Ave.
- “Contemporary Perspectives on Sherlock Holmes”: David Hart of West Texas A&M University’s English, philosophy and modern languages department will discuss the great detective at 6:30 p.m. April 7 in the Downtown library.
- “An Evening with Laurie R. King”: The author herself will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Grand Plaza, 401 S. Buchanan St.
All events are free. For information, call 806-378-3051 or email stacy.yates@amarillolibrary.org.
“How Sherlock Changed the World” airs at 8 p.m. Tuesday on Panhandle PBS.
In an era when eyewitness reports and “smoking gun” evidence were needed to convict criminals, Holmes’ crime-scene methods were revolutionary. Forensic scientists, crime historians and Sherlockian experts discuss the astonishing impact Doyle’s creation had on the development of real-life criminal investigation and forensic techniques.
