Introduction

With a great deal of time on my hands, having retired after a nearly 40-year career as a journalist, I have been indulging my passion for the printed word, both poring over manuscripts and attempting to write my own. Like Sherlock Holmes, I consider myself a “voracious reader,” although my memory is not nearly as sharp as his.

One day as I was rummaging through the various cases in the tin dispatch box of Dr. Watson which I had acquired at an estate auction in Scotland, I noticed the bottom of the box seemed ever so slightly raised in one corner. Upon a closer examination, I realized that what I had believed to be the bottom of the case was actually nothing more than a thin sheet of metal which had been cut to the exact dimensions of the box. Taking a small flathead screwdriver, I was able to pry up that false bottom, and underneath I discovered this latest case, which had been hidden there.

I must admit I found the notion of Dr. Watson secreting a manuscript away in the bottom of a box—which he owned, and which many believed to be locked away safely in the vaults of Cox and Company—too fascinating to resist, so I sat down and began to read it immediately.

As readers of my past efforts are aware, the cases in this box had all been withheld from the public for various reasons, and “The Merchant of Menace” is no exception. While Holmes’ vanity forestalled the publication of “The Druid of Death,” and the potential political fallout in Italy and England, respectively, precluded the publication of “The Vatican Cameos” and to a lesser degree, “The Stone of Destiny,” I believe the astute reader can ascertain several reasons for withholding this particular manuscript from the public.

The fact that it was so carefully concealed speaks to the embarrassment which might have fallen at the feet of any number of families and highly placed officials should it have ever been released near the time of the events.

After I had read Doctor Watson’s notes a second time, I must admit that I was also somewhat hesitant about releasing this particular tale.

I am convinced, however, that this adventure deserves to be seen despite the good doctor’s misgivings—as well as my own. That bit of information having been dispensed with, I caution readers this is one of the strangest cases that ever found its way to 221B Baker Street.

If, like the Great Detective, you have a taste for the outre, then I think you will find this tale to your liking. If nothing else, it certainly offers certain insights into the sensibilities of the late-Victorian and Edwardian eras which Holmes called home.

Richard T. Ryan