Remarks

Remarks and Hearsay

These are some comments that writers and subscribers sent to the Strand to celebrate our tenth issue.

“Turn the locks on all the doors. A bloody murderer’s inside. Bar all the windows, call the police. Search every nook, where he could hide. Ask the where, the what and how till every twist and turn’s unwound and they’ve reached the very end, hustled away the man they’ve found. But there’s a door that’s locked tight still, a room no police can penetrate. No window there for light to spill. No searching there will find a clue. This crime is taking place. No solving of the mind’s dark case.”
HRF Keating

“If, like me, you happen to be one of the people who regard reading as a necessary part of life; impossible to do without and second only to eating and drinking, then in culinary terms the The Strand Magazine would certainly find a place in the Michelin Guide.

Solid and reliable, not much given to the wilder excesses of Nouvelle Cuisine but certainly worth a detour. As publication day nears taste buds begin to salivate at the meal to come; it will be one to savour , to linger over and above all to remember. As a Frenchman remarked approvingly when he overheard my wife and me ordering a meal at La Coupole in Paris. It is good. There is no deception. It will not let you down.”
Michael Bond

“The Strand is a real boon to both readers and writers. Can you imagine what the world would be like without Sherlock Holmes? Just think how important the original Strand was to Conan Doyle…and all of us. The new Strand serves a similar function for everyone involved and interested in crime and mystery fiction.”
Max Alan Collins

“At a time when quality mystery magazines are becoming something of an endangered species, it is indeed a pleasure to congratulate The Strand on reaching its tenth issue. It’s a handsome publication, capturing the flavor of Sherlock Holmes and Victorian England while also offering examples of the best in modern mystery writing.”
Edward D. Hoch

“There are all too few magazines devoted to mystery and detective fiction and nonfiction these days. The Strand is an excellent addition to the dwindling ranks, well edited, well designed, and entertaining. Long may you prosper.”
Bill Pronzini

“Two monks walked along a riverbank and saw a thirsty child unable to reach the water. The old monk filled his bowl and took it to the child to drink. Later the young monk asked the elder why he had done that. Had he not interfered with the child’s karma? The elder monk answered, “I gave her water because water and a thirsty child go together.” Her need was filled, and it changed her life.

A half century ago, when I was ten years old and also very “thirsty”, I was given “The Book of Sherlock Holmes”. I immersed myself in it, drank up every word, and was changed forever. On the fiftieth anniversary of discovering those wonderful mysteries, I was thrilled to find “The Strand Magazine”, whose namesake published Sir Arthur’s Sherlock Holmes stories.

I felt a surge of excited curiosity as the magical realm of my childhood came back to life. I read with delight all the stories, interviews, articles, even all the advertisements in the back issues. I have a June 1906, issue of “The Strand Magazine”, and find ‘The Strand Magazine” today exceptional! Thank you and congratulations, Andrew Gulli, and everyone at “The Strand”. You certainly have a loyal subscriber here!”
Basia Koenig, Encinitas CA

Disraeli called it “The first street in Europe” and Charles Dickens wrote “The Strand is a great thoroughfare still and the connecting link between the City and the West. There is somehow an air of greater lightness and gaiety than is apparent in the City”. So it was appropriate that the leading magazine of Victorian and Edwardian times should take its name from so evocative a street. No greater compliment can be paid to you and your team than to say that you have revived the lightness and the gaiety of that publishing legend. Congratulations on reaching your tenth issue.
Peter Lovesey

“The Strand is keeping some of mystery fiction’s most honored and worthwhile traditions alive–in new and revitalized ways.”
Ed Gorman

“I would like to congratulate you on the upcoming 10th issue of THE STRAND MAGAZINE. It is very heartening to know that in this day of electronic entertainment, there is a magazine of this intellectual level that appeals to mystery fans and is published in THE UNITED STATES. Best wishes in the future.”
George A. Phillips

“Andrew Gulli first approached me, as Secretary of the Dorothy L Sayers Society, long before the appearance of the first issue, requesting that we might suggest someone from the Society who could work on the newly proposed Strand magazine. I should have been awake at that point, but, as they do, personal events got in the way and it was a couple of years before I took steps to order my first copy. I was completely overwhelmed by the content of the magazine, and promptly wrote off for all the back numbers that I had missed in the meantime. I also paid a subscription for as far into the future as I could hope to see. Not being familiar with the original Strand Magazine, except by repute, I cannot comment on technicalities like appearance and so forth, but I have continued to find the contents a source of delight and serendipity. When each new copy arrives (all too infrequently for my tastes!) I try to hole myself up in a comfortable place until I have read it from cover to cover. All the old favorites are there – like Harry Keating, John Mortimer, Ray Bradbury and Catherine Aird, but there are new writers (to me) too, and some excellent interviews and reviews. I love it!”
Jasmine Simeone

“The new Strand Magazine provides readers who love the British mystery with a steady dose of stories, interviews, articles, and reviews that cover not only the crime scene in fiction, both modern and historical, but in the contemporary media as well. Under the enthusiastic editorship of Andrew Gulli The Strand not only hearkens back to its celebrated forebearer but has brought traditional British crime into the twenty-first century. In a period when so few magazines are devoted to crime fiction the new Strand provides a welcome niche for mystery readers of all kinds. ”
Charles L. P. Silet

“Congratulations on your tenth anniversary. Whoever decided to revive The Strand Magazine deserves a medal. It not only brought a seminal mystery publication back into life, it allowed modern practitioners to show that the high standards set by the original magazine are still being maintained. The Strand Magazine is the choice of the mystery connoisseur and a wonderful shop-window for the keepers of the flame. May that flame burn brightly for many more years!”
Edward Marston

“It’s been a pleasure watching The Strand thrive. A fine old bottle, great new draughts of wine: the perfect pairing.”
James Sallis

For new and original short detective stories, for first rate criticism of the contemporary mystery fiction scene, and for insightful essays on the history of the genre, The Strand has no equal. No, The Strand has no competitor! It was unique in it’s original formulation, when wide-eyed readers followed those sensational first cases of Sherlock Holmes. It is unique today, as the detective story continues it’s ceaseless growth and development for the entertainment of new audiences. Mystery lovers without The Strand are like news junkies without the Internet– they’re deprived, and there’s nothing more to be said about it.
John Peterson, Publisher, Gilbert! The Magazine of G.K. Chesterton

In the 1890s when The Strand published the Sherlock Holmes stories, it electrified readers and gave the edge to deductive detection. How wonderful that a century later, when short story publication is at something of a low ebb (at least as collected in book form), The Strand Magazine under its able–dare I say visionary–editor Andrew Gulli is a major force on the contemporary crime scene. Its roster of authors contributing original fiction and articles is remarkable, its Sherlockian section a must. All this and a beautiful glossy production, and nifty sidelines like coffee/tea mugs, make me hope that its 10th issue celebration will lead on to many more landmark anniversaries. We recommend it to all our customers. Congratulations.
Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen

“When I saw the gorgeous cover art on the first copy of “The Strand”, I wondered if the inside could possibly be as good as the outside. To my delight, it was and has continued to be. Every issue has offered memorable stories, thoughtful and entertaining interviews and those well written book reviews. Here’s to “The Strand”! It’s much more than a pretty face.”
Jackie Acampora

“In these days when, we are told, attention spans are becoming ever shorter, it seems strange that the shops are not full to overflowing with magazines which offer a range of short, high quality works of fiction. Perhaps this is because so many publishers believe that ‘short stories don’t sell’ – which, with inadequate marketing, can sometimes prove a self-fulfilling prophecy. So three cheers for Andrew Gulli and the ‘Strand’ which carries on the noble cause of bringing the short crime story to an appreciative readership. I’m sure that George Newnes, who founded the original ‘Strand’, would applaud this enterprise.”
Martin Edwards

“My first exposure to The Strand Magazine came as a university student studying Victorian history and literature. When studying the early issues of the magazine, I always regretted that it went out of publication. Therefore you can imagine my astonishment and joy when I received The Strand Magazine (holiday issue #9) for Christmas 2002!

The new “Strand” magazine shares similarities with the original, for instance double column printing, illustrated stories written by good modern day authors, and profiles of famous people from literature and theatre. But the new Strand Magazine, by publishing detective and mystery short stories written by a wide range of authors, exposes the reader to perhaps a new writer’s work, thus perking his/her interest. For example, the interview with Michael Bond (issue 2) and his Pamplemousse story (issue 3) introduced me to his hilarious detective. And, as an history major, I am not a fan of fictional detectives based on real life historical people. But, after reading the interview with Peter Lovesey (issue 7), I’m curious to read his crime series featuring sleuth, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.

A special mention must be made regarding the interview and article sections of The Strand Magazine. I have found the interviews to be insightful and the articles to be well researched and thought provoking. I’ve enjoyed following “The Great Detective” series but if I had to pick just one outstanding article, it would be Mike Ashley’s “The Ghosts of Christmas Past”(issue 9). His understanding of the scope of the 19th and 20th Century ghost story genre is truly superb.

The Strand Magazine is a joy to read, cover to cover, including the adverts! I can think of no greater praise.”
Anne Morris

“The Strand Magazine” is everything a mystery reading aficionado could desire: informative editorials; enlightening interviews with authors and actors; in depth articles on all facets of the genre: films, authors, fictional characters and author’s works; and clever Sherlockian pastiches as well as other short fiction to satisfy any mystery lover’s thirst for reading entertainment. Any editor who can keep such a first rate ensemble of contributors and provide new Rumpole stories on a regular basis, deserves an editing “Edgar”. I intend to ensure that “The Strand” always find its way to my door.
Charlie Cook

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