Bootmakers In-Person Meeting, Oct. 24, 2026

Please join The Bootmakers of Toronto and the Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection for a very special joint event LIVE at the Toronto Reference Library! There will be an illustrious guest speaker, refreshments, camaraderie, and entertainment, in the social event of the year.

A dark mystery buried in the history of a dying empire which generations of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts could never solve—until now.

The Sultan and the Detective: Sherlock Holmes' Curious Adventures in the Ottoman Empire

Historical fact: the last great Ottoman sultan, Abdülhamid II, fell asleep each night to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, read aloud to him by a palace attendant. This unlikely obsession is the starting point for Andrew Finkel's novel The Adventure of the Second Wife. In this talk, Finkel explores how the world of Arthur Conan Doyle intersected with the late Ottoman Empire, and what this reveals about storytelling, translation, and the unexpected ways stories travel across languages, cultures, and empires to take on meanings the author never intended.

About the speaker
Andrew Finkel has reported from Turkey for many years for international media including The Times, The Economist, TIME, CNN and the New York Times. He is a contributing editor and restaurant critic for Cornucopia Magazine. His writing and commentary have appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Observer, The Financial Times, The Art Newspaper, The Spectator and on the BBC.

Working in the Turkish-language press—in newsrooms, as a columnist and on television—led Finkel to co-found Platform24 (P24), an Istanbul-based NGO supporting independent journalism and freedom of expression. He is the author of Turkey: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press). The Adventure of the Second Wife is his debut novel.

Our own Mike Ranieri and Karen Gold will provide the musical entertainment. There will also be Sherlockian games, books and prize giveaways! Something for everyone.

All in all, this promises to be a pleasant, fun afternoon of camaraderie and good friends. Don't miss it!

THIS IS AN IN-PERSON EVENT AT THE TORONTO REFERENCE LIBARY - 789 Yonge Street, Beeton Auditorium.