SCUTTLEBUTT FROM THE SPERMACETI PRESS - A COMPILATION - by Peter E. Blau

Oct 6, 2026

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A historical introduction to “Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press,” describing its monthly publication in ink-on-paper with occasional illustrations and enclosures across decades. The text traces the newsletter’s origins as typewritten information sheets in 1971, its computer migration in 1985, and the naming process leading to the January 1988 issue. It explains the imaginary press’s thematic ties to Sherlockian references and the meaning of “Scuttlebutt,” then notes that the provided compilation contains text only and offers navigation guidance for locating sections by date.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages903

Reading Time23 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Mar 85 #2

Jul 85 #1

Jan 86 #1

Jul 86 #1

Jan 87 #1

Jul 87 #1

Jan 88 #1

Jul 88 #1

Jan 89 #1

Jul 89 #1

Jan 90 #1

Jul 90 #1

Jan 91 #1

Jul 91 #1

SCUTTLEBUTT FROM THE SPERMACETI PRESS – A COMPILATION (1985 – PRESENT) A Little about the History of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press ‐‐ by Peter E. Blau Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press has been published monthly ink‐on‐paper, with occasional illustrations and enclosures, for forty years. Much of the gossip is quite trivial, but most of it is Sherlockian or Doylean. And the subscription price will increase whenever postage rates increase. The newsletter started in 1971 as sheets of paper, kept by my typewriter, so that I could write paragraphs of minor news for my friend John Bennett Shaw. Eventually others found out about what I called "information sheets" and asked for photocopies, and the number of copies required soon reached the point where I started charging for them to recover out‐of‐pocket costs. When I acquired my first computer in 1985, things became much easier and the format more consistent. Philip A. Shreffler, editor of The Baker Street Journal in 1987, suggested that readers of the Baker Street Journal might welcome the opportunity to read all that gossip, trivial and otherwise, and I finally named the newsletter, starting with the January 1988 issue. The Spermaceti Press is the imaginary establishment from which my seasonal souvenirs for the Sherlockian birthday festivities in New York in January have been published for many years, named in honor of a real (and the only known remaining) spermaceti press, preserved at the Nantucket Whaling Museum, where it once was used not to publish anything for whalers, but rather to process sperm oil. And the name of the press seemed appropriate, considering my Investiture in The Baker Street Irregulars ("Black Peter") and the fact that when I named my press I was living on Holmes Road in Pittsfield, Mass., just up the road from Arrowhead, the home in which Herman Melville lived when he wrote Moby Dick. Scuttlebutt is an appropriate pun, since it means gossip, and comes from the barrel (butt) of water used to provide drinking water for the crew of whalers and other ships. Gossip was as common around the scuttlebutt then as it is today around office water‐coolers. I must confess that if I had realized how long it took to explain the name of the newsletter, I might have named it simply Gossip, but what's done is done. This compliation of Peter’s work will ease searches throughout all the files for specific subjects, such as comic books, movies, plays, etc. The compilation starts at March, 1985, when Peter migrated from a typewriter to a computer to develop the information each month. For the sake of conserving the size of the file, images have been removed. This file only contains text. To access the files with images included, go to <[http://www.sherlocktron.com/scuttle.htm](http://www.sherlocktron.com/scuttle.htm)> Clicking (CTRL+Click) on the date below will take you to that section of the file. You may reach Peter E. Blau at 7103 Endicott Court, Bethesda, MD 20817‐4401 and [blau7103@comcast.net](blau7103@comcast.net). Contents Mar 85 \#2: ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Jul 85 \#1: ................................................................................................................................................................................................................9 Jan 86 \#1: ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21 Jul 86 \#1: ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................32 Jan 87 \#1: .......................

FAQs

What is “Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press” and how was it published?

It is a newsletter published monthly in ink-on-paper, with occasional illustrations and enclosures, for many years.

How did the newsletter originate and change over time?

It began as typewritten “information sheets” in 1971, with expanded demand leading to photocopy charging. In 1985, migrating to a computer made production easier and the format more consistent.

Why is the newsletter called “Scuttlebutt”?

“Scuttlebutt” is a pun meaning gossip, tied to the “scuttlebutt” barrel used for drinking water on ships; the name was chosen after explaining the pun at length.

Oct 6, 2026

Upload by Ezra