Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"A thousand pounds! Great Lord of mercy!" [BLUE] One thousand pounds sounds like a lot of money — now and in Sherlock Holmes's time. How much would £1000 in 1895 be worth today? In which stories do we find a mention of "a thousand pounds"? And what is going on around each of those sums? Answers to all of these questions and more are ahead. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Take a look around. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Watson's Cases" show the influence of the good doctor. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Episode 445 - £100 Check out all of our money episodes, handily curated in these collections on Patreon and Substack All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"departed to my rooms with a goodly volume under my arm" [ILLU] In this month's "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode, it's a matter of a listener-suggested topic. After our Trifling Trifles look at Lomax the sub-librarian, Maxine Reneker wrote to us with an idea. In 2020, Maxine teamed up with Marsha Pollak to pen "Watson, Lomax, and the Goodly Volume: Observations on the Illustrious Client," in The Baker Street Journal. It gives us a much better idea of what Watson was reading as he prepared for his encounter with Baron Gruner. And it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. "Watson's Cases" show the influence of the good doctor. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The London Library Trifling Trifles: "Lomax" (Patreon | Substack) The Baker Street Journal All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a little wisp of pink" [STUD] The Sherlock Holmes stories are filled with colors, from the stories with colors in the titles to the rich scenic details in each. What a great opportunity to explore the rainbow! We take this opportunity to explore the context of the color pink across the Canon. We even set it up like something of a quiz so you can play along in real time. Do you think you have what it takes to name the stories? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Take a look around. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Watson's Cases" show the influence of the good doctor. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"him who has the Holland Grove beat" [STUD] Harry Murcher. There's a name from the Sherlock Holmes stories that could be the answer to a particularly dastardly quiz. In this episode, we'll get to meet Harry, courtesy of Sonia Fetherston, BSI ("The Solitary Cyclist"), whose article "I Met Harry Murcher: Getting Acquainted with Holland Grove's Elusive P.C." appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of The Baker Street Journal and won the Morley-Montgomery Award that year. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Watson's Cases" show us the good doctor's influence. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The Morley-Montgomery Award episode series (Patreon | Substack) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"some novel and suggestive circumstance" [BRUC] We've talked about victims before — people down on their luck, women powerless to do anything, and the like. Then we thought a little more about victims of circumstance. There are a handful of clients and even side characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories who, through no intention of their own, find themselves in difficult straits. These are such victims. And it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Lomax" emerges from the sub-library. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Other episodes referenced: Episode 199 - The Victims Episode 257 - Damsels in Distress Episode 493 - Up Against It Episode 495 - Female Villains All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I see that there was nothing in it, after all." [REDH]

In this month's "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode, we're getting aggressive: we're taking on a number of trifling things at once. Greg Darak, BSI ("The Engineer's Thumb") wondered about various troubling items in "The Red-Headed League," a story popular not only for its plot but for its many problems. Dates, practical matters and more face Holmes and readers. These are many Trifles. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Lomax" emerges from the sub-library. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links The Baker Street Journal All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a clear reach of the river" [SIGN] Once again, a listener has inquired about a trifling topic that we hadn't given much thought to. And as the reference only appears in one place in the Canon, we were concerned there might not be enough to cover. He wondered about the Thames River police force as mentioned in The Sign of Four. There's not much else to go on in the stories, but we found plenty from the historical record that gave us a sense as to what Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Athelney Jones were working with. And it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Lomax" emerges from the sub-library. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The Thames River Police Museum Dismemberment in Victorian London: The Thames Torso Murders (The Power of the Criminal Corpse, University of Leicester) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"several international spies and secret agents" [SECO]

One of the wonders of "His Last Bow" is a snapshot of Britain before the Great War. We're treated to Sherlock Holmes still in top form in the last recorded case of his career, pitting him against the German spy Von Bork. Michael Pollak, BSI ("The Blue Carbuncle") won the 2010 Morley-Montgomery Award for his article "The Spies Who Never Were with Some Observations on Holmes's Retirement" for his analysis of Conan Doyle's handling of espionage in the Canon, particularly when spy hysteria was running rampant. Was it sensational? Restrained? Accurate? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "A Peculiar Party". And peculiar it is. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out: Patreon | Substack Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links The Morley-Montgomery Award episode series (Patreon | Substack) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I would willingly give five hundred" [REIG]

Five hundred! It's astounding to think we've managed to notch 500 episodes of Trifles. But, do this weekly for nine and a half years, and the math seems to work. To celebrate our quincentennial, we took an unorthodox approach — one inspired by a scene in The Valley of Fear. Random text on a given page. The exercise was a fascinating one and it produced a number of Trifles. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Be sure to investigate our "Trifling Trifles" series of episodes — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out: Patreon | Substack Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Explore the store. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"my friend and rival, Mr. Barker" [RETI]

We occasionally get suggestions for topics, and this is one of those cases. Kaj Johansen wondered "who was Barker?" — as in "Barker, my hated rival on the Surrey shore," in "The Retired Colourman." It led us to a short article in The Baker Street Journal by William Schweickert (Vol. 43 No. 2) that takes us through Mercer, Shinwell Johnson, and Langdale Pike and then proposes that Barker held a particularly important role. What was it? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Lomax" emerges from the sub-library. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I've heard of your methods before now, Mr. Holmes" [NAVA] In this month's "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" theme, we turn our attention to another detective — a contemporary of Sherlock Holmes: Dr. John Evelyn Thorndyke. The creation of R. Austin Freeman, Thorndyke appeared in 21 novels and 40 short stories published between 1907 and 1942. In Baker Street Miscellanea No. 9, Howard Brody uncovered Thorndyke's opinion of Sherlock Holmes's methods, and it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Lomax" emerges from the sub-library. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"It is not cold which makes me shiver" [SPEC]

We've all had moments when we've shivered. Perhaps it's from being exposed to the cold for a while, so the entire body spasms in an effort to create heat. Or maybe it's a tingle along our spine, brought on by something that scares us. We trace the appearance of shivers and shivering in the Sherlock Holmes stories, to determine who was shivering and why. We even explore a little about origins of the word itself. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Lomax" emerges from the sub-library. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the gap of loneliness and isolation" [MAZA] Holmes and Watson go together like every great paring. To think of one of them, one must, by simple association, think of the other. It seems almost anathema to consider them alone. In his 2009 Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article "Holmes Alone: Glimpses of Post-Watson Baker Street in 'The Mazarin Stone,'" Marshall Berdan, BSI ("Henri Murger") paints a very different picture than the lost-without-his-Boswell detective. His analysis is just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "Lomax." This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The Morley-Montgomery Award episode series (Patreon | Substack) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"These villains have coaxed this unhappy lady to London" [LADY] Professor James Moriarty, Colonel Sebastian Moran, Dr. Grimesby Roylott — it seems as if the male villains in the Sherlock Holmes stories get all of our attention. And yet, there are a number of women who are complicit in Canonical crime — and in some cases the instigators. Who are they and where do we find them? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. We've got another "Trifling Trifles" episode coming up — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a rough familiarity" [LAST] According to one Sherlockian scholar, there is material in "The Musgrave Ritual" that is strangely familiar. You may or may not have picked up on it before. We certainly didn't. E. Butler Richards, in Vol. 9 of Baker Street Miscellanea, wonders if Watson or Holmes was pulling the wool over our eyes in this entry from an early part of Holmes's career. Does he succeed in convincing us of his thesis? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Don't sleep on "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Download | 25.4 MB 22:54 Links

Baker Street Miscellanea (Abebooks) Pseudepigrapha (Wikipedia) E. Butler Richards (IMDb) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Funds were wanting, however" [STUD]

Not every case Sherlock Holmes took involved a crime. Often times, clients were dealing with a puzzling situation or a conundrum without a crime. And taking their cases to Sherlock Holmes was the best recourse. And a number of these cases involved clients who were in a bit of a financial jam. Interestingly these cases all appeared in fairly close succession. Coincidence? Perhaps it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Download | 21.5 MB 23:01 Links George Gissing I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 91: The Confidence Game All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Corresponding member of the Swedish Pathological Society" [HOUN] When James Mortimer, M.R.C.S. left behind his walking stick in The Hound of the Baskervilles, it was filled with clues — enough to lead Watson to his medical directory, which listed Mortimer as a member of the Swedish Pathological Society. In his 2008 Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article in Vol. 58, No. 4 of The Baker Street Journal, Mattias Boström, BSI ("The Swedish Pathological Society") determined that Mortimer's membership was an impossibility. He explains why and it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Download | 21.9 MB 23:04 Links

The Morley-Montgomery Award episode series (Patreon | Substack) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"To my astonishment it was Sherlock Holmes" [CROO] What if we told you that Watson wasn't exactly honest with readers in "The Crooked Man"? That his telling of the tale masked that it was actually he, and not Sherlock Holmes, who solved the case. John Rabe, son of old Irregular W.T. Rabe ("Colonel Warburton's Madness") questions Watson's version of "The Crooked Man" in Vol. 76, No. 1 of The Baker Street Journal. And it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Don't sleep on "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The Baker Street Journal All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the business in the crypt" [SHOS] If you experience claustrophobia, this may not be the episode for you. Because it's all about being shut up in close spaces. And it's the monthly "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode. Denise M. Rogers walks us through the gothic theme shared between Edgar Allan Poe and some of the Sherlock Holmes stories in her Baker Street Miscellanea article "Crypts, Secret Rooms and Subterranean Passageways: Entombment as a Motif in the Canon" from Spring 1990. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Don't sleep on "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Baker Street Miscellanea (Abebooks) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"an exaggerated view of my scientific methods" [SUSS] We consider Watson a reliable narrator. At least we hope he is. And yet there are a number of times when Sherlock Holmes accuses his Boswell of romanticizing the factual. Is Holmes simply taking issue with how Watson writes with a more emotional and imaginative framework? Or is it possible that Watson was also exaggerating to make the stories more exciting? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Don't sleep on "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the hidden wickedness" [COPP] Vincent Starrett eventually became the dean of American Sherlockians, widely recognized as the foremost expert and significant collector, in part due to his publication of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes in 1933. This month's Morley-Montgomery Award episode comes to us from Starrett expert Ray Betzner, BSI ("The Agony Column") from Vol. 57, No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal. But before that book made its way to the public, a chapter appeared in a rather unusual place. For Starrett, who was accustomed to his Jimmy Lavender series appearing in, shall we say, less than family-friendly places, his Sherlock Holmes material appearing there must have been just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (Abebooks) Studies in Starrett (blog) It Is Always 1895 (conference) The Morley-Montgomery Award episode series (Patreon | Substack) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all." [CREE]

If you want to know five different options for dates of a Sherlock Holmes story, all you have to do it get four chronologists together. Such is the case with "The Five Orange Pips." In the mid-1990s, Les Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange") looked at evidence within the story and external to it to determine if Watson's claim of 1887 would hold up. Along the way, he tested the assumptions of many other Sherlockians before him. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links Baker Street Rambles by Leslie S. Klinger (Gasogene Books) Other episodes mentioned: Episode 318 - Dr. Watson's Marriages All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"spat out some atrocious word" [CREE] One of the curiosities of Victorian and Edwardian life that doesn't get much attention, at least in Sherlockian conversation, is that of spats. This curious piece of attire related to footwear gets a scant two mentions in all of the Sherlock Holmes stories (do you remember who is mentioned as wearing them?), but its history and evolution are even more fascinating. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Spats (footwear) (Wikipedia) What Are Spats? Footwear History and Fashion Trends (Scotland Kilt Collection) 6 Reasons Why Men Don't Wear Spats Anymore (Gentleman's Gazette) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"This little group forms the real family" [WIST] Baker Street Miscellanea is the source of this month's Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist episode. Rev. Raymond Holly, in Number 50, Spring 1987, wondered who "The Real Three Garridebs" were. Or namely, one of them. He brings us into French Napeleonic territory on this journey of discovery. How does Brigadier Gerard connect with the problems of Nathan Garrideb? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Baker Street Miscellanea (Abebooks) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"he arranged a number of breadcrumbs" [PRIO] Toast is a simple accompaniment of breakfast that we take for granted. We place bread in an appliance and minutes later, we have a perfect slice of toast. It wasn't quite so simple in Victorian times. How was toast cooked in Mrs. Hudson's kitchen? And in which stories do we even find toast mentioned? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Alistair Cooke and Mark Twain on toast racks When did people start making toast? (Reddit) Toast (British Food: A History) Previous episodes on food (Substack | Patreon) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"researches which have a medico-criminal aspect" [DYIN] This month, the Morley-Montgomery Award brings us up to the year 2006, when Harold Billings pulled out some serious research originating in Edinburgh. His article "The Materia Medica of Sherlock Holmes" in Vol. 56, No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal helps us understand the sources Holmes may have used for his non-traditional education in the medical field. It may be more than just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is "for those with ears attuned to catch the distant "view-halloo!" This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Harold Billings The Elements Song The Morley-Montgomery Award All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"through the courtesy of Mr. Moriarty" [FINA] As a student and practitioner of the latest forensic sciences as they pertained to the world of crime, Sherlock Holmes was on the cutting edge. He even wrote a number of monographs on topics related to crime. One might think that among them we might find "on the use of fingerprints to identify criminals." This is not the case. Why, we even had trouble finding trifling details about fingerprints in the entire Canon. Yet it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is about the questionable judgment of the head of the Baker Street irregulars. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Get A Clue: A Brief History of Fingerprints in the 19th Century (Criminal Element) Sherlock Holmes: Pioneer in Forensic Science (Encyclopedia Britannica) A History of Fingerprints (Crime Scene Investigator) Francies Galton (Wikipedia) Pudd'nhead Wilson (Wikipedia) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"through the courtesy of Mr. Moriarty" [FINA] Each month, we look at a bit of Sherlockian scholarship that deserves to be unearthed and explored. Together, we consider the trifling matter is concerns. This month, we look at A.G. Macdonell's chapter "Mr. Moriarty" in the 1934 landmark publication Baker Street Studies, edited by H.W. Bell. And it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is about the questionable judgment of the head of the Baker Street irregulars. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Baker Street Studies by H.W. Bell (Abebooks) A.G. Macdonell (Wikipedia) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I can't stand his lordship" [MAZA] For hapless Americans, the titles used by peers in the Sherlock Holmes stories can be vexing indeed. One would think that Sherlock Holmes would be able to keep things straight. Between his devil-may-care attitude toward the upper class and Conan Doyle's own lack of breeding, Damian Thompson found a decided gap in the way certain members of the peerage are titled. And it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is about the questionable judgment of the head of the Baker Street irregulars. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Solecism (Merriam-Webster) The Baker Street Journal All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"It confirms my diagnosis, as you doctors express it." [SIGN] Our latest Morley-Montgomery award episode features another dive into the medical world of Sherlock Holmes. But this time, it's about a diagnosis made by Dr. Watson. In 2004, Costa Rossakis, MD, BSI ("St. Bartholomew's Hospital"), a trained cardiologist, investigated exactly what was going on with the nervous Thaddeus Sholto. His article (but not his diagnosis) is just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is about the questionable judgment of the head of the Baker Street irregulars. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The Morley-Montgomery Award All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"we have had a close shave" [SIGN] Holmes was always clean-shaven, Watson always had a mustache. This is the way of the world of Sherlock Holmes as we know it. But they didn't arrive at that state naturally. Like any good Victorian gentleman who eschewed whiskers, they had to shave. As did others in the Canon. We explore a bit of the history of shaving and its applications. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is about the questionable judgment of the head of the Baker Street irregulars. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The Ultimate History of Shaving (History Cooperative) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a bit of professional business between two gentlemen" [3GAR] In this month's Mr. Sherlock Holmes the theorist, we turn again to a bit of British scholarship from the 1950s. James Edward Holroyd's chapter "Dr. Watson and Mr. Wilde" in Baker Street By-Ways does an exemplary job of comparing the timelines of the great detective and the great wit, who each had a connection to a certain dinner with J.M. Stoddart of Lippincott's. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is about the questionable judgment of the head of the Baker Street irregulars. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Baker Street By-Ways Legends of the BSJ: James Montgomery Some details about the Lippincott's dinner Remembering Robert Duvall as Dr. Watson (Patreon | Substack) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a methodical revenge" [STUD] They say revenge is a dish best served cold. But what about when it's just threatened? In this episode, we do a sweep of figures in the Sherlock Holmes stories who promised or exacted revenge. Did we catch them all? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is about the questionable judgment of the head of the Baker Street irregulars. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"some strange and inexplicable horror in the background" [CARD] This Morley-Montgomery award-winning article is the only one written under a pseudonym (thus far). In "The Case of 'J': A Psychoanalytic Case Study with Particular Attention to `Marriage Neurosis', one D.K. Andrews provides a 1920s medical journal-like case study. In it, Dr. Andrews presents the background of an individual every Sherlockian is familiar with, providing some Freudian analysis on decisions this individual has made. It's a fascinating approach and it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode is about the questionable judgment of the head of the Baker Street irregulars. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The Morley-Montgomery Award All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com

Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"You evidently do not know the Earl" [CHAS] For modern audiences (particularly those not familiar with British aristocracy), the titles of the nobility could be a bit confusing. In the Sherlock Holmes stories, we find our fair share of dukes, barons, and lords. But what about earls? There are only a handful of earls in the Canon, so in this episode, we spend a little time investigating the duties of earls and what it is their female counterparts are called. So grab your coronet! It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode ponders a message we never quite see. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Earl (Wikipedia) What Did an English Earl Actually Do? (History Facts) Coronet (YouTube) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"one of the brightest intellects of the University" [3STU] Of the long-running debates about the Sherlock Holmes stories (the location of Watson's wound, the true dates of "The Red-Headed League," the location of 221B Baker Street), one of the most perennial is Sherlock Holmes's university. There are cases to be made for each of the great universities, but it was Gavin Brend who made a definitive case in a chapter of his 1951 book My Dear Holmes. This Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist episode may be academic, but it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode ponders a message we never quite see. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

My Dear Holmes (Abebooks) The Sherlock Holmes Society of London Oxfords Not Brogues (Real Style) Previous episodes mentioned: Episode 310 - The Route of the Blue Carbucle All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I must really know more before I leave him." [MISS] Professor Moriarty. We know him as the arch-rival of Sherlock Holmes. In many ways, he was the original model for the supervillain. But what do we really know about him? The answer is surprisingly little. And what we do know about him comes primarily from Sherlock Holmes. Join us as we dig a little deeper (or as deep as we can) on this Napoleon of crime. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. There's a new "Trifling Trifles" episode out — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. We release these at the beginning of every month. The latest episode ponders a message we never quite see. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Previous episodes mentioned: Episode 213 - The Three Moriartys Episode 219 - Moriarty's Mathematics All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"whose interest is it that the letter should come out?" [SECO] Season 10 kicks off with another Morley-Montgomery Award winning article from The Baker Street Journal — a series we're continuing in which we look at notable pieces of Sherlockian scholarship about certain trifling issues. In Vol. 52, No. 4, Robert Schultz, BSI ("The Gloria Scott") examined "The Second Stain" for historical clues and then applied them to British foreign relations to discover, despite earlier scholars' results, that there is only one possible author of the dangerous letter. It is most definitely a Trifle. Find all of the Morley-Montgomery series in one place (Patreon | Substack). If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode, released at the beginning of every month. The latest episode wonders about J pens. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

The Morley-Montgomery Award Remembering Robert S. Schultz (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"that is the biggest mystification of all" [CREE] You thought we were done with the Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes? Silly you. As Inspector Baynes said, "I thought I had squeezed all the juice out of it, but I see there was a little over." [WIST] Now we turn to a fascinating study: dating the Apocryphya. Or at least part of it. An entry by Brett Graham Fawcett in Timelines, the newsletter of the Chronologist Guild, looks at how we might assign dates to some of the stories. And it's just a Trifle. Find all of the Apocrypha series in one place (Patreon | Substack). If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode, released at the beginning of every month. The latest episode wonders about J pens. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links

Episodes of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere mentioned in this episode: Episode 144: The Chronologies of Sherlock Holmes Episode 309: Holmes in an Hour or Two Episode 320: It is NOT Always 1895 All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"evidence was wanted" [GOLD] The final installment in our series on the Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes brings us to "The Case of the Man Who was Wanted." Its discovery and provenance seems to have been both wanted and not wanted by the Conan Doyle brothers, who discovered it thanks to a biographer of their father in the 1940s. How it came into their possession and the story behind what was once assumed to be the 61st Sherlock Holmes story — and its eventual debunking — is anything but a Trifle. Find all of the Apocrypha series in one place (Patreon | Substack).

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode, released at the beginning of every month. The latest episode wonders about J pens. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links The Case of the Man Who Was Wanted Classics of Sherlockiana: The Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere) The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes: The "Lost" Sherlock Holmes Story (Black Gate) Nova 57 Minor: The Waxing and Waning of the 61st Adventure of Sherlock Holmes (Abebooks) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Oh! a mystery is it?" [STUD] When Charles Dickens died in 1870, The Mystery of Edwin Drood was only six chapters into its 12-chapter run. There were no sketches or outlines of what would come next, so for a century and a half, scholars have puzzled over the solution. In 1968, Colin Prestige, BSI ("Captain Jack Croker") made a bold claim: that Sherlock Holmes could have handily solved the case, in "Sherlock Holmes and Edwin Drood," which appeared in Vol. 18, No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal. It's this month's "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the theorist" episode and it's just a Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode, released at the beginning of every month. The latest episode wonders about J pens. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Charles Dickens Page) The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Wikipedia) The Baker Street Journal (BSI) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"He sent in his card with a message" [CROO] In our own digital age, business cards are nearly artifacts of the past. And calling cards? They're so outdated we had to create this episode. Numerous individuals in the Sherlock Holmes stories present their cards to Sherlock Holmes and Holmes presents his card to a few people as well. What's the history behind calling cards and visiting cards and how did they play into the stories? It's just a Trifle. We have bonus content for our supporters: images of Victorian calling cards that might surprise you.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode, released at the beginning of every month. The latest episode wonders about J pens. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links Calling Cards and Visiting Cards: A Brief History (Hoban Cards) Calling Cards & Paying Calls: Social Etiquette in Georgian England (Paullett Golden) The Gentleman's Guide to the Calling Card (Art of Manliness) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Nine to seven." "Seven to five." [STUD] For anyone who has first experienced Sherlock Holmes through A Study in Scarlet, Chapter VIII is a shock to the system, placing us squarely in the Great Akalai Plain with John and Lucy Ferrier, and narrated by... who? Ben Vizoskie had that same question in the 2000 BSJ article "Who Wrote the American Chapters of A Study in Scarlet?" which was awarded the Morley-Montgomery Award that year. Many scholars have pondered this over the years, but Ben seems to have cracked the code. And it's no Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode, released at the beginning of every month. The latest episode wonders about J pens. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Our Merch Store is now open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links The Morley-Montgomery Award The Morley-Montgomery Award series of episodes (Patreon | Substack) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"upon the track of the avenging angels" [STUD] The Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes series continues with a three-act play that wasn't published until over a century after it was written by Arthur Conan Doyle. The story of its discovery and dating is even more interesting than the play itself, which is reminiscent of the American chapters of A Study in Scarlet and is... Well, you'll hear. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links The Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes (The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library) The Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes episode collection (Patreon | Substack) Other episodes mentioned: Trifles Episode 318 - Dr. Watson's Marriages I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 13: A Life in Letters All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Our merch site Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"all the main ones in the press reports" [THOR] Sherlock Holmes knew how to use newspapers to his advantage. Time and again, we see him scanning the agony column and making clippings. He told Watson "The press is a most valuable institution if only one knows how to use it." Just how did he use it and in which cases? It's just a Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode, released at the beginning of every month. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links Other episodes mentioned: Episode 50 - The Agony Column New Sherlockian merch! All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"thirteen in number" [HOUN] Ask the average citizen about the number thirteen, and it is likely to inspire terror, or at least some slight trepidation. Right up there with black cats and overturned saltshakers, the number thirteen has a long history associated with bad luck. But what about in the Sherlock Holmes stories? Where does the number thirteen pop up and what can we infer from it? It's just a Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode, released at the beginning of every month. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"and actor and a rare one" [SIGN] The monthly feature of Morley-Montgomery Award-winning articles continues apace, when we share these top-notch pieces of Sherlockian scholarship from the pages of The Baker Street Journal. This episode is from S.E. Dahlinger's truly remarkable 1999 article "The Sherlock Holmes We Never Knew," which gives us a better understanding of William Gillette and the play that made him a household name (and a fortune). It's a large article and a very significant Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode, released at the beginning of every month. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Links The Morley-Montgomery Award The Morley-Montgomery Award series of episodes (Patreon | Substack) Long Lost William Gillette Sherlock Holmes Film from 2016 Found Remembering William Gillette Other episodes mentioned: Episode 126: Becoming the Gillettes (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere) Episode 147: Sherlock Holmes and Silent Films (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere) Episode 34: William Gillette, America's Sherlock Holmes (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I have never seen so tall a man" [SIGN] Our series on the Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes continues on, with a slightly different entry this time. Previous examples have been fully developed stories; this is simply a story outline. How it surfaced is just as interesting as the outline itself, perhaps more. The reader/listener will be left to decide if this could have made a full-blown story. Ultimately, it's just a Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links The Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes (The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"proceed to Waterloo" [HOUN] For those looking to travel from London west to Dartmoor (particularly those interested in stopping at Coombe Tracey), you might do well to do as Dr. Watson did and meet Sir Henry Baskerville at Paddington Station. One small thing, though: there's another station that will get you our west. And if you're another character, you might fancy that. Why? It's just a Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links The original question (Facebook) The Strangers Room Facebook Group The Hound of the Baskervilles: Hunting the Dartmoor Legend by Philip Weller (Amazon) Previous episodes mentioned: Episode 441 - About the Moor All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"so subtly influenced by it" [STUD] It is well known that T.S. Eliot lifted lines from "The Musgrave Ritual" and appropriated them for Murder in the Cathedral, as well as found inspiration for Macavity in the Napoleon of crime. In this "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode, Don Hardenbrook, BSI ("Huret, the Boulevard Assassin") found a deeper meaning in Four Quartets, a collection of four interlinked poems by Eliot. One that echoes of The Hound of the Baskervilles. And it's just a Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links Four Quartets (Wikipedia) The Baker Street Journal All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a huge expanse" [HOUN] Credit: Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 There are four main characters in The Hound of the Baskervilles: Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, the hound, and the moor. [Record scratch SFX] Yes, the moor. Inspired by a clip from an old IHOSE episode, we explore why this ever-present setting looms large in the story, both when it's explicitly mentioned and when it's not. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.

Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 68: Sherlock Holmes on Radio, Part 1 Edgon Heath (Holst) (Wikipedia) Previous episodes mentioned: Episode 393 - The Geography of The Hound of the Baskervilles Episode 441 - About the Moor Episode 444 - John H. Watson—Word Painter All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"befogged in mind" [SIGN]

Weather conditions not only play a part in the settings of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but in some cases, they determine the plots as well.

Fog, London and Baker Street seem to go hand in hand in 1890s London, but London's fogs are more than weather conditions. How did fog color Sherlock Holmes's view of the criminal world, and which stories saw an impact from this misty and mysterious phenomenon? It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles157 Great Smog of London (Wikipedia) Pea-souper (Wikipedia)

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"I am a born sportsman" [LAST]

In a lifetime crammed with high adventure, his brilliant achievements in crime detection obscured his remarkable skills as an athlete. He was an expert with singlestick and foil, a fine boxer, equally accomplished with rifle and small arms and had a knowing eye for horseflesh.

In this final installment in our 2019 series on games and sports, we turn to William S. Baring-Gould, the subject of this year's Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual, and talk through his landmark article for Sports Illustrated article from 1963. It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles156 "Sherlock Holmes, Sportsman" by William S. Baring-Gould from May 25, 1963, pp. 34-46 (Sports Illustrated) William S. Baring-Gould (Wikipedia) The Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. This store closes at the end of 2019.

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"his whole Bohemian soul" [SCAN]

The last in our series of episodes on international interactions with Sherlock Holmes brings us to the now-defunct kingdom of Bohemia. It was so important that it got its own scandal. What do we know about this land from which the masked king came? And of the adjective "Bohemian"? How did Bohemians come to signify the unconventional? It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles155 Bohemia (Wikipedia) Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! Get your holiday orders in now. This store closes at the end of 2019.

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"I was alone." [BLAN]

Sherlock Holmes was occasionally without his Boswell. Watson was married at least twice – some scholars even claim there was a third Mrs. Watson.

Was Holmes truly affected by Watson's absence? There is a subtle time lapse that may give away how Holmes dealt with a matrimonial Watson. And a look at how Holmes dealt with solitude earlier in his life. It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles154 Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective by William S. Baring-Gould Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! Get your holiday orders in now. This store closes at the end of 2019.

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"the only selfish action which I can recall in our association" [BLAN]

Sherlock Holmes was a loner. An independent consultant. An automaton. But he also shared rooms with Dr. Watson off and on for over 20 years.

When Watson went off and got married, how did this affect Holmes, really? And Watson had how many wives? It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles153 Baker Street Elementary – One Is the Loneliest Number Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! Get your holiday orders in now. This store closes at the end of 2019.

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"his strange headgear" [SPEC]

Sherlock Holmes is synonymous with a certain type of hat. We don't need to mention the kind. You know what it is.

But he never wore one in the stories, which you probably also know. But what about some of the other hats that were mentioned by name in the Canon? It's kind of a hat check name check in this episode. And it's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles152 Bowler hat Wideawake hat Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! This store closes at the end of 2019.

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"from their East Indian colonies" [RESI]

"Asian" isn't a term that pops up in the Sherlock Holmes canon. And yet we meet a handful of individuals who lived in or interacted with residents of the largest continent on the planet.

We hear of Asian countries such as Japan, China, Afghanistan, Andaman Islands, Ceylon, the Dutch East Indies, India, Tibet, Nepal, Persia, Siam, Malay, Singapore, Turkey, and Syria. Who were some of these people and why do so many of their stories involve something nefarious? It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles151 Before the East India Company (Lapham's Quarterly) Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! This store closes at the end of 2019.

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"Going for a swim, I see." [LION]

How many swimmers do we encounter in the Sherlock Holmes stories? Given that only one story is centered around an ill-fated swim, you might think you know the answer.

Then again, you might be mistaken. Allow us to turn over the Canon in our minds for other references to swimming. And what do we know about swimming habits in the late Victorian / early Edwardian era? It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles150 Bathing machine (Wikipedia) Swimming in the Victorian Era (PDF) A Social History of Swimming in England, 1800-1918 (Reviews in History) Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! This store closes at the end of 2019.

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"you had been out in vile weather" [SCAN]

Think about the number of times we come across inclement weather in the Sherlock Holmes stories. It's almost like the cliched "It was a dark and stormy night."

How often do we find that harsh weather conditions run parallel to some tempestuous conditions in various Canonical households? It's just a trifle.

Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show.

Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles149 Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts.

Sponsor The Baker Street Journal

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"It is always awkward doing business with an alias." [BLUE]

Back in Episode 96, we chatted about the many disguises and other identities of Sherlock Holmes. But what about other people in the Canon who played dress-up?

Whether they were trying to dupe one of his clients or Sherlock Holmes himself, these individuals each had good reasons to be incognito. It's just a trifle.

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And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or Substack. Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles148 Episode 96: Trick or Treat Get your own Sherlockian merch from our store. Sponsor The BSI Press Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"this young stranger from Canada" [HOUN]

Canadians are so polite. Why, Sir Henry barely complained of being killed by his family's legendary spectral hound.

Where do we find Canadians and Canadian influences in the Sherlock Holmes stories? There aren't terribly many instances, but there are just enough to be a Trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles147 Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts.

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"a very different level to your Majesty" [SCAN]

"The Adventure of the Dancing Men" has a similar theme to that of "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor": a British gentleman and his flighty American bride with her checkered past.

Is there some lesson implied here about the importance of sticking with one's own tribe and class? And what other instances in the Sherlock Holmes stories stand out as examples of the separation of classes in Victorian society? It's just a Trifle.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"excellent wild-duck shooting" [GLOR]

When we think of English country estates, it's only natural to think of outdoor activities. In many cases this included the pastimes of hunting and shooting.

Where in the Sherlock Holmes stories do we find the landed gentry headed off to bring down some quarry that the gamekeeper has stocked? Our monthly series on games and sports take us on this wild goose chase that's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles144 Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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"three times repeated" [FIVE]

There's a familiar plot device that runs throughout a number of Sherlock Holmes stories. That number is three, but do you know which stories make use of it?

We discuss this recurring theme, where it's the most convincing, and why humans get hoodwinked by such arrangements. It's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles144 Shakespeare's sources of inspiration I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 91: The Confidence Game Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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--

"he was bearded" [SIGN]

Well this is embarrassing. As we finished our editing and prepared to leave for a business trip, we realized one critical fact about this topic: we've already talked about it (in Episode 105).

Nevertheless, we suggest you listen and perhaps compare and contrast the two episodes. Yes, there may be a little overlap, but the discussion goes to show how the Sherlock Holmes stories allow us to riff on one topic again and again. It's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles143 Check out all of our Appearance & Attire episodes

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"he still made India too hot to hold him" [EMPT]

India is a wonderful land. And it plays a part in a number of Sherlock Holmes stories. Certainly, it's a center point in The Sign of Four, but where else do we find the influence of India in the Canon?

In our regular feature of international influences in the Sherlock Holmes stories, we learn about battles, cities, districts and other Indian curiosities. It's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles142 Pondicherry (Wikipedia) Bhurtee - the Siege of Cawnpore (Wikipedia) Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"I'm a bit of a single-stick expert, as you know" [ILLU]

In listing Sherlock Holmes's limits in A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson indicates that Holmes is something of an amateur sportsman: "11. Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman."

In this latest entry in our Games and Sports series, we look at singlestick and its relation to other pastimes and run-ins in the Canon. It's just a Trifle.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"Let us escape from this weary workaday world by the side door of music." [RETI]

Sherlock Holmes took a great interest in musicians and concerts, mentioning a few by name in the Canon.

In the last episode, we discussed composers and their works; this time, it's off to violin-land where all is sweetness and light. We look at performers real and fictional, where they plied their trade, and what instruments they played, including musical families. It's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles140 Other episodes mentioned in this episode: Episode 40: Who Was Sarasate? IHOSE Episodes 68 and 69 with Burt Coules Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. But hurry! The Special Summer sale will end soon - 25% off with code SUMMER.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"a composer of no ordinary merit." [REDH]

From the very beginning of the Sherlock Holmes stories, we know that Sherlock Holmes plays the violin. It's one of the personality traits he admits to Watson and that Watson later chronicles.

In addition to Holmes's own performances, we come across a number of other composers and their works in the Canon. Who and what were they? It's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles139 Les Huguenots by Meyerbeer (Wikipedia) "That little thing of Chopin" (Camden House) Offenbach - "Barcarolle" from The Tales of Hoffmann (YouTube) Other episodes mentioned in this episode: Episode 78: Where Are They Now? Inspector Gregson Episode 89: Stradivarius Episode 98: The Gramophone Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. But hurry! The Special Summer sale will end soon - 25% off with code SUMMER.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"a man might as well live in Russia" [VALL]

The connections between Sherlock Holmes an Russia—in the Sherlock Holmes stories themselves, as least—would seem to be limited. Yet it provides much information for a robust discussion.

From exported goods to crimes from two decades previous, we encounter a smattering of mentions of the Land of Rus. What do they tell us about Sherlock Holmes? And what was happening in the world at the time? It's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles138 Russia leather Little Russia The eBSJ A Russian Sherlock Holmes cartoon and another animated Russian Sherlock Holmes in translation The Wrong Passage Other episodes mentioned in this episode: I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 50: Golden Passage Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. But hurry! The Special Summer sale will end soon - 25% off with code SUMMER.

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"He started in his little yacht" [BLAC]

There are plenty of instances of maritime transportation in the Sherlock Holmes stories. But when it comes to pleasure crafts, we're left with a scant few.

The use various boats for leisure and sporting activities is present sporadically throughout the Canon, so you have to pay attention. We investigate these few instances, plus a supposition. It is of course a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles137 The Boat Race Interview with Robert Stephens in Michael Pointer's Playing Sherlock Holmes: Interviews with John Wood, Robert Stephens, and Christopher Lee. (Amazon) Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. Special Summer sale happening now - 25% off with code SUMMER.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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"you were on the battlefield" [BLAN]

In the last episode, Robert Katz, BSI began to take us through his theory of where Dr. Watson spent his early years. He used the facts given to us by Watson himself, combined with the reasoning of Sherlock Holmes to arrive at some conclusions.

This week, he brings us the other half of the story: after Watson moved from Australia to America, he tells us about the connection with Henry Ward Beecher and Watson's heroics on U.S. soil.

It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles136 Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. Special Summer sale happening now - 25% off with code SUMMER.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"I travelled in my youth" [TWIS]

We know little about Dr. Watson's life, aside from what he managed to tell us. Yes, he was in the Army's medical department. Yes, he was wounded. And he needed to find a flatmate to be able to afford London on his pension.

But what about beyond that? Sherlock Holmes was able to make some inferences from a watch that Watson's brother bequeathed to him. There are a few other clues here and there to give us a scent to pick up. And Robert Katz, BSI joins us to begin to weave those threads together.

It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles135 Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. Special Summer sale happening now - 25% off with code SUMMER.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"her people have been leaders in Pernambuco for generations" [3GAB]

South America and its exotic tropical climate is about as far removed from the dampness of England as one can find. Its collective countries stand in juxtaposition to proper Victorian customs, and anything in the Sherlock Holmes stories that touches South America is suspect.

We look at some of the men and women associated with the continent that is mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, and the implications for each story.

It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles134 Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. Special Summer sale happening now - 25% off with code SUMMER. Sponsor The BSI Press Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a boarding house that was recommended" [VALL]

When traveling or settling into a city for a bit, Victorians had options. Hotels were commonplace, but could be expensive. So what's a reasonable alternative? A boarding house!

There were two stories in which mysterious boarders caught the attention of Sherlock Holmes, and his visits with their landladies proved fruitful for Watson's writing. What do we know about these, and other instances of boarding houses in the Sherlock Holmes stories?

It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles133 Boarding house (Wikipedia) Lodging Houses (The Dictionary of Victorian London) Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. Special Summer sale happening now - 25% off!

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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--

"Come into the billiard-room and have a quiet cigar." [GLOR]

Rack 'em up! Our monthly discussion of games and sports turns to billiards.

While the game itself is mentioned once in a significant way, there are a number of times when a room dedicated to the activity pops up in the Sherlock Holmes stories. What is it about billiards that captured English attention during this time period?

It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles132 Cue sports (Wikipedia) Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. Special Summer sale happening now - 25% off!

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Image credit

The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia

--

"he sang your praises very loudly" [STOC]

As early as A Study in Scarlet, we discover that Sherlock Holmes "was as sensitive to flattery on the score of his art as any girl could be of her beauty." Then once again toward the end of the Canon, in "The Red Circle," Watson reminds us that "Holmes was accessible upon the side of flattery."

We previously covered some of the insults and invective that Holmes had to endure. But what about praise? What about epithets that were acclamatory rather than derogatory. It is just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles131 Episode 91 - How Insulting Steve Clarkson's The Canonical Compendium Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. Special Summer sale happening now - 25% off!

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"a member of an aristocratic club" [BERY]

From golf clubs to gentlemen's clubs...

Ask any Sherlockian to name a club in the Canon and they'll invariably say the Diogenes Club (that's right after Tonga's club. You don't have to be a Penang lawyer to get that one.). And there were a number of fictional clubs as well.

But one club that gets just a passing mention is Watson's club. Which one was it? Speculation abounds, so we gave it a shot. It's just a trifle.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles130 The Gentlemen's Clubs of London (Amazon) List of gentlemen's clubs in London (Wikipedia) Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. Special Summer sale happening now - 25% off!

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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--

"It is always a joy to meet an American." [NOBL]

Americans have been avid fans of Sherlock Holmes since the earliest days. The novels were pirated and the short stories were syndicated to reach millions of American readers.

And Sherlock Holmes himself was a fan of Americans. There's a wide variety of Americans and American locales that popped up in the Canon quite frequently. And those are worth trifling over.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles129 Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"'Fore God, Mr. Holmes, it's all right," [SHOS]

Sherlock Holmes and golf don't necessarily go together. That is clearly represented by the few times that the sport is mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

His creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had a few connections to golf. Together, we explore these scant details and come up with enough for another episode of Trifles in our monthly look at games and sports.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles127 Victorian Schooling Board Schools Standards of Education from 1872 Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise, as seen below. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. Sponsor The Baker Street Journal

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"Light-houses, my boy! Beacons of the future!" [COPP]

We first hear of boarding-schools in "The Naval Treaty," in which Watson mentions his fellow alumnus Percy Phelps, who needs Sherlock Holmes's help. And of course, the Priory School (from the adventure of the same name) is private boarding school of some note.

When did boarding-schools come to be? What changed in the legislation of England at the time that made education more of a thing? We explore the societal forces that came to bear on schools at the time.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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"the calculation now was a simple one" [MUSG]

The questions in the Musgrave Ritual lead us to answers that are nearly as cryptic as the questions themselves. Among the questions was "Where was the shadow?" The answer, of course, is "Under the elm."

But how was Sherlock Holmes able to calculate the location of the object of the Musgrave Ritual, given the lack of an elm and the passing of over 200 years? It's one of the trifles in the Canon.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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"an autograph letter of thanks from the French" [GOLD]

France and England have always had a close relationship, if contentious at times. Is it any small wonder that we find plenty of French influences in the Sherlock Holmes stories?

From quoting French philosophers to referencing French detectives and from earning French accolades and casually revealing French relatives, Sherlock Holmes was well versed with all things French. We investigate a few trifling examples.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles125 Ken Ludwig on IHOSE Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise

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"He could carve a bit and gild and frame, and do odd jobs." [SIXN]

There were scores of jobs mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories, but we focus on some of the more trifling titles in this episode.

You've heard of doctors and lawyers and even consulting detectives as professions. But what about gamekeepers? Or yeggmen? Mendicants (amateur or otherwise), tide-waiters and an abbess await your inquiry as well.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles124 Episode 36 - Tradesmen in the Canon Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise

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"I would not have missed it for a good deal" [BERY]

Eight episodes ago, we talked very specifically about a card game: whist. But we're aware that there's more to cards than whist, and there are additional references in the Sherlock Holmes Canon.

A brief review of a number of Sherlock Holmes stories will show "card playing" as well as one or two specifically named card games. Oh, and what about a card game specifically related to Sherlock Holmes? It's all here in Trifles.

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"less poisonous than one might expect" [BRUC]

From the very first Sherlock Holmes story, we're introduced to poisons and their role in crime and detective fiction. From there, it's a hopscotch of poisonings and poisons in the Canon.

From alkaloids to airborne toxins, we come across a variety of substances that cause harm, both intentionally and accidentally. What are they? Tune in and you may pick up a Trifle or two...

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"old coins, apparently" [MUSG]

This is National Coin Week, according to the American Numismatic Association. What better week to consider old money in the Sherlock Holmes stories?

The terminology and math can be confusing to us today. Quid? Sovereign? Shilling? How do these relate to each other and how much buying power did they have? Greg Ruby, BSI of The Fourth Garrideb put a bug in our ear and that became a Trifle...

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles121 So, How Much is a Quid, a Bob, and a Crown, Really? Old English Money British Currency System, Old British Money, and Slang Sponsor The Baker Street Journal

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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"distinctly Australian" [BOSC]

To readers of the Sherlock Holmes stories in the late Victorian era, Australia was an exotic and dangerous place. It was not all that far removed from the days of transportation, when some criminals and the destitute were put on ships bound for the land Down Under.

Australia makes a number of appearances in the Canon. What do these have in common and what inferences can we make? These are but a Trifle...

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles120 Hyde Park Barracks (Sydney) Convict Sydney Exhibit I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 97: The Sydney Passengers Trifles Episode 27 - Rebellion! Sponsor The BSI Press International Series

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"two on the lawn" [CROO]

Sherlock Holmes and tennis — they go together like...like... Well, we're here to tell you that while combining the great detective with a lawn sport is actually elementary.

There are a handful of passing references to this sport in the Canon, and pointing them out is merely a Trifle...

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"we can't have tomfoolery of this kind" [FIVE]

The beginning of April dependably brings April Fools' Day. And while there weren't outright hi-jinks in the Sherlock Holmes stories, there were a fair share of instances where individuals were fooled.

You might think that it's Watson who's fooled frequently, but there were a number of times when Sherlock Holmes himself had the wool pulled over his eyes. We explore examples that add up to a little more than a Trifle...

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"It is Porlock's writing" [VALL]

The opening of The Valley of Fear introduced us to a mysterious individual: Porlock, who sent a cryptic note to Sherlock Holmes to warn him of doings afoot at Birlstone.

Sherlock Holmes didn't look into Porlock's identity too closely, but we do have a number of clues and inferences that may lead us to an identification. Or that may at least narrow things down a bit. It's just a Trifle...

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"The dancing Irish deviltry" [VALL]

The Irish make scant appearances across the earlier Sherlock Holmes stories, but once we pass The Valley of Fear, it's as if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brogue has been released onto the pages.

We explore some of those instances — including the subtle and passing ones early on — and just how Sherlock Holmes found himself inside of an Irish secret society in America.

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles116 The Adventure of the Stalwart Companion by H. Paul Jeffers Sponsor The BSI Press International Series

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the game was whist" [EMPT]

We continue our monthly investigation into Games and Sports in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and in this case, we turn our attention to a card game. Specifically, whist.

There aren't too many instances of card games in the Canon, but whist comes up a couple of times. How was it played? We discuss that, and something of a trifle with respect to the game of whist that was discovered in "The Devil's Foot."

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles115 Whist (Wikipedia) I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Let's Make a Deal (George Carlin) Sponsor The Baker Street Journal

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"volumes of poetry" [ENGR]

When we think of poetry, it's a style of writing that transports us, particularly emotionally, to another plane of existence. Poetry is like the rose over which Sherlock Holmes had a moment of reverie in "The Naval Treaty":

"But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it."

Holmes wasn't known for his poetic moments. In the story that proceeded the excerpt above ("The Greek Interpreter"), Holmes admonished Watson for projecting humility onto Holmes:

"To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one's self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one's own powers."

So there wasn't much room for poetry in the Sherlock Holmes stories. We manage to pick out a few of the finer points. They are, as usual, a Trifle...

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Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles114 The Detective Who Will Never Die

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"There has been some villainy here" [COPP]

A look at some of the villains in the Sherlock Holmes stories, beginning with the first real heavy that we encounter.

Sherlock Holmes said "When a doctor goes wrong, he is the first of criminals." And Dr. Grimesby Roylott did not disappoint: he killed a man and served hard time for it, had a temper, kept wild animals, associated with gypsies, and more. Perhaps it's just a bit more than a Trifle...

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Have we any Italians on the staff?" [SIXN]

Italians seem to surround us in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Restaurants, music, artisans, and of course criminals.

But Sherlock Holmes himself had some familiarity with Italy, both before and after his experience at the Reichenbach Falls. How far does this association with Italy go? Well, it's just a Trifle...

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a straight left against a slogging ruffian" [SOLI]

Sherlock Holmes, boxer? We don't often consider Sherlock Holmes for his boxing abilities, yet Watson very clearly noted his talent in that field in the very first story.

But Holmes wasn't the only boxer in the Canon. We repeatedly see mentions of the sport made official by the Marquess of Queensbury, as both tangential mentions and more central parts of the stories. But we'll try to keep this discussion of boxers brief. After all, it is a Trifle...

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"glancing at the governess" [WIST]

They pop up here and there around the Canon quite infrequently. However, you can be sure that when a governess is featured in a Sherlock Holmes story, she's part of the plot.

What was this profession, and what did the ladies in these roles do? What was their station in life? We explore these questions, which shed light on why they might have found themselves in sticky situations from time to time in this episode of Trifles.

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0