Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"I heard you marching about" [SIGN]     From the first cricket match in England in 1877 to the wireless mentioned in 1914, there are numerous things connected to Sherlock Holmes that happened in the month of March.   As the month draws to a close, we reflect on happenings historical and Canonical. Let's see if our bluster lives up to the weather this month is known for. Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.     Links / Notes   This episode: ihose.co/trifles65 History of cricket The Boat Race The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan Jean Leckie Guglielmo Marconi     Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra  Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0  

"two rather leprous mendicants" [ILLU]    When Watson glances across his notes and teases us with adventures that he and Sherlock Holmes have experienced, but only gives us a topic with only the barest of details, it makes us wonder exactly what happened.   So is the case in this episode as we talk about the Amateur Mendicant Society and its rather unique meeting location — which in this case coincides with a real-life Sherlock Holmes society.   Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles64 "The Adventure of the Five Orange Pips" Mendicant (Wikipedia) The Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit Music credits   Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra  Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0     --

"as we sat over a glass of whisky and soda in Baker Street" [REDH]    Step into the sitting room at 221B Baker Street with us again and look around, as we take in the sights, smells and sounds within that most famous of addresses.    This time, we investigate the physical elements that accompany alcoholic drinks within the walls of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's abode. Namely: the gasogene and tantalus. We explore the origins of those phrases and discuss them in detail.   Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.  And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or  PayPal.     Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles63 Tantalus (spirit case) Tantalus (Greek god) Gasogene "A little song, a little dance..." I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 132: Unquiet Spirits (Bonnie MacBird)   Music credits  Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra  Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine

"a line of books of reference beside the mantelpiece" [NOBL]    In Episode 58, we discussed Sherlock Holmes's index books – those collections in which he tracked criminal cases, looked up necessary trivia, etc. But this time, we reach a little deeper and discuss some of the actual named reference books at 221B Baker Street.   Which publications were these and how did they help Holmes and Watson connect the dots and solve some cases? It's a trifle, certainly, but there's nothing so important as trifles.   Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.     Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles62 "The Noble Bachelor" "The Red Headed League" "The Five Orange Pips" The Valley of Fear "The Copper Beeches" "The Retired Colourman" "Shoscombe Old Place" I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 54: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes Music credits   Performers: Uncred

"Now Watson, the fair sex is your department." [SECO]    John Watson knew women; Holmes tells us so. And Watson certainly tells us so, in his admiration of Mary Morstan as well as his description of some of the leading ladies of the Canon. He also told us outright in The Sign of Four that he's managed to get around: "In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents..." But three? We know for certain he's been to Europe an Asia. But which of the other five might be the one to round out Watson's travels? We investigate the lively love life of Dr. John H. Watson, MD.       Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles61 The Private Life of Dr. Watson "Watson Was a Woman" "That Was No Lady" ("Nuts to Rex Stout") They Might be Giants     Music credits   Performers: Uncredited

"never more seen in this world" [THOR]    In "The Problem of Thor Bridge," Watson treats us to a tantalizing look at the possibilities that lie before us as readers: "Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co., at Charing Cross, there is a travelworn and battered tin dispatch-box with my name, John H. Watson, M.D., Late Indian Army, painted upon the lid. It is crammed with papers, nearly all of which are records of cases to illustrate the curious problems which Mr. Sherlock Holmes had at various times to examine." Possibly one of the most intriguing of the untold tales was "that of Mr. James Phillimore, who, stepping back into his own house to get his umbrella, was never more seen in this world," as the setup was so stark, so mysterious, and so final.   What are some possible explanations of what happened? And how does this untold tale rank among the many that were mentioned? In this latest episode in our Unpublished Cases series, we delve into the rich history of the strange disappearance of James P

"applying his tape to the walls" [STUD]  There's quite a bit we know about the inner sanctum of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson at 221B Baker Street. The cozy sitting room with its fireplace and windows at once beckons us in to look around.   Upon glancing at the walls, though: what do we see? Is it typical of Victorian bachelor decor? Or is there hidden meaning behind any of the wall hangings? We investigate the trifling matter of the walls of the sitting room at 221B.   Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.   And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles59 "The Cardboard Box"   Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0   --  

"Good old index. You can't beat it." [SUSS]  Sherlock Holmes had quite the index. We get glimpses of it in use at various times throughout the Canon, from a biographical reference to a logging of crime. Was Holmes's index a single large volume, or many smaller volumes? Was it hardbound or simply an assembly of files?   And it never quite seemed like it was organized in a sensible way. How did Holmes manage to call to mind whatever he needed to find in this index?   Please leave us a rating or review and consider supporting the show through Patreon.   Show notes available at ihose.co/trifles58 Music: Beethoven's Violin Concerto performed by the US Marine Chamber Orchestra, public domain.  

"Mrs. Hudson entered with the tea and coffee" [NAVA]  When it comes to British mysteries, tea is like aqua vitae. It's a given that it's part of the scenery. And of course we do come across tea a number of times in the Sherlock Holmes stories.   But have you ever taken a tally of how many times we witness tea being served versus coffee? Or of the therapeutic uses of either? Grab a cup (or a cuppa) and pull up a chair - we're about to have a coffee klatch on Trifles.   Or as one entertainer might put it: Sherlockians in Cars Getting Coffee. Or is it tea?   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles57 A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich, and You   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 surely Hudson" [GLOR]  One of the most enduring figures of the Canon after Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Mycroft Holmes and Inspector Lestrade is Mrs. Hudson. We know a little about her, but how did she happen to become the landlady of 221B Baker Street? And what were the "princely" rent payments that Holmes made? As we make our way across the Sherlock Holmes stories, we do come across one or two other Hudsons as well. What is their relationship to the landlady? These questions await your attention in the latest episode of Trifles.   Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon  or  PayPal.    Links / Notes How Much Do We Really Know About Mrs. Hudson?   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 a nice household" [SPEC]    We've got another recurring feature for you here on Trifles: seeing as there were so many unpublished cases that Watson mentioned, we find that there are plenty of trifles to discuss with regard to those. We're calling this series of episodes Unpublished Cases and we'll regularly revisit the topic.   When we glance across a number of such cases that Watson mentioned in stories like "The Sussex Vampire," "The Problem of Thor Bridge," "The Golden Pince-Nez," "Black Peter," and "The Veiled Lodger," we find some unusual animals mentioned — animals that would not commonly be found in the home or on the farm. Just what are some of these species? Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.     Links / Notes The giant rat of Sumatra The Sherlock Holmes International Exhibition The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer   Music credits

"upon the sideboard" [BERY]    In this episode of Trifles, we're starting what will become a recurring feature over the course of a few episodes: namely, we're looking at some of the things you'll find in Sherlock Holmes's sitting room at 221B Baker Street. We're calling the series Inside 221B.    The sideboard makes a number of appearances in the Canon, and serves as a solemn but essential member of the Baker Street set as it features beef and fowl, drinks and related accouterments, and as a resting place for various objects. But just what is a sideboard and in which stories do we find it?    Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon  or  PayPal.   Links / Notes The Great Exhibition The Festival of Britain May - September 1951: An Exhibition on Sherlock Holmes   Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra  Publisher Info.: Washington, D

"compound a felony as usual." [3GAB]  Welcome to Season 2 of Trifles. We'll be working through some of the questions we ask in our show introductions this season, including a number of recurring themes. We hope you'll subscribe.    In Episode 48 ("Gotcha!") we discussed times when Sherlock Holmes caught his criminal red-handed, dead to rights. But what about the times that he caught criminals but let them go?   Was it solely his strong sense of wright and wrong that caused Holmes to allow them to go free? Or was he simply disdainful of the official police? And what was it that he was doing with regard to felonies - compounding, commuting, or condoning?     Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.       Links / Notes The Hero's Journey A Sherlock Holmes Handbook by Christopher Redmond The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana by Jack Tracy   Music credits Performe

"compliments of the season" [BLUE]    "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" is one of the more well-known stories in the Canon. And yet we're presented with a few trifling issues, including the color of the gem.   But beyond that, we have a victim and perpetrators who didn't seem to have thought through things to their logical conclusion. How else can we factor in the use of poultry as a hiding place? And animal anatomy lessons indicate that that place didn't even exist...   Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.    Links / Notes "The Blue Carbuncle" Line O' Type, Chicago Tribune - December 1946 More Leaves from the Copper Beeches    Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra  Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band  Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0  

"there was peace in our hearts" [SIGN]    Peace in the canon. Reading the Sherlock Holmes stories to find peace is something like going to Casablanca for the water.       "But there are no waters in Casablanca."       "I was misinformed."   Regardless, during this season of peace, we reflect on moments — even if they're glimpses — of bucolic, peaceful moments we find scattered throughout the Sherlock Holmes canon. They're there, if you look for them — trifling as they may be.   Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.   Links / Notes Christmas Peace (Wikipedia)   Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra  Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band  Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0  

"what a chorus of groans, cries and bleatings" [REDC]    Agony column. Agony column? To the modern reader, that term might be unfamiliar. Well, at least it would be unfamiliar with the reader who is new to the Sherlock Holmes stories. The first time we come across Holmes using the agony column is in The Sign of Four when he advertised for the Aurora in the agony column of the Standard.     Holmes regularly used newspaper classified ads and personal columns to track down criminals and surface clues. But just what is an agony column, how did it help Sherlock Holmes, and in which stories did he and others find a use for it?    Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.      Links / Notes  Stories mentioned in this episode: A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, "The Engineer's Thumb," "The Noble Bachelor," "The Red Circle," "The Bruce-Partington Plans"  Sherlock

"You have a grand gift of silence, Watson" [TWIS]     When Cyril Overton sent a telegram to Sherlock Holmes, proclaiming the status of Godfrey Staunton, it was met with puzzlement. And even after Overton arrived at Baker Street, Holmes was still puzzled. We know that he had his "limits," based on Watson's famous list from A Study in Scarlet.   But Watson sat in silence as Holmes twisted in the wind, his ignorance of popular rugby laid bare. Why was this? Was it for the sake of his readers, or did Watson have other intentions in mind?   Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.     Links / Notes "The Missing Three-Quarter"   Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra  Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band  Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0  

"you have been caught in the act" [BERY]   One of the general bits of enjoyment of the Sherlock Holmes stories is the denouement in which Sherlock Holmes apprehends the criminal. In some instances, he does so after the crime has been committed; in other instances, no crime has been committed.    But what about those delicious times when the criminals are caught in the act? Or even better, those instances when they greeted with sweet, swift justice.    Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.  And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.   Links / Notes "The Dying Detective"   Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra  Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band  Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"to mar the contentment of their family life" [VALL]   Family. For many, it's a part of the holiday season. And with Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow in the United States, it's a perfect opportunity to reflect on families in the Sherlock Holmes stories.    And in doing so, we come to a rather sad conclusion: that many of the families in the Canon were not happy ones at all. Just what was it about these familial situations that caused things to go awry? We explore that question in this episode of Trifles.    Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.    Links / Notes I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 58: Thankful for Sherlock Holmes    Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra   Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band  Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0    

"observing the dint of a pince-nez" [IDEN]  For many of us, the first time we encounter the word "pince-nez" is in the Sherlock Holmes stories. But for many of us, we very likely saw pince-nez on characters in movies, cartoons or the theater before we knew exactly what they were called.   Mentioned in three separate stories (do you know which three?), the eyewear is most closely associated with the adventure that contains its name. But what about the history of these peculiar glasses? We explore the various forms of pince-nez and how Sherlock Holmes came to make his deductions from a pair.   Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.    And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.   Links / Notes Pince-nez (Wikipedia) "The Golden Pince-Nez" Colonel Ross in a monocle in "Silver Blaze"   Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra  Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United State