Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

Latest Episodes:

I Must Confess Jun 03, 2020

Show notes

"Indeed, if I may make a full confession to you" [FINA]

They say confession is good for the soul. It's also good for the detective story. Sherlock Holmes found the suspects he sought in many cases, but he didn't have the backstory for all of them.

The solution? A confession. Driven by fear, love or finality, a number of characters in the stories have reasons for confessing. And one was extracted by a clever trick by Holmes. It's just a Trifle.

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This episode: ihose.co/trifles179

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The Baker Street Journal

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Insomnia May 27, 2020

Show notes

"It may give him a sleepless night" [FIVE]

Have you had trouble sleeping lately? You're not alone. There were plenty of people in the Sherlock Holmes stories who struggled to sleep as well.

Whether it was because they were horrified by something that happened to them, troubled by something they did, or were determined to crack a problem, they lost sleep over it. It may not seem like it to you, but it's just a Trifle.

Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:

Listen to Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

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This episode: ihose.co/trifles178
On the Sleepless Lives of Writers (LitHub)
Charles Dickens: Observer of Sleep and Its Disorders (American Sleep Disorders Association and Sleep Research Society)
Short film: Honoré de Balzac's 50 Cups of Coffee a Day (Amazon Prime Video)

Sponsor

The Baker Street Journal

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Billy the Page May 20, 2020

Show notes

"Billy advanced and drew away" [MAZA]

We're used to reading about Mrs. Hudson ushering clients in and out, and providing various domestic services for Sherlock Holmes. But now and again, we find ourselves in the presence of young Billy, the page.

What was a page? And was Billy the only one at 221B Baker Street? In Vol. 2, No. 3 of The Sherlock Holmes Journal, G.B. Newton made an assessment of who served and when in his article "Billy the Page," and in our monthly "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" feature, we test his hypothesis. It's just a Trifle.

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Sponsor

The Baker Street Journal

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Friend or Foe? May 14, 2020

Show notes

"we have got a foeman who is worthy of our steel" [HOUN]

There are a handful of cases where Sherlock Holmes meets an opponent who is formidable and antagonistic, but where he later turns out to be an ally.

Who were some of these individuals? Which stories did they appear in? And just what was it that made them seem as if they were on he wrong side of the case? It's just a Trifle.

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Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles176

Sponsor

The Baker Street Journal

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

We Have Much to Hope From the Flowers May 06, 2020

Show notes

"a highly sensational and flowery rendering" [SIXN]

Flowers appear in a handful of spots in the Sherlock Holmes stories. More than the famous rose scene from "The Naval Treaty," they literally dot the countryside and color the scenery.

From a flower that lent its name to one of the stories and a country house, to an obscure statesman, you may be surprised to discover the botanical connections in the Canon. It's just a Trifle.

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And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles175

Sponsor

The Baker Street Journal

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

A Colonel of Truth Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

"the Colonel's manner has been just a trifle cavalier" [SILV]

Having spent the last episode discussing the unusual setting and Holmes and Watson's friendship as displayed in "The Reigate Squires," our minds turned toward their host, Colonel Hayter. Or rather, of his fellow ranking military officers in the Canon.

In fact, we realized that in the Sherlock Holmes stories, the title "Colonel" usually means bad news. Consider with us the various colonels and see how it strikes you. It's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles174
Episode 45 - Military Morality

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The Baker Street Journal

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Squiring Around Apr 22, 2020

Show notes

"the fellows are still at large" [REIG]

In "The Reigate Squires," we find Sherlock Holmes ill and uprooted — staying in a country house — which, although it's a bachelor establishment, isn't quite what he's accustomed to. Although it may not be one of Holmes's truly great cases, there is much to love in this story.

Watson was right there to back up Holmes in every way: reacting in horror to Holmes's fainting fit, taking the blame for the overturned table, and even rescuing Holmes from the clutches of the murderers. It's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles173

Sponsor

The Baker Street Journal

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

The Mystery of Watson's Second Wound Apr 15, 2020

Show notes

"Your hand stole towards your own old wound" [CARD]

Watson returns from Afghanistan, recovering from a wound in the shoulder and the aftereffects of disease. But we later discover that he had a leg wound as well.

Could it be the delirium that caused him to misstate his injuries? Or was there another reason for his error? Two old pieces of Sherlockian scholarship – one from the 1940s and another from the 1950s – each have a different theory. Which is correct? 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.

Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:

Listen to Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

Links / Notes

Sponsor

The Baker Street Journal

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Jumping to Conclusions Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

"the best and only final clue" [3STU]

In "The Adventure of the Three Students," Holmes has a litany of clues at his disposal. From balls of doughy clay to a tear in the leather of a desk, and more.

And yet, he's fixated on this one clue that he claimed was "the best and only final clue." What was it? And was it truly the definitive clue in the story? 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.

Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:

Listen to Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles171
The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski (Amazon)

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The BSI Press

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Upbeat Moments in the Canon Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

"my heart jumped so with joy" [STUD]

We commonly see clients who come to Sherlock Holmes riddled with despair and grief. But if we look closely enough, we can also find happiness and sheer joy in the Canon.

The Sherlock Holmes stories contain the full range of human emotion, from anger to relief and from anguish to jubilance. The more we looked for the upbeat, the more we found. 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.

Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts.

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

Links / Notes