Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

Latest Episodes:

Inside 221B: Stradivarius Sep 13, 2018

Show notes

"off to violin-land, where all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony" [REDH]

One of the most off-hand but arresting comments that Sherlock Holmes made was that he owned a Stradivarius violin. That he had purchased for a mere 55 shillings!

What do we know of Stradivarius instruments, and about Holmes's own ability on the violin?

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles89
Stradivarius (Wikpedia)
The tale of Roman Totenberg's stolen Stradivarius (NPR)
Top image via the Falk Archive - KFA

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Doctors in the Canon Sep 05, 2018

Show notes

"when a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals" [SPEC]

The Sherlock Holmes stories are told from the perspective of a doctor. So it only stands to reason that he would notice other medical men throughout his adventures with the great detective.

As we look at doctors across the Canon, we find heroes, villains, suspects, victims, clients and more. This episode takes a closer look at who some of these medical types were, and what roles they played in the plots.

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles88
Sherlock Holmes Reference Library: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
William Palmer
Edward Pritcher

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

The Good Doctor Aug 29, 2018

Show notes

"the good doctor took us to the yew alley" [HOUN]

John H. Watson, M.D., late of the Army Medical Department, had a number of medical practices throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. He waffled between being a flat-sharing colleague of Holmes and a doctor with his own thriving practice.

From Paddington to Queen Anne Street, we follow Watson's rise. But what of his methods? Did he dispense reasonable medical care of the age? Or was he too far removed from the practice of medicine by the time he took on his own practice in the mid- to late-Eighties?

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles87

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Wine & Spirits Aug 22, 2018

Show notes

"any other spirit but rum" [BLAC]

We're accustomed to thinking about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson being associated with whiskey and brandy. But there are plenty of other kinds of alcohol in the Canon.

More than the infamous Imperial Tokay of "His Last Bow," or the ancient and cobwebby bottles, there are some curious references to wine and spirits that warrant your attention. Even if they're a trifle.

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles86

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Unpublished Cases: The Sign of Four Aug 16, 2018

Show notes

"I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. Cecil Forrester" [SIGN]

We know what you're thinking: The Sign of Four wasn't an unpublished case. You, as a Trifles listener, are very astute. We should have expected nothing less.

However, within The Sign of Four, we do have a glimpse of a number of unpublished cases: including one with Mrs. Cecil Forrester, with whom Mary Morstan lives in Camberwell. Could this be a connection to a later case mentioned in "The Adventure of the Five Orange Pips"? Or perhaps it's a reference to "the most winning woman" Holmes ever knew, who is also mentioned in The Sign of Four? These trifles await your consideration.

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles85

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Inside 221B: The Morocco Case Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

"neat morocco case" [SIGN]

We all know that Sherlock Holmes used drugs. "A seven-per-cent solution" of cocaine is what he recommended to Watson in The Sign of Four.

But in the prelude to that, we're told that Holmes took "his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case." This case must have graced the interior of 221B Baker Street. But just what is it? And what do we really know of Holmes's drug mania?

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles84
Morocco leather

Music credits

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

Episode 83 - Smoke If You Got 'Em Aug 01, 2018

Show notes

"I trust you have no objection to tobacco smoke" [SIGN]

Sherlock Holmes is probably the most famous smoker in the world. But in popular culture, he's always pictured with a pipe. The Canon tells us that he also smoked cigars and cigarettes.

What was the frequency with which he smoked each? Did he tend to favor one form of smoking over another? And was there something that cause him to choose a pipe versus a cigarette versus a cigar? Step into the smoking room with us as we investigate.

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles83
The eBSJ

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Episode 82 - Sherlock Holmes's Underground Network Jul 25, 2018

Show notes

"the irregulars are useful sometimes" [RETI]

Homeless children. A gossip columnist. A dog. What do all of these have in common? They're part of the underground network of helpers that Sherlock Holmes cobbled together.

With these individuals and more, Holmes was able to fan out across the great metropolis and gather information that helped him solve his cases. And they're the subject of this week's Trifles episode.

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Links / Notes

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Episode 81 - Unpublished Cases: Holmes's Early Clients Jul 18, 2018

Show notes

"before my biographer had come to glorify me." [MUSG]

We've previously covered the tantalizing cases that Sherlock Holmes pulled out of his tin box. This time, we spend time thinking about some of his other clients before he met Dr. Watson.

There's one we know by name, but the speculation begins fairly early on, as we try to use Holmes's methods to determine who some of his other clients might have been in those first years of his consultancy.

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Links / Notes

This episode: ihose.co/trifles81
Tit-Bits (Wikipedia)
Sherlock Holmes at Oxford by Nick Utechin (2nd edition 1981)
"The Adventure of the Clapham Cook" by Agatha Christie

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Episode 80 - Inside 221B: The Wax Bust Jul 12, 2018

Show notes

"a wax-coloured model of my old friend" [EMPT]

One of the handiest items found at 221B Baker Street has to be the wax bust of Sherlock Holmes. More than once it played a role as a decoy for Sherlock Holmes.

But when did Holmes commission it and how did it get to Baker Street? And was it even the same bust between the two tales? These questions and more await in the latest edition of Trifles.

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And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

Links / Notes

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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