“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 nefari...
Nov 20, 2019•27 min•Season 3Ep. 151
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to ...
Nov 13, 2019•23 min•Season 3Ep. 150
“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. L...
Nov 06, 2019•23 min•Season 3Ep. 149
"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.
Oct 30, 2019•22 min•Season 3Ep. 148
“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. We're available everywhere you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , SoundCloud , and RadioPublic . And please consider supporting our efforts ...
Oct 23, 2019•18 min•Season 3Ep. 147
“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. Have you left us a rati...
Oct 16, 2019•19 min•Season 3Ep. 146
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need...
Oct 09, 2019•17 min•Season 3Ep. 145
“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. 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. We're available everywhere ...
Oct 02, 2019•22 min•Season 3Ep. 144
"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. Have you left us a rating and...
Sep 25, 2019•19 min•Season 3Ep. 143
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't nee...
Sep 18, 2019•22 min•Season 3Ep. 142
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple devi...
Sep 11, 2019•17 min•Season 3Ep. 141
“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. Have you left us a rating and r...
Sep 04, 2019•29 min•Season 3Ep. 140
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and ever...
Aug 28, 2019•25 min•Season 3Ep. 139
"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. Have you left us a rating and review on Ap...
Aug 21, 2019•24 min•Season 3Ep. 138
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an App...
Aug 14, 2019•22 min•Season 3Ep. 137
“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. Have you...
Aug 07, 2019•17 min•Season 3Ep. 136
“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 ...
Jul 31, 2019•17 min
“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...
Jul 24, 2019•18 min•Season 3Ep. 134
“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 jus...
Jul 17, 2019•19 min•Season 3Ep. 133
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple ...
Jul 10, 2019•16 min•Season 3Ep. 132
“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 d...
Jul 03, 2019•24 min•Season 3Ep. 131
“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. Have you left us a rating and review o...
Jun 26, 2019•20 min•Season 3Ep. 130
"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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an A...
Jun 19, 2019•17 min•Season 3Ep. 129
“'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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple...
Jun 12, 2019•20 min•Season 3Ep. 128
“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 sch...
Jun 05, 2019•22 min•Season 3Ep. 127
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts y...
May 29, 2019•20 min•Season 3Ep. 126
“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. Have you left us a rating and ...
May 22, 2019•18 min•Season 3Ep. 125
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an A...
May 15, 2019•22 min•Season 3Ep. 124
“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. Have you left us a rati...
May 08, 2019•24 min•Season 3Ep. 123
“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... Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to...
May 01, 2019•26 min•Season 3Ep. 122
