“an historical curiosity” [MUSG] It's the third week of the month, which means it's our regular feature in Season 4: Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist, the episode in which we investigate an old piece of Sherlockian scholarship and offer our commentary. This month, we feature "The Historicity of Sherlock Holmes" by Prof. Dirk J. Struik. Presented to the Speckled Band of Boston, it first appeared in print in the 1947 publication The Second Cab . Professor Struik's own association with the Band is ...
Jun 17, 2020•27 min•Season 4Ep. 181
"I have never loved" [DEVI] When you think of crimes in the Sherlock Holmes stories, many of them were crimes of passion. In a 1981 article in The Baker Street Journal, Julie Maynard makes the case that as many as twenty-five percent of the Canon involves adultery or implied adultery. What was going on here? Was it an unconscious attempt from Conan Doyle? Or perhaps a conscious one? It's just a Trifle. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts: Listen to Sherlock Holmes: Trifles Have you left...
Jun 10, 2020•20 min•Season 4Ep. 180
“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. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts: Listen...
Jun 03, 2020•27 min•Season 4Ep. 179
“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: Trifle...
May 27, 2020•31 min•Season 4Ep. 178
“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 Theori...
May 20, 2020•21 min•Season 4Ep. 177
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review h...
May 14, 2020•23 min•Season 4Ep. 176
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't ...
May 06, 2020•28 min•Season 4Ep. 175
“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...
Apr 29, 2020•26 min•Season 4Ep. 174
“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 clutch...
Apr 22, 2020•28 min•Season 4Ep. 173
“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 ...
Apr 15, 2020•24 min•Season 4Ep. 172
“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 ...
Apr 08, 2020•27 min•Season 4Ep. 171
“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,...
Apr 01, 2020•28 min•Season 4Ep. 170
“helped a little to fill up the gap of loneliness and isolation” [MAZA] There are many tragic figures in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and more than a handful are lonely or isolated in some way. This is either features in their predicament or gives us a better understanding of their personality. As many of us may be entering a period of isolation or loneliness now, we thought it was an apt topic to discuss. It's just a Trifle. Bonus: We recorded this live while on video, and you can find the link...
Mar 25, 2020•25 min•Season 4Ep. 169
“Watson, the fair sex is your department” [SECO] There was a scandal in Sherlockian circles in the early 1940s. Author Rex Stout, BSI ("The Boscombe Valley Mystery"), creator of Nero Wolfe, after careful research, determined that Watson was a woman. He presented his facts in the Saturday Review of Literature and let them sit. They didn't sit well with all Sherlockians, and Julian Wolff, BSI ("The Red-Headed League") took up his pen to offer a retort in "That Was No Lady." Both essays appeared in...
Mar 18, 2020•20 min•Season 4Ep. 168
“I made every disposition of my property before leaving England” [EMPT] After Holmes "died" at the Reichenbach Falls, wouldn't people have looked for a funeral or memorial service? Watson, in particular, would have expected to assist in such an arrangement. As next of kin, Mycroft would have been expected to handle it, but that would have put him in an awkward position. If he was reluctant, that would have seemed suspect; but if he did, he knew how mischievous his younger brother could be, possi...
Mar 11, 2020•19 min•Season 4Ep. 167
“he contracted some loathsome disease” [YELL] Dr. Watson was a general practitioner, and one "with very limited experience and mediocre qualifications," as Holmes blurted out in "The Dying Detective." It's the reason he called for a specialist in rare diseases. With global news being filled with talk of coronavirus, we thought it might be the perfect time to reflect on what we know about infectious diseases in the Sherlock Holmes stories. It's just a trifle. Have you left us a rating and review ...
Mar 04, 2020•26 min•Season 4Ep. 166
“work which will cut deep at the very foundations” [GOLD] "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" first appeared in print in 1903 as part of The Return of Sherlock Holmes . It was the second story in the collection, after Sherlock Holmes was resurrected from what many thought was a watery grave. We can forgive the muddled minds of the time then, for missing a couple of key points in "The Norwood Builder." Key points that, had Holmes been on his game, would have given the whole charade away. It's ...
Feb 26, 2020•26 min•Season 4Ep. 165
“I saw the American stamp” [DANC] For all of his familiarity with American cities, American police forces, American language and attire, Sherlock Holmes may very well have been American. A number of scholars have taken up the argument, including Christopher Morley in his famous essay. Even President Franklin Roosevelt tried his hand at it. 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...
Feb 19, 2020•16 min•Season 4Ep. 164
“the City and Suburban Bank, the Vegetarian Restaurant” [REDH] We have plenty of instances of animal flesh on the side-board, whether it's a couple of brace of grouse, Henry Baker's Christmas goose, or a joint of beef. There was one lone vegetarian restaurant mentioned in the Canon. It had a real-life inspiration. But what else do we know about vegetarianism in Victorian times? 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, ...
Feb 12, 2020•17 min•Season 4Ep. 163
“should not gossip about there being a black child in the neighborhood.” [YELL] Steve Dixie in "The Three Gables," Lucy Hebron in "The Yellow Face," and the unnamed mulatto in "Wisteria Lodge" are notable black people in the Canon. Actually, they're the only ones. What does this say about Arthur Conan Doyle's attitude and treatment toward them? We know about the shocking way he chose to portray Steve Dixie – at least shocking by our standards. What were prevailing attitudes of the day? And how d...
Feb 05, 2020•26 min•Season 4Ep. 162
“I had only one confidant—my brother Mycroft.” [EMPT] Why did Mycroft put himself in harm's way for Sherlock Holmes when the latter faced his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty? Mycroft put Sherlock up for a night, drove the brougham that took Watson to Waterloo, and kept the rooms up at 221B during the hiatus that ensued. But why didn't Moriarty go after Mycroft? What made him think that "the British government" didn't know about his activities? We explore the role of Mycroft Holmes in "The Final ...
Jan 29, 2020•20 min•Season 4Ep. 161
“enormous sums of money” [SILV] Here's one of those things that lends itself to the title of this podcast. We were thinking about Professor Moriarty and his ignominious fall from grace. After he left the university where he was Mathematical Chair, he came to London, where he became an army coach. Army coach? That brought a number of things to mind. But surprisingly little has been written about it. We explore this trifle and reach a couple of reasonable conclusions. Have you left us a rating and...
Jan 22, 2020•22 min•Season 4Ep. 160
“As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all.” [CREE] With Season 4, we're starting a new monthly series that we're calling "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist." Each month, we'll be taking a look at what some early Sherlockian scholars had to say about certain trifling elements in the Sherlock Holmes stories. In this case, we're looking at "The Date of The Sign of Four " from H.W. Bell's Baker Street Studies , first published in 1934. It's more than a trifle. Have you left us a rat...
Jan 15, 2020•27 min•Season 4Ep. 159
“cuisine is a little limited” [NAVA] We find a smattering of food references throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. But which can be considered consummate British dishes? We don't come across toad in the hole, bubble and squeak, or cock-a-leekie soup, but there are other meals that are considered British. And by more than the virtue of appearing in British stories. Which food might this be? It's more than a trifle. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to ow...
Jan 08, 2020•31 min•Season 4Ep. 158
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcas...
Jan 01, 2020•26 min•Season 4Ep. 157
“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 l...
Dec 25, 2019•31 min•Season 3Ep. 156
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every re...
Dec 18, 2019•27 min•Season 3Ep. 155
“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. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and ever...
Dec 11, 2019•18 min•Season 3Ep. 154
“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. 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 availabl...
Dec 04, 2019•15 min•Season 3Ep. 154
“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. 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 peop...
Nov 27, 2019•29 min•Season 3Ep. 152
