Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

“He thought the tutor” [3STU]   The final installment in our Masters Class series featuring the work of Michael Harrison takes us into the world of Jack the Ripper via The World of Sherlock Holmes. Ripperologists have racked their brains for a century and a half with respect to the identity of Jack the Ripper.    Even more puzzling is why Sherlock Holmes never got involved in the case. Or, as Harrison surmised, never seemed to get involved. It involves a connection with the British royal family and a sense of timing. And it's just a Trifle.     If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, an

“the most terrible human tragedies” [VEIL]   Having inadvertently left "The Veiled Lodger" out of our discussion about suicide in Episode 349, we put more focus on it in this episode. The introduction identifies it as "one of the most terrible human tragedies."    Is it a tragedy in the classical sense, involving a fall from greatness that evokes pity and terror, or is it merely a sad story? And aren't most of Holmes's cases tragedies in the looser sense? What are some other tragic stories in the Canon? It's just a Trifle.     If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.   Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review

“I only breathe it among ourselves—a suicide” [GOLD]   LISTENER ADVISORY: This episode contains mentions of suicide, which some listeners may find disturbing.   September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and as part of our series on monthly observances, we take a look at suicides in the Canon.   Sherlock Holmes was never called in to investigate a suicide, but he encountered a few, along with a number of instances when suicide was attempted, assumed, and ruled out.    Suicide is never a trifle, and if you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please dial 988.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.   Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You

“at the Manor House in consultation with his two colleagues” [VALL]   One of the great bits of fun of scanning the Sherlock Holmes stories is trying to determine the locations for some of the stories. In the case of The Valley of Fear, one of these identifications was made early on by Harold Wilmerding (H.W.) Bell.   But his commitment to the Canon would be dashed a decade and a half later by a serendipitous discovery from the pen of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, plus some intrepid footwork by James Montgomery. Just which house was the inspiration for Birlstone Manor? It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcas

“Cut out the poetry, Watson” [RETI]      The Hound of the Baskervilles holds a special place for many people. It is a gothic tale of horror, mystery, and the supernatural. A fine example of Conan Doyle's ability to tell a good story. Trevor Raymond, BSI, M. Bt.  thought it even lent itself to poetry.    We share two of his versions of The Hound in poetic form — as if written by two famous poets — plus discuss the likely sense of the public's reaction when Holmes was off the scene for eight years and then reappeared in The Strand. It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple d

“he walked into my room in Montague Street” [MUSG]      The Masters Class is now in session! For the second time, we turn to a Michael Harrison essay: this time, we wander the streets of London.   Michael's examination of Sherlock Holmes's rooms when he first came down to London is as workmanlike as it is eye-opening. And it's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.   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.    Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles346 Previous episodes mentioned: Quarter Day Is at Hand Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram an

“a last howl of agony” [HOUN]      Modern times give animals nearly as many rights as humans, but such was not the case in Victorian times. Unfortunately, there are numerous occasions when animals are made to suffer at the hands of humans in the Sherlock Holmes stories.   Who are the animals in question and what nefarious purposes did their sad fates serve? It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.     Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles345 I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 48: Dangerous Work Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on Patreon and become eligible for our reg

“as his car swung round the village street” [LAST]    As you know, most of the Sherlock Holmes stories were set squarely in the Victorian era. Only a handful extended beyond 1900, and only one mentioned automobiles.   However, that's not to say that Conan Doyle wasn't intensely interested in the newfangled machinery, In fact, he wrote two stories that featured cars and even had a few harrowing experiences of his own. It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.   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.    Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles344 "

“called me in seven times” [ABBE]    There's something magical about the number seven. Whether or not it appears more than other numbers in the Sherlock Holmes canon is beyond our research capabilities.   However, there are some interesting and memorable associations with the number seven that we thought worth noting, thanks to a clever identification by Ruth Buchholtz in "Seventy-Seven Canonical Sevens" (BSJ, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1958). It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles343 Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on Patreon and become eligib

“this evening at 221B, Baker Street” [BLUE]  Image credit: Russell Stutler   It's time once again for the Masters Class, the episode each month in which we look at an exemplary piece of Sherlockian scholarship and discuss its merits.   This is our first of three forays into the work of Michael Harrison as found in his book In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes. His unique perch between generations in London is the perfect view to understand what 221B Baker Street was like. It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.   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

“this quick succession of strange surprises” [SIGN]    There are some trifles that are too trifling to stand on their own. Then again, Burt and Scott tend to have the ability to stretch out any bit of minutiae into an exposition.   Three topics came to our attention lately, and we felt they were deserving of a quick discussion: the seven schemes in "The Missing Three-Quarter," the size of the dog in "The Lion's Mane," and a questionable denial in "The Red-Headed League." Taken together or separately, they're just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.     Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles341 Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Email us at trifl

“What do you say, dear?” [BOSC]    One of the earlier cases in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes, "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" is filled with wonderful scenes and phrases that carry us through the entire Sherlock Holmes canon.   It doesn't get the same level of attention as some of the other stories from that collection, but there's a series of items that are oddities — even Trifles.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today. 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.    Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles339 Episode 307 – The Boscombe Valley Mystery The Last Supper

“a nice taste in wines” [LAST]    In this month's Masters Class, we turn for the final time to a work of Edgar W. Smith's, "Up From the Needle," as featured in Vol. 2, No. 1 (1947) of The Baker Street Journal.    Edgar takes us away from the canard of Sherlock Holmes as a drug addict and gives us an oenophile's assessment of Sherlock Holmes as a wine fancier. It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.   And we have a bonus track for our patrons, where the conversation continued.     Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles338 Soundcloud playlist: Alcohol Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to

“It is, of course, a trifle” [TWIS]    Sometimes there are moments in the Sherlock Holmes stories when we just take Holmes at his word, giving little thought to the logic behind it. We simply trust him.   But when it comes to "The Man with the Twisted Lip," it seemed a little odd that he had to stay out at Neville St. Clair's home, seven miles from the heart of London. What was going on there? It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today. 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.    Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles337 Previous episodes mentioned:

“I've learned not to cry over spilled milk” [SIGN]    Between recent episodes on Eggs and Breakfast, it seems like we've had our fill of comestibles. Well, this isn't a podcast to be trifled with, so we're headed to the dairy.   We look at instances of milk and butter in the Sherlock Holmes stories while investigating the trouble with the dairy industry in Victorian England. It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.   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.    Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles336 Ice Cream: The Inside Scoop (British Museum) W

“Is alcohol permitted?” [MAZA]      We've explored a number of angles around alcohol in the Sherlock Holmes stories, but it recently struck us that there are glimpses of alcoholism in the Canon. Victorians were no different in their struggles with alcohol, although the disease wasn't recognized as one at the time. Where in the stories can we find evidence or mentions of alcoholics? Why did Holmes ask Watson for permission to drink? And who drank like a fish? It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today.   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.  Links /

“I travelled for two years” [EMPT]      This month's Masters Class features the second in our three essays by Edgar W. Smith. In Vol. 1 No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal from 1946, Smith wonders about Sherlock Holmes's travels between 1891 and 1894.   More specifically, he compares global events and geographical and cultural realities to Holmes's story, and something isn't quite right. Where does Smith place Sherlock Holmes for two of those years during the hiatus? It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today. 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.    Lin

“We have touched on three” [TWIS]    Since this is Episode 333 and since there are three stories in the Canon that incorporate the number three in their titles, we thought it was time to turn our attention to the "magic number," as three is known.   Why that number of students, gables, and Garridebs? What's the significance of the number three that it should occupy such a prominent role in the story titles? What other appearances of the number are worth noting? It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today. 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.    Links /

“Why not take police precautions against him?” [FINA]      When reading "The Final Problem," it's difficult not to be caught off-guard. After all, it opens with Watson telling us these are the last words he'll write about Sherlock Holmes.   But when we step back and look at the story with sober eyes, we realize that the police story Holmes tells Watson just doesn't add up. And it's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.   Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community of patrons today. 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.    Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles332 The Franco-Midland Hardware Company Find us