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PODCAST

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

Scott Monty & Burt Wolder

You know the plots, but what about the minutiae? We delve into the Sherlock Holmes stories and answers questions that arise, clarify muddy details, and look into some of the period terminology in this weekly podcast.

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All Episodes

21:42

John H. Watson Never Went to China

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/08/20

“Well, but China?” [REDH] Our recent episode about real people who inspired characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories spills over into this episode for our monthly Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist-themed episode. Jay Finley Christ wrote a piece in 1949 that wasn't widely published until 1975 (if one can call the audience of Baker Street Miscellanea wide). Prof. Christ takes on John Dickson Carr's biography and other Sherlockians, debunking a myth about the inspiration for Dr. Watson. And it's

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27:46

The Fabulous Originals

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/08/13

“There are the originals” [LAST] Sherlockians go to great pains to "play the game," meaning that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were real. If we can drop the mask for a moment, we all know they were creations of one Arthur Conan Doyle. We also know that every author is inspired by people, names, and places around them. So too was Conan Doyle when he created certain characters. Who were some of the characters in the Canon who were inspired by real people? It's just a Trifle. If you have a

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26:09

St. Saviour's, Near King's Cross

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/08/06

“entirely mistaken” [CHAS] The Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article we're discussing this month is by the legendary Jack Tracy, author of The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana and founder of Gaslight Publications. "St. Saviour's, Near King's Cross" appeared in Vol. 27, No. 4 of the Baker Street Journal in 1977 and looked specifically at the church where Mary Sutherland was supposed to marry Hosmer Angel. Previous Sherlockian scholars were unaware of some hidden London history that Tracy was able

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29:28

The Story of the Lost Special

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/07/30

“engage a special” [FINA] This marks the fourth episode in our series of The Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes — stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that are technically not part of the original Canon. "The Story of the Lost Special" was written by Conan Doyle in 1898 about a train that has vanished from the face of the earth, but doesn't explicitly include Sherlock Holmes. How does this then tie into the great detective? Stay tuned, because it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please

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33:03

Playing Tricks with the Law of England

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/07/23

“play tricks with me and I’ll crush you” [ABBE] Was Sherlock Holmes too lenient with how he handled some of the criminals he defeated? There are a number whom he caught and set free, flouting the law in the process. Inspired by a recent article in The Baker Street Journal, we look at examples in a handful of stories and compare the fates of the accused in each. Did they get what they deserved? It's much more than just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at

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29:10

Untangling the Skein

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/07/16

“another thread which I have extricated out of the tangled skein” [HOUN] It has long been accepted that the original title of A Study in Scarlet was meant to be A Tangled Skein. While there is no surviving manuscript of the first Sherlock Holmes story, a single page of notes has long served as Sherlock Holmes's "birth certificate." However, Matt Hall discovered a letter in Sydney, Australia that proves otherwise. His research is presented in Vol. 37 No. 2 of The Sherlock Holmes Journal. And

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21:28

£100

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/07/09

“put £100 down in front of him” [BLUE] Humans are suckers for round numbers. And 100 seems like a perfectly reasonable one to settle on. It's the first three-digit number (in Arabic numbers, that is; Romans were happy to hit a C note). When it comes to £100 in the Sherlock Holmes stories, it's a figure often associated with some sort of scam — enough to get attention and secure the trust of the mark. Which stories feature £100 and what were the circumstances? It's just a Trifle. If you have a

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27:38

John H. Watson―Word-Painter

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/07/02

“I had painted” [TWIS] The Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article we're discussing this month is by H.C. Potter from Vol. 26, No. 2 of The Baker Street Journal. In it, Potter looks at Watson's prosaic way of setting the scene for us. He selects excerpts from a number of stories to prove his case. Was he successful in backing up his claims? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a

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17:50

How Watson Learned the Trick

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/06/26

“why should anyone play me such a trick?” [CARD] After a brief hiatus, we're back to the third in our series of The Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes — stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that are technically not part of the original Canon. This is the shortest of all of the Apocrypha and it was created for the British Royal Family in a special edition. "How Watson Learned the Trick" is a lovely addition to the non-Canonical apocrypha. It's literally a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please

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23:02

A Second Case of Identity: The Second Mrs. Watson

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/06/19

“Is Mrs. Watson in?” [FINA] We all know Watson had more than one wife; the number has been debated over the years. But it's his second wife that seems to be the most intriguing. In this "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode, we look at David Hammer's article from Baker Street Miscellanea, No. 43. Who was the second Mrs. Watson? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank

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29:08

About the Moor

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/06/11

“traces of the ancient people” [HOUN] When Watson noted a "difficult and dangerous quest" on "the forbidden moor" in The Hound of the Baskervilles. The moor played an outsized role in that story, providing the perfect setting for this gothic tale of terror, greed, and mystery. What is the moor really like? How does the Canonical version differ from reality? Listener Nelson Pigeon wrote in to ask, and we answer. It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at

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24:40

On the Hound

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/06/04

“What, in heaven’s name, was it?” [HOUN] One of the most famous Sherlock Holmes stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles, tells a terrifying story of a dog that most certainly did something in the night-time. But what do we know about the actual canine? In a Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article in 1975, Michael L. Burton dispels myths and narrows down the likely breed. It's just a Trifle. Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full

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31:07

The Archaelogical Holmes

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/05/28

“I am a bit of an archaeologist myself” [3GAR] We find ourselves digging into a reference in "The Devil's Foot" in this episode, with the help of a pair of Sherlockian scholars. Poul and Karen Anderson explore the truth behind Sherlock Holmes's claim to be researching the origins of the ancient Cornish language. Where might the language have originated from? It's just a Trifle. We also continue conversing about one of our sidebars in this episode in a separate bonus clip just for our supporters

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28:57

The Back Yards of Baker Street

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/05/21

“I went into the back yard” [BLUE] The third week of the month means we look at a piece of Sherlockian scholarship — particularly one that may not be as widely read or generally available to most Sherlock Holmes fans. This month, we're looking at Bernard Davies' "The Back Yards of Baker Street," which appeared in James Edward Holroyd's Seventeen Steps to 221B. Step with us through the alleyways of 1895 to see if we can make a proper identification. It's just a Trifle. Don't forget to listen

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28:54

Capital Punishment

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/05/14

“You have done your best to get an innocent man hanged.” [NORW] Capital punishment in the United Kingdom evolved over a period of time. From the mid-17th century through 1820, the Bloody Code tracked some 200 crimes punishable by death. In which Sherlock Holmes stories do we hear about capital punishment, and under England's laws of the late Victorian period, who would have been eligible for death by hanging? It's just a Trifle. Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form

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19:54

The Solitary Man-Uscript

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/05/07

“so ardent a bicyclist must be full of energy” [SOLI] The latest installment in our review of Morley-Montgomery Award-winning articles is by Andrew Jay Peck, BSI ("Inspector Baynes"): "The Solitary Man-Uscript" from Vol. 22, No. 2 of The Baker Street Journal in 1972. Just who was the Solitary Cyclist? There are two cyclists in the story, and one is a young lady simply trying to get to her train safely; the other is a bearded man with sunglasses hunched over his handlebars. Only one of them can

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20:59

An Aborted Avatar

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/04/30

“a strange, loud whiz” [EMPT] We came across a quite unusual observation — a Trifle, if you will — in an old issue of The Baker Street Journal. An article by Antony Boucher called "An Aborted Avatar." Boucher discovered a turn of the century play called The King of Gee-Whiz that involved Sherlock Holmes in a quite unusual setting. The play was co-written by L. Frank Baum, of The Wizard of Oz fame. It's just a Trifle. Another "Trifling Trifles" episode — short-form content that doesn't

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25:33

Gypsies

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/04/23

“general resemblance to an itinerant” [VALL] A term we don't hear as frequently these days is "gypsy." Unless you're headed to see a Sondheim musical, which is about an entirely different Gypsy (and one with Sherlockian connections too). Anyway, our focus here is on stories in which gypsies are mentioned (there are two; can you name them?) and a bit of historical context of gypsies in the Victorian era, including the documented experience of one exalted person. It's just a Trifle. Another

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28:27

On Stage and Off

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/04/16

“before my biographer had come to glorify me” [GREE] Once again, we find ourselves in a "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the theorist"-themed episode, where we look at a piece of old scholarship. This time, we share a chapter from William S. Baring-Gould's groundbreaking biography of Sherlock Holmes. Chapter V "On Stage and Off in England and America: 1879–1881" finds us in the two years leading up to Holmes and Watson meeting each other, while Holmes was beginning to run low on funds. His decision would

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23:59

The Man with the Watches (The Apocrypha Part 2)

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2025/04/09

“I would read as easily as I do the apocrypha” [VALL] The second in our series on the Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes — stories that are not in the original Canonical 60 but that have some relevant interest. In this case, we have a story written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1898 and set in 1892 involving the mysterious death of a passenger on a train. The murderer is nowhere to be found and the man has an unusual number of watches on his person. A "well-known criminal investigator" writes a letter to the

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