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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

38:55

Anxiety

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/07/03

“weighed down with some great anxiety” [FIVE] Where would Sherlock Holmes be without fear and anxiety? It was a common state of mind for a number of his clients, but Holmes himself also exhibited anxious behavior from time to time. In which stories can we find anxiety? Don't be nervous; we have 10 examples. But there are still more to come that will feature in a discussion in a second part. It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street

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30:56

Maps & Floorplans

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/06/26

“I sent down to Stamford's for the ordnance map” [HOUN] In a number of instances in the Sherlock Holmes stories, we find ourselves guided by maps. Not only as critical elements of the plot, but also as visual aids to readers. In which stories do we find maps? And what about those that required floorplans to be sketched out as well? It's just a Trifle. This topic was suggested by listener Ron Groenewoud, who'll be receiving a thank you gift for his efforts. If you have a topic you'd like to

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34:02

Sherlock Holmes, Linguist

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/06/19

“he is a remarkable linguist” [GREE] Sherlock Holmes has been translated into scores of languages all around the world (just ask Don Hobbs). But what languages was he fluent in or have passing familiarity with? This is the question Dean W. Dickensheet tackles in Vol. 10 No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal in his article "Sherlock Holmes - Linguist." It's the latest in our series looking at old Sherlockian scholarship and it's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly

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21:37

Years of Mystery

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/06/13

“We have three years of the past to discuss” [EMPT] Once again, we pack our Gladstone bags and prepare for an episode where we travel. This time, we head to Sussex Downs and then across the Atlantic to New York in some of the early years of Sherlock Holmes's retirement. What brings us there is from the fertile imagination of Les Klinger, who posits a connection between Sherlock Holmes, Wilson Hargreave, and Andrew Carnegie. It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our

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23:31

Elderly in the Canon

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/06/06

“his age, and an affliction” [STOC] The panoply of elderly individuals in the Sherlock Holmes stories is impressive: Mr. Frankland, the old crank in The Hound of the Baskervilles, the miserly Josiah Amberley in "The Retired Colourman," Old Mr. Farquhar, the previous owner of Watson's practice. But there were many others, some of whom go almost unnoticed. What similarities do we see among them? How did Conan Doyle's writing about them change over time? It's just a Trifle. All of our

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26:35

Linoleum

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/05/30

“the flooring was also thoroughly examined” [SPEC] Cocoanut matting, bearskin rug, carpets — there are a number of notable floor coverings mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories. But flooring itself is less notable. Case in point: linoleum, which appears as a passing mention in just three stories, was a popular alternative at the time. What do we know about the history of linoleum, how was it manufactured, and what role did it play in the Canon? It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters

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23:51

Forests

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/05/23

“Vast sections of it have been cleared” [BLAC] When you're really down in the details about something — something trifling, perhaps — it's difficult to see the forest for the trees, as the saying goes. Well, we've discussed trees in two previous episodes, so we thought it was time to look at the forests. There were scant mentions of forests in the Sherlock Holmes stories, but they're worth a Trifle. You can make topic suggestions to us — if we choose something you recommend (like the one

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21:08

The Long Road from Maiwand

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/05/15

“at Maiwand without losing my nerve” [STUD] Maiwand: Saving the Guns by Richard Caton Woodville, 1883 (Wikimedia Commons) It is generally accepted that A Study in Scarlet, when Dr. Watson first met Sherlock Holmes, took place in 1881. Watson was just back from the war in Afghanistan, where he had been wounded at the Battle of Maiwand. But in 1940, Edgar W. Smith took a closer look at the timing between the battle, Watson's recovery time, travel to London and hotel stay, and came to a

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19:04

Sherlock Holmes, Cabby

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/05/09

“Stop at a telegraph-office, cabby!” [SIGN] Cabbies are everywhere in London – indeed, so common in some cases that they're simply overlooked (we see you, Jefferson Hope!). Could Sherlock Holmes have passed himself off as a cabby? There are certainly points in his career when it would have made sense. And a paper given at a Sherlock Holmes society in Denmark points in that direction. Hop on board with us in this monthly travel series episode! It's just a Trifle. You can make suggestions

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29:53

Wordplay

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/05/02

“very curious phraseology” [WIST] Here's an interesting little subject that ought to intrigue many Sherlock Holmes fans: words. We are a literate bunch, and when we get to learn more about words — especially words with which we're unfamiliar — that makes us happy. This topic was suggested by listener Jennifer Cassasanto, who was curious about some of the foreign and antiquated terms in the Canon. Fair warning, though: this is a pun-filled zone. Word nerds unite! It's just a Trifle. You

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23:43

Will the Real Devil's Foot Stand Up?

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/04/25

“kept as a secret among them” [DEVI] When Dr. Leon Sterndale said there was only one known specimen of radix pedis dioaboli – devil's foot root – in a laboratory in Buda, it was clear that it was a poison unknown to science. Just what was it that was "used as an ordeal poison by the medicine-men in certain districts of West Africa"? Dr. Robert Ennis had an idea related to a substance we know well today, based on his observations in emergency rooms. And it’s anything but a Trifle. All

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25:11

The Second Collaboration

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/04/18

“His collaboration may be very necessary” [ILLU] There's a curious phrase in the beginning of A Study in Scarlet that requires a little more consideration. Do you know what it is? John Ball, Jr. did. And his theory about what that phrase signified is an intelligent and plausible one, lifted from a 1954 issue of The Baker Street Journal and The Baker Street Reader. Along the way, we uncover a surprising fact about Ball. And it’s anything but a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible

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22:19

To Go to Norwood

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/04/11

“we shall certainly have to go to Norwood” [SIGN] The latest in our travel series takes us to Norwood. In particular, the Norwood in The Sign of Four. Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Mary Morstan take a cab to a seedier part of London, and then a four-wheeler south to Norwood. How long would it have taken them? And what else might we find in this London suburb? Michael Harrison assists with an essay from In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes, and it’s just a Trifle. All of our supporters on

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22:54

The Manor House Case

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/04/04

“consult me over that Manor House case” [GREE] In addition to fascinating cases and clients, the Sherlock Holmes stories saw some wonderful house names. How did some of them get their names? We look at the history of house names, call out the story names that were also house names, and mention a few of our favorite lesser-known country houses in the Canon. It's just a Trifle. Oh, and just for our Patreon and Substack supporters, we have some additional analysis in a bonus episode. All of

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25:17

B Is for Biscuit

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/03/28

“one of biscuits” [GLOR] It's not often we find ourselves with a Muppets crossover, but after stumbling across a few trifling references in the Sherlock Holmes stories, we began to think about the Cookie Monster in Baker Street. Of course, there were no cookies in Baker Street. Only biscuits. Where might we find mentions of biscuits in the Canon? And what do we know about their variety and history? It's just another treat – a Trifle. Oh, and just for our Patreon supporters, we have a link

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30:35

The Effect of Trades on the Body

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/03/21

“the weaver by his tooth or the compositor by his thumb” [COPP] On the third week of every month, we look at a piece of Sherlockian scholarship in a series we call "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist." In this episode, the article "The Effect of Trades on the Body" by Remsen Ten Eyck Schenck from Vol. 3, No. 1 of The Baker Street Journal in 1953 serves as our anchor. Schenck offers a look at one of the monographs Holmes mentioned in The Sign of Four and proceeds to compare it with medical

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31:58

Canonical Luggage and Railway Journeys

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/03/14

“whatever luggage you intend to take” [FINA] We're back on the rails this week, with our monthly travel-related episode. This time, we turn to an article written by H.J. Curjel for The Sherlock Holmes Journal, Vol. 12, Nos. 3 & 4, Summer 1976. Specifically, we review his survey of stories in which railway journeys long and short took place, and specifically those in which luggage was mentioned or when people traveled without luggage. It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a

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26:13

Half Measures

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/03/07

“half-humorous, half-cynical” [DEVI] Celebrate our terquasquicentennial with us as we take a full look at "half" mentions in the Canon. While there are nearly 400 instances of the word, there are a select few that tell us something about hte personality of Sherlock Holmes. Namely, that Sherlock Holmes used the term "half" strategically when he wanted to sound a certain way. It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com

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25:48

Secret Societies

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/02/29

“the secret societies must have done it” [STUD] Here and there across the Sherlock Holmes stories, we find ourselves embroiled in the intrigue that involves secret societies. Many are of foreign origin, and they're almost always associated with death and violence. What are these organizations and in which stories can we find them? 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

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27:54

Corpulence in the Canon

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles ·

2024/02/21

“His body was absolutely corpulent” [GREE] Join us for another "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode, in which we bring a piece of Sherlockian scholarship about a trifling issue to you. This time, we look at Anna Brindisi Behrens' article "Corpulence in the Canon: Beyond Stereotypes" from the Winter 2023 issue of The Baker Street Journal (Vol. 73., No. 4). It's a look beyond the obvious, and as always, it's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know

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