Sherlock Holmes: Trifles
You know the plots, but what about the minutiae? We delve into the Sherlock Holmes stories and provide answers to questions that arise, clarify muddy details, and look into some of the period terminology in this weekly podcast.
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An Aborted Avatar
04/30/2025
An Aborted Avatar
“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 warrant a full episode — is coming your way in a few days. As a reminder, this is exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to this episode here or Links (Wikipedia) (Project Gutenberg) All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: . Copyright:
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Gypsies
04/23/2025
Gypsies
“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 "Trifling Trifles" episode — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — is coming your way in a few days. As a reminder, this is exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to this episode here or Links (Victorian Web) (Romani) All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: . Copyright:
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On Stage and Off
04/16/2025
On Stage and Off
“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 mean a remarkable set of experiences ahead. It's just a Trifle. And we have some bonus content related to a particular footnote of Baring-Gould's in this chapter. It's available exclusively for our supporters. Another "Trifling Trifles" episode — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — is coming your way in a few days. As a reminder, this is exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to this episode here or Links by William S. Baring-Gould (Abebooks) Other episodes mentioned: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: . Copyright:
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The Man with the Watches (The Apocrypha Part 2)
04/09/2025
The Man with the Watches (The Apocrypha Part 2)
“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 press with an explanation. We briefly discuss the story and the many theories as to the authorship of those letters over the years by numerous Sherlockians. It's just a Trifle. This season, we've added "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to this episode here or Please leave us a rating and review on or , and consider supporting our efforts through or . Links (Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia) (Doings of Doyle) All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: . Copyright:
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The Alleged Use of Cocaine by Mr. Sherlock Holmes
04/03/2025
The Alleged Use of Cocaine by Mr. Sherlock Holmes
“you are mistaken about my alleged agents” [MAZA] Along with the calabash pipe, deerstalker cap, and Inverness cape, one of Sherlock Holmes's traits is the use of cocaine. But should it be? William H. Miller, M.D. F.A.C.P. won the Morley-Montgomery Award for his article in Vol. 19, No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal in which he asserted that we're mistaken in believing that Sherlock Holmes used cocaine. Don't believe us? Well, it's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we've added "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes Previous episodes referenced: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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North American Businesses
03/27/2025
North American Businesses
“the great North American Continent” [STUD] Picking up where we left off in Episode 428 ("British Businesses"), we're moving to the other side of the pond and doing a survey of businesses in North America that were mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Since there are decidedly fewer scenes and stories that took place in North America, we have far fewer to choose from. But not so few as to leave us without something interesting to say! It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we've added "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes Previous episodes referenced: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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The Mathematics of Mrs. Watson
03/20/2025
The Mathematics of Mrs. Watson
“As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all.” [CREE] It's not often that we get a piece of Sherlockian scholarship that had its origin in a mainstream publication. And in this case, it's from one of the original Sherlockians. In 1932, Ronald Knox set out to review two new Sherlockian books, but he managed to turn it into an essay that was a master class in chronology. It's just a Trifle. And stay tuned, as we have some bonus content on Ronald Knox for our supporters. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we've added "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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British Businesses
03/13/2025
British Businesses
“preoccupied with business matters” [COPP] If you came across the name of a business in the Sherlock Holmes stories, do you think you could identify which story it came from? What about the type of business it was? We put your Canonical skills to the test in this episode as we quiz you (and each other!) on some familiar and not-so-familiar business names from the Great Britain of Sherlock Holmes. It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we've added "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. | 24.4 MB, 26:00 Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes (YouTube) Previous episodes mentioned: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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My Biblical Knowledge Is a Trifle Rusty
03/06/2025
My Biblical Knowledge Is a Trifle Rusty
“There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion” [NAVA] The Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article this month is "My Biblical Knowledge is a Trifle Rusty" by Henry T. Folsom, BSI ("The Golden Pince-Nez"), from The Baker Street Journal, Volume 15, No. 3. Rev. Folsom took the opportunity as a practitioner of the faith to examine the religious beliefs (or lack thereof) of Sherlock Holmes. Was he an atheist? Was he a believer? And if so, what form did it take? It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we've added "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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The Field Bazaar (The Apocrypha Part 1)
02/27/2025
The Field Bazaar (The Apocrypha Part 1)
“I would read as easily as I do the apocrypha” [VALL] We're starting a short series on the Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes: stories that are not in the Canonical 60 but that have some relevant interest. The first installment is "The Field Bazaar," written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1896 for his alma mater. It's a short item and it provides some insights into the habits of Holmes and Watson. And it's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we've added "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Disguise Is Key
02/19/2025
Disguise Is Key
“see through a disguise” [HOUN] The third episode of every month is a look into a piece of Sherlockian scholarship, and this time it brings us to Vol. 64 No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal from 2014 with a piece by Maria Fleischhack, BSI ("Rache"). In this article, Maria looks at various Germans in the Sherlock Holmes stories and tracks the disguises or aliases they used, in conjunction with Conan Doyle's own attitude toward Germans and Germans' attitudes toward the English. It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we've added "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out ( | ). Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes Previous episode mentioned: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Banks in the Canon
02/13/2025
Banks in the Canon
“drawn on six different banks” [VALL] Banks and bankers are important to Sherlock Holmes. From clients to necessary fiduciaries, they represent an essential part of the real and Canonical worlds. Which banks are mentioned? What bankers do we meet? And what about one very specific bank to which we owe a debt of gratitude? It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we're adding "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Don't miss it! Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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The Methods of Sherlock Holmes
02/05/2025
The Methods of Sherlock Holmes
“You know my methods. Apply them!” [HOUN] In 1893, a curious entry appeared in the Tit-Bits magazine: an examination paper on the methods of Sherlock Holmes. A cash prize was offered to the winner (whom we know). The author of the quiz, though? That's been unknown for nearly a century and a half. Until Michael Meer came along and made an identification that earned him the Morley-Montgomery Award for 2024. It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we're adding "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Don't miss it! Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes Previous episodes mentioned: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Baritsu
01/30/2025
Baritsu
“the Japanese system of wrestling” [EMPT] When Sherlock Holmes defeated Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, he had a secret weapon: his knowledge of a certain style of Japanese wrestling. Of course, we don't find this out until his return, and even then, Watson (or is it Holmes?) conveys the wrong name. It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we're adding "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Don't miss it! Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes (Wikipedia) (YouTube) All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Turkish Baths
01/23/2025
Turkish Baths
“the sweat was pouring down my face” [BLUE] Turkish baths come up in just two of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Quick—without looking it up, can you name which? We know Watson enjoys both of them; Holmes joins him for one. In this episode, we discuss the origins and history of the Turkish bath, and specifically focus on the Victorian Turkish bath. Sit back and relax. This is just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we're adding "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Don't miss it! Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes (Wikipedia) (Margie Deck) (Matador Network) Soupy Sales sings "" (YouTube) All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Who Wasn't Jack the Ripper
01/15/2025
Who Wasn't Jack the Ripper
“when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” [SIGN] In our monthly discussion of an old piece of Sherlockian scholarship, we find ourselves in the back alleys of Whitechapel, discussing Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes. Our source of this discussion is not one but two back-to-back articles from The Baker Street Journal, Vol. 17, No. 4 from 1967. The first is "Who Wasn't Jack the Ripper" by Bruce Dettman, and the second is "Jack in Abyss" by Bruce Kenedy. Both are just Trifles. Just for our supporters: photos of William S. Baring-Gould's Sherlock Holmes Society of London tie and supporting documentation. Bruce Kennedy inherited the tie and it is now in Scott's collection. See them on or . All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and bonus content. Join our community on or today. This season, we're adding "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Don't miss it! Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Partnership
01/09/2025
Partnership
“We shall then take you into partnership” [SIGN] Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are forever linked, thanks to that first meeting at Bart's. They were both looking for someone with whom to share rooming expenses, but found themselves thrust together on some of Sherlock Holmes's greatest cases, becoming one of history's greatest partnerships. But what of business partnerships that are scattered throughout the Canon? Some of them are obvious and memorable, while others are obscure and forgettable. It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. This season, we're adding "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Don't miss it! Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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The Origin of 221B Worship
01/01/2025
The Origin of 221B Worship
“a singular set of people, Watson” [WIST] Image credit: The Baker Street Irregulars This podcast is a by-product of being active in the world of Sherlockians. But how did Sherlock Holmes societies first gain footing? What was the origin? In the inaugural episode of our new series on Morley-Montgomery Award winners (exceptional Sherlockian scholarship from The Baker Street Journal), Robert Keith Leavitt puts pen to paper in 1961 on what had only been an oral tradition until that time, putting everything in perspective for our little hobby. It's probably a little more than a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. In Season 9, we'll be adding "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — as an additional channel of content exclusively for our paying subscribers. Don't miss it! Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Christmas with Sherlock Holmes
12/25/2024
Christmas with Sherlock Holmes
“the compliments of the season” [BLUE] There is only one Sherlock Holmes story that takes place at Christmas: "The Blue Carbuncle," which took place on "the second morning after Christmas." In his Gas-Lamp for the 1959 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual, editor Edgar W. Smith, BSI ("The Hound of the Baskervilles") entertained the idea of what was happening at Baker Street on Christmas Day. And that seemed like a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. And in Season 9 (debuting in 2025) we'll be adding "Trifling Trifles" as an additional channel of content only for our paying subscribers. Don't miss it! Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Sherlock Holmes Was No Burglar
12/19/2024
Sherlock Holmes Was No Burglar
“I have always had an idea that I would have made a highly efficient criminal” [CHAS] In some cases, Sherlock Holmes was a bit of a vigilante in his pursuit of justice. He didn't mind breaking the law in a good cause. That led to him burgling various households. Or did it? S. Tupper Bigelow, BSI ("The Five Orange Pips") was a lawyer by trade and disabuses us of the notion that Sherlock Holmes was a burglar. Some of it is a mere technicality, but it's all a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Battlestations!
12/12/2024
Battlestations!
“You look like a general who is planning a battle” [HOUN] The Battle of Marengo, by Louis-François Lejeune (public domain - ) One simple sentence in "The Abbey Grange" served as the spark to the fuse of this Trifles episode. In one sentence, Sherlock Holmes referenced two of Napoleon's battles — each with a different outcome. But it made us curious: what other famous battles were mentioned, either outright or by implication, throughout the Canon? We chose to discuss six of them. It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating on and ; listen to us . Links / Notes Other episodes mentioned: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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The December Cases
12/05/2024
The December Cases
“He disappeared upon the 3d of December” [SIGN] "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" is inextricably linked with the month of December. But what about the other cases Sherlock Holmes handled in the final month of the year? Our research picked up only one other, and it isn't obvious by a careful reading of the Canon. Jay Finley Christ helps us out with a clever bit of detection and chronology to identify that second story. We compare and contrast these two December babies and it's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles and listen to us . Links / Notes Other episodes mentioned: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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The Newgate Calendar
11/27/2024
The Newgate Calendar
“You seem to be a walking calendar of crime” [STUD] Sherlock Holmes used the calendar to help him determine the significance of certain cluse and actions, noting phases of the moon and recurring events. But there was another calendar that was useful to Holmes, which he mentioned in passing: the Newgate Calendar. It wasn't a calendar the way we refer to calendars. What was it and why was it of use? It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles and listen to us . Links / Notes (Pascal Bonenfant) (Wikipedia) All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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A Touch of the Dramatic
11/21/2024
A Touch of the Dramatic
“it was a dramatic one” [GLOR] One of Sherlock Holmes's traits was that he was a master of disguise. And in the very first short story, "A Scandal in Bohemia," we find him in not one but two disguises. However, it's more than costuming that made him successful at subterfuge. Curtis Armstrong shares his insights on why Sherlock Holmes was able to fool so many people, including Watson. And it's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles and listen to us . Links / Notes (BSI Press) by Curtis Armstrong Previous episodes mentioned: Curtis on IHOSE All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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The Continental
11/13/2024
The Continental
“the Continental express” [FINA] When Sherlock Holmes was trying to outrun Professor Moriarty, the trail led from London to Switzerland. It was anything but a straight route. Our travel series traces their trip. What did Holmes and Watson's journey onto the Continent entail? How long did it take? And what might we say about their choices? It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles and listen to us . Links / Notes Previous episodes mentioned: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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John Watson, Unreliable Narrator
11/07/2024
John Watson, Unreliable Narrator
“you have erred, perhaps” [COPP] We have John H. Watson, M.D. to thank for the Sherlock Holmes stories, and we typically take them at face value. That is, we trust that Watson was telling us the truth. While Sherlock Holmes complimented Watson for his choice of cases, he also had criticisms of Watson's writing, taking issue with his storytelling process. Does this mean Watson's accuracy might also be called into question? It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles and listen to us . Links / Notes All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Something's Missing
10/30/2024
Something's Missing
“gone—stolen, vanished” [BRUC] A few episodes ago, we investigated various items that clients brought to Sherlock Holmes and items that acted as vital physical clues. It was something of a show-and-tell. This time, we're flipping the idea on its head and considering various stories where something—or someone—goes missing. What and who will be it? Tune in for this Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles and listen to us . Links / Notes Previous episodes mentioned: Bonus artwork for our supporters on and All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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The Strongest Man in England
10/24/2024
The Strongest Man in England
“with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit” [STUD] There were a number of individuals who exhibited strength in the Sherlock Holmes stories, to varying degrees. But which of them would you classify as the strongest? One of our listeners had an idea as to who it might be, so we surveyed the Canon and found a handful of others to make this a deeper discussion. Turns out it's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles and listen to us . Links / Notes Bonus artwork for our supporters on and All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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That Old Black Boot
10/17/2024
That Old Black Boot
“the loss of the old black boot” [HOUN] Brown boot, black boot — these two items of Sir Henry Baskerville's went missing at the Northumberland Hotel shortly after he arrived in London. And they begin to put Sherlock Holmes on the scent of The Hound of the Baskervilles. However, there's a wrinkle regarding the old black boot that persists throughout the story. George Fletcher, BSI ("The Cardboard Box") made a note of this curious detail for the very first time in The Papers on the Sundial, a 2020 publication from The Five Orange Pips. And it's quite the Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles and listen to us . Links / Notes (1955) (1999) All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on or to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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Matilda Briggs
10/09/2024
Matilda Briggs
“not the name of a young woman, Watson” [SUSS] Here's a strange one. We hear of the Matilda Briggs in one story. Do you know which story and what it was associated with? This entry in our Travel Series takes us on a mysterious sea voyage that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write a short story and then borrow a real name from this true tale and plant it in Sherlock Holmes story. What as the connection? Well, that's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on or today. Leave Trifles and listen to us . Links / Notes (Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia) (Wikipedia) (The Fourth Garrideb) Previous episodes mentioned: All of our social links: Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on or to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: Copyright:
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