Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

“Good old Dr. Starr!” [3GAR]    One of the creepiest looking characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories was Col. Lysander Stark, who chased after Victor Hatherly with a meat cleaver in "The Engineer's Thumb." But then we run across the name Lysander Starr in "The Three Garridebs." What gives? We track the history of the name and explore some possible origins for its use. 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/trifles311 A Study in Sources by Donald Redmond 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 regular giveawa

“found in the banks of the Amoy River in southern China” [BLUE]    The blue carbuncle had quite a journey. Before it even arrived in the action of the story, the piece of crystallized charcoal was the object of "two murders, a vitriol-throwing, a suicide, and several robberies." But once it's in London and disappears from the Countess of Morcar's possession, where does it go? Gavin Brend takes us on the wild journey. 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/trifles310 Seventeen Steps to 221B by James Edward Holroyd Related episodes: Episode 305 - Our Client's Foot Upon the Stair Episode 309 - Rambling About IHOSE Epi

“devoted to a series of walks” [WIST]    In at least four separate cases, we know that Holmes and Watson were out strolling around London. How does this square with Holmes's aversion toward exercise?   And what about other occasions in the countryside? Was Holmes a man of nature, was he gathering information, or was it something else? 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/trifles309 Related episode: IHOSE Episode 200: Enola Holmes 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 regular giveaways.   Sponsor The Ba

“revealing what they are” [ENGR]      "By a man’s finger nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt cuffs—by each of these things a man’s calling is plainly revealed."    So Sherlock Holmes tells us in A Study in Scarlet. In this episode, we apply Holmes's methods to the attire of some of his clients. 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/trifles308 Related episodes: Episode 96 - Trick or Treat Episode 148 - Aliases and Disguises Episode 198 - Clothing in the Canon Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Emai

“That sounds a little paradoxical.” [BOSC]      The fourth short story in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," gives us a host of sayings and tenets of Sherlock Holmes's philosophy. But there are also a number of things that seem contradictory.    In this Masters Class episode, Nick Utechin's look at another mystery within this story serves as an exemplary bit of scholarship that deserves a deeper look. 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/trifles307 "Occasionally to Embellish": Some Writings on Sherlock Holmes (Wessex Press) Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Email us at tr

“a cry for help and a splash in the water” [FIVE]      Water, water everywhere. And that just makes us think. Of the Sherlock Holmes stories, of course.   Since England is an island, it stands to reason that in the Sherlock Holmes canon, we encounter a good deal of water. But it's what's commonly associated with water that'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/trifles306 The Best of the Pips Volume II: More Papers on the Sundial - The 1999 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual The unsolved mystery of Skeleton Lake Other episodes mentioned: Remembering Bob Thomalen Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube E

“heard upon the stairs” [SCAN]      So much of how we think about Sherlock Holmes is due to the scenes where we find Holmes and Watson at home in Baker Street.   And thanks to the illustrations of Sidney Paget, we have a pretty good idea of what that ought to look like. James Edward Holroyd wrote about this in "Our Client's Foot Upon the Stair." 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/trifles305 Seventeen Steps to 221B by James Edward Holroyd Other episodes mentioned: IHOSE Episode 156: The Complete Paget Portfolio Inside 221B Playlist Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Email us at trifles @ ihearof

“numerous candles did something” [HOUN]      We equate gas lamps with Sherlock Holmes — even electric lights. But we don't often think about the number of candles in the stories.   More than the number: the role played by many candles. While they may seem like simple wax objects that provide illumination, in Sherlock Holmes's case, they often provided a very different kind of illumination. 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/trifles304 Candles of the Canon (and off to bed) (Sherlock Peoria) Closing soon: this brief survey about the availability of The Grand Game Volume One Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and

“the line of his pedigree” [EMPT]      Colonel Sebastian Moran was called "the second most dangerous man in London" and was a formidable adversary of Sherlock Holmes. And yet, we know remarkably little about him, aside from a brief biographical entry in Holmes's index.   Nicholas Utechin takes us on a journey from India to Eton and from Crimea to Oxford that gets at "The Colonel of the Matter" in this Master Class episode. 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/trifles303 Beyond Baker Street (Abebooks) Other episodes mentioned: I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 249: Remembering Nicholas Utechin I Hear of Sherlock Every

“to reconstruct this midnight drama” [MUSG]    A quick look through the Sherlock Holmes stories finds a good number of incidents taking place around midnight.    Why is this the case? Who could we expect to find out and about at such an hour? It's unlikely that they would have been respectable people. But it is 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/trifles302 The Anti-Society: An Account of the Victorian Underworld by Kellow Chesney Please take this brief survey about the availability of The Grand Game Volume One Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-fr

“the victim of an unfortunate accident” [FIVE]      For our "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the theorist" episode, we take a step back into 1947 to "Clients in Jeopardy" by Henry C. Clark, appearing in The Second Cab.   There were at least four instances in which Sherlock Holmes knew his clients were in danger, yet he sent them on their way. In which stories do we find these people, and are there others? 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/trifles301 Brief survey about the availability of The Grand Game Volume One Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on P

“the wondrous strength-giving serum” [CREE]      For our 300th episode, we thought we'd do something just a Trifle different. Following the theme of our previous episode, we're focused again on "The Adventure of the Creeping Man."   This time, however, we turn to a satirical piece that appeared in The Baker Street Journal: a piece in the style of a pharmaceutical ad for the wonder drug known as "Langurtin." It appeared in the Autumn 1997 issue (Vol. 47 No. 3) and was created by Jeff and Wanda Dow.   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/trifles300 Brief survey about the availability of The Grand Game Volume One Previous ep

“an obscure scientist who was striving in some unknown way” [CREE]      In this month's Masters Class, we turn to a Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article from The Baker Street Journal in 1973: "Lowenstein of Prague" by Jan C. Prager and Albert Silverstein.   In "The Creeping Man," a certain H. Lowenstein is reviled for supplying Professor Presbury with an experimental substance. Who was Lowenstein, in actuality? And was he truly the culprit in the matter? 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 T

“a regal and stately lady in Court dress” [CHAS]    With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we find ourselves in a similar place as Sherlock Holmes did in 1901 with the passing of Queen Victoria: at the end of an age.   What a perfect opportunity then, to reflect on the thirteen British monarchs who appeared in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Who were they? We found thirteen — some were obvious and others were a little tricky to find. Thanks to the help of Chris Redmond, 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. And, we have Chris Redmond's booklet A Sherlockian History of England available as a PDF. Join our community of patrons today.   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles298 Queen Elizabeth II

“You still smoke the Arcadia mixture of your bachelor days then!” [CROO]    When Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson first met, Watson noted he was not averse to strong tobacco and that he usually smoked what he called "ship's" himself. But later, Holmes finds him smoking the "Arcadia mixture" from his bachelor days.   Why the switch? And what was it? Robert F. Cairo, Jr. identified the Arcadia mixture in a piece in The Baker Street Journal from 2000. 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.     Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles297 Other episodes mentioned: Episode 71 - Inside 221B: Where There's Smoke Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube

“I caught a glimpse of a great heart” [3GAB]    Without a question, Sherlock Holmes was a master of his craft. When we look at his motivations for pursuing his career—at least on the surface—he seems like he's all business.   And yet, we have glimpses of Holmes over the course of his career when he waxes a bit more philosophical. David Stuart Davies' column "A Great Heart" in the latest issue of Sherlock Holmes Magazine got us thinking about it.  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.   This is the episode in which we announce our monthly prize: free back issues of The Baker Street Journal. Every Patreon supporter is eligible to win this random drawing. Join our community of patrons to be eligible.   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles296 Sherlock Holmes Magazine Other episodes mentioned: Episode 183 - Justice, Part 1: Unresolved Episode 184

“the finest assorted collection” [STUD]      For nearly a century, there has been a general concordance on which Sherlock Holmes stories are best. It was a tradition started by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Strand Magazine, no less.   Over the years, there have been minor quibbles, but one story has remained at the top of the list. How did these rankings come about and what do they say about successive generations? 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.   In the next episode we'll be holindg the drawing for our monthly prize: free back issues of The Baker Street Journal. Every Patreon supporter is eligible to win this random drawing. Join our community of patrons to be eligible. Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles295 The 12 Best Sherlock Holmes Stories, According to Arthur Conan Doyle (Lithub) The Best Sherlock Holmes Stories (Best of Sherlock

“he was trying to hide his own identity” [RESI]  Over the years, there have been numerous theories about how Watson (or Mrs. Watson, rather) got his name wrong, substituting “James” for “John.” We covered some of them in Episode 7.   But this is a Masters Class episode in which we pick a masterful piece of Sherlockian scholarship and discuss it. In this case, it's one that may get to the bottom of this issue once and for all: Thomas Cynkin's article “James Watson, M.D.” appeared in Vol. 51, No. 4 of The Baker Street Journal 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. And don't miss a chance at our monthly prize: free back issues of The Baker Street Journal. Every Patreon supporter is eligible to win this random drawing. Join our community of patrons.   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles294 “A Remarkable Mixture” by Steven Rothman Other episodes m

“Carina sings tonight at Royal Albert Hall” [RETI]    We revisit our previous episodes about music, with a singular investigation: Carina.   Mentioned in the last Sherlock Holmes story to be published, Carina sang at Royal Albert Hall. What do we know about the venue? More importantly, just who was Carina? One investigation into her identity caught our attention, 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.   And don't miss a chance at our monthly prize: free back issues of The Baker Street Journal. Every Patreon supporter is eligible to win this random drawing. Join our community of patrons.   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles293 Royal Albert Hall Other episodes mentioned: Episode 40: Sarasate Episode 139: Music in the Canon, Part 1: Composers and Their Works Episode 140: Music in the Canon, Part 2: Musicians, Instruments, and Venues Find us

“the judgment which we have pronounced” [ABBE]  You say bow, I say bow. Potato, potato, tomato, tomato, let's call the whole thing off.   Of course, that song never made sense in print, just like Lord Donegall's assertion that there are alternative pronunciations to "His Last Bow." We take a look at an old piece of scholarship about this story. 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.   And don't miss a chance at our monthly prize: free back issues of The Baker Street Journal. Every Patreon supporter is eligible to win this random drawing. Join our community of patrons.   Links / Notes This episode: ihose.co/trifles292 Baker Street and Beyond by Lord Donnegall Other episodes mentioned: IHOSE Episode 139: The Strand Magazine IHOSE Episode 208: Collector's Corner - Charles Prepolec Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Email us at trifles