Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"one might think that you were afraid of our finding something out" [PRIO] The first week of the month means it's time for another round of Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist, in which we take a look at a piece of old Sherlockian scholarship and discuss it anew. In this case, it's Trevor Hall's essay "A Note on The Priory School" from his book Sherlock Holmes: Ten Literary Studies. Hall manages to find a clue buried later in "The Blanched Soldier" and traces it back to "The Priory School." What he found is enough to shock even the most devoted fans of Thorneycroft Huxtable, M.A., Ph.D., etc. It's just a Trifle. Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles288
• Sherlock Holmes: Ten Literary Studies by Trevor Hall
• Sherlock Holmes: Fact or Fiction? by T.S. Blakeney
• Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
• Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com
• Support us on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways.

Sponsor The BSI Press Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 --

"run down to the advertising agency and have this put in the evening papers" [BLUE] We know Sherlock Holmes valued the agony column; we discussed that previously on Episode 50. Looking back at a paper by an advertising executive from the mid-20th century — a real-life Mad Man — we find the makings of an expert copywriter and marketer. We even identify a media buyer. All of this and more, related to advertising in the Canon. It's just a Trifle. Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles287
• The Best of the Pips (The Five Orange Pips)
• Seven on Sherlock (Thayer Cumings)
• Aboriginals (Linda & Harrison Hunt)
• Related episodes:
• Episode 286 - Strange Business
• Episode 109 - Brands in the Canon
• Episode 50 - The Agony Column
• Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
• Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock DOT com
• Support us on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways.

Sponsor The Baker Street Journal Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the rest of that strange company" [DANC] Men and women from professions of all kinds consulted Sherlock Holmes. And throughout the Canon we're introduced to a number of companies, either by name or type of business. But some of them stand out because of their unusual categories. Strange company, indeed. It's just a Trifle. Full show notes: https://ihose.co/trifles286 Thank you to our sponsor, the BSI Press. Please support Trifles on Patreon: https://patreon.com/trifles

"much addicted" [TWIS] This month's Masters Class brings us back to a Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article from The Baker Street Journal. Susan Rice wrote "Watson's Hidden Addiction" for Vol. 47, No. 2 (June 1997) of the BSJ, and it concerned a significant flaw in Watson's character. Perhaps "flaw" is not the right word — let's call it a weakness. She even found a syndrome that would explain it. It's just a Trifle. Full show notes: https://ihose.co/trifles285 Thank you to our sponsor, The Baker Street Journal. Please support Trifles on Patreon: https://patreon.com/trifles

"What's this, Mr. Holmes? Man, it's witchcraft!" [VALL] Continuing on our supernatural theme, we land on witchcraft. And not just any witchcraft, either. This was a spell cast at Baker Street. Our monthly "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the theorist" theme lands on Frank Allen's "Witchcraft in Baker Street" from the anthology Beyond Baker Street, and it looks at how some of the people we meet in "Charles Augustus Milverton" were bothered, bewitched, and bewildered. It's just a Trifle. Full show notes: https://ihose.co/trifles284 Thank you to our sponsor, The Baker Street Journal. Please support Trifles on Patreon: https://patreon.com/trifles

"some hocus-pocus" [SIGN]

The last time we were together, we examined Sherlock Holmes's Tours de Force (Episode 282), in which we discussed a number of ways he wowed people with his unique skills.

As we look closer, there are instances when people accuse him of practicing magic, sorcery, or wizardry. What are those examples, and what might have happened to Sherlock Holmes, had he lived in a different era? It's just a Trifle.

Full show notes: https://ihose.co/trifles283 Thank you to our sponsor, The Baker Street Journal. Please support Trifles on Patreon: https://patreon.com/trifles

"my poor little reputation, such as it is, will suffer shipwreck if I am so candid" [REDH] One of the greatest features of the Sherlock Holmes stories is seeing the master ply his trade. That is, watching Holmes when he dazzles Watson (and us!) with his brilliance. In the first two novels plus The Adventures and The Memoirs, we have some delicious examples of Holmes at his finest. It is just a Trifle. And be sure to tune in to hear if you, Patreon supporter, won some back issues of the Baker Street Journal. We hold this drawing exclusively for our supporters every month. Full show notes: https://ihose.co/trifles282 Thank you to our sponsor, The BSI Press. Please support Trifles on Patreon: https://patreon.com/trifles

"a remarkable cow" [PRIO]

The third week of the month means it's time for Master's Class: a look at an exemplary piece of Sherlockian scholarship from over the years. In this episode, we turn to an award-winning article in The Baker Street Journal. S. Tupper Bigelow pondered the patterns of hoof-marks as laid out in various editions of the Canon, and won the Morley-Montgomery Award in 1962 for it. It's just a Trifle. Full show notes: https://ihose.co/trifles281 Thank you to our sponsor, The Baker Street Journal. Please support Trifles on Patreon: https://patreon.com/trifles

"A touch! A distinct touch!" [VALL]

Every author owes something to Shakespeare. His inventiveness with language has withstood the test of time, and many of the phrases he originated or popularized are still in use today.

We find Shakespeare's words dotted throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories, well beyond the usual quotes. A number of Shakespearean phrases are allusions in the Canon. It's just a Trifle.

Full show notes: https://ihose.co/trifles280 Thank you to our sponsor, The Baker Street Journal. Please support Trifles on Patreon: https://patreon.com/trifles

"As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all." [CREE] This is another instance of the new product we're calling "I Can't Believe We Didn't Talk About This Already." An early instance of Sherlockian scholarship and commentary, in 1934 Dorothy L. Sayers wrote "The Dates in the Red-Headed League," picking up where H.W. Bell's 1932 Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Chronology of Their Adventures left off. It's a fine example of using data at hand and being creative, and it's part of our series covering old Sherlockian scholarship. It's just a Trifle. Full show notes: https://ihose.co/trifles279 Thank you to our sponsor, the BSI Press. Please support Trifles on Patreon: https://patreon.com/trifles