Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

Have you had trouble sleeping lately? You're not alone. There were plenty of people in the Sherlock Holmes stories who struggled to sleep as well.

Whether it was because they were horrified by something that happened to them, troubled by something they did, or were determined to crack a problem, they lost sleep over it. It may not seem like it to you, but it's just a Trifle.

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• On the Sleepless Lives of Writers (LitHub)
• Charles Dickens: Observer of Sleep and Its Disorders (American Sleep Disorders Association and Sleep Research Society)
• Short film: Honoré de Balzac's 50 Cups of Coffee a Day (Amazon Prime Video)

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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We're used to reading about Mrs. Hudson ushering clients in and out, and providing various domestic services for Sherlock Holmes. But now and again, we find ourselves in the presence of young Billy, the page.

What was a page? And was Billy the only one at 221B Baker Street? In Vol. 2, No. 3 of The Sherlock Holmes Journal, G.B. Newton made an assessment of who served and when in his article "Billy the Page," and in our monthly "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" feature, we test his hypothesis. It's just a Trifle.

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• Page (servant) - Wikipedia
• The Sherlock Holmes Journal

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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There are a handful of cases where Sherlock Holmes meets an opponent who is formidable and antagonistic, but where he later turns out to be an ally.

Who were some of these individuals? Which stories did they appear in? And just what was it that made them seem as if they were on he wrong side of the case? It's just a Trifle.

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• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Flowers appear in a handful of spots in the Sherlock Holmes stories. More than the famous rose scene from "The Naval Treaty," they literally dot the countryside and color the scenery.

From a flower that lent its name to one of the stories and a country house, to an obscure statesman, you may be surprised to discover the botanical connections in the Canon. It's just a Trifle.

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• The Baker Street Journal

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Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Having spent the last episode discussing the unusual setting and Holmes and Watson's friendship as displayed in "The Reigate Squires," our minds turned toward their host, Colonel Hayter. Or rather, of his fellow ranking military officers in the Canon.

In fact, we realized that in the Sherlock Holmes stories, the title "Colonel" usually means bad news. Consider with us the various colonels and see how it strikes you. It's just a Trifle.

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• Episode 45 - Military Morality

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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In "The Reigate Squires," we find Sherlock Holmes ill and uprooted — staying in a country house — which, although it's a bachelor establishment, isn't quite what he's accustomed to. Although it may not be one of Holmes's truly great cases, there is much to love in this story.

Watson was right there to back up Holmes in every way: reacting in horror to Holmes's fainting fit, taking the blame for the overturned table, and even rescuing Holmes from the clutches of the murderers. It's just a Trifle.

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• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Watson returns from Afghanistan, recovering from a wound in the shoulder and the aftereffects of disease. But we later discover that he had a leg wound as well.

Could it be the delirium that caused him to misstate his injuries? Or was there another reason for his error? Two old pieces of Sherlockian scholarship – one from the 1940s and another from the 1950s – each have a different theory. Which is correct? It's just a Trifle.

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• The Battle of Maiwand
• John Watson's Youth, Part 2

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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In "The Adventure of the Three Students," Holmes has a litany of clues at his disposal. From balls of doughy clay to a tear in the leather of a desk, and more.

And yet, he's fixated on this one clue that he claimed was "the best and only final clue." What was it? And was it truly the definitive clue in the story? It's just a Trifle.

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• The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski (Amazon)

• The BSI Press

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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We commonly see clients who come to Sherlock Holmes riddled with despair and grief. But if we look closely enough, we can also find happiness and sheer joy in the Canon.

The Sherlock Holmes stories contain the full range of human emotion, from anger to relief and from anguish to jubilance. The more we looked for the upbeat, the more we found. It's just a Trifle.

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• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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There are many tragic figures in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and more than a handful are lonely or isolated in some way. This is either features in their predicament or gives us a better understanding of their personality.

As many of us may be entering a period of isolation or loneliness now, we thought it was an apt topic to discuss. It's just a Trifle.

Bonus: We recorded this live while on video, and you can find the link below.

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• Our live episode, with bonus content (YouTube)

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0