Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"the smartest of the Scotland Yarders" [STUD]

When you think of a Scotland Yard inspector in the Sherlock Holmes stories, odds are your thoughts immediately go to Inspector Lestrade. He makes the most appearances in stories and certainly gets the most name recognition, in part thanks to Dennis Hoey's portrayal of the bumbling but capable policeman.

But what about good old Inspector Gregson, who appeared alongside Lestrade in the very first Sherlock Holmes story? He manages to make a number of appearances, but doesn't rise to the same level of household awareness. We look at his trifling (and non-trifling) appearances in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles78

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"pulling a large tin box behind him" [MUSG]

We're accustomed to referring to Watson's famous tin box, held in the vaults of Cox & Co. Inside were contents that we were not meant to see: heretofore unseen tales of Sherlock Holmes.

But Holmes himself was in possession of his own tin box, and boy did it contain a few surprises. We take an inventory and surmise what some of the contents meant.

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And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal. Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles77

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a shocking habit,—destructive" [SIGN]

It's June, which is the month of the Queen's birthday. What a perfect time to look at the "patriotic V.R." that Sherlock Holmes adorned the wall of 221B Baker Street with.

But Sherlock Holmes didn't stop there. He had some other habits that were rather destructive when it came to his rooms. What were they and why did Holmes do that? We discuss these in the latest episode of Trifles.

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles76

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I pocket my fee" [STUD]

How much money did Sherlock Holmes make from his clients? And when did he begin making money?

We went back to an early piece of Sherlockian scholarship by Robert Keith Leavitt, first published in Vincent Starrett's 221B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes for inspiration. We run through Leavitt's assessment, commenting on certain cases and even finding a few points where we disagree with his analysis.

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles75
• "Nummi in Arca, or The Fiscal Holmes" by Robert Keith Leavitt, as originally appeared in 221B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Bring me the books" [BLUE]

Sherlock Holmes was a consultant—or more properly, a consulting detective—but he was a consultant, nonetheless. And consultants need clients, who in turn pay the bills.

But have you ever stopped to think about how Holmes went about collecting his fees? We don't know anything about his fees, other than a handful of high profile cases with rewards, and that (he says) he didn't vary them save for when he remitted them altogether.

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles74
• I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 140: Sherlock Holmes and the Elusive Ear

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I could easily dispose of the mythical" [SILV] There are assumptions and myths mentioned throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. Whether they're believed by clients, Scotland Yard inspectors, or others, they throw our attention elsewhere. And the Sherlockian world has had its own fair share of myths to deal with over the years as well. Join us as we try to identify and bust a few myths. Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help. Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles73
• A Scintillation of Scions
• I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 52: Sherlockian Mythbusters

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

"the dreadful affair of the Abernetty family" [SIXN]

Among the published cases, there are a handful that can be identified by a simple reference. If we said "a tale for which the world is not yet prepared," you'd say the Giant Rat of Sumatra.

Similarly, if we mention "the depth to which the butter had sunk on a hot day," you'd think of the Abernetty family, as mentioned in the opening of "The Six Napoleons." But what was going on there? And what have scholars said about it over the years?

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Links

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles72
• "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons"
• Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street by William S. Baring-Gould
• Parsely (Wikipedia)

Credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Busybody Holmes!" [SOLI]

Sherlock Holmes is possibly the most famous smoker in literature. But more than his ubiquitous pipe, his manner of supporting his habit within his rooms at 221B Baker Street was a bit odd, shall we say.

From his placement of cigars and tobacco, to what he did with his pipe remnants, the trimmings around his flat were quite unique, if trifling.

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles71
• Our other show: I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere
• My Lady Nicotine by J.M. Barrie
• Dunhill tobacco

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

" insight into the character of parents" [COPP]

We're coming up on Mother's Day in the United States, and that made us think about parents. We've covered mothers in the Canon discussed alternative parents in previous episodes.

But now let's take a look at the most corrosive parental relationships in the Sherlock Holmes stories. After reading Jenn Eaker's article on "A Case of Identity" in the Autumn 2017 issue of The Baker Street Journal, we thought a look at the top 5 worst parents would be in order. In this episode, we go from bad to worst.

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles70
• Maker Faire
• Raspberry Pi
• Antique whaling harpoon (eBay)
• Episode 19 - Mothers in the Canon
• Episode 24 - Heads of Household
• 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

"Does it not strike you as a strange occupation" [RETI]

In the 60 tales that comprise the complete Sherlock Holmes stories, we come across a variety of jobs. Certainly there are the garden variety: cab drivers, butlers, governesses. But what about the more rare?

Sherlock Holmes billed himself as the world's only unofficial consulting detective, but he interacted with people whose jobs were out of the ordinary - at least by today's standards. So we decided to spend some time talking about what some of these occupations were.

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And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles69
• Yeggman
• Commissionaire
• Stevedore
• Stoker

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0