Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"Good old index. You can't beat it." [SUSS]

Sherlock Holmes had quite the index. We get glimpses of it in use at various times throughout the Canon, from a biographical reference to a logging of crime. Was Holmes's index a single large volume, or many smaller volumes? Was it hardbound or simply an assembly of files?

And it never quite seemed like it was organized in a sensible way. How did Holmes manage to call to mind whatever he needed to find in this index?

Please leave us a rating or review and consider supporting the show through Patreon.

Show notes available at ihose.co/trifles58

Music: Beethoven's Violin Concerto performed by the US Marine Chamber Orchestra, public domain.

When it comes to British mysteries, tea is like aqua vitae. It's a given that it's part of the scenery. And of course we do come across tea a number of times in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

But have you ever taken a tally of how many times we witness tea being served versus coffee? Or of the therapeutic uses of either? Grab a cup (or a cuppa) and pull up a chair - we're about to have a coffee klatch on Trifles.

Or as one entertainer might put it: Sherlockians in Cars Getting Coffee. Or is it tea?

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles57
• A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich, and You

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"it is surely Hudson" [GLOR]

One of the most enduring figures of the Canon after Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Mycroft Holmes and Inspector Lestrade is Mrs. Hudson. We know a little about her, but how did she happen to become the landlady of 221B Baker Street? And what were the "princely" rent payments that Holmes made?

As we make our way across the Sherlock Holmes stories, we do come across one or two other Hudsons as well. What is their relationship to the landlady? These questions await your attention in the latest episode of Trifles.

Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

• How Much Do We Really Know About Mrs. Hudson?

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"it is a nice household" [SPEC]

We've got another recurring feature for you here on Trifles: seeing as there were so many unpublished cases that Watson mentioned, we find that there are plenty of trifles to discuss with regard to those. We're calling this series of episodes Unpublished Cases and we'll regularly revisit the topic.

When we glance across a number of such cases that Watson mentioned in stories like "The Sussex Vampire," "The Problem of Thor Bridge," "The Golden Pince-Nez," "Black Peter," and "The Veiled Lodger," we find some unusual animals mentioned — animals that would not commonly be found in the home or on the farm. Just what are some of these species?

Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or Substack.

• The giant rat of Sumatra
• The Sherlock Holmes International Exhibition
• The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

In this episode of Trifles, we're starting what will become a recurring feature over the course of a few episodes: namely, we're looking at some of the things you'll find in Sherlock Holmes's sitting room at 221B Baker Street. We're calling the series Inside 221B.

The sideboard makes a number of appearances in the Canon, and serves as a solemn but essential member of the Baker Street set as it features beef and fowl, drinks and related accouterments, and as a resting place for various objects. But just what is a sideboard and in which stories do we find it?

Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

• The Great Exhibition
• The Festival of Britain
• May - September 1951: An Exhibition on Sherlock Holmes

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Welcome to Season 2 of Trifles. We'll be working through some of the questions we ask in our show introductions this season, including a number of recurring themes. We hope you'll subscribe.

In Episode 48 ("Gotcha!") we discussed times when Sherlock Holmes caught his criminal red-handed, dead to rights. But what about the times that he caught criminals but let them go?

Was it solely his strong sense of right and wrong that caused Holmes to allow them to go free? Or was he simply disdainful of the official police? And what was it that he was doing with regard to felonies - compounding, commuting, or condoning? It's just a Trifle.

Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon.

• The Hero's Journey
• A Sherlock Holmes Handbook by Christopher Redmond
• The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana by Jack Tracy

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

"compliments of the season" [BLUE]

"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" is one of the more well-known stories in the Canon. And yet we're presented with a few trifling issues, including the color of the gem.

But beyond that, we have a victim and perpetrators who didn't seem to have thought through things to their logical conclusion. How else can we factor in the use of poultry as a hiding place? And animal anatomy lessons indicate that that place didn't even exist...

Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

• "The Blue Carbuncle"
• Line O' Type, Chicago Tribune - December 1946
• More Leaves from the Copper Beeches

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Peace in the canon. Reading the Sherlock Holmes stories to find peace is something like going to Casablanca for the water.

"But there are no waters in Casablanca."

"I was misinformed."

Regardless, during this season of peace, we reflect on moments — even if they're glimpses — of bucolic, peaceful moments we find scattered throughout the Sherlock Holmes canon. They're there, if you look for them — trifling as they may be.

Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

• Christmas Peace (Wikipedia)

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"what a chorus of groans, cries and bleatings" [REDC]

Agony column. Agony column? To the modern reader, that term might be unfamiliar. Well, at least it would be unfamiliar with the reader who is new to the Sherlock Holmes stories. The first time we come across Holmes using the agony column is in The Sign of Four when he advertised for the Aurora in the agony column of the Standard.

Holmes regularly used newspaper classified ads and personal columns to track down criminals and surface clues. But just what is an agony column, how did it help Sherlock Holmes, and in which stories did he and others find a use for it?

Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or Substack.

• Stories mentioned in this episode: A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, "The Engineer's Thumb," "The Noble Bachelor," "The Red Circle," "The Bruce-Partington Plans"
• Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: A Textbook of Friendship by Christopher Morley
• The Agony Column of The Times: 1800-1881, edited by Alice Clay, London: Chatto & Windus, 1881

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

--

When Cyril Overton sent a telegram to Sherlock Holmes, proclaiming the status of Godfrey Staunton, it was met with puzzlement. And even after Overton arrived at Baker Street, Holmes was still puzzled. We know that he had his "limits," based on Watson's famous list from A Study in Scarlet.

But Watson sat in silence as Holmes twisted in the wind, his ignorance of popular rugby laid bare. Why was this? Was it for the sake of his readers, or did Watson have other intentions in mind?

Have you left us a rating and review on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.

And please consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

• "The Missing Three-Quarter"

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0