Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"a puzzled quarter of an hour" [MISS]

The Sherlock Holmes stories are filled with hints of dates, places and people that cause them to be intertwined with reality. It is therefore natural to think that we can arrive at some certainty as to the date of an adventure when Watson gives us a specific month in which a case begins. It is also wrong to think so.

"The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter" is one such example. We're given a February date (hence the release date of this episode) and yet, as we can plainly see, that date is impossible, given other facts. So we follow the path of many Canonical chronologists who attempted to determine the actual date of this adventure, using logic and history as our guide. Were they right? Tune in to find out.

• "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter"
• An online version of some of the chronologies of the stories
• "The Date Being—?"
• The Annotated Sherlock Holmes by William S. Baring-Gould
• The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Leslie S. Klinger
• The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library: The Return of Sherlock Holmes

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

"a puzzled quarter of an hour" [MISS]

The Sherlock Holmes stories are filled with hints of dates, places and people that cause them to be intertwined with reality. It is therefore natural to think that we can arrive at some certainty as to the date of an adventure when Watson gives us a specific month in which a case begins. It is also wrong to think so.

"The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter" is one such example. We're given a February date (hence the release date of this episode) and yet, as we can plainly see, that date is impossible, given other facts. So we follow the path of many Canonical chronologists who attempted to determine the actual date of this adventure, using logic and history as our guide. Were they right? Tune in to find out.

• "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter"
• An online version of some of the chronologies of the stories
• "The Date Being—?"
• The Annotated Sherlock Holmes by William S. Baring-Gould
• The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Leslie S. Klinger
• The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library: The Return of Sherlock Holmes

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

Charles Augustus Milverton was considered by Sherlock Holmes to be "the worst man in London." Watson tried to shield the date of the case — not to protect Milverton, but to protect his victims.

And Holmes and Watson went to extraordinary lengths to defeat the odious blackmailer, from burglary to destruction of property, and even a faux engagement by Holmes. While reputation was everything in Victorian times, did the pair go too far? Their willingness to break the law was in service of victims, but what about their own reputations and adherence to the law?

Please subscribe to us on iTunes or Google Play, and consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

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

Charles Augustus Milverton was considered by Sherlock Holmes to be "the worst man in London." Watson tried to shield the date of the case — not to protect Milverton, but to protect his victims.

And Holmes and Watson went to extraordinary lengths to defeat the odious blackmailer, from burglary to destruction of property, and even a faux engagement by Holmes. While reputation was everything in Victorian times, did the pair go too far? Their willingness to break the law was in service of victims, but what about their own reputations and adherence to the law?

Please subscribe to us on iTunes or Google Play, and consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal.

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

"vox populi, vox dei" [ABBE]

Sir Eustace Brackenstall met with a grisly, if appropriate end in "The Abbey Grange." Ultimately, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson let his killer go free.

But was Captain Crocker solely responsible for Brackenstall's death? Other individuals were involved with the calm plotting of the aftermath of the death — but whose shoulders bear the ultimate brunt of the guilt in the end?

• "The Abbey Grange"
• "The game's afoot" as found in King Henry's speech "Once more unto the breach" in Henry V.

Sir Eustace Brackenstall met with a grisly, if appropriate end in "The Abbey Grange." Ultimately, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson let his killer go free.

But was Captain Crocker solely responsible for Brackenstall's death? Other individuals were involved with the calm plotting of the aftermath of the death — but whose shoulders bear the ultimate brunt of the guilt in the end?

• "The Abbey Grange"
• "The game's afoot" as found in King Henry's speech "Once more unto the breach" in Henry V.

"something a little nutritious at Simpson's" [DYIN]

Dr. Watson tells us that he and Sherlock Holmes visited one London restaurant two times. And while the gustatory habits of the famed Baker Street duo are not entirely well-documented, we have a good sense as to what they must have eaten at the famed Simpson's in-the-Strand.

This is a case of fact meeting fiction, as Simpson's is very much a real establishment in London — one that was recently in danger of losing its identity. We bring you inside this gem that dates from the 1820s as a cigar and chess divan and explore what dining like Sherlock Holmes was like.

• Simpson's in-the-Strand
• Restaurant Frequented by Sherlock Holmes May Vanish — I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere
• "The Illustrious Client"
• "The Dying Detective"

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Dr. Watson tells us that he and Sherlock Holmes visited one London restaurant two times. And while the gustatory habits of the famed Baker Street duo are not entirely well-documented, we have a good sense as to what they must have eaten at the famed Simpson's in-the-Strand.

This is a case of fact meeting fiction, as Simpson's is very much a real establishment in London — one that was recently in danger of losing its identity. We bring you inside this gem that dates from the 1820s as a cigar and chess divan and explore what dining like Sherlock Holmes was like.

• Simpson's in-the-Strand
• Restaurant Frequented by Sherlock Holmes May Vanish — I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere
• "The Illustrious Client"
• "The Dying Detective"

--

The opening lines of A Study in Scarlet are rich with details about Dr. Watson's past. His medical degree, his army service, even his injury. He recalls how he came to London without knowing anyone in the city and proceeded to blow through his cash reserves.

Just how far could one get on 11s. 6p. per day in 1881? And how fortunate we are that Watson couldn't keep to his budget. For his cash situation is what required him to find a flatmate...

• The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes: the Life and Times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Andrew Lycett
• Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle by Daniel Shashower
• A Study in Scarlet

The opening lines of A Study in Scarlet are rich with details about Dr. Watson's past. His medical degree, his army service, even his injury. He recalls how he came to London without knowing anyone in the city and proceeded to blow through his cash reserves.

Just how far could one get on 11s. 6p. per day in 1881? And how fortunate we are that Watson couldn't keep to his budget. For his cash situation is what required him to find a flatmate...

• The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes: the Life and Times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Andrew Lycett
• Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle by Daniel Shashower
• A Study in Scarlet