Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"a small monograph upon the uses of dogs in the work of the detective" [CREE]    There are a handful of dogs sprinkled throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. And while a few of them are used in a traditional police-tracking way, the great detective found other uses for them.    Whether friendly, hostile, or just plain silent, dogs were vital to helping Sherlock Holmes solve some of his cases. It'...

"the peculiar persecution of John Vincent Harden" [SOLI]    The famous year of 1895 holds many wonders. Many of the cases in The Return of Sherlock Holmes took place in this year, and as you would imagine, many of the untold tales are mentioned during that timeframe.   And it would seem that if one has three names — John Hector McFarlane, John Scott Eccles, or in this case John Vincent Harden — th...

"Pray take a seat" [MAZA]    As we glance around the sitting room at 221B Baker Street, the famous lodgings of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, there's no lack of seating. In fact, one might have the pick of any number of seating styles.    From armchair to basket chair, settees to sofas, we explore the seating arrangements found in Sherlock Holmes's flat. We discuss who sat where and when, and how...

"he could send some telegrams" [PRIO]  "My correspondence certainly has the charm of variety," said Sherlock Holmes in "The Noble Bachelor." He could have been easily referring to the medium as well as the message. For Holmes was an inveterate sender and receiver of telegrams. What was the messaging industry like in those days? And why did Holmes have Watson read his correspondence to him from tim...

"either a very bad joke or an insult" [SILV]    We occasionally hear "Mr. Cocksure" and "jack-in-office" thrown about as epithets in the Sherlock Holmes stories. But by and large, there is very little profanity in these Victorian and early Edwardian detective tales.   But Sherlock Holmes manages to insult and put down some of his rivals, in a decidedly cool and casual way. Explore the sometimes ha...

"come on to the Continent with me" [FINA]    Watson occasionally accompanied Sherlock Holmes onto the Continent (i.e., Europe), but there were many other instances when Holmes's work took him there without Watson. And we, along with Watson, were later treated to tantalizing hints as to what happened.   What were some of these places and what were the untold and exotic tales that Sherlock Holmes wa...

"off to violin-land, where all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony" [REDH]    One of the most off-hand but arresting comments that Sherlock Holmes made was that he owned a Stradivarius violin. That he had purchased for a mere 55 shillings! What do we know of Stradivarius instruments, and about Holmes's own ability on the violin?  Have yo u left us a  rating  and  review  on the podcast player of...

"when a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals" [SPEC]     The Sherlock Holmes stories are told from the perspective of a doctor. So it only stands to reason that he would notice other medical men throughout his adventures with the great detective.   As we look at doctors across the Canon, we find heroes, villains, suspects, victims, clients and more. This episode takes a closer look a...

"the good doctor took us to the yew alley" [HOUN]       John H. Watson, M.D., late of the Army Medical Department, had a number of medical practices throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. He waffled between being a flat-sharing colleague of Holmes and a doctor with his own thriving practice.   From Paddington to Queen Anne Street, we follow Watson's rise. But what of his methods? Did he dispense...

"any other spirit but rum" [BLAC]      We're accustomed to thinking about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson being associated with whiskey and brandy. But there are plenty of other kinds of alcohol in the Canon.   More than the infamous Imperial Tokay of "His Last Bow," or the ancient and cobwebby bottles, there are some curious references to wine and spirits that warrant your attention. Even if they'...

"I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. Cecil Forrester" [SIGN]    We know what you're thinking:  The Sign of Four  wasn't an unpublished case. You, as a Trifles listener, are very astute. We should have expected nothing less.   However, within  The Sign of Four , we do have a glimpse of a number of unpublished cases: including one with Mrs. Cecil Forrester, with whom Mary Morstan lives...

"neat morocco case" [SIGN]  We all know that Sherlock Holmes used drugs. "A seven-per-cent solution" of cocaine is what he recommended to Watson in The Sign of Four. But in the prelude to that, we're told that Holmes took "his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case." This case must have graced the interior of 221B Baker Street. But just what is it? And what do we really know of Holmes's dru...

"I trust you have no objection to tobacco smoke" [SIGN]    Sherlock Holmes is probably the most famous smoker in the world. But in popular culture, he's always pictured with a pipe. The Canon tells us that he also smoked cigars and cigarettes.   What was the frequency with which he smoked each? Did he tend to favor one form of smoking over another? And was there something that cause him to choose...

"the irregulars are useful sometimes" [RETI]    Homeless children. A gossip columnist. A dog. What do all of these have in common? They're part of the underground network of helpers that Sherlock Holmes cobbled together.    With these individuals and more, Holmes was able to fan out across the great metropolis and gather information that helped him solve his cases. And they're the subject of this...

"before my biographer had come to glorify me." [MUSG]     We've previously covered the tantalizing cases that Sherlock Holmes pulled out of  his tin box . This time, we spend time thinking about some of his other clients before he met Dr. Watson.   There's one we know by name, but the speculation begins fairly early on, as we try to use Holmes's methods to determine who some of his other clients m...

"a wax-coloured model of my old friend" [EMPT]    One of the handiest items found at 221B Baker Street has to be the wax bust of Sherlock Holmes. More than once it played a role as a decoy for Sherlock Holmes.    But when did Holmes commission it and how did it get to Baker Street? And was it even the same bust between the two tales? These questions and more await in the latest edition of Trifles....

"the streaming umbrella" [FIVE]  London is supposed to be a decidedly rainy place. The place where one might expect to find an umbrella or two carried about.   But only a handful of stories of Sherlock Holmes included the mention of umbrellas, galoshes, waterproofs or other rain gear. We investigate the trifling matter of the few umbrellas in the Canon.   Have you left us a  rating  and  review  o...

"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...

"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. Have y...

"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 t...

"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 w...

"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)...

  "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. ...

"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...

"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 uniq...