Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"the finest assorted collection " [STUD]      For nearly a century, there has been a general concordance on which Sherlock Holmes stories are best. It was a tradition started by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Strand Magazine, no less.   Over the years, there have been minor quibbles, but one story has remained at the top of the list. How did these rankings come about and what do they say about suc...

"he was trying to hide his own identity " [RESI]  Over the years, there have been numerous theories about how Watson (or Mrs. Watson, rather) got his name wrong, substituting "James" for "John." We covered some of them in  Episode 7 .   But this is a Masters Class episode in which we pick a masterful piece of Sherlockian scholarship and discuss it. In this case, it's one that may get to the bottom...

"Carina sings tonight at Royal Albert Hall " [RETI]    We revisit our previous episodes about music, with a singular investigation: Carina.   Mentioned in the last Sherlock Holmes story to be published, Carina sang at Royal Albert Hall. What do we know about the venue? More importantly, just who was Carina? One investigation into her identity caught our attention, and it's just a Trifle.   If you...

"the judgment which we have pronounced " [ABBE]  You say bow, I say bow. Potato, potato, tomato, tomato, let's call the whole thing off.   Of course, that song never made sense in print, just like Lord Donegall's assertion that there are alternative pronunciations to "His Last Bow." We take a look at an old piece of scholarship about this story. It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a...

"stained with violet " [IDEN]  It should come as no surprise that the most common name of female leads in the Sherlock Holmes stories was Violet. We meet four of them in as many stories: "The Copper Beeches," "The Solitary Cyclist," "The Bruce-Partington Plans," and "The Illustrious Client."   But what do Misses Hunter, Smith, Westbury and de Merville have in common? And how was it that Conan Doyl...

" man in the scientific press capable of criticizing it" [VALL]    Every month, we feature an episode called "Masters Class" that looks at an exemplary piece of Sherlockian scholarship that stands out for its workmanship.   This time, we look at Isaac Asimov's essay "The Dynamics of an Asteroid," published in  Baker Street and Beyond . He looks at the prevailing scientific knowledge of the time an...

"a curious lisp in her utterance " [HOUN]  In the canon of Sherlock Holmes stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave us settings and characters that spring to life in our minds. His vivid descriptions help us to visualize the places and people that Holmes encounters.   However, there's one subtle example that might go unnoticed by the untrained eye. Listener Anna Brindisi-Behrens, a speech pathologist...

" one might think that you were afraid of our finding something out" [PRIO]    The first week of the month means it's time for another round of Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist, in which we take a look at a piece of old Sherlockian scholarship and discuss it anew. In this case, it's Trevor Hall's essay "A Note on The Priory School" from his book Sherlock Holmes: Ten Literary Studies .   Hall manag...

" run down to the advertising agency and have this put in the evening papers" [BLUE] We know Sherlock Holmes valued the agony column; we discussed that previously on Episode 50. Looking back at a paper by an advertising executive from the mid-20th century — a real-life Mad Man — we find the makings of an expert copywriter and marketer.   We even identify a media buyer. All of this and more, relate...

"the rest of that strange company " [DANC]  Men and women from professions of all kinds consulted Sherlock Holmes. And throughout the Canon we're introduced to a number of companies, either by name or type of business.    But some of them stand out because of their unusual categories. Strange company, indeed. It's just a Trifle.   Full show notes :  https://ihose.co/trifles286 Thank you to our spo...

"much addicted" [TWIS]    This month's Masters Class brings us back to a  Morley-Montgomery Award -winning article from  The Baker Street Journal .   Susan Rice wrote "Watson's Hidden Addiction" for Vol. 47, No. 2 (June 1997) of the  BSJ , and it concerned a significant flaw in Watson's character. Perhaps "flaw" is not the right word — let's call it a weakness. She even found a syndrome that would...

"What's this, Mr. Holmes? Man, it's witchcraft! " [VALL] Continuing on our supernatural theme, we land on witchcraft. And not just any witchcraft, either. This was a spell cast at Baker Street.   Our monthly "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the theorist" theme lands on Frank Allen's "Witchcraft in Baker Street" from the anthology  Beyond Baker Street , and it looks at how some of the people we meet in "Charle...

"some hocus-pocus" [SIGN]   The last time we were together, we examined Sherlock Holmes's Tours de Force (Episode 282), in which we discussed a number of ways he wowed people with his unique skills. As we look closer, there are instances when people accuse him of practicing magic, sorcery, or wizardry. What are those examples, and what might have happened to Sherlock Holmes, had he lived in a diff...

" my poor little reputation, such as it is, will suffer shipwreck if I am so candid" [REDH]  One of the greatest features of the Sherlock Holmes stories is seeing the master ply his trade. That is, watching Holmes when he dazzles Watson (and us!) with his brilliance.   In the first two novels plus  The Adventures  and  The Memoirs , we have some delicious examples of Holmes at his finest. It is ju...

"a remarkable cow" [PRIO] The third week of the month means it's time for Master's Class: a look at an exemplary piece of Sherlockian scholarship from over the years.    In this episode, we turn to an award-winning article in  The Baker Street Journal . S. Tupper Bigelow pondered the patterns of hoof-marks as laid out in various editions of the Canon, and won the Morley-Montgomery Award in 1962 fo...

"A touch! A distinct touch!" [VALL] Every author owes something to Shakespeare. His inventiveness with language has withstood the test of time, and many of the phrases he originated or popularized are still in use today. We find Shakespeare's words dotted throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories, well beyond the usual quotes. A number of Shakespearean phrases are allusions in the Canon. It's just a...

" As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all." [CREE]  This is another instance of the new product we're calling "I Can't Believe We Didn't Talk About This Already."   An early instance of Sherlockian scholarship and commentary, in 1934 Dorothy L. Sayers wrote "The Dates in the Red-Headed League," picking up where H.W. Bell's 1932  Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Chronology of...

"Drive like the devil " [SCAN]  Call this the case of the overlooked fact. And one that was staring us in the face, too. It concerns the marriage of Irene Adler and Godfrey Norton in "A Scandal in Bohemia."   A listener wrote in and asked us just why Irene Adler had to get married in such a rush. We did a little digging, found some material to discuss, and put our own thoughts into it. It's just a...

"There's not a tree in the park " [EMPT]  The third week of the month means it's time for Master's Class: a look at an exemplary piece of Sherlockian scholarship from over the years.    In this episode, we look at Nicholas Utechin's masterful piece from the 1972  Baker Street Journal  in which he deduced exactly where Colonel Moran was when he shot the Hon. Ronald Adair in "The Empty House." Or wa...

" Holmes turned to his desk and, unlocking it, drew out a small case-book" [SPEC]  The first week of the month means it's a "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist"-themed episode, featuring an old piece of scholarship that investigates some trifling issue.   In this episode, we look at an early piece that Martin Dakin wrote for  The Sherlock Holmes Journal , questioning the authenticity of some of the...

"grazing the top of the oak" [MUSG]   I think that I shall never see... a Sherlock Holmes story as lovely as a tree. However, there are plenty of instances of trees in the Canon that make for interesting observation, if only we stop to look at them through the forest.   Inspired by one of Don Jewell's books, we spend some time investigating the instances of oaks and elms in the stories (far more t...

"a look of grief and despair " [BERY] Let's face it: when clients arrived to consult Sherlock Holmes, they were rarely in positive spirits. Some were confused, others were concerned, and some were just looking for answers.   But some were grief-stricken. Or had cases that ended in grief. It's a sad admission of reality, but there is a strain of grief that starts at the beginning of the stories and...

"I want that yellow diamond!" [MAZA] The  Masters Class series continues, and this time, Peter Blau instructs us on some finer points of geology and of geopolitical history.  "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone" featured a yellow diamond, and yet, the Crown Jewels don't contain a diamond of that color. So what was the gem and where did it originate? It's just a Trifle.   Full show notes:  https://...

"the air of London is the sweeter for my presence" [FINA] We're back with the third and final installment in our series On the Scent with Sherlock Holmes, as we investigate the olfactory elements of the city. This time, it's a matter of "obnoxious organic waste," and that encompasses pretty much what you think it does. And then some. We might call it just a Trifle. And you don't want to miss the s...