Episode 490 – Entombment

“the business in the crypt” [SHOS] 

If you experience claustrophobia, this may not be the episode for you. Because it's all about being shut up in close spaces. And it's the monthly "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode.

Denise M. Rogers walks us through the gothic theme shared between Edgar Allan Poe and some of the Sherlock Holmes stories in her Baker Street Miscellanea article "Crypts, Secret Rooms and Subterranean Passageways: Entombment as a Motif in the Canon" from Spring 1990. It's just a Trifle.

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Download | 21.3 MB 22:58

Links

• Baker Street Miscellanea (Abebooks)
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Music credits

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

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Episode 391 - Maps & Floorplans

“I sent down to Stamford's for the ordnance map” [HOUN] 

In a number of instances in the Sherlock Holmes stories, we find ourselves guided by maps. Not only as critical elements of the plot, but also as visual aids to readers.

In which stories do we find maps? And what about those that required floorplans to be sketched out as well? It's just a Trifle.

This topic was suggested by listener Ron Groenewoud, who'll be receiving a thank you gift for his efforts. If you have a topic you'd like to suggest and we use it on the air, we'll do the same thing for you. Just drop us a line at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com.

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Download | 37.6 MB, 31:36 

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Links / Notes

• The Sherlockian Atlas by Julian Wolff
• All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock
• Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com
• Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. 

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra 

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Episode 335 – Alcoholism

“Is alcohol permitted?” [MAZA] 

We've explored a number of angles around alcohol in the Sherlock Holmes stories, but it recently struck us that there are glimpses of alcoholism in the Canon. Victorians were no different in their struggles with alcohol, although the disease wasn't recognized as one at the time.

Where in the stories can we find evidence or mentions of alcoholics? Why did Holmes ask Watson for permission to drink? And who drank like a fish? It's just a Trifle.

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Download | 49.2 MB, 35:52

Baker Street Elementary 201.

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles335
• Drinking in Victorian and Edwardian Britain: Beyond the Spectre of the Drunkard by Thora Hands (PDF)
• The Blue Ribbon Army: Gospel Temperance in England by Lilian Lewis Shiman (Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church)
• Playlist: Alcohol (SoundCloud)
• Episode 21 - Pubs and Taverns, Part 1
• Episode 22 - Pubs and Taverns, Part 2
• Episode 63 - Inside 221B: Drink Up!
• Episode 86 - Wine and Spirits
• Episode 87 - The Good Doctor
• Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
• Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com
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Sherlock Holmes: Trifles · Alcohol

Sponsor

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

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Episode 275 – The Problem of the Case-Book

“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 stories in The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes. Which made the passing grade? It's just a Trifle.

 

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Download | 38.1 MB, 26:25

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles275
• "The Problem of the Case-Book" by D. Martin Dakin appears in The Grand Game Vol. 1 and originally appeared in The Sherlock Holmes Journal, Vol. 1, No. 3 (June 1953)
• The Sherlock Holmes Journal on CD
• A Sherlock Holmes Commentary by D. Martin Dakin
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• Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com
• Support us on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways.

Sponsor

The BSI Press

Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Episode 215 – Walking Sticks & Canes

“There are certainly one or two indications upon the stick.” [HOUN] 

Walking sticks were once fashionable. They were just as necessary as a pair of gloves and a hat in a gentleman's daily attire in Victorian England.

But they also served a practical purpose from time to time. And Sherlock Holmes was able to use these personal effects as clue givers. What do we know about walking sticks and canes in the Canon? It's just a Trifle.

Download | 12.4 MB, 25:19

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles215
• The History of Walking Canes
• James Smith & Sons
• Penang lawyer (Language Hat)

Sponsor

• 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

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Episode – 158 British Food

“cuisine is a little limited” [NAVA]  

We find a smattering of food references throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. But which can be considered consummate British dishes?

We don't come across toad in the hole, bubble and squeak, or cock-a-leekie soup, but there are other meals that are considered British. And by more than the virtue of appearing in British stories. Which food might this be? It's more than a trifle.

Download | 14.3 MB, 31:14

 

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles158
• Episode 42: A Noble Supper
• I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 103: Al and Julie Rosenblatt
• Superb English Plum Pudding (Epicurious)
• William Banting (Wikipedia)
• Food Timeline: Sandwiches
• Dining With Sherlock Holmes by Julia Carlson Rosenblatt
• The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook by John Farrell and Sean Wright

Sponsor

• 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

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Episode 62 – Reference Sources

"a line of books of reference beside the mantelpiece" [NOBL] 

In Episode 58, we discussed Sherlock Holmes's index books – those collections in which he tracked criminal cases, looked up necessary trivia, etc. But this time, we reach a little deeper and discuss some of the actual named reference books at 221B Baker Street.

Which publications were these and how did they help Holmes and Watson connect the dots and solve some cases? It's a trifle, certainly, but there's nothing so important as trifles.

Download | 8.6 MB, 18:53 

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles62
• "The Noble Bachelor"
• "The Red Headed League"
• "The Five Orange Pips"
• The Valley of Fear
• "The Copper Beeches"
• "The Retired Colourman"
• "Shoscombe Old Place"
• I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 54: How to Think Like 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

Image credit: Special Collections Toronto Public Library (Flickr)

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