Current Episode:

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

“toward the Triple Alliance” [NAVA] 



When we're introduced to the victim in "Wisteria Lodge," it happens first by telegram — a telegram he himself signed "John Scott Eccles." Later, we hear him referred to as "Mr. Scott Eccles" and "Mr. Eccles."

What are we to make of this? Is it a compound surname, or was it Watson playing fast and loose with names? John Scott Eccles isn't the only tripartite character we meet in the Canon, either. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 38.5 MB, 28:05




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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band




Wednesday, February 1, 2023

over many nations and three separate continents” [SIGN] 



We all know about Mary Morstan from The Sign of Four, of her marriage to Watson, and of Watson's "sad bereavement" after Sherlock Holmes returned from his hiatus in "The Empty House."

But there is evidence in a number of stories to show that Watson has been married more than once. Evidence from scholars such as Baring-Gould, Bell, Blakeney, Brend, Bristowe (and that's just the B's!), as well as Roberts, Sayers, Simpson, and others. But exactly how many marriages were there? You may be startled to hear how many we identify. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 49.9 MB, 36:20

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band




Wednesday, January 25, 2023

“gazing with great reverence at the famous detective” [HOUN] 


When Sherlock Holmes describes himself to Watson, he says that he's a consulting detective, and then goes on to differentiate himself from two other kinds of detectives.

What did it take to become a detective, and why was Holmes different? And what other terms did he and Watson use to describe his trade along the way? It's just a Trifle.

In a happy coincidence, after we recorded we discovered the latest meeting of The Shingle of Southsea covered this topic. Link below.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

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Download | 37.8 MB, 27:34

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band





Wednesday, January 18, 2023

“pictures of the old masters” [ILLU] 



It's the first of our monthly Masters Class episodes for Season 7, and we're kicking off a series of three discussions of works by a single author. As a reminder, these episodes take a piece of well-regarded Sherlockian scholarship and deconstruct it.

In this case, we look to Trevor Hall and his book Sherlock Holmes: Ten Literary Studies. The first up is Hall's attempt to discern more about Sherlock Holmes's childhood years. Does he succeed?  It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

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Download | 43.9 MB, 31:58




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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band



Wednesday, January 11, 2023

observe the spatulate finger-end” [SOLI] 


Quick: in which Sherlock Holmes stories do we find the mention of a piano? You might think you know, but you also might likely be wrong.

The piano was an important part of middle-class life in Victorian England, part of an education and part of a way to attract spouses. But there's just a passing mention in a single story. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 33.4 MB, 24:21




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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band



Wednesday, January 4, 2023

“this insignificant-looking man inspired me” [GREE] 

Get it?


We all have examples of mentors in our lives. People who inspire us and coach us, helping us to grow. What examples do we see of this in the Sherlock Holmes stories?

From excellent examples to counter-examples, there are a handful of instances of experience and knowledge being passed from one person to another. It's National Mentor Month, the first of our monthly observances in Season 7 and it's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 40.1 MB, 29:12




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Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. 



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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band



Wednesday, December 28, 2022

“the unknown gentleman who lost his Christmas dinner” [BLUE] 


Poor Henry Baker has always been a sad, sympathetic character. Deprived of his hat and his peace offering to his wife at Christmastime, he was a victim of an unintended crime.

It seemed like the proper time of year to reflect on what life must have been like for Mr. Baker, both in the aftermath of the fracas as well as in the run-up to it. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 36.5 MB, 26:36




Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:


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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

--


Wednesday, December 21, 2022

“a long-suffering woman” [DYIN] 



Have you considered how much (or little) we know about Mrs. Hudson, and what we take for granted? For example, her first name was Martha, she was widowed, and she retired with Sherlock Holmes. 

The answers to those are: no, not sure, and definitely not. Catherine Cooke's masterful article from the Summer 2005 Baker Street Journal combines the fanciful, the factual, and the historical to arrive at the truth. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 44.2 MB, 32:12




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Links / Notes


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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

--


Wednesday, December 14, 2022

“Good old Dr. Starr!” [3GAR] 



One of the creepiest looking characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories was Col. Lysander Stark, who chased after Victor Hatherly with a meat cleaver in "The Engineer's Thumb."

But then we run across the name Lysander Starr in "The Three Garridebs." What gives? We track the history of the name and explore some possible origins for its use. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 37.2 MB, 27:07




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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

--


Wednesday, December 7, 2022

found in the banks of the Amoy River in southern China” [BLUE] 



The blue carbuncle had quite a journey. Before it even arrived in the action of the story, the piece of crystallized charcoal was the object of "two murders, a vitriol-throwing, a suicide, and several robberies."

But once it's in London and disappears from the Countess of Morcar's possession, where does it go? Gavin Brend takes us on the wild journey. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 42.7 MB, 31:06




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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

--


Wednesday, November 30, 2022

“devoted to a series of walks” [WIST] 


In at least four separate cases, we know that Holmes and Watson were out strolling around London. How does this square with Holmes's aversion toward exercise?

And what about other occasions in the countryside? Was Holmes a man of nature, was he gathering information, or was it something else? It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 42.1 MB, 30:39




Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:


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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

--


Wednesday, November 23, 2022

“revealing what they are” [ENGR] 



"By a man’s finger nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt cuffs—by each of these things a man’s calling is plainly revealed." 

So Sherlock Holmes tells us in A Study in Scarlet. In this episode, we apply Holmes's methods to the attire of some of his clients. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 40.4 MB, 28:44




Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:


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Links / Notes


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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

--


Wednesday, November 16, 2022

“That sounds a little paradoxical.” [BOSC] 



The fourth short story in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," gives us a host of sayings and tenets of Sherlock Holmes's philosophy. But there are also a number of things that seem contradictory. 

In this Masters Class episode, Nick Utechin's look at another mystery within this story serves as an exemplary bit of scholarship that deserves a deeper look. It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 40.4 MB, 28:44




Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:


Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. 



Links / Notes


Sponsor


Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

--


Wednesday, November 9, 2022

“a cry for help and a splash in the water” [FIVE] 



Water, water everywhere. And that just makes us think. Of the Sherlock Holmes stories, of course.

Since England is an island, it stands to reason that in the Sherlock Holmes canon, we encounter a good deal of water. But it's what's commonly associated with water that's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 40.4 MB, 28:44




Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:


Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. 



Links / Notes

Sponsor


Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

--


Wednesday, November 2, 2022

heard upon the stairs” [SCAN] 



So much of how we think about Sherlock Holmes is due to the scenes where we find Holmes and Watson at home in Baker Street.

And thanks to the illustrations of Sidney Paget, we have a pretty good idea of what that ought to look like. James Edward Holroyd wrote about this in "Our Client's Foot Upon the Stair." It's just a Trifle.

If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies.

Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street JournalsJoin our community of patrons today.



Download | 42.2 MB, 30:44




Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:


Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. 



Links / Notes


Sponsor


Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

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Our Team

Scott Monty and Burt Wolder are both members of the Baker Street Irregulars, the literary society dedicated to Sherlock Holmes. They have co-hosted the popular show I Hear of Everywhere since June 2007.

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