Episode 57 - Coffee, Tea, or 221B?

"Mrs. Hudson entered with the tea and coffee" [NAVA] 

When it comes to British mysteries, tea is like aqua vitae. It's a given that it's part of the scenery. And of course we do come across tea a number of times in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

But have you ever taken a tally of how many times we witness tea being served versus coffee? Or of the therapeutic uses of either? Grab a cup (or a cuppa) and pull up a chair - we're about to have a coffee klatch on Trifles.

Or as one entertainer might put it: Sherlockians in Cars Getting Coffee. Or is it tea?

Download | 8.5 MB, 18:33 

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles57
• A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich, and You

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 56 - The Hudsons

"it is surely Hudson" [GLOR] 

One of the most enduring figures of the Canon after Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Mycroft Holmes and Inspector Lestrade is Mrs. Hudson. We know a little about her, but how did she happen to become the landlady of 221B Baker Street? And what were the "princely" rent payments that Holmes made?
As we make our way across the Sherlock Holmes stories, we do come across one or two other Hudsons as well. What is their relationship to the landlady? These questions await your attention in the latest episode of Trifles.

Download | 6.1 MB, 13:12 

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Links / Notes

• How Much Do We Really Know About Mrs. Hudson?

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Episode 55 - Unpublished Cases: Weird Animals

"it is a nice household" [SPEC] 

We've got another recurring feature for you here on Trifles: seeing as there were so many unpublished cases that Watson mentioned, we find that there are plenty of trifles to discuss with regard to those. We're calling this series of episodes Unpublished Cases and we'll regularly revisit the topic.

When we glance across a number of such cases that Watson mentioned in stories like "The Sussex Vampire," "The Problem of Thor Bridge," "The Golden Pince-Nez," "Black Peter," and "The Veiled Lodger," we find some unusual animals mentioned — animals that would not commonly be found in the home or on the farm. Just what are some of these species?

Download | 8.4 MB, 18:19 

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Links / Notes

• The giant rat of Sumatra
• The Sherlock Holmes International Exhibition
• The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer

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 54 - Inside 221B: On the Sideboard

"upon the sideboard" [BERY] 

In this episode of Trifles, we're starting what will become a recurring feature over the course of a few episodes: namely, we're looking at some of the things you'll find in Sherlock Holmes's sitting room at 221B Baker Street. We're calling the series Inside 221B.

The sideboard makes a number of appearances in the Canon, and serves as a solemn but essential member of the Baker Street set as it features beef and fowl, drinks and related accouterments, and as a resting place for various objects. But just what is a sideboard and in which stories do we find it?

Download | 6.2 MB, 13:36 

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Links / Notes

• The Great Exhibition
• The Festival of Britain
• May - September 1951: An Exhibition on 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

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Episode 53 - Compounding a Felony

"compound a felony as usual." [3GAB] 

Welcome to Season 2 of Trifles. We'll be working through some of the questions we ask in our show introductions this season, including a number of recurring themes. We hope you'll subscribe.

In Episode 48 ("Gotcha!") we discussed times when Sherlock Holmes caught his criminal red-handed, dead to rights. But what about the times that he caught criminals but let them go?

Was it solely his strong sense of right and wrong that caused Holmes to allow them to go free? Or was he simply disdainful of the official police? And what was it that he was doing with regard to felonies - compounding, commuting, or condoning? It's just a Trifle.

Download | 8.6 MB, 18:43 

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Links / Notes

• The Hero's Journey
• A Sherlock Holmes Handbook by Christopher Redmond
• The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana by Jack Tracy

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 52 - The Second Morning After Christmas

"compliments of the season" [BLUE] 

"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" is one of the more well-known stories in the Canon. And yet we're presented with a few trifling issues, including the color of the gem.

But beyond that, we have a victim and perpetrators who didn't seem to have thought through things to their logical conclusion. How else can we factor in the use of poultry as a hiding place? And animal anatomy lessons indicate that that place didn't even exist...

Download | 8.1 MB, 17:37 

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Links / Notes

• "The Blue Carbuncle"
• Line O' Type, Chicago Tribune - December 1946
• More Leaves from the Copper Beeches 

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 51 - Peace in the Canon

"there was peace in our hearts" [SIGN] 

Peace in the canon. We we first considered this topic, we thought, "Reading the Sherlock Holmes stories to find peace is something like going to Casablanca for the water."
     "But there are no waters in Casablanca."

     "I was misinformed."

Regardless, during this season of peace, we reflect on moments — even if they're glimpses — of bucolic, peaceful moments we find scattered throughout the Sherlock Holmes canon. They're there, if you look for them — trifling as they may be.

Download | 7.2 MB, 15:37 

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Links / Notes

• Christmas Peace (Wikipedia)

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 50 – The Agony Column

"what a chorus of groans, cries, and bleatings" [REDC] 

Agony column. Agony column? To the modern reader, that term might be unfamiliar. Well, at least it would be unfamiliar with the reader who is new to the Sherlock Holmes stories. The first time we come across Holmes using the agony column is in The Sign of Four when he advertised for the Aurora in the agony column of the Standard.

Holmes regularly used newspaper classified ads and personal columns to track down criminals and surface clues. But just what is an agony column, how did it help Sherlock Holmes, and in which stories did he and others find a use for it?

Download | 8.9 MB, 19:27 

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Links / Notes

• Stories mentioned in this episode: A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, "The Engineer's Thumb," "The Noble Bachelor," "The Red Circle," "The Bruce-Partington Plans"
• Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: A Textbook of Friendship by Christopher Morley
• The Agony Column of The Times: 1800-1881, edited by Alice Clay, London: Chatto & Windus, 1881

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 49 - Sherlock Holmes and Rugby

"You have a grand gift of silence, Watson" [TWIS] 

When Cyril Overton sent a telegram to Sherlock Holmes, proclaiming the status of Godfrey Staunton, it was met with puzzlement. And even after Overton arrived at Baker Street, Holmes was still puzzled. We know that he had his "limits," based on Watson's famous list from A Study in Scarlet.

But Watson sat in silence as Holmes twisted in the wind, his ignorance of popular rugby laid bare. Why was this? Was it for the sake of his readers, or did Watson have other intentions in mind?

Download | 8.7 MB, 18:59 

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Links / Notes

• "The Missing Three-Quarter"

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 48 - Gotcha!

"you have been caught in the act" [BERY] 

One of the general bits of enjoyment of the Sherlock Holmes stories is the denouement in which Sherlock Holmes apprehends the criminal. In some instances, he does so after the crime has been committed; in other instances, no crime has been committed.

But what about those delicious times when the criminals are caught in the act? Or even better, those instances when they greeted with sweet, swift justice.

Download | 8.5 MB, 18:29 

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Links / Notes

• "The Dying Detective"

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 47 - Happy Families

"to mar the contentment of their family life" [VALL] 

Family. For many, it's a part of the holiday season. And with Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow in the United States, it's a perfect opportunity to reflect on families in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

And in doing so, we come to a rather sad conclusion: that many of the families in the Canon were not happy ones at all. Just what was it about these familial situations that caused things to go awry? We explore that question in this episode of Trifles.

Download | 9.3 MB, 20:21 

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Links / Notes

• I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 58: Thankful for 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

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Episode 46 - A History of Pince-Nez

"observing the dint of a pince-nez" [IDEN] 

For many of us, the first time we encounter the word "pince-nez" is in the Sherlock Holmes stories. But for many of us, we very likely saw pince-nez on characters in movies, cartoons or the theater before we knew exactly what they were called.

Mentioned in three separate stories (do you know which three?), the eyewear is most closely associated with the adventure that contains its name. But what about the history of these peculiar glasses? We explore the various forms of pince-nez and how Sherlock Holmes came to make his deductions from a pair.

Download | 7.9 MB, 17:21 

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Links / Notes

• Pince-nez (Wikipedia)
• "The Golden Pince-Nez"
• Colonel Ross in a monocle in "Silver Blaze"

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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45 - Military Morality

"his military challenge" [STUD] 

November 11 marks Veterans Day in the United States, when we honor our men and women who have served in the military. From the very first Sherlock Holmes story, we're exposed to the military: A Study in Scarlet opens with "(Being a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., late of the Army Medical Department.)"

And from there, we find other members of the military who make questionable decisions in their lives. We explore some of the more notable cases, and we give you a trivia question that might possibly stump your Sherlockian friends at your next meeting.

Download | 11.5 MB, 24:56 

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Links / Notes

• A Study in Scarlet
• The Sign of Four
• "The Crooked Man"
• "The Empty House"

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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44 - The Supernatural

"No ghosts need apply." [SUSS] 

With Halloween just behind us, it's natural to reflect on the supernatural. The Hound of the Baskervilles and "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire" loom large in our consciousness as stories whose central premise was focused on spectral occurrences.

But what of other references? And of the most curious case of all: Arthur Conan Doyle's belief in otherworldly things (such as spiritualism) juxtaposed with his most famous creation, who was steeped in facts and logic.

Download | 7.4 MB, 16:09 

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Links / Notes

• The Hound of the Baskervilles
• "The Sussex Vampire"
• That Steak Joynt - via Weird and Haunted Chicago

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 43 – Sherlock Holmes's Monographs

"Why do you not write them yourself?" [ABBE] 

Aside from the untold tales which are hinted at occasionally by Watson, the most intriguing writings in the Canon are those penned by Sherlock Holmes himself. We of course refer to his famous monographs.

In his earliest published cases, Holmes himself admits "in fact, I have written a monograph on the subject" [STUD] and "I have been guilty of several monographs" [SIGN], seemingly qualifying himself in the good doctor's (and our) eyes.

How many monographs were there and what were they? We sum them up and categorize them, with the help of T.S. Blakeney and S.C. Roberts.

Download | 7.5 MB, 16:20 

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Links / Notes

• Sherlock Holmes: Fact or Fiction by T.S. Blakeney (1932, John Murray)
• Dr. Watson by S.C. Roberts (1931, Faber & Faber)

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 42 – A Noble Supper

"a quite epicurean little cold supper" [NOBL] 

In "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor," Lord Robert St. Simon assumed that Holmes was going up in the world by taking him on as a client; Holmes replied that he was actually descending, as his previous client was something of a king. But it was still a royal feast set out at 221B Baker Street for Lord Robert and the assembled guests.

Just what was in that supper for five, and what did it say about Holmes and his guests?

Download | 7.5 MB, 16:24 

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Links / Notes

• "The Noble Bachelor"
• "221B Baker Street: Certain Physical Details" by Paul McPharlin, The Baker Street Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2 (OS) 1947, pp. 180-194
• Dining with Sherlock Holmes by Julia Carlson Rosenblatt and Fritz Sonnenschmidt
• I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 103: Al & Julie Rosenblatt

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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41 - Great Voyages

"several successful voyages" [BLAC] 

The second week of October marks the remembrance of Christopher Columbus in the U.S.. Long thought to be the individual who "discovered" America, we've come to understand that claim to be overblown and his tendencies less than flawless.

Still, he was a brave voyager. What about some of the great voyages we know that took place in the Sherlock Holmes stories? From traversing the Atlantic and Indian oceans to travel to the deepest regions of Africa, we find ourselves among adventurers, tourists and immigrants alike.

Download | 8.6 MB, 18:45 

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Links

• Queen Mary 2
• IHOSE Episode 122: Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce
• A Study in Scarlet
• "The Gloria Scott"
• Trifles Episode 27 - Rebellion!
• "The Priory School"
• "The Devil's Foot"
• "The Sussex Vampire"
• "The Empty House"
• "His Last Bow"
• Sherlock Holmes and the Titanic Tragedy by William Seil

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 40 - Who Was Sarasate?

"Sarasate plays at St. James's Hall this afternoon" [REDH] 

We know Sherlock Holmes enjoyed music. From his own violin playing to a few mentions of concerts he attended, he often escaped from the woes of the world and the problems he was trying to solve through music.

In "The Adventure of the Red Headed League," he says "Sarasate plays at St. James's Hall this afternoon," and he and Watson make their way to the concert, where Holmes clearly enjoyed himself, "wrapped in the most perfect happiness, gently waving his long, thin fingers in time to the music."

But what do we know about Sarasate? Who was this performer who was able to distract Holmes for a few hours?

Download | 9.6 MB, 21:04 

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Links

• Pablo de Sarasate (Wikipedia)
• Anthony Burgess's Murder to Music
• A recording of Sarasate playing Zigeunerweisen from 1904 in Paris

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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39 - The KKK of The Five Orange Pips

"this terrible secret society" [FIVE] 

The Ku Klux Klan famously plays a role in "The Adventure of the Five Orange Pips." To British audiences, the 'K.K.K.' note would have seemed mysterious - something along the lines of a Dancing Men code. But to American audiences, it was a known entity.

The KKK was a secret society founded in the southern United States following the Civil War, which committed many outrages. But the KKK as portrayed in this particular Sherlock Holmes story: was it true to life? Or was it a case of literary license?

Download | 7.1 MB, 15:31 

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Links

• "The Adventure of the Five Orange Pips"
• "Two Southern Exposures of Sherlock Holmes," Manly Wade Wellman, The Baker Street Journal, Vol 2. No. 4 (1947) - available on the eBSJ.

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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38 - Photography

"fondness for photography" [REDH] 

During the earliest days of the Sherlock Holmes stories, photography was still in its infancy. And yet, we are greeted with a number of instances in which photography plays a central or partial role in the plot.

Who were the Canonical photographers and why did they pursue this hobby? And how did photographs play into Sherlock Holmes's ability to solve crimes?

We also have a follow-up item from Episode 37, thanks to some listener feedback.

Download | 8.1 MB, 17:45 

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Links

• Stories mentioned in this episode: 
• "The Red Headed League"
• "The Copper Beeches"
• "A Scandal in Bohemia"
• "The Veiled Lodger"
• "The Three Garridebs"
• "The Lion's Mane"
• Arthur Conan Doyle, Photographer and the tale of "Chawles" - The British Journal of Photography
• Evidence of Holmes's studies: Sherlock Holmes at Oxford (2nd edition 1981)
• Fibber McGee and Molly
• Walter Paget

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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37 - The Student Days of Sherlock Holmes

"I have no idea what he intends to go in for" [STUD] 

It's our Back to School Blowout Sale! Okay, not really. But since it's September and class is in session, we thought it would be the perfect time to talk about Sherlock Holmes's school days.

In his student days, Holmes said that he considered his habit of observation and deduction to be "the merest hobby." What subjects was he studying at college? What profession did he propose to follow before detective work lured him away? Wouldn't he have considered his skills at observation to be an asset in his main course of study, rather than a hobby unto itself? Or was he studying something where observation and deduction were not particularly useful to him?

And listen closely — particularly if you're Nick Utechin — there is a listener challenge.

Download | 6.6 MB, 14:22 

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Links

• "The Gloria Scott"
• Episode 27 - Rebellion!

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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