Episode 161 – The Final Mycroft Problem

“I had only one confidant—my brother Mycroft.” [EMPT] 

Why did Mycroft put himself in harm's way for Sherlock Holmes when the latter faced his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty? Mycroft put Sherlock up for a night, drove the brougham that took Watson to Waterloo, and kept the rooms up at 221B during the hiatus that ensued.

But why didn't Moriarty go after Mycroft? What made him think that "the British government" didn't know about his activities? We explore the role of Mycroft Holmes in "The Final Problem." It's more than a trifle.

Download | 9.3 MB, 20:23

     

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles161

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 160 – Army Coaches

“enormous sums of money” [SILV]  

Here's one of those things that lends itself to the title of this podcast. We were thinking about Professor Moriarty and his ignominious fall from grace. After he left the university where he was Mathematical Chair, he came to London, where he became an army coach.

Army coach? That brought a number of things to mind. But surprisingly little has been written about it. We explore this trifle and reach a couple of reasonable conclusions.

Download | 10.1 MB, 21:59

    

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles160
• British Army During the Victorian Era (Wikipedia)
• "Professor James Moriarty, 1836-91" by Nicholas Utechin (The Baker Street Journal, Vol. 24, No. 2)

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 159 – The Date of The Sign of Four

“As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all.” [CREE]  

With Season 4, we're starting a new monthly series that we're calling "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist." Each month, we'll be taking a look at what some early Sherlockian scholars had to say about certain trifling elements in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

In this case, we're looking at "The Date of The Sign of Four" from H.W. Bell's Baker Street Studies, first published in 1934. Bell wrote one of the earliest chronologies of the Canon. Was he right? It's just a trifle.

Download | 12.2 MB, 26:36

  

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles159
• Baker Street Studies by H.W. Bell
• The Grand Game from the BSI Press

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 – 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 157 – Fog

“befogged in mind” [SIGN]  

Weather conditions not only play a part in the settings of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but in some cases, they determine the plots as well.

Fog, London and Baker Street seem to go hand in hand in 1890s London, but London's fogs are more than weather conditions. How did fog color Sherlock Holmes's view of the criminal world, and which stories saw an impact from this misty and mysterious phenomenon? It's just a trifle.

Download | 11.9 MB, 26:04

 

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles157
• Great Smog of London (Wikipedia)
• Pea-souper (Wikipedia)

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 156 – Sherlock Holmes, Sportsman

“I am a born sportsman” [LAST]  

In a lifetime crammed with high adventure, Sherlock Holmes's brilliant achievements in crime detection obscured his remarkable skills as an athlete. He was an expert with singlestick and foil, a fine boxer, equally accomplished with rifle and small arms and had a knowing eye for horseflesh.

In this final installment in our 2019 series on games and sports, we turn to William S. Baring-Gould, the subject of this year's Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual, and talk through his landmark article for Sports Illustrated article from 1963, "Sherlock Holmes, Sportsman." It's just a trifle.

Download | 14.2 MB, 30:58

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles156
• "Sherlock Holmes, Sportsman" by William S. Baring-Gould from May 25, 1963 (Sports Illustrated)
• William S. Baring-Gould (Wikipedia)
• The Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. This store closes at the end of 2019.

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 155 – Bohemians and Sherlock Holmes

“his whole Bohemian soul” [SCAN]  

The last in our series of episodes on international interactions with Sherlock Holmes brings us to the now-defunct kingdom of Bohemia. It was so important that it got its own scandal.

What do we know about this land from which the masked king came? And of the adjective "Bohemian"? How did Bohemians come to signify the unconventional? It's just a trifle.

Download | 12.4 MB, 27:03

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles155
• Bohemia (Wikipedia)
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! Get your holiday orders in now. This store closes at the end of 2019.

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 154 – Minus Watson, Part 2

“I was alone.” [BLAN]  

Sherlock Holmes was occasionally without his Boswell. Watson was married at least twice – some scholars even claim there was a third Mrs. Watson.

Was Holmes truly affected by Watson's absence? There is a subtle time lapse that may give away how Holmes dealt with a matrimonial Watson. And a look at how Holmes dealt with solitude earlier in his life. It's just a trifle.

Download | 8.1 MB, 17:35

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles154
• Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective by William S. Baring-Gould
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! Get your holiday orders in now. This store closes at the end of 2019.

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 153 – Minus Watson, Part 1

“the only selfish action which I can recall in our association” [BLAN]  

Sherlock Holmes was a loner. An independent consultant. An automaton. But he also shared rooms with Dr. Watson off and on for over 20 years.

When Watson went off and got married, how did this affect Holmes, really? And Watson had how many wives? It's just a trifle.

Download | 6.8 MB, 14:56

 

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles153
• Baker Street Elementary – One Is the Loneliest Number
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! Get your holiday orders in now. This store closes at the end of 2019.

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 152 – Hats

“his strange headgear” [SPEC]  

Sherlock Holmes is synonymous with a certain type of hat. We don't need to mention the kind. You know what it is.

But he never wore one in the stories, which you probably also know. But what about some of the other hats that were mentioned by name in the Canon? It's kind of a hat check name check in this episode. And it's just a trifle.

Download | 13.4 MB, 29:20

 

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles152
• Bowler hat
• Wideawake hat
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! This store closes at the end of 2019.

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 151 – Asians and Sherlock Holmes

“from their East Indian colonies” [RESI]  

"Asian" isn't a term that pops up in the Sherlock Holmes canon. And yet we meet a handful of individuals who lived in or interacted with residents of the largest continent on the planet.

We hear of Asian countries such as Japan, China, Afghanistan, Andaman Islands, Ceylon, the Dutch East Indies, India, Tibet, Nepal, Persia, Siam, Malay, Singapore, Turkey, and Syria. Who were some of these people and why do so many of their stories involve something nefarious? It's just a trifle.

Download | 12.2 MB, 26:34

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles151
• Before the East India Company (Lapham's Quarterly)
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! This store closes at the end of 2019.

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 150 – Swimming

“Going for a swim, I see.” [LION]  

How many swimmers do we encounter in the Sherlock Holmes stories? Given that only one story is centered around an ill-fated swim, you might think you know the answer.

Then again, you might be mistaken. Allow us to turn over the Canon in our minds for other references to swimming. And what do we know about swimming habits in the late Victorian / early Edwardian era? It's just a trifle.

Download | 10.5 MB, 22:53

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles150
• Bathing machine (Wikipedia)
• Swimming in the Victorian Era (PDF)
• A Social History of Swimming in England, 1800-1918 (Reviews in History)
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! This store closes at the end of 2019.

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 149 – Weather or Not

“you had been out in vile weather” [SCAN]  

Think about the number of times we come across inclement weather in the Sherlock Holmes stories. It's almost like the cliched "It was a dark and stormy night."

How often do we find that harsh weather conditions run parallel to some tempestuous conditions in various Canonical households?  It's just a trifle.

Download | 10.5 MB, 22:50 

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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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles149
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. 

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 148 – Aliases and Disguises

“It is always awkward doing business with an alias.” [BLUE]  

Back in Episode 96, we chatted about the many disguises and other identities of Sherlock Holmes. But what about other people in the Canon who played dress-up?

Whether they were trying to dupe one of his clients or Sherlock Holmes himself, these individuals each had good reasons to be incognito. It's just a trifle.

Download | 10 MB, 21:47 

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles148
• Episode 96: Trick or Treat
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. 

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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