Episode 178 – Insomnia

“It may give him a sleepless night” [FIVE]  

Have you had trouble sleeping lately? You're not alone. There were plenty of people in the Sherlock Holmes stories who struggled to sleep as well.

Whether it was because they were horrified by something that happened to them, troubled by something they did, or were determined to crack a problem, they lost sleep over it. It may not seem like it to you, but it's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles178
• On the Sleepless Lives of Writers (LitHub)
• Charles Dickens: Observer of Sleep and Its Disorders (American Sleep Disorders Association and Sleep Research Society)
• Short film: Honoré de Balzac's 50 Cups of Coffee a Day (Amazon Prime Video)

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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 177 – Billy the Page

“Billy advanced and drew away” [MAZA]  

We're used to reading about Mrs. Hudson ushering clients in and out, and providing various domestic services for Sherlock Holmes. But now and again, we find ourselves in the presence of young Billy, the page.

What was a page? And was Billy the only one at 221B Baker Street? In Vol. 2, No. 3 of The Sherlock Holmes Journal, G.B. Newton made an assessment of who served and when in his article "Billy the Page," and in our monthly "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" feature, we test his hypothesis. It's just a Trifle.

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles177
• Page (servant) - Wikipedia
• The Sherlock Holmes Journal

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• 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 176 – Friend or Foe?

“we have got a foeman who is worthy of our steel” [HOUN]  

There are a handful of cases where Sherlock Holmes meets an opponent who is formidable and antagonistic, but where he later turns out to be an ally.

Who were some of these individuals? Which stories did they appear in? And just what was it that made them seem as if they were on he wrong side of the case? It's just a Trifle.

Download | 10.4 MB, 22:45

           

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
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Episode 175 – We Have Much to Hope From the Flowers

“a highly sensational and flowery rendering” [SIXN]   

Flowers appear in a handful of spots in the Sherlock Holmes stories. More than the famous rose scene from "The Naval Treaty," they literally dot the countryside and color the scenery.

From a flower that lent its name to one of the stories and a country house, to an obscure statesman, you may be surprised to discover the botanical connections in the Canon. It's just a Trifle.

Download | 13.0 MB, 28:23

          

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles175

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• 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 174 – A Colonel of Truth

“the Colonel’s manner has been just a trifle cavalier” [SILV]  

Having spent the last episode discussing the unusual setting and Holmes and Watson's friendship as displayed in "The Reigate Squires," our minds turned toward their host, Colonel Hayter. Or rather, of his fellow ranking military officers in the Canon.

In fact, we realized that in the Sherlock Holmes stories, the title “Colonel” usually means bad news. Consider with us the various colonels and see how it strikes you. It's just a Trifle.

Download | 11.9 MB, 26:06

         

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles174
• Episode 45 - Military Morality

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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 173 – Squiring Around

“the fellows are still at large” [REIG]  

In "The Reigate Squires," we find Sherlock Holmes ill and uprooted — staying in a country house — which, although it's a bachelor establishment, isn't quite what he's accustomed to. Although it may not be one of Holmes’s truly great cases, there is much to love in this story.

Watson was right there to back up Holmes in every way: reacting in horror to Holmes’s fainting fit, taking the blame for the overturned table, and even rescuing Holmes from the clutches of the murderers. It's just a Trifle.

Download | 12.9 MB, 24:51

        

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles173

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• 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 172 – The Mystery of Watson's Second Wound

“Your hand stole towards your own old wound” [CARD] 

Watson returns from Afghanistan, recovering from a wound in the shoulder and the aftereffects of disease. But we later discover that he had a leg wound as well.

Could it be the delirium that caused him to misstate his injuries? Or was there another reason for his error? Two old pieces of Sherlockian scholarship – one from the 1940s and another from the 1950s – each have a different theory. Which is correct? It's just a Trifle.

Download | 10.9 MB, 23:51

       

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles172
• The Battle of Maiwand
• John Watson's Youth, Part 2

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band
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Episode 171 – Jumping to Conclusions

“the best and only final clue” [3STU] 

In "The Adventure of the Three Students," Holmes has a litany of clues at his disposal. From balls of doughy clay to a tear in the leather of a desk, and more.

And yet, he's fixated on this one clue that he claimed was "the best and only final clue." What was it? And was it truly the definitive clue in the story? It's just a Trifle.

Download | 12.5 MB, 27:15

      

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles171
• The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski (Amazon)

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• 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 170 – Upbeat Moments in the Canon

“my heart jumped so with joy” [STUD]   

We commonly see clients who come to Sherlock Holmes riddled with despair and grief. But if we look closely enough, we can also find happiness and sheer joy in the Canon.

The Sherlock Holmes stories contain the full range of human emotion, from anger to relief and from  anguish to jubilance. The more we looked for the upbeat, the more we found. It's just a Trifle.

Download | 13 MB, 28:23

     

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Links / Notes

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• 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 169 – Loneliness and Isolation in the Canon

“helped a little to fill up the gap of loneliness and isolation” [MAZA]   

There are many tragic figures in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and more than a handful are lonely or isolated in some way. This is either features in their predicament or gives us a better understanding of their personality.

As many of us may be entering a period of isolation or loneliness now, we thought it was an apt topic to discuss. It's just a Trifle.

Bonus: We recorded this live while on video, and you can find the link below.

Download | 11.5 MB, 25:07

    

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles169
• Our live episode, with bonus content (YouTube)

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band
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Episode 168 – Watson Was a Woman

“Watson, the fair sex is your department” [SECO]  

There was a scandal in Sherlockian circles in the early 1940s. Author Rex Stout, BSI ("The Boscombe Valley Mystery"), creator of Nero Wolfe, after careful research, determined that Watson was a woman. He presented his facts in the Saturday Review of Literature and let them sit.

They didn't sit well with all Sherlockians, and Julian Wolff, BSI ("The Red-Headed League") took up his pen to offer a retort in "That Was No Lady." Both essays appeared in Edgar W. Smith's Profile By Gaslight, and we discussed them in our monthly feature "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode. It's just a Trifle.

Download | 9.1 MB, 19:54

   

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• This episode: ihose.co/trifles168
• Watson Was Actually a Woman
• That Was No Lady

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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 167 – Post-Reichenbach Arrangements

“I made every disposition of my property before leaving England” [EMPT]  

After Holmes "died" at the Reichenbach Falls, wouldn't people have looked for a funeral or memorial service? Watson, in particular, would have expected to assist in such an arrangement.

As next of kin, Mycroft would have been expected to handle it, but that would have put him in an awkward position. If he was reluctant, that would have seemed suspect; but if he did, he knew how mischievous his younger brother could be, possibly disguising himself and witnessing his own funeral. What happened here? It's just a trifle.

Download | 8.7 MB, 19:00

  

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles167

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 166 – Infectious Diseases in the Canon

“he contracted some loathsome disease” [YELL]  

Dr. Watson was a general practitioner, and one "with very limited experience and mediocre qualifications," as Holmes blurted out in "The Dying Detective." It's the reason he called for a specialist in rare diseases.

With global news being filled with talk of coronavirus, we thought it might be the perfect time to reflect on what we know about infectious diseases in the Sherlock Holmes stories. It's just a trifle.

Download | 11.9 MB, 25:56

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles · Infectious Diseases in the Canon

 

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• This episode: ihose.co/trifles166
• Contagion (Lapham's Quarterly)

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band
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Episode 165 – Shaky Foundations in The Norwood Builder

“work which will cut deep at the very foundations” [GOLD] 

"The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" first appeared in print in 1903 as part of The Return of Sherlock Holmes. It was the second story in the collection, after Sherlock Holmes was resurrected from what many thought was a watery grave.

We can forgive the muddled minds of the time then, for missing a couple of key points in "The Norwood Builder." Key points that, had Holmes been on his game, would have given the whole charade away. It's just a trifle.

Download | 11.7 MB, 25:37

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Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band
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Episode 164 – Was Sherlock Holmes an American?

“I saw the American stamp” [DANC] 

For all of his familiarity with American cities, American police forces, American language and attire, Sherlock Holmes may very well have been American.

A number of scholars have taken up the argument, including Christopher Morley in his famous essay. Even President Franklin Roosevelt tried his hand at it. It's just a trifle.

Download | 7.1 MB, 15:37

      

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• This episode: ihose.co/trifles164
• A Baker Street Folio: Five Letters About Sherlock Holmes from Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Abebooks.com)

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Music credits

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
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Episode 163 – Victorian Vegetarians

“the City and Suburban Bank, the Vegetarian Restaurant” [REDH] 

We have plenty of instances of animal flesh on the side-board, whether it's a couple of brace of grouse, Henry Baker's Christmas goose, or a joint of beef.

There was one lone vegetarian restaurant mentioned in the Canon. It had a real-life inspiration. But what else do we know about vegetarianism in Victorian times? It's just a trifle.

Download | 7.9 MB, 17:19

     

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Links / Notes

• This episode: ihose.co/trifles163
• The Strand Magazine and Sherlock Holmes by Robert Veld (Wessex Press)
• Veggie Victorians (History Extra)
• The famous "pea-squashing" scene in Murder By Decree

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Music credits

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