“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.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock ..read more

“I travelled for two years” [EMPT]      This month's Masters Class features the second in our three essays by Edgar W. Smith. In Vol. 1 No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal from 1946, Smith wonders about Sherlock Holmes's travels between 1891 and 1894.   More specifically, he compares global events and geographical and cultural realities to Holmes's story, and something isn't quite right. Where does Smith place Sherlock Holmes for two of those years during the hiatus? It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihea ..read more

“We have touched on three” [TWIS]    Since this is Episode 333 and since there are three stories in the Canon that incorporate the number three in their titles, we thought it was time to turn our attention to the "magic number," as three is known.   Why that number of students, gables, and Garridebs? What's the significance of the number three that it should occupy such a prominent role in the story titles? What other appearances of the number are worth noting? It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlo ..read more

“Why not take police precautions against him?” [FINA]      When reading "The Final Problem," it's difficult not to be caught off-guard. After all, it opens with Watson telling us these are the last words he'll write about Sherlock Holmes.   But when we step back and look at the story with sober eyes, we realize that the police story Holmes tells Watson just doesn't add up. 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 ..read more

“when I have exterminated that fourth egg” [VALL]    While we discussed breakfast in the last episode, we felt we paid more attention to the toast than the eggs. And there was one quote in particular that didn't make the cut.   We recall that quote, search for an egg-seller in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and ponder the evolution of chickens and eggs in the history of human cuisine. Which came first? 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 S ..read more

“we had breakfasted” [CHAS]    For all the meals we hear about in the Sherlock Holmes stories – not to mention Mrs. Hudson having a good idea of breakfast – what were some of the regular morning comestibles?   Come to think of it, there weren't many breakfasts mentioned in the Canon aside from one very consequential one. Can you think of others? 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 ..read more

“an anonymous communication from a quarter” [VALL]    Just who was it that wrote "His Last Bow"? We know it wasn't Watson, as there were observations about him in the third person and a narrative of actions that didn't include him.   In our monthly Masters Class series, we turn to the first of three pieces by the eminent Sherlockian Edgar W. Smith, who takes us on an exemplary journey of observation and deduction. 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 ..read more

“a varied collection of weapons” [CROO]      Watson was wounded by a Jezzail bullet, Holmes fired a patriotic 'V.R.' into the wall at Baker Street, and the two leveled their pistols at the hound in the climactic scene.   But as we peruse the Canon, we find that there is a wide variety of weaponry. In some cases, a choice of weapon (or discerning one) was downright imaginative. 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 good ..read more

“one by one passed through into the little garden” [STUD]    Whether we think of British gardens as landscaped acres of greenery or as the source for finer botanical specimens such as roses, the Sherlock Holmes stories are littered with these examples of outdoor offerings.    April is National Garden Month, so we survey the Canon. From the plantings of John Ferrier to untended weeds of Josiah Amberley and everything in between, we talk about the importance of gardens in Victorian times. It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us ..read more

“Old woman be damned!” [STUD]    One of the wonderful things about examining and reexamining the Sherlock Holmes canon is that we can find things that take on special meanings to us. And two different people can interpret the same thing in vastly different ways.    Listener Erik Deckers suggested that we find a topic that was interpreted wildly differently by two Sherlockians. So we started out with this doozy of a duel between Rex Stout and Julian Wolff. It's just a Trifle.   If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherloc ..read more