Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist

The Red-Headed League -

Dates

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

This is another instance of the new product we're calling "I Can't Believe We Didn't Talk About This Already." An early instance of Sherlockian scholarship and commentary, in 1934 Dorothy L. Sayers wrote "The Dates in the Red-Headed League," picking up where H.W. Bell's 1932 Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Chronology of Their Adventures left off. 

It's a fine example of using data at hand and being creative, and it's part of our series covering old Sherlockian scholarship. It's just a Trifle.

Links / Notes
https://ihose.co/trifles279

Music credits
Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra
Publisher Info.: Washington, DC, United States Marine Band
Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

The Dates in the Red-Headed League

"a puzzled quarter of an hour" [MISS]  The Sherlock Holmes stories are filled with hints of dates, places and people that cause them to be intertwined with reality. It is therefore natural to think that we can arrive at some certainty as to the date of an adventure when Watson gives us a specific month in which a case begins. It is also wrong to think so. "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter" is one such example. We're given a February date (hence the release date of this episode) and yet, as we can plainly see, that date is impossible, given other facts. So we follow the path of many Canonical chronologists who attempted to determine the actual date of this adventure, using logic and history as our guide. Were they right? Tune in to find out. &nbsp; Links  "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter"  An online version of some of the chronologies of the stories  "The Date Being—?"  The Annotated Sherlock Holmes by William S. Baring-Gould  The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Leslie S. Klinger The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library: The Return of Sherlock Holmes  &nbsp; Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 &nbsp;

Dating the Missing Three Quarter

"quarter day is at hand" [WIST]&nbsp; &nbsp; There are at least two instances in the Sherlock Holmes stories when we come across a mention of quarter day. Just what is quarter day, and what is the significance with regard to these two stories?&nbsp; We delve into the history of quarter days, cross-quarter days and why the real estate market had such an impact on calendars and ultimately played into the plots of "Wisteria Lodge" and "The Resident Patient." &nbsp; Please leave us a rating and review on iTunes or Google Play, and consider supporting our efforts through Patreon or PayPal. &nbsp; Links  Quarter days (Wikipedia) The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge The Resident Patient  Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 &nbsp;

Quarter Day Is at Hand

"I heard you marching about" [SIGN]&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; From the first cricket match in England in 1877 to the wireless mentioned in 1914, there are numerous things connected to Sherlock Holmes that happened in the month of March. &nbsp; As the month draws to a close, we reflect on happenings historical and Canonical. Let's see if our bluster lives up to the weather this month is known for.    Have you&nbsp;left us a&nbsp;rating&nbsp;and&nbsp;review&nbsp;on the podcast player of your choice yet? We could really use your help.&nbsp;  &nbsp;  And please consider supporting our efforts through&nbsp;Patreon&nbsp;or&nbsp;PayPal.  &nbsp;  &nbsp;  Links / Notes &nbsp;  This episode:&nbsp;ihose.co/trifles65 History of cricket The Boat Race The Mikado&nbsp;by Gilbert and Sullivan  Jean Leckie Guglielmo Marconi  &nbsp; &nbsp; Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra&nbsp; Publisher Info.: Washington, DC:&nbsp;United States Marine Band Copyright:&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 &nbsp;

Time Marches On

“As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all.” [CREE]&nbsp;&nbsp; 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&nbsp;The Sign of Four" from H.W. Bell's&nbsp;, first published in 1934.&nbsp; It's more than a trifle.   &nbsp; Have you left us a&nbsp;rating&nbsp;and&nbsp;review&nbsp;on&nbsp; yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show.&nbsp;   We're available everywhere you listen to podcasts, including&nbsp;,&nbsp;,&nbsp;,&nbsp;, and&nbsp;.   &nbsp;  And please consider supporting our efforts through&nbsp;&nbsp;or&nbsp;. &nbsp;  Links / Notes  This episode:&nbsp; &nbsp;by H.W. Bell &nbsp;from the BSI Press   &nbsp;  Sponsor       &nbsp;  Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC:&nbsp; Copyright:&nbsp;  &nbsp;   --   &nbsp;

The Date of the Sign of Four

“I saw the American stamp” [DANC]&nbsp; 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.  &nbsp;    Have you left us a&nbsp;rating&nbsp;and&nbsp;review&nbsp;on&nbsp; yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show.&nbsp;   We're available everywhere you listen to podcasts, including&nbsp;,&nbsp;,&nbsp;,&nbsp;, and&nbsp;.   And please consider supporting&nbsp;our efforts through&nbsp;&nbsp;or&nbsp;.  &nbsp;  Links / Notes  This episode:&nbsp; &nbsp;(Abebooks.com)  &nbsp; Sponsor       &nbsp;  Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC:&nbsp; Copyright:&nbsp;  &nbsp;   --   &nbsp;

Was Sherlock Holmes an American?

“Watson, the fair sex is your department” [SECO]&nbsp;&nbsp; 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&nbsp;Saturday Review of Literature&nbsp;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&nbsp;, and we discussed them in our monthly feature "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode. It's just a Trifle.&nbsp; &nbsp;  Have you left us a rating&nbsp;and&nbsp;review&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show.&nbsp; We're available everywhere you listen to podcasts, including ,&nbsp;,&nbsp;,&nbsp;, and&nbsp;.    And please consider supporting&nbsp;our efforts through&nbsp;&nbsp;or&nbsp;.       &nbsp;   Links / Notes  This episode:&nbsp;    &nbsp; Sponsor       &nbsp;  Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC:&nbsp; Copyright:&nbsp;  &nbsp;   --   &nbsp;

Watson Was a Woman

“Your hand stole towards your own old wound” [CARD]&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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&nbsp;– one from the 1940s and another from the 1950s&nbsp;– each have a different theory. Which is correct? It's just a Trifle. &nbsp;   Have you left us a&nbsp;rating&nbsp;and&nbsp;review&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show.&nbsp;  Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:   &nbsp;  &nbsp;  And please consider&nbsp;supporting&nbsp;our efforts through&nbsp;&nbsp;or&nbsp;.     &nbsp;   Links / Notes  This episode:&nbsp;    &nbsp; Sponsor       &nbsp;  Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC:&nbsp; Copyright:&nbsp;  &nbsp;   --   &nbsp;

The Mystery of Watson's Second Wound

“Billy advanced and drew away” [MAZA]&nbsp;&nbsp; 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&nbsp;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. &nbsp;  Have you left us a&nbsp;rating&nbsp;and&nbsp;review&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show.&nbsp;     Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts:   &nbsp;  &nbsp;  And please consider&nbsp;supporting&nbsp;our efforts through&nbsp;&nbsp;or&nbsp;.  &nbsp;  Links / Notes  This episode:&nbsp; &nbsp;- Wikipedia    &nbsp;  Sponsor       &nbsp;  Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC:&nbsp; Copyright:&nbsp;  &nbsp;   --   &nbsp;

Billy the Page

A weekly program about details in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

The Dates in the Red-Headed League

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles