Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist

“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

&nbsp;“we made our way back to Baker Street” [3GAR]&nbsp;  &nbsp;  The address is legendary. Synonymous with its famous inhabitant, just as the deerstalker and meerschaum pipe. But it may be just as fanciful as those two accoutrements. &nbsp; This is the first in a two-part discussion of Baker Street of the Victorian era, and where Sherlock Holmes was supposed to have lived. What was different then? It's just a Trifle.    &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;    Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts: &nbsp; &nbsp; &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;   And please consider&nbsp;supporting&nbsp;our efforts through&nbsp;&nbsp;or&nbsp;.    &nbsp;    &nbsp;  Links / Notes  This episode:&nbsp;  by Vincent Starrett "The Street and the Detective" by A.J. Hearn from the 1957 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual (available via the )   &nbsp; Sponsor      &nbsp; Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC:&nbsp; Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp; -- &nbsp;

The Location of 221B, Part 1

A weekly program about details in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

The Location of 221B, Part 1

Sherlock Holmes: Trifles