“before my biographer had come to glorify me” [GREE]   Once again, we find ourselves in a "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the theorist"-themed episode, where we look at a piece of old scholarship. This time, we share a chapter from William S. Baring-Gould's groundbreaking biography of Sherlock Holmes.  Chapter V "On Stage and Off in England and America: 1879–1881" finds us in the two years leading up to Holmes and Watson meeting each other, while Holmes was beginning to run low on funds. His decision would mean a remarkable set of experiences ahead. It's just a Trifle.&nbsp; And we have some bonus content related to a particular footnote of Baring-Gould's in this chapter. It's available exclusively for our supporters. &nbsp; Another "Trifling Trifles" episode — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — is coming your way in a few days. As a reminder, this is&nbsp;exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on  and ;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp;   Links    by William S. Baring-Gould (Abebooks) Other episodes mentioned:      All of our social links:&nbsp;  Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

On Stage and Off

“general resemblance to an itinerant” [VALL]&nbsp;   A term we don't hear as frequently these days is "gypsy." Unless you're headed to see a Sondheim musical, which is about an entirely different Gypsy (and one with Sherlockian connections too). Anyway, our focus here is on stories in which gypsies are mentioned (there are two; can you name them?) and a bit of historical context of gypsies in the Victorian era, including the documented experience of one exalted person. It's just a Trifle.&nbsp; &nbsp; Another "Trifling Trifles" episode — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — is coming your way in a few days. As a reminder, this is&nbsp;exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave&nbsp;Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp;  &nbsp; &nbsp;  Links    (Victorian Web)  (Romani) All of our social links:&nbsp;  Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

Gypsies

“a strange, loud whiz” [EMPT]&nbsp;   &nbsp; We came across a quite unusual observation — a Trifle, if you will — in an old issue of The Baker Street Journal. An article by Antony Boucher called "An Aborted Avatar." Boucher discovered a turn of the century play called The King of Gee-Whiz that involved Sherlock Holmes in a quite unusual setting. The play was co-written by L. Frank Baum, of The Wizard of Oz fame. It's just a Trifle.&nbsp; &nbsp; Another "Trifling Trifles" episode — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode — is coming your way in a few days. As a reminder, this is&nbsp;exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave&nbsp;Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp;  &nbsp;  Links    (Wikipedia)  (Project Gutenberg) All of our social links:&nbsp;  Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

An Aborted Avatar

“so ardent a bicyclist must be full of energy” [SOLI]&nbsp;   &nbsp; The latest installment in our review of Morley-Montgomery Award-winning articles is by Andrew Jay Peck, BSI ("Inspector Baynes"): "The Solitary Man-Uscript" from Vol. 22, No. 2 of The Baker Street Journal in 1972. Just who was the Solitary Cyclist? There are two cyclists in the story, and one is a young lady simply trying to get to her train safely; the other is a bearded man with sunglasses hunched over his handlebars. Only one of them can be our cyclist. It's just a Trifle.&nbsp; &nbsp; Don't forget to check out our "Trifling Trifles" series -- shorter content that didn't warrant a full episode, available exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave&nbsp;Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp; &nbsp;   Links    (Best of Sherlock) &nbsp;  The Morley-Montgomery Award series of episodes ( | ) All of our social links:&nbsp;  Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

The Solitary Man-Uscript

“You have done your best to get an innocent man hanged.” [NORW]&nbsp;   &nbsp; Capital punishment in the United Kingdom evolved over a period of time. From the mid-17th century through 1820, the Bloody Code tracked some 200 crimes punishable by death. In which Sherlock Holmes stories do we hear about capital punishment, and under England's laws of the late Victorian period, who would have been eligible for death by hanging? It's just a Trifle.&nbsp; &nbsp; Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit&nbsp;exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave&nbsp;Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  Links    (Wikipedia)  (Ranker) Other episodes mentioned:   - Sherlock Holmes and Australians&nbsp;  All of our social links:&nbsp;  Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

Capital Punishment

“put £100 down in front of him” [BLUE]&nbsp;   &nbsp; Humans are suckers for round numbers. And 100 seems like a perfectly reasonable one to settle on. It's the first three-digit number (in Arabic numbers, that is; Romans were happy to hit a C note). When it comes to £100 in the Sherlock Holmes stories, it's a figure often associated with some sort of scam — enough to get attention and secure the trust of the mark. Which stories feature&nbsp;£100 and what were the circumstances? It's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. &nbsp; Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit&nbsp;exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave&nbsp;Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp;  &nbsp;  Links    Related:  All of our social links:&nbsp;  Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

£100

“entirely mistaken” [CHAS]&nbsp;&nbsp;   &nbsp; The Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article we're discussing this month is by the legendary Jack Tracy, author of The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana and founder of Gaslight Publications. "St. Saviour's, Near King's Cross" appeared in Vol. 27, No. 4 of the Baker Street Journal&nbsp;in 1977 and looked specifically at the church where Mary Sutherland was supposed to marry Hosmer Angel. Previous Sherlockian scholars were unaware of some hidden London history that Tracy was able to uncover. And it's just a Trifle.&nbsp; If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. &nbsp; Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit&nbsp;exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave&nbsp;Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp;  &nbsp;  Links     The Morley-Montgomery Award series of episodes (&nbsp;|&nbsp;) All of our social links:&nbsp;  Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

St. Saviour's, Near King's Cross

“took to the stage” [TWIS]&nbsp;     When faced with four months of an empty theater in a six-month lease in 1910, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did the only thing he could on a moment's notice: he turned to Sherlock Holmes. The Stonor Case (later renamed The Speckled Band) went into production and is considered part of the group of stories categorized as apocryphal. While the name was the same as the short story, there were departures from the original. This and many tales about this play are all a Trifle.&nbsp; If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. &nbsp; Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit&nbsp;exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave&nbsp;Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  Links    (Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia)  (Wikipedia)  (Wikipedia) All of our social links:&nbsp; Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

The Stonor Case

“lumbering upon its way” [DEVI]&nbsp;     Across the Sherlock Holmes stories, we find a few mentions of what seems to be a strange and magical place in English residences: the lumber room. &nbsp; In old country houses and in the city at 221B Baker Street, as well as in descriptions of the mind, the lumber room is a place that deserves a little exploration. And it's just a Trifle. &nbsp; Thanks to Kaj for the suggestion for this episode. If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. &nbsp; Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit&nbsp;exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave&nbsp;Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp; &nbsp;   Links   All of our social links:&nbsp; Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

The Lumber Room

“What good are you going to get out of your diamond?” [MAZA]&nbsp;       We're back in the theater for another Sherlock Holmes story in our series on the Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes. It seems that Conan Doyle saw great potential in other mediums (not just the seance type, either). The Crown Diamond: An Evening With Sherlock Holmes is clearly a rehash of the short story "The Mazarin Stone." Or was thought to be, anyway. That is, until James Montgomery, BSI ("The Red Circle") discovered it in an exercise book and&nbsp;determined the publication order. And it's just a Trifle.&nbsp; If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. &nbsp; Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit&nbsp;exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (&nbsp;|&nbsp;). &nbsp; Leave&nbsp;Trifles&nbsp;a five-star rating&nbsp;on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;;&nbsp;listen to this episode here or&nbsp;  &nbsp;  Links   &nbsp;(Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia)  (Toronto Public Library)  (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere) All of our social links:&nbsp; Email us at trifles @&nbsp;&nbsp;    &nbsp;   Music credits Performers:&nbsp;Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.:&nbsp;Washington, DC:&nbsp;. Copyright:&nbsp; &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;

The Crown Diamond

A weekly program about details in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

New tracks tagged #mytery