“see through a disguise” [HOUN]

The third episode of every month is a look into a piece of Sherlockian scholarship, and this time it brings us to Vol. 64 No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal from 2014 with a piece by Maria Fleischhack, BSI ("Rache").

In this article, Maria looks at various Germans in the Sherlock Holmes stories and tracks the disguises or aliases they used, in conjunction with Conan Doyle's own attitude toward Germans and Germans' attitudes toward the English. It's just a Trifle.

• The Baker Street Journal
• Previous episode mentioned: Episode 108 - Germans and Sherlock Holmes
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“drawn on six different banks” [VALL]

Banks and bankers are important to Sherlock Holmes. From clients to necessary fiduciaries, they represent an essential part of the real and Canonical worlds.

Which banks are mentioned? What bankers do we meet? And what about one very specific bank to which we owe a debt of gratitude? It's just a Trifle.

• Jay Finley Christ — An Old Irregular
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“You know my methods. Apply them!” [HOUN]

In 1893, a curious entry appeared in the Tit-Bits magazine: an examination paper on the methods of Sherlock Holmes. A cash prize was offered to the winner (whom we know).

The author of the quiz, though? That's been unknown for nearly a century and a half. Until Michael Meer came along and made an identification that earned him the Morley-Montgomery Award for 2024. It's just a Trifle.

• The Morley-Montgomery Award
• Previous episodes mentioned:
  • Episode 163: Victorian Vegetarians
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• Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com

“the Japanese system of wrestling” [EMPT]

When Sherlock Holmes defeated Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, he had a secret weapon: his knowledge of a certain style of Japanese wrestling.

Of course, we don't find this out until his return, and even then, Watson (or is it Holmes?) conveys the wrong name. It's just a Trifle.

• Bartitsu (Wikipedia)
• The Bartitsu Club
• The Bartitsu Society: Preserving and Extending the Martial Arts Legacy of Edward William Barton-Wright
• Bartitsu: The Gentlemanly Art of Self-Defence (YouTube)
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“the sweat was pouring down my face” [BLUE]

Turkish baths come up in just two of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Quick—without looking it up, can you name which? We know Watson enjoys both of them; Holmes joins him for one.

In this episode, we discuss the origins and history of the Turkish bath, and specifically focus on the Victorian Turkish bath. Sit back and relax. This is just a Trifle.

• Victorian Turkish baths (Wikipedia)
• In Hot Water with Watson (Margie Deck)
• Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Turkish Bath Experience (Matador Network)
• Soupy Sales sings "Pachalafaka" (YouTube)
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• Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com

“when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” [SIGN]

In our monthly discussion of an old piece of Sherlockian scholarship, we find ourselves in the back alleys of Whitechapel, discussing Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes.

Our source of this discussion is not one but two back-to-back articles from The Baker Street Journal, Vol. 17, No. 4 from 1967. The first is "Who Wasn't Jack the Ripper" by Bruce Dettman, and the second is "Jack in Abyss" by Bruce Kenedy. Both are just Trifles.

Just for our supporters: photos of William S. Baring-Gould's Sherlock Holmes Society of London tie and supporting documentation. Bruce Kennedy inherited the tie and it is now in Scott's collection. See them on Patreon or Substack.

• The Baker Street Journal
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“We shall then take you into partnership” [SIGN]

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are forever linked, thanks to that first meeting at Bart's. They were both looking for someone with whom to share rooming expenses, but found themselves thrust together on some of Sherlock Holmes's greatest cases, becoming one of history's greatest partnerships.

But what of business partnerships that are scattered throughout the Canon? Some of them are obvious and memorable, while others are obscure and forgettable. It's just a Trifle.

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“a singular set of people, Watson” [WIST]

This podcast is a by-product of being active in the world of Sherlockians. But how did Sherlock Holmes societies first gain footing? What was the origin?

In the inaugural episode of our new series on Morley-Montgomery Award winners (exceptional Sherlockian scholarship from The Baker Street Journal), Robert Keith Leavitt puts pen to paper in 1961 on what had only been an oral tradition until that time, putting everything in perspective for our little hobby. It's probably a little more than a Trifle.

• The Morley-Montgomery Award
• All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock
• Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com