Feb 27, 2019
“There has been some villainy here” [COPP]
A look at some of the villains in the Sherlock Holmes stories, beginning with the first real heavy that we encounter.
Sherlock Holmes said "When a doctor goes wrong, he is the first of criminals." And Dr. Grimesby Roylott did not disappoint: he killed a man and served...
Feb 20, 2019
“Have we any Italians on the staff?” [SIXN]
Italians seem to surround us in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Restaurants, music, artisans, and of course criminals.
But Sherlock Holmes himself had some familiarity with Italy, both before and after his experience at the Reichenbach Falls. How far does this association...
Feb 13, 2019
“a straight left against a slogging ruffian” [SOLI]
Sherlock Holmes, boxer? We don't often consider Sherlock Holmes for his boxing abilities, yet Watson very clearly noted his talent in that field in the very first story.
But Holmes wasn't the only boxer in the Canon. We repeatedly see mentions of the sport made...
Feb 7, 2019
“glancing at the governess” [WIST]
They pop up here and there around the Canon quite infrequently. However, you can be sure that when a governess is featured in a Sherlock Holmes story, she's part of the plot.
What was this profession, and what did the ladies in these roles do? What was their station in life? We...