ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (1859-1930)
Although best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle's work includes science fiction, historical romance and books on warfare and spiritualism. Born in Edinburgh, he qualified as a doctor and practised in Southsea before turning to writing as a means of supplementing his income. The first Sherlock Homes novel appeared in 1887 and the fictional detective soon brought fame and fortune - though Doyle always maintained his historical romances held more worth. His personal interests were far ranging: he was a strong advocate of a tunnel between England and France, of inflatable life jackets and, in one unfortunate incident, of a (faked) photograph of fairies. But it was for a paper justifying Britain's involvement in the Boer War - where he had served as a physician - that he received his knighthood. Influenced by
Edgar Allan Poe, Doyle's work often demonstrates a similar contrasting of the rational and the imaginative.
BY TITLE
A trip to the country, supposedly for a rest, lead Holmes into a mystery involving an apparently random burglary and the murder of a coachman.
- Length: 22 pages
- Age Rating: PG
- Genre: Crime
A reputable doctor comes to Holmes for advice when a mysterious benefactor, resident at his clinic, becomes paranoid about the security of the clinic building.
- Length: 22 pages
- Age Rating: PG
- Genre: Crime
Mystery in which a pawnbroker is offered an apparently unmissable job opportunity - only red-heads need apply.
- Length: 26 pages
- Age Rating: PG
- Genre: Crime