You’ve probably heard of Sherlock Holmes more than the man who created him, author and physician, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He didn’t set out to bring to life a detective so iconic that his fame would endure generations.
But because he approached the character the same way he did life, that’s exactly what happened. If you’ve ever been curious about the man behind the world’s most brilliant detective, here’s every you ever wanted to know about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Who is Arthur Conan Doyle?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is most famously known as the creator of the intrepid detective, Sherlock Holmes.
In addition to the fifty-six short stories and four novels featuring Holmes and his assistant, Dr. Watson, he wrote many other works in the genres of fantasy and science fiction.
The most famous of these other series is the Professor Challenger series, starting with The Lost World, where dinosaurs still roam. Other works include plays and poetry, as well as non-fiction and historical fiction novels.
Where was Arthur Conan Doyle Born?
Doyle was born on May 22, 1859. As was the norm for the Victorian era, he was born in his home at 11 Picardy Place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The family lived there until 1864, when his father’s alcoholism forced them to separate, where the children lived in different family homes until 1867, when they reunited.
The building on Picardy Place stayed intact for another hundred years, even boasting a placard tying number eleven to Doyle. Unfortunately, the building was razed in 1969.
Now, the only remnants of Doyle’s connection to the area are the Conan Doyle pub on the corner of York Place and the Sherlock Holmes statue on the ground where Picardy Place once stood.
When did Arthur Conan Doyle start writing?
Though he was educated thanks to wealthy uncles, he didn’t start writing until he was in medical school.
At the time, he also studied practical botany and still found time to write short stories. He tried to submit his earliest short story to Blackwood’s Magazine, but was unsuccessful.
Doyle’s first published fiction piece, The Mystery of Sasassa Valley was published in Chamber’s Edinburgh Journal on September 6, 1879. Two weeks later, on September 20, he published an academic article in the British Medical Journal.
The piece was his first academic publication and was noted over one hundred years later by The Daily Telegraph to be potentially helpful in modern murder investigation.
Why do people like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?
In life and in death, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was well-liked. It helps that he created one of the most impactful characters in the crime genre of all time, but beyond that, he was influential in other areas, as well.
He was an avid sportsman, playing in several clubs and even founding a rifle club in his home. Doyle was active in politics and was a staunch legal advocate, helping correct what he saw as miscarriages of justice.
One of the reasons Doyle’s works have persisted in popularity is because they’re easily accessible.
Despite being written over a century ago, the realism makes them relatable. Sherlock Holmes solves cases, many of them based on real-life crimes, with nothing but his keen observation and attention to detail.
Those are skills anyone can develop, which makes Holmes continue to feel relatable, even if his powers of deduction can sometimes feel intimidating. But that’s where Dr. Watson comes in.
A Study in Scarlett by Arthur Conan Doyle
A Study in Scarlet was the first book featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The story follows the duo as they’re called to Scotland Yard to help investigate the murder of two Americans.
There are no marks on the bodies, nothing but a single word written in blood. Dr. Watson is as baffled as Scotland Yard, but Sherlock Holmes is on the case.
The book took Doyle three weeks to write, but was initially unsuccessful in finding a publisher. He finally received around £25 from Ward Lock & Co on November 20, 1886.
It later appeared in Beeton’s Christmas Annual and was positively reviewed in several outlets.
A Study in Scarlet
Was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle a doctor?
In addition to being an author, Doyle was also a trained physician. He was the doctor on a Greenland whaler in 1880 before he graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1881 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery.
He continued as the ship’s surgeon aboard the SS Mayumba, while continuing his medical training. In 1885, he completed his Doctor of Medicine.
After opening a failed medical practice, Doyle went to Vienna in 1891 to study ophthalmology. Unfortunately, he found the medical terms difficult to understand in German, and he subsequently quit his studies.
He once again returned to London and attempted to open another practice, but never saw any patients.
Was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle knighted?
On October 24, 1902, Doyle officially became Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when King Edward VII knighted him.
He received the honor for his public service, notably due to his work as a doctor in the Boer War and his written works defending Britain’s role in the conflict.
What inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write Sherlock Holmes?
Like the Great Detective, Doyle was interested in a great number of subjects. He studied medicine, attempted to train as an ophthalmologist, and learned practical botany while getting his Bachelor’s degree.
He set out to write a character who used scientific reason to catch a criminal, and used his former instructor, Joseph Bell, as his primary model.
Bell’s characteristics of using deduction, analytical thinking, and observation were so well known, that others were able to recognize the teacher in Holmes after the first novel was published.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Series
Though the detective has become such an integral part of pop culture, there were actually only four novels written about him.
The other five books are collections of over fifty-six short stories featuring Holmes and Watson.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the first collection of short stories following the first two Holmes novels. They include twelve stories and were first published in Strand Magazine between July 1891 and June 1892.
As with the novels, they are all told from the perspective of Dr. Watson, as he relays the fascinating cases his friend and partner Sherlock Holmes solves.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Doyle had initially written off Sherlock Holmes. In The Final Problem, published in 1893, Holmes allegedly dies. But when he published The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1902, setting the story before the detective’s death, fans demanded the character continue on.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes is the first collection published since The Final Problem. Doyle set the first story in 1894, after Holmes' death, and has the detective returning to London where he explains the reason for his absence to Dr. Watson.
The book ends with a note telling readers that Holmes has forbidden Watson to write any more stories as he is now retired. But like his death, even his retirement didn’t stick.
This collection has thirteen stories, all published in Strand Magazine between 1903 and 1904. In the US, the stories were published in Collier’s.
In 1905 the stories were collected into a single volume and released in novel format.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Complete Sherlock Holmes
In 1905, the first Complete Sherlock Holmes collection was published. At the time it included thirty-seven short stories and a complete novel. It also included all 356 illustrations from Sidney Paget that were initially published in Strand Magazine with each story.
Over time, as more stories and novels were published, the editions of this book were updated. Today, you can find dozens of collections that include the entire canon of Sherlock Holmes.
Some are illustrated, others are not, and many of the older editions are now collectibles.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Lost World TV Series
One of the other more popular series authored by Sir Conan Doyle was the Professor Challenger series.
The first book follows young reporter Edward Malone as he is tasked with finding the elusive Professor Challenger. Together, they embark on an expedition where they discover a lost world where dinosaurs still live.
Over the years, the first book has enjoyed numerous adaptations, including a television series that lasted three seasons. The series premiered in the US in the fall of 1999, first on DirecTV and then on TNT.
Audience reactions were widely favorable, and the show planned a fourth season to tie up the season three cliffhanger ending. They also reportedly were going to introduce two other Doyle characters in season four, Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty.
Unfortunately, funding fell through and the show was cancelled.
How did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle die?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died of a heart attack on July 7, 1930. He was found in the hall of his home, Windlesham Manor, with his hand pressed against his chest, where he was able to say his final words to his wife.
Doyle was 71 at the time of his death.
