Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930)

Although his fame comes from his creation of the renowned fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle's career was a varied one. He worked on board an Arctic whaler as a doctor, was a war correspondent in Egypt, and even stood, unsuccessfully, for Parliament. Conan was originally the author's middle name, but in his later years he used it as part of his surname.

Conan Doyle trained as a medical doctor, gaining his degree from Edinburgh University in 1881. His career took him around the world, bringing him into contact with exotic cultures and beliefs - some of which he wove into the characters in his novels.

Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in 'A Study of Scarlet', published in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887. Conan Doyle was paid £25 for this story. Its success encouraged its author to write a full-length novel, and two years later, Micah Clarke was published to critical acclaim. Conan Doyle added to this success with a series of Holmes stories for The Strand Magazine in 1891. Although his stories were popular, Conan Doyle felt that he had yet to make a lasting name in English literature, and he referred to Holmes as taking his mind 'from better things'.

In 1893, Conan Doyle tried to write Holmes out of his life. After a struggle with his arch enemy, Moriarty, at the top of Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, Holmes was described as having fallen to his death. The readers of the stories were so outraged by this, however, the author was prevailed upon to bring Holmes back, through a twist in the tale, to fight another day. Despite this, Conan Doyle did succeed in writing a number of novels on other subjects, including The Tragedy of Korosko, Rodney Stone, A Duet with an Occasional Chorus, and The Lost World.

Conan Doyle also published a number of non-fictional works, including, The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct, and The British Campaign in France and Flanders, a six-volume history, which he completed in 1920.

Arthur Conan Doyle married twice, and died in 1930 after a heart attack.