He takes my mind from better things.” Conan Doyle even raised the price he asked for his Holmes stories in order to stifle his publishers’ demands for more of them. Instead, however, publishers were willing to pay, turning Arthur Conan Doyle into one of the best-paid authors of his time. SIR Arthur Conan Doyle, British physician and writer, in South Africa in 1900

July 30, 2024 - Conan Doyle got involved with The Curious Case of Oscar Slater – the murder of Marion Gilchrist, a wealthy old lady from Glasgow. He uncovered new evidence, recalled witnesses and questioned the prosecution’s evidence, all of which was then published as a plea for Slater’s pardon.

November 28, 2025 - Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones ...

March 5, 2019 - When the First World War broke out in 1914, Conan Doyle helped organize a local volunteer force, covered the war as a correspondent, and later wrote a six-volume history of "The British Campaign in France and Flanders." But another product of the Great War was that it renewed interest in Spiritualism, and a converted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle became its greatest spokesman.

May 5, 2014 - Sherlock Holmes’s creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle embraced football, fairies and public feuds. Here are things that you may not know about the writer.1. Doyle was one of the earliest motorists in BritainHe reportedly bought a car without ever ...

July 21, 2021 - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes, led a robust life worthy of the pages of his fiction. He embarked on daring journeys to the Arctic and the Alps, investigated crimes and—though his most famous character is the paragon of rational thinking—staunchly believed in fairies and spirits.

May 4, 1999 - Conan Doyle’s early interest in both scientifically supportable evidence and certain paranormal phenomena exemplified the complex diametrically opposing beliefs he struggled with throughout his life. ... Arthur Conan Doyle's notebook for The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle's notebook (1889–90) for The White Company (1891).(more)

Doyle wrote in his autobiography that not a single patient ever crossed his door. Although, the silver lining was that he could dedicate his time to writing. ... Sherlock might have been a sceptic but Arthur Conan Doyle believed in fairies.

To celebrate the beloved author's birthday, we've gathered a few surprising, but true* facts about the Sherlock Holmes creator. 1. He compared Sherlock Holmes—arguably his greatest creation—to pâté de foie gras.

Though Sherlock Holmes dominates his legacy, Doyle was a prolific and versatile writer. He explored science fiction (The Lost World), historical adventure (Sir Nigel, Micah Clarke), horror, poetry, plays, and even political pamphlets.

Accused of treason, Sir Roger Casement was executed. In october 1916, Conan Doyle announced in the journal Light his conversion to spiritualism. During the last years of his life, he became the "crusader" of this movement that preaches salvation of humanity through science.

May 21, 2015 - Having roped Houdini into a séance, Conan Doyle and his wife claimed to have contacted Houdini’s mother from beyond the grave. The only problem was that their proof, a transcribed letter of her communiqué, was written in English, which Houdini’s mother didn’t speak. Houdini was outraged and publicly denounced the author and his wife. In fact, Conan Doyle soured on his most famous creation after only a handful of stories.

April 2, 2024 - Conan Doyle was also an enthusiastic investigator. He amateurishly solved a couple of mysteries. A particular one which gained much popularity was when he successfully got the Oscar Slater released from prison. Oscar Slater was wrongly convicted of the murder of an 82-year-old woman. He was a failed doctor – Arthur Conan Doyle set up an ophthalmology practice in London which means he studied to be an eye and vision care specialist.

January 23, 2019 - Below are some of the most interesting facts. In his early life he trained as a surgeon (as you do, ain’t no biggie). His first jobs were the medic on-board a whaling ship to the Artic Circle and as a medical officer aboard a steamship to Africa.

In 1876, Arthur Conan Doyle began to study medicine at his mother's suggestion at the University of Edinburgh, which had been one of the best medical schools at that time. He met Dr. Joseph Bell (1837-1911), the famous lecturer and an expert in the use of deductive reasoning, who inspired the character of Sherlock Holmes, and the physiologist, Professor William Rutherford (1839-1899), a model for Professor Challenger. He also studied under Sir Robert Christison (1797-1882), one of the founding fathers of modern toxicology.

By now Doyle has become Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, knighted in 1902 for public service. Doyle had served as a doctor in South Africa during the Boer War and published two pamphlets seeking to counter international condemnation of Britain's role in that war. He believed that his knighthood was ...

Arthur Conan Doyle by George Wylie Hutchinson, 1894. During the Second Boer War in South Africa (1899–1902), Doyle worked as a volunteer doctor. After the war, he wrote a book called The Great Boer War.

May 27, 2021 - Conan Doyle was a keen cricketer and played on the same cricket team as Peter Pan writer JM Barrie and AA Milne, author of Winnie the Pooh. He ran for Parliament twice, but never elected in spite of receiving a reasonable share of the votes.

July 1, 2021 - Like a good friend, Houdini partook in in one more séance with Doyle, even though he had his doubts.The session was led by Doyle’s daughter, who was supposedly a gifted medium. She contacted Houdini’s mother and produced fifteen pages of notes from the illusionist’s mother. Unfortunately, the fifteen pages were written in English, a language Houdini’s mother did not know. Also, his mother made no mention of the fact that the séance took pace on her birthday.

In 1911, he took part in the Prince Henry Tour, an international road competition organized by Prince Henry of Prussia to pit British cars against German ones. Doyle paired up with his second wife, Jean, as one of the British driving teams. ... It is, in fact, only one of his two middle names. He is Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle.