Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

1
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself but
talent instantly recognizes genius. The
Valley of Fear
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody
by any chance ever observes." The Hound of the
Baskerville

• Writer, Physician, Historian, War Correspondent,
  and Spiritualist

2
His Early Years

• Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on May 22, 1859 to
  Charles and Mary Doyle.
• Father was a chronic alcoholic
• Mary raised ten children with husbands small
  income.
• At age 9, went to a Jesuit school.
• After 7 years, enrolled in the Edinburgh
  University for a medical degree.
• became friends with James Barrie and Robert Louis
  Stevenson.
• Influenced by a professor named Dr. Joseph Bell,
  who was a master at observation and deduction,
  and was the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.

3
His Adulthood

• After graduation, Doyle set up a small clinic in
  1882
• August 5th, 1885, marries Louise "Toulie"
  Hawkins.
• Having spare time, he published A Study in
  Scarlet in 1887
• an instant success, featured the immortal
  Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
• Louise diagnosed with Tuberculosis in 1893
• Doyle began to write about more serious topics
  (The Great Boer War, Round the Red Lamp).
• In 1902, crowned knight for his The War in South
  Africa Its Causes and Conduct, in which Doyle
  defended the British tactics.
• 4th of July 1906, Louise dies.
• September 18, 1907, married Jean Leckie, whom
  Doyle has been seeing privately for 9 years
• 1918, began writing about spiritualism and
  science fiction/fantasy

4
Sherlock Holmes

• 1891, short stories of Holmes appeared often in
  the Strand Magazine
• The 2nd Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of Four
  (1890)
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
• The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1893)
• Doyle, against the protests of the fans, ended
  Holmes in the Final Problem (1893)
• Doyles masterpiece, The Hound of the
  Baskervilles (1902)
• Holmes reappeared in 1903 in the Strand
• The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)
• final Holmes novel, The Valley of Fear (1915)
• His Last Bow (1917)
• The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927)

5
His Elder Life

• Served as war correspondent in WWI
• Spiritualism Doyle communicated with son,
  Kingsley, who had died.
• Saw fairies and ghosts
• 1929, diagnosed with Angina Pectoris
• July 7, 1930, died in Sussex from a heart attack
• Last words "the greatest and most glorious
  adventure of all (to his wife).You are
  wonderful."

221B Baker St., London