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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Though Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's name is recognized the world over, for decades the man himself has been overshadowed by his better understood creation, Sherlock Holmes, who has become one of literature's most enduring characters. Based on thousands of previously unavailable documents, Andrew Lycett, author of the critically acclaimed biography Dylan Thomas, offers the first definitive biography of the baffling Conan Doyle, finally making sense of a long-standing mystery: how the scientifically minded creator of the world's most rational detective himself succumbed to an avid belief in spiritualism, including communication with the dead.

Conan Doyle was a man of many contradictions. Always romantic, energetic, idealistic and upstanding, he could also be selfish and fool-hardy. Lycett assembles the many threads of Conan Doyle's life, including the lasting impact of his domineering mother and his wayward, alcoholic father; his affair with a younger woman while his wife lay dying; and his nearly fanatical pursuit of scientific data to prove and explain various supernatural phenomena. Lycett reveals the evolution of Conan Doyle's nature and ideas against the backdrop of his intense personal life, wider society and the intellectual ferment of his age. In response to the dramatic scientific and social transformations at the turn of the century, he rejected traditional religious faith in favor of psychics and séances -- and in this way he embodied all of his late-Victorian, early-Edwardian era's ambivalence about the advance of science and the decline of religion.

The first biographer to gain access to Conan Doyle's newly released personal archive -- which includes correspondence, diaries, original manuscripts and more -- Lycett combines assiduous research with penetrating insight to offer the most comprehensive, lucid and sympathetic portrait yet of Conan Doyle's personal journey from student to doctor, from world-famous author to ardent spiritualist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Solid bio of Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle and his most famous creation will be thrust back into the public eye this Christmas with the release of the big-budget Robert Downey Jr. vehicle "Sherlock Holmes". It seemed like a good time to read a Doyle biography, and this one is very good. John Dickson Carr's "authorized" 1949 biography is lively and still repays reading today, but Andrew Lycett's tale is denser, if drier, drawing heavily upon documents not available to Carr. Holmes and Watson aren't really the main focal point here; Lycett gives the duo their due, but he's every bit as interested in describing Doyle's other works, discussing the author's gradual absorption in the world of spiritualism, and detailing the doings of Doyle's extended family and circle of friends. The author's homework is appreciated, but I still prefer Carr's somewhat more loosely wound bio for its sheer readability.

Great biography
Have followed Sherlock Holmes for over 40 years.I learned new things from this book.Very happy with it. Recommended it to local librarians.

Satisfying Biography, But Perhaps Not for Sherlockians
A biographer looking to paint the full life of the subject must necessarily dig into areas of the subject's life that may not be of much interest to the typical reader.In the case of Arthur Conan Doyle, who quickly moved beyond medicine to become one of the more prolific of Victorian-era writers, and one of the most successful, there is a lot of ground to cover.

Yet, for most of us today, all we really care about is Doyle's great creation, Sherlock Holmes.Doyle's many historical novels, books about spiritualism, plays and poetry are today generally forgotten. Without Holmes, Doyle would have been a cipher in the history of literature.

Andrew Lycett's biography is thorough-going, clearly well-researched and, for someone trained at Oxford, well-written.Its critical fault, for me at least, is that it treats Doyle's great creation as just another part of the author's large output.

Who cares about The Story of Mr. George Edalji (1907)?Who cares about The Wanderings of a Spiritualist (1921)?Who cares about The History of Spiritualism (1926)?Or about a dozen or two other now-forgotten tomes?

We want to know all the juicy Sherlockian details.We want to know every detail about how Dr. Doyle came up with one of the most original characters in literature.We want to know what he thought of his creation.We want to know how each story evolved.This Andrew Lycett fails to give us.

This is a biography that covers everything about the long and generally happy life of Arthur Conan Doyle without, despite the title, fully satisfying our sweet tooth for information about Holmes and Watson, the only thing that really matters in the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

--Lan Sluder

More About the Man Than His Work
If you're looking for the creative process that Conan Doyle employed in memorializing perhaps the most famous fictional character in literary history, this book will disappoint. Other than the well-known fact that Joseph Bell was the real-life model for Sherlock Holmes and that Conan Doyle needed to supplement his meager medical practice with additional funds, this book is more of the chronolgy of the life of a man who lived a rather mundane, if somewhat, typical Victorian existence.

True, his father was an alcoholic and Conan Doyle's first wife was practically an invalid the last ten years of her life causing him to initiate an adultrous affair with a woman who would later become his second wife; however, much of the book simply relates the travels, associations, business ventures, family squabbles and misunderstandings that were conventional to that period. Andrew Lycett, the biographer, admits in the Afterword that getting to know Conan Doyle up close and personal was difficult due to the heir's reluctance to release certain documents and letters. Following Conan Doyle's death, there was a real donneybrook over who got what from the estate. Greed and jealousy ruled and posterity and Conan Doyle's legacy has suffered because of it.

For my part the image of the man is forever tarnished by his obsession with the occult, paranormal, and spiritualism. Apart from Sherlock Holmes, he failed to live up to what he could have achieved in his lifetime as an author of great promise had he not been fixated with contacting the dead. His misguided intentions to divest himself of the true Christian faith marred a life that brought untold satisfaction to tens of thousands of devoted readers.

With that as a personal aside, Lycett from all accounts has written the most definitive biography to date on the life and times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Man Who Was Wanted
Lycett takes complete advantage of recently released family papers, and although at first glance they seem largely like household account books that reveal how much money was spent on this and that in any given period, soon this accumulation of data grows a fascination of its own.We can see through a myriad of details how Conan Doyle, by his own literary labors, started out with nearly nothing and wound up one of the wealthiest writers of his day, living life in a nearly baronial fashion with everything he could dream of.Was this affluence worth the price he paid for it?In some ways, Lycett argues, he was completely happy and very much a man of his time, but his growing spiritual instincts show, some have argued, a guilt consciousness overtaking him, making his soul restless as those whose peregrinations through ectoplasm he studied night after night, the victim of some of the worst frauds the world has known.

I enjoyed the biography, though it is superlong and at the same time, rushed during the second half of Doyle's life, where so many things happened to him that Lycett's chapters devolve into mere laundry lists of "And then he," "and then he," without much analysis.But by then he has given us ample evidence with which to judge Doyle's character.I suppose no biography of the man could fail to examine his mysterious second marriage, and when the love affair between ACD and Jean Leckie began.They always put up a public front, as did their children, that no way did anything untoward occur between them while the first wife, tubercular Louise, was still alive.Lycett takes a middle ground, referring to Jean as Conan Doyle's "mistress" even while accepting that perhaps there was no sexual activity between them. It must have been a trying time for Jean, not to mention Louise!And much of ths strain fell on Louise's two children, Mary and Kingsley, whom Jean seems to have resented terribly and who she made sure were always being sent away to school or to spend their vacations far away from wherever she was.Conan Doyle comes off as sort of a man torn in two, but Jean seems just horrid in every way.

Lycett finds echoes of this central conflict in many of Conan Doyle's stories and novels, pointing to the way that the author of the Sherlock Holmes tales withdrew "The Cardboard Box" from a proposed volume of "Memoirs," even after it had been published in periodical form, because its tangle of illicit love affairs reflected too much of the lustful drives he himself was feeling but had, as a Victorian paterfamilias, to keep a dark secret.

Lycett ignores the current controversy about the authorship of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES and does not so much as refer to the possibility that Conan Doyle had Fletcher Robinson "bumped off," though he does spend a lot of time, particularly in what is otherwise a very rushed account of Doyle's final 20 years, on his putative involvement in the Piltdown Man hoax.In his analysis of the George Edalji case, he shows us rather humorously that Conan Doyle's championing of the wrongfully imprisoned Edalji had many roots, not just the simple one of wanting justice done, including the fact that a fellow clubman had managed to clear a wrongfully accused man just the previous year and perhaps ACD wanted some of the glory too!All in all, a splendid book and one that will be much discussed in the years to come. ... Read more

Product Description
Here are stories of ghosts and demons, vampires, werewolves, and ghouls-and even reanimated mummies!Spine-chilling tales of the supernatural to make your scalp tingle and your pulse race. Each tale is introduced with an intriguing account of its origin and sometimes the unbelievably strange but true facts upon which it is based. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

if you love holmes, you will love this
I am a Holmes fanatic and have read all the stories over and over. I came across these stories when I had read all the Holmes mysteries. It's a great collection - some better than others, of course, Lot 249 is superbly written. I highly recommend this collection.

The super natural tales by sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I must admit these series of stories took me by surprise.Surprise because my impression of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has been of a detective author. This appears to be written earlier in his career when he was experimenting with supernatural being. Initially I was somewhat disappointed as I it didn't meet my expectations; but nonetheless it is an interesting read.

Literate horror
I love creepy stories. There is something nice about that feeling, the slow tickle at the back of your neck you get when reading well-written horror. Someone, or something, might just be reading over your shoulder. Spooooky.

Horror, like any fiction, is only as good as it's writer. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is just about as good a writer as you are going to find, and "The Supernatural Tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" is one of the best horror books I have read. There is an acknowledged Poe influence in this collection of 16 ghost and mystery stories, but the stories are definitely Doyle. Several of the stories focus on the then-current vogue of Egyptology, including "Lot No. 249" featuring the first "walking Mummy" story.Other gems include "The Leather Funnel," "The Ring of Thoth" and Doyle's first published story, "The Mystery of Sassa Valley."

This slim volume is a treasure-trove of wierd fiction.

There is more to Doyle than Holmes!
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote far more than just the Sherlock Holmes series - he wrote a tremendous collection of short stories and novels, with subjects ranging from the occult to science fiction. Some of these stories are better than most of the Holmes stories, and that's saying a lot!

I cannot recommend enough stories such as "The ring of Thoth", with it's amazing mystery of the ages. Doyle's writing does not diminish with time, and can be read by those who simply are looking for something different.

A nice treat for Conan Doyle fans
This book was exactly what I needed after plowing through my S.Holmes collection for the 10th time. The editing/annotation is quite respectful, even affectionate. It's insightful from a fan perspective to observe Sir Conan Doyle progress as a writer. He wrote some of these yarns for the fun of it, and they're a pleasure to read. A tad naive from our 21st century standpoint, yes, but charming nonetheless. ... Read more

Product Description
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (1859-1930) was a Scottish author. He is most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger. He was a prolific writer whose other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction. His first significant work was A Study in Scarlet, which appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887 and featured the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes, who was partially modelled after his former university professor, Joseph Bell. Other works include The Firm of Girdlestone (1890), The Captain of the Polestar (1890), The Doings of Raffles Haw (1892), Beyond the City (1892), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892), The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard (1896), The Great Boer War (1900), The Green Flag (1900), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), and The Lost World (1912). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wild Story, Little Deduction
Well, generally, readers of Sherlock Holmes are looking for some great detective work; the piecing together of a few scant clues to piece together a puzzle of a crime.This story, while wildly imaginative and unexpected, does little to build a tapestry of deduction and instead settles on mild suspense.

***Spoiler Alert***

The "Adventure" at Wisteria Lodge is a bizarre set of circumstances including not only a Voodoo side-track, but a despot exile as well! These inclusions certainly makes this Holme's tale stand out from the rest, although little else in the story would distinguish it. Hearing Holmes and others talk about "foreigners,"a mulatto and "swarthy" people reveals the period prejudices quite clearly, and this detracted from my enjoyment of the story. What points the finger at the villain more clearly than saying that he is ugly, savage of temperment and creepy looking?

In some cases, in this book, they turn natural prejudices against you, by revealing that the most savage looking person is not the killer, and this was good. This did little for the story, since it was pointed out by Holmes that this person wasn't likely to be the criminal, but it should be mentioned.

Overall, Sherlock was fairly charming, as usual, but a guest dectective from the country was the star of the show. This is great, to break up the monotony of reading a lot of Holmes, but as a single story, it was disappointing.

An interesting premise for a story, for sure, and if that is all you are looking for, you wont be disappointed.Compared to the other Sherlock Holmes stories, however, the Adventure at Wisteria Lodge ranks near the bottom of the list.

The greatest sleuth of all time has never felt more "average."

Entirely skippable. ... Read more

Product Description
A remarkable annotated collection of previously unpublished private correspondence from the creator of Sherlock Holmes

This extraordinary annotated collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s private correspondence offers unique insight into one of the world’s most popular authors. Detailing Conan Doyle’s life from his beginnings as a country doctor to his struggle with the success of Sherlock Holmes and his ultimate calling as the foremost spokesman for Spiritualism, Conan Doyle’s letters expose his innermost thoughts on literature, world events, and matters of the heart. Under the stewardship of editors renowned for their expertise on both Conan Doyle’s life and the Sherlock Holmes stories, this remarkable volume reveals a man whose character and exploits rival that of his famous creation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Was Doyle, Creator of Sherlock Holmes, so Gullible as to run into Spiritualism?
I read this book only recently to see whether or not Doyle was a gullible person (contrary to his Sherlock Holmes) as many authors, like Ruth Brandon in her book (1983) "The Spiritualists," judge him. The relevant material appears in the last chapter of the book, His Last Crusade.
His last quoted letter (of 27 December 1920) in the book appears in the last of the chapter, in which he wrote about his psychic experience with a medium, Mrs. Roberts, in Dunedin, New Zealand. Doyle apparently received a message from his dying mother in England through the medium. His mother Mary Doyle died on 30 December 1920.
Skeptics may be right to say that Doyle was gullible to have the psychic experience through the medium; if he was not, he did not receive the message.

Doyle believed in afterlife and hence, he did his last crusade to the end of his life at 71. If there really is an afterlife, the weight of Doyle's soul, if measured by Dr. Duncan MacDougall, might have weighed at more than 21 grams. By the way (if you do not mind), I recently published a technical paper to show theoretically the validity of MacDougall's experiment of measuring the change in weight at the moment of death in the Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 24, pp. 5-39; the Journal is on sale at amazon.com.

Highly Reccomended
I have to confess that I've never read a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but after I watched Sherlock Holmes (2009)the movie I was so engrossed in the whit and adventurous nature of the characters, that as soon as I got home I went on Wikipedia to read about their creator. Although there is a lot of material out there about the life of Arthur Conan Doyle, this book is a first account of his life, because it's delivered mostly from his pen, as his journey comes to light through a series of letters that a chronicled in this book.

I am off to read the Sherlock Holmes stories next, now that I feel like I know their author so closely.

Loved this book. It's optimistic and inspirational - highly recommended.

A really good book
If you love Sherlock Holmes (I really do) you will love finding out about the creator behind the worlds greatest creation. Having read only a few pages, I am all too interested in it. This is as close as I will get to knowing, in Sir Doyles own words, about the life he had lived, since his autobiography is out of print and available through third sellers at astronomical prices.

For those interested you will be enthralled and wowed at the highly active, adventurous life this man experienced. It's no wonder he was able to keep the minds of several nations shrouded in mystery and their own personal adventures while reading his works. A wonderful literary success about the man, practically by the man.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's family letters are a revealing insight into the life of the creator of Sherlock Holmes
Mention the name of Sherlock Holmes and the name of his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is instantly recalled. Doyle (1859-1930) was a fascinating man whose life story cries out for a biopic! Doyle was born in Edinburgh Scotland to an artist and his intellectually gifted wife Mary. Doyle's father died in an asylum suffering from alcohol and depression in 1893. His mother lived a ripe old age until 1920. It is to Mary Doyle, the mother he adored and confided in throughout his life, that over 90% of these fascinating letters are sent.Several of her own letters to favorite son Arthur are also included.
Doyle became a doctor graduating from the Edinburgh Medical School, traveled to the North Pole as a ship's physician and set up his shingle in the city of Portsmouth in the 1880s. It was during this period he began "A Study in Scarlet" which introduced Holmes and Watson to the British and American public. He also wrote several adventure stories and historical fiction works in homage to his literary idol Sir Walter Scott. His"White Company" about medieval Europe is still in print. While in Portsmouth he wed Louisa Hawkins who bore him two children Mary and Kingsley. Kingsley died from disease in World War I.
With his literary star rising, Dr. Holmes and his famiy moved to London. He there associated himself with the literary world of the day knowing such luminaries as George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Welles, Thomas Hardy, George Meredith. He also socialized with the aristocracy and once sat beside King Edward VII at a dinner.
Dr. Doyle was no stay at home writer. He served in the medical service during both the Boer War and World War I. Doyle enjoyed such varied sports as golf, tennis, cricket and skiing. He loved bicycling and owned a new fanagled motor car particpating in auto races. He and his famiily traveled widely across Europe. He often visited the United States. Doyle liked America and dreamed of a union between Great Britain and the United States. He caught the political bug twice running without success for a seat in Parliament representing an Edinburgh district. He was opposed to Irish Home Rule and along with his friend Winston Churchill was a strong advocate of the British Empire. He and his friend Rudyard Kipling glorified the British soldier.
The brilliant Doyle stuck his neck out by defending persons he thought had been wrongly convicted. He was an advocate for changing England's Divorce Law. He had an often rocky relationship with his five children but by all accounts was a good father. His first wife Louise died iin 1906 and after a brief time he married the lovely Jean Leckie. Jean and he had a happy marriage. They had three children: Denis, Adrian and Jean. It is uncertain whether his affair with Jean was platonic or not prior to the death of Louise.
Doyle was a very busy man who wanted to do away with Sherlock Holmes but continued writing stories of the great detective due to the public insistence for more Holmes adventures. During World War I he wrote a long history of the war which is little read. Science fiction works featuring Dr. Challenger were popular. Doyle was a friend of Baden Powell involving him in Boy Scout work. He was an Edwardian gentleman who was rich, famous and in love with his wife and family. He even delved in playwrigthing and his hero Sherlock Holmes was played on stage by William Gillette. The Holmes character was also seen on the slient movie screen.
World War I saw the death of his son, brother, brother-in law and other
relatives and friends. He increasingly became drawn to spiritualism. He broke with his friend magician Harry Houdini over the spiritualist movement. Doyle lectured widely in Britain, USA, Canada and Australia about spiritualism. He and his wife Jean both believed in seances. He was involved in several public debates concerning spiritualism writing books and articles to defend his position. Doyle was knighted in 1902 despite his objections. He died in 1930 being best remembered for those Sherlock Holmes Stories he thought were minor chapters in his literary oeuvre.
This seven hundred page compendium of the letters between Holmes, mother Mary and others has been edited by three experts on Doyle. Those experts are Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley. These editors put the letters in chronological order from the days when the Roman Catholic born Doyle was a student until 1920. The letters are connected by biographical narrative aiding the reader's understanding of what was happening in the life of Doyle and his interesting family.
The book is lavishly illustrated. If you want to learn about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle this book and the recently published "The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes" by Andrew Lycett are the two tomes you need! Elementary My Dear Watson! This book is a winner!

Good Company
It took me about a week to read this volume, and it became a very comfortable companion.I felt the three editors, men with uniquely close relationships with the life of Arthur Conan Doyle, were intelligent commentators on the material that hovered outside the actual letters, and made good decisions on what the reader needs to understand the text.I have read several biographies over a lifetime of study of Dr. Doyle's most famous creation, but I never before felt a real sense of kinship with the author.All knowledge had been perceived through the filter of each biographer's particular prejudices, not to mention the inavailability of much family material including these letters.Reading this book, I felt the full strength of his personality and the familial forces that had shaped his principles and politics.What's more, his sometimes puckish, sometimes ponderous sense of humor was demonstrated clearly to me for the first time.

Everything about the book -- the photographs and drawings, the clear and handsome style of each page, the careful index -- gave further examples of the intelligent, thoughtful decisions by its editors and publishers.Let me recommend this book.

... Read more

Product Description
Winner of the 1999 Edgar Award for Best Biographical Work, this is "an excellent biography of the man who created Sherlock Holmes" (David Walton, The New York Times Book Review)

This fresh, compelling biography examines the extraordinary life and strange contrasts of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the struggling provincial doctor who became the most popular storyteller of his age. From his youthful exploits aboard a whaling ship to his often stormy friendships with such figures as Harry Houdini and George Bernard Shaw, Conan Doyle lived a life as gripping as one of his adventures. Exhaustively researched and elegantly written, Teller of Tales sets aside many myths and misconceptions to present a vivid portrait of the man behind the leg of Baker Street, with a particular emphasis on the Psychic Crusade that dominated his final years-the work that Conan Doyle himself felt to be "the most important thing in the world.
Amazon.com Review
Despite (or because of) the tremendous success of his Sherlock Holmesstories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle always tended to play down their valueand importance in his life. Just before his death in 1930, he drew a memorable sketch of his life's work. Conan Doyle portrayed eventsfrom his life as a series of packing cases being loaded onto a wagon andpulled by a flea-bitten workhorse. Perhaps the heaviest case of all, notesDaniel Stashower in his fascinating biography Teller of Tales, is the one that reads "Sherlock Holmes."

Stashower's intent is to show that Conan Doyle was not Sherlock Holmes, andthat his life consisted of much more than the now ridiculed spiritualism towhich he devoted much of his later years. He succeeds to a surprisingdegree, convincing us that The White Company andSir Nigel (forgotten novels that Conan Doyle thought were his best)are indeed worth reading. As for the spiritualism, Stashower meticulouslyplaces his subject's long fascination with it into a compassionate andfully researched social context. We come away certain that Conan Doyle(along with many other worthy citizens of the period) really believed in it. --Dick Adler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

A 19th-century man in a 20th-century world
Daniel Stashower's biography is just as I expected; after reading the author's "The Beautiful Cigar Girl" The Beautiful Cigar Girl Mary Rogers, Edar Allan Poe and the Invention of murder, in which he wrapped the life of Edgar Allan Poe around an unsolved 1841 murder, I rushed to this biography to see what this amazing researcher and weaver of non-fiction could do with the creator of Sherlock Holmes.Some of the surprises here were: ACD hoped that he would be known for many creations other than Holmes; ACD modeled Holmes on Poe's Dupin.In only 444 pages (plus an 8-page bibliography, 8 pages of photos, and a 17.5-page index), Stashower proves beyond a doubt that "Conan Doyle's conscience did not allow for discreet silences, nor did he submit easily to the will of others." ACD is portrayed as a man of courage, action, and strength, peppered often with doubts and weaknesses. When you can find a readable biography that reflects the history of its time as well as the essence of the subject individual, you have found a story well-researched and cleverly told.

ACD propelled himself into dozens of crusades, including the Boer War, several legal cases and even the 1926 disappearance of Agatha Christie. He ran for public office. He bounced between practicing medicine, going on expeditions, lecturing in Europe, North America, and Australia, writing meticulously researched historical fiction, trying his hand at poetry, producing theatrical efforts, publishing propaganda-laced political tracts, relentlessly championing spiritualism, and playing sports.To know him only as the creator of Sherlock Holmes and Watson is to leave about 90% of his life unacknowledged. Living to be a bit over 71 years old, the subject of this biography finished his days in 1930 as a promoter for spiritualism and life after death; in direct apparent conflict with the logic of Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle insisted (even when scientific and eyewitness proof emerged to the contrary) that he had a sense of duty to publicize the benefits of the psychic world. My only major criticism of this book lies in the amount of space Stashower devotes to ACD's desire to go down in history as a "religious reformer"; much of the detail was overwritten and repetitious, qualities that did not appear in the book at large.(On the other hand, if it has to be said, where else would one expect to find it?) Another small criticism: A saga like this needs more photos!

"Teller of Tales" is not a hagiography. Stashower finds plenty of serious contradictions in ACD's long writing career. Doubts remain about Conan Doyle's state of mind during his last decade, once he lost loved ones in WW I. Stashower does a fine job of weaving real-life people (especially figures such as Houdini, Kipling and Harte) and events into Conan Doyle's life. Disappointments in his private affairs are handled in a sensitive manner. Where the author cannot find references, he has the courage to say so.Another surprise: While ACD allowed Sherlock Holmes to dismiss Poe's Dupin as "very inferior" to himself, Conan Doyle readily acknowledged a reverential debt to Poe ("master of all") and his fictional detective.

This is a full-rounded portrait of what turns out to be a widely misunderstood man. I'm definitely onboard to read whatever book Stashower next produces. Oh, and: Sursum Corda! ("Lift up your hearts!")

Not Just Your Sherlock Holmes Author
I say Arthur Conan Doyle and you say Sherlock Holmes. But don't stop there. Doyle lived a very long, complicated and multi-layered life. This biography won the 1999 Edgar (Allan Poe) Award for Best Biographical Work and it generously explores the origins of Doyle's detective fiction, his science fiction, his fantasy fiction, his historical adventure fiction and his military histories. Sired by an alcoholic father, Doyle was born in 1859 to a Scots family with a very strong, enduring mother. He started as a very young whaling ship's doctor looking for adventure and soon afterward became a struggling provincial doctor who with few patients and time on his hands. He then decided to write his way out of poverty.

The extended Doyle clan were prosperous Irish-Catholic families, who had a prominent position in the art world. Charles Doyle, Arthur's father, a chronic alcoholic, was the only member of his family, who apart from fathering a brilliant son, never accomplished anything of note and was institutionalized for the greater part of Arthur's life. At the age of twenty-two, Charles had married Mary Foley, a vivacious and very well educated young woman of seventeen.

Mary Doyle had a passion for books and was a master storyteller. Her son Arthur wrote of his mother's gift of "sinking her voice to a horror-stricken whisper" when she reached the culminating point of a story. There was little money in the family and even less harmony on account of his father's excesses and erratic behavior. Arthur's touching description of his mother's beneficial influence is also poignantly described in his biography, "In my early childhood, as far as I can remember anything at all, the vivid stories she would tell me stand out so clearly that they obscure the real facts of my life."

It is safe to say that Arthur Conan Doyle turned his life's adventure into literature. As a whaling crew's physician and adventurer, he walked on ice floes, killed seals, and nearly drowned. As a merchantman's crew physician he explored the coast of Africa and battled typhoid among the crew and within himself. As a war correspondent, as a medical volunteer in during the Boer War, as WWI front line army administration observer, he always wrote for himself, his familiar and then later turned the adventure into fiction or military history.

Made famous by Sherlock Holmes, Doyle created other popular characters such as Professor Challenger and Brigadier Gerard. Challenger visited The Lost World
and Brigadier Girard a variety of Victorian Era conflicts. Doyle wrote and invested his theatre plays, sometimes writing well and making returns on his money, other times not. Critics give Doyle recognition for his combat scenes in The White Company and in his administrative reports from the European and Italian Fronts of WWI. In three instances, Doyle challenged judicial convictions of those whom he felt to be innocent or unrepresented before the bar. Establishing a reputation that would be today called an Innocense Mission, he investigated and paid from his own pocket judicial appeals in capital and non-capital crimes.

Throughout his life, he felt infuriated, challenged, and intrigued by the spiritual realm. Having been sternly educated in a Jesuit school, exposed to other cultures view of death in his travels, and finding evidence of an afterlife in his own life's experiences, Doyle practiced Spiritualism. Mediums using automatic writing and channeling spirits were apart of the last three decades of Doyle's life. In part, having lost sons and nephews in WWI, his investigation of Spiritualism gave him some comfort. Spiritualism came to the fore during the 1830s and continued to be matter of scientific investigation by early psychologists through until 1930s in both Europe and America.

Hale and hardy throughout his life, Doyle eagerly embraced sports but not hunting. An avid but unskilled driver of the new automobile, he wrecked a vehicle near his house and was pinned under the car in such a fashion that his back carried the weight of the vehicle. After several minutes his nearby friends lifted the auto off of him and he slowly walked away from the accident. With his reputation for great strength, none of his friends were surprised that his back could carry the weight of vehicle for several minutes and not collapse his chest.

Stashower's biography is well worth reading for its glimpse into the Victorian Era and its description of a writer's life well lived.

Arthur Conan Doyle, not Sherlock Holmes
This is a very readable and engaging biography of Arthur Conan Doyle.While many people only think of him in association with the stories of Sherlock Holmes, in fact Conan Doyle (his compound last name) was a multi-faceted man who grew up in poverty, became a medical doctor, served on a whaling ship in the Arctic, and worked in an Army hospital during the Boer War.He began his literary career writing stories for magazines, and one of these stories concerned a detective named Sherlock Holmes.The Sherlock Holmes stories became popular, although Conan Doyle did not consider them serious literature and would come to consider the demand for this character as pulling him away from his efforts at more important works.

Conan Doyle lost many close relatives during WWI.Perhaps as a result of this he developed a deep interest in spiritualism, and this interest gradually began to absorb his life as he left off literary pursuits to advocate for spiritualist research via press and podium.This advocacy led many to lose their esteem for the creator of Sherlock Holmes since they assumed that Conan Doyle and Sherlock must be one and the same in personality and temperament.

I was interested to learn that Conan Doyle wrote his detective stories by determining the ending, and then working back toward it.Thus his character's "brilliant observations" and deductions were always carefully planned by knowledge of the solution before it was apparent to the reader.While Sherlock's powers of observation and deduction came to represent a paradigm of rational scientific proof, in reality they were an illusion working back from given solutions.In the same way, Conan Doyle would advocate for spiritualism by pleading for people to restrain their skepticism, and believe in order to know.Seen in this way, the contrast between his flinty-eyed detective and the real-life Conan Doyle's interest in spiritualism seems less dramatic.

Overall, this book read like a novel and was a good balance between Conan Doyle's whole life story and the part of it that involved Sherlock Holmes.

An entertaining and informative Read
Teller of tales is a biography of Arthur Conan Doyle, writer of the Sherlock Holmes series. I was required to read a non-fiction book and write a review for the book on amazon.com. At the time, I had just been introduced to the Sherlock Holmes series, and was currently reading my way though a collection of these novels. I was intrigued by he author's unusual writing style, and somewhat ashamed that I knew nothing about him, so I decided to read his biography.

The author of this biography, Daniel Stashower, addresses a lot of controversies pertaining to Conan Doyle throughout the book, rationalizing some of Conan's more unusual decisions and actions while keeping an impartial 3rd person tone throughout the entire book. "Many critics assume that the reason for Conan's actions were this, but at the time Conan was going through this. It can be speculated that..."

The book was very entertaining and thought provoking. Conan Doyle himself is an interesting character, though he is nothing like his famous book character. Besides eth actual storyline, there were many great books written during Conan Doyle's time period, but none of these books are required reading through high school. After reading this, there are many novels I want to look into, novels that I would never have heard of otherwise. Although I feel it is a shame that many kids my age never have and never will read these stories, I can't remember enjoying any book I was forced to read.

Daniel Stashower has written several mystery novels of his own along with writing this biography. He is also a freelance journalist, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times and many others. However, it is easy to tell that he is a credible author when reading Teller of Tales.

I can only think of one drawback to this book, and it wouldn't be fair to hold this against the book or the writer. I personally can't read more than one book at a time. Since I stopped reading my Sherlock Holmes collection to read this novel, and since the book makes many references to these stories and stories by other authors that I would like to read, the task of finishing this book has become somewhat painful.

Conan Doyle From the Outside
Daniel Stashower's biography of Conan Doyle is well written, as one would expect from the author of the Houdini mysteries, but never profound. We are given the great man's public life without any deep examination of the inner man. The result is a rather straightforward narrative, interesting because Conan Doyle led a fascinating life, but with all the weight of a magazine profile. The complete absence of citations reinforces this impression, and there are no footnotes, although a comprehensive bibliography is included. ... Read more

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An Important Work That Brings Life to Arthur Conan Doyle
In this masterfully written biography, Russell Miller brings Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to life

Miller chronicles both the great genius andnear-childlike foolishness that characterized Conan Doyle's life, while maintaining an even hand. It would be easy to deride Conan Doyle, who for the latter part of his life, was willingly taken in by the frauds and charlatans of the Spiritualist movement. Miller presents Conan Doyle's foibles while maintaining his respect for his subject.

A must-read for Sherlock Holmes fans, people who enjoy Victorian literature, and writers.

Sold as advertised
I ordered this book for my sister, as she had recently read it from the Library and wished it for her own library.
The shipping was timely and the book in excellent almost new condition as listed by the vendor.
Although it was second hand, or used, one would be hard pressed to see any of that usage.
So both I and my sister were well pleased and satisfied with the purchase.
I've ordered several used books, over the past year or so and as yet, have never been disappointed by my purchases.

Appealing, poignant study: the first one based on the correspondence
I've read a bit of Sherlock Holmes, knew vaguely of Conan Doyle's spiritualism, and heard he was a doctor. This lively account, the first drawn from CD's letters, tells much more, engagingly and efficiently. Anyone, Sherlockian or not, will find this an enjoyable and instructive narrative.

The early years open on mystery. CD's father's tragic alcoholism and insanity, his mother's strangely intimate longtime boarder half her age, and CD's own struggles as a poor medical graduate vividly evoke people's quirks and lapses behind the stern facade of later Victorian England and Scotland. While London, so well portrayed in the Holmes stories, surprisingly had been little lived in by CD, Miller's book conjures up the milieu effectively. He also does so in the wider world CD explored.

CD had an adventerous life even prior to his authorial success: whaling in the Arctic, sailing to Africa, golf at the pyramids, camel rides in Egypt gain in his letters as much verve and wit as the birth of his first child or the loss of his vacation home. Miller quotes from the correspondence to set off the anodyne autobiography, the mundane diary, and the assumptions of earlier biographers who lacked the letters as a crucial resource. From the letters, CD emerges as a hearty figure who in person was much more bluff and outgoing than readers of Holmes expected. Jingoistic, stubborn, and productive, CD after a rough start as an author found success with Sherlock, quit his practice, and wrote an amazing amount of work the rest of his life, albeit of diminishing quality.

Miller points out how shoddy and inconsistent even CD at his best could be in his fiction; basing Holmes on his extraordinarily perceptive Edinburgh professor Charles Bell, it's a conundrum many of his readers share with Miller: how a logical character like Sherlock could make so many mistakes, and how his author could fall from the celebration of rationality in his most famous creation into the credulity most supposed prevented CD from seeing through the faker of fairies on film and apparitions at seances.

Miller explains about CD's Holmesian contradictions: "In truth, he never bothered to keep track of what he had written, first, because he didn't see Holmes as an immortal, iconic character, and secondly, because although he earned large sums of money, he cared little for the work that did little, he believed, to enhance his literary status." (147)

Clearly, CD quickly tired of Holmes. In 1928, he told a newsreel crew how Holmes was a "monstrous growth from a comparatively small mustard seed." (465) Instead, his frustrated creator longed to gain recognition for his well-researched but more plodding historical novels, hefty war histories, and voluminous spiritualist propaganda. Sherlockian issues are dealt with almost in a perfunctory way by Miller; you will learn very little about the actual stories, and few of these are even summarized. However, given the immense scholarship already committed to Holmesiana, this biography redresses the balance in favor of CD as a prolific globetrotting traveller, war correspondent, military doctor, and indefatigable lecturer first on the Cottingley Fairies and then on spiritualism.

CD's unlikely friendships with the charlatan Charles Budd, Oscar Wilde, and then Harry Houdini, who sought to unmask the spirits CD venerated, also gain substantial coverage. His two marriages and the rather modern way he remained vowed to his first wife as she lingered with fatal tuberculosis while he set up an arrangement with his second wife long before his first wife's demise shows in a balanced way CD's very human predicament. Earlier, his refusal to gain a much-needed sinecure if he had capitulated to the Catholicism he rejected as a student shows CD's own iconoclasm and his staunch values that he rarely wavered from. (One error: thrice Miller labels the Jesuits who taught CD at Stonyhurst as "monks.") Miller in these situations mines the letters to great effect, correcting distorted views based only on the diaries or biographies rather than the much more revealing correspondence.

While CD's warlust blinded him in South Africa and WWI France to the suffering of the enemy, CD did do his best to minister to the British soldiers he treated. He was of his time, as Miller reminds us fairly, a defender of the Empire and a staunch patriot. He "chose not to see" what he did not want to as he travelled in trenches and hospitals, jungles and barracks, into seances and across colonies.

Miller eschews editorializing or sensationalism. He treats CD even-handedly: after making "up his mind he was unstoppable, impervious to argument, blind to contradictory evidence, untroubled by self-doubt." (371) His "artless credulity" confused many, but "sceptics failed to understand" a crucial self-fulfilling prophecy in CD's willingness, especially after the death of his son after WWI, to believe in spiritual communiques from the ectoplasmic realm. He could not be shaken "because he was constantly encouraged by numerous messages from the other world praising his commitment." (377)

This turns into a poignant last third of his life. Conrad and Dickens appeared to him, he reported, asking CD to finish their last novels that had been left incomplete at their departures from this life. CD wore himself to death by his lecture tours defending spiritualism. His literary output turned entirely to asserting his beliefs, and his money was poured into promoting his "Psychic Press." Blind to pain, he was eager to see in seances what he wanted, as he in wartime chose to view the carnage as fulfilling the destiny of the Crown and loyal, eager, and self-sacrificing servants such as himself. He died serving a cause that by the end fewer believed in than the Empire, and outside of the reason Holmes epitomized and his medical training inculcated, CD sought comfort in mediums and disembodied messages praising his own missionary efforts and lauding his faith in the ethereal.

Not merely the creator of Sherlock Holmes
On the cover - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's portrait within a much more famous profile, demonstrates a keen understanding of Doyle's mind and how much the man strove to escape the literary shadow of his greatest character, Sherlock Holmes.

Russell Miller's obvious passion in writing this biography - unlike other books about Doyle - pours from the pages which are filled with ancestry, early experiences, tragedies, and loves and correspondence. The overall effect portrays Doyle in a more human fashion than previous attempts. This `edge' appears due to Miller's unprecedented access to an eclectic cache of Doyle's notes, journals and personal papers. As a result, the reader is led down the shadow-filled path of the budding writer, deftly exploring the unique experiences that inspired Doyle to write. The carefully gathered memories add color to a seemingly tragic existence, and yet, out of this mire springs a serious writer, a writer who rarely expresses himself in person, but commandeers the imaginations of millions on paper.

Hats off to Miller for bringing the writer to life almost as vividly as Doyle did for Holmes. I was comforted to know that the literary giant suffered human emotions, frailties, career frustration and finally that capricious prize... notoriety. This is a book literary minds and lovers of Sherlock Holmes and suspense should have.

Reviewed by: Meredith Greene

Hard to put down.
There aren't a whole lot of books that are good enough to be on a"can't put it down" list. The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle certainly deserves a place at the top of this list. So insightful and obviously well researched, it is beautifully written and so easy to read. What more could a bibliophile ask for. It is a book that I will share with my book-loving family and, I might add, a book I will no doubt read again....and, down the line, again. Bravo to Mr. Miller. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a new edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's second collection of Sherlock Holmes adventures. Eleven stories, including "The Final Problem," in which Holmes tumbles off a cliff to his death, later to be resurrected in "The Return of Sherlock Holmes." ... Read more

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More tales of Sherlock
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous sleuth really doesn't need any introduction -- Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective who can uncover the deeper layers of seemingly simply crimes, and unravel the intricacies of impossible ones. "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" is another round of exceptional mysteries, including the infamous one in which Holmes seemingly meets his death. Spoilers below.

When a famous horse in the Wessex Cup races vanishes, Holmes decides to go solve the case, along with Watson... and quickly discovers that it's not a simple case of theft. Then "The Case of the Yellow Face" comes up when a man asks Holmes to get to the bottom of his wife's weird behavior and strange yellow-faced visitor -- and even Holmes may not fully grasp what is going on.

Among the other cases: a client who suddenly commits suicide, an old man with a guilty secret, an ancient riddle that may have caused a servant's death, a sinister father-son team, a bizarre locked-room murder with the word "David," a man forced to interpret Greek for a sinister kidnapping gang, and a stolen naval treaty.

And in "The Final Problem," the evil Professor Moriarty tries to kill Holmes to keep the detective from bringing down his criminal network, with disastrous results. Don't worry, the shocking ending isn't quite as... well, shocking as it seems.

"The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" is a little more varied than Doyle's previous Sherlock Holmes collection, and it also has an ending that shocked his reading audiences. Namely: Holmes dies. Don't worry, readers nagged Doyle into bringing him back to life, but it's pretty startling since we're used to the good guy triumphing over all.

And as usual, Doyle crafts two kinds of crimes/mysteries -- the ones that are ultra-simple but turn out to have hidden kinks, and the ones that seem impossible to solve but are actually shockingly simple. And something rather startling happens in "The Adventure of the Yellow Face": Holmes screws up. You don't see that very often. The only problem is that the cases are rather less colorful and gripping than "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'."

Doyle also shows the perils of Holmes' job in this one -- he has kind of a nervous breakdown and gets sick from overwork, and needs a vacation that (of course) is interrupted by more cases. Additionally, we get some glimpses into both Holmes and Watson's back histories, such as Holmes' college days and Watson's time in the military.

"The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" is a suitably baffling string of mysteries, with plenty of weird twists and crimes -- including the ultimate one at the end.

Back With More Thrills and Beautiful Writing.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle returns Sherlock Holmes with eleven brilliantly written stories. This one has three famous stories: The "Gloria Scott", The Greek Interpreter and The Final Problem. The first story is the very first case of Sherlock Holmes' career which led him to be resolute in his decision to famously enter a profession of his choice. The second wonderfully introduces to us the brother of Sherlock Holmes, and the last one reveals the premature killing off of Sherlock Holmes when he plunges to death with his worthy adversary, Professor Moriarty. The cases illustrated in the Memoirs are fun to read and sometimes to the point of being at the edge of the seat. It is amusing to see Dr. Watson to be galvanized every time Sherlock Holmes takes off his disguise. When will he ever learn? Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is the fourth book after A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, and Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and continues with The Return of Sherlock Holmes after the author thankfully brings the famed consulting detective back with much outcry and joy afterward from his loyal fans. All in all, if you have never read any of the stories about Sherlock Holmes, you are missing one of the best pieces of literature ever penned, and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is no exception.

More Great Entertainment
Another collection of great Holmes adventures which are sure to entertain those new to Doyle's work as well as previous fans of his work.

Wonderful!!
I love reading Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and now I have them on my ipod! The stories has a couple of typos, but nothing that ruins the story.The complete stories are all there, with no missing parts.The pages are easy to read, flip, and use.I really enjoy using Kindle to read my stories, it's easy to use, and has all the features that I want like view lock, and automatic page saving.I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves reading Holmes!

Eleven exciting Holmes stories
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a number of books, but to me, nothing really worked like his Sherlock Holmes mysteries.The characters are believable, and one begins to think that one almost knows them.The characters in Doyle's other books just don't have the same character.

I've read all these stories before, but I had forgotten how they all turn out at the end.They are perfect for reading just before sleeping; you can finish one story easily each night before your eyes close and drift off to sleep.

I love the way Holmes sees even the smallest details and is able to deduce truths from them.Of course these are classics that people will enjoy for centuries. ... Read more

Product Description
Arthur Conan Doyle is best remembered today as the creator of the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. But he was much more than that. Apart from being a popular and prolific author - his literary output included historical novels, science fiction and histories of the Boer War and the First World War - his passion for a wide range of subjects make him a colourful and fascinating character in his own right. He was an early champion of the Channel Tunnel, he played cricket for the MCC, was a staunch advocate of Spiritualism, introduced cross country skiing to Switzerland and he was acquainted with many of the notable public figures of the late Victorian and Edwardian period. His fascinating account of his life is a wonderful record of a unique individual. This volume has the added bonus of a perceptive and illuminating introduction by David Stuart Davies who throws some light into the darker areas of Conan Doyle's life. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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A Study in Scarlet is a detective mystery novel written by Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which was first published in 1887. It is the first story to feature the character of Sherlock Holmes, who would later become one of the most famous literary detective characters, with long-lasting interest and appeal. The book's title derives from a speech given by Holmes to his companion Doctor Watson on the nature of his work, in which he describes the story's murder investigation as his "study in scarlet": "There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."
Conan Doyle wrote the novel at the age of 27 in less than three weeks. As a general practice doctor in Southsea, England, he had already published short stories in several magazines of the day, such as the periodical London Society. The story was originally titled A Tangled Skein, and was eventually published by Ward Lock & Co. in Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887, after many rejections. The author received £25 in return for the full rights (although Conan Doyle had pressed for a royalty instead). It was illustrated by D. H. Friston. The novel was first published as a book on July 1888 by Ward, Lock & Co., and featured drawings by the author's father, Charles Doyle. A second edition appeared the following year and was illustrated by George Hutchinson; a year later in 1890, J. B. Lippincott & Co. released the first American version. Numerous further editions, translations and dramatisations have appeared since.
The story, and its main character, attracted little public interest when it first appeared. Only 11 complete copies of Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887 are known to exist now and they have considerable value. Although Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories featuring Holmes, A Study in Scarlet is one of only four full-length novels in the original canon. The novel was followed by The Sign of Four, published in 1890. A Study in Scarlet was the first work of fiction to incorporate the magnifying glass as an investigative tool. ... Read more

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Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Lost World' is the source and origin of all modern dinosaur books and films - an adventure story with everything.Dangerous crises abound, in several exotic locations, with a host of strange and terrifying beasts and the occasional damsel in distress thrown in for good measure. But behind all the derring-do, Conan Doyle is gently satirising the idea of Science as a pure discipline, unsullied by thoughts of personal gain; and ridiculing the close-minded, hide-bound intellectuals who possess the qualifications, but not the courage, to search diligently for the truth. ... Read more

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In the debut of literature's most famous sleuth, a dead man is discovered in a bloodstained room in Brixton. The only clues are a wedding ring, a gold watch, a pocket edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, and a word scrawled in blood on the wall. With this investigation begins the partnership of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Their search for the murderer uncovers a story of love and revenge-and heralds a franchise of detective mysteries starring the formidable Holmes.

Introduction by Iain Sinclair and notes by Ed Glinert. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Good Evening Mr. Watson.
Sherlock Holmes Vol.1 is a great companion to the detective's return to the big screen.It contains the first volume of Sir Arthur Canon Doyle's short stories and his first full-length Holmes story A Study In Scarlet.It also includes new colored illustrations by Kelly Jones. The great stories will leave you on the edge of your seat and its hard to put down. Holmes's incridable deductive reasoning will blow your mind. A must read if you loved the movie.

Meet Sherlock Holmes
Dr. John Watson is a retired Army physician back in London after a harrowing experience in India. When he meets a roommate, the eccentric Sherlock Holmes, he finds that all he has known about the world will be challenged. Holmes is interested in crime - poisons, footprints, tests for blood - everything one would need to be a detective. But his real gift is his ability to reason backwards; unlike most detectives of his day, he can begin with a premise (such as a murder) and correctly establish the events that led up to it.

When a man is found dead in Brixon Road, Holmes is summoned by Scotland Yard to assist in determining how the man died and who may be responsible. Watson accompanies his roommate for the first time and is astounded at how much the amateur detective is capable of reasoning. He can guess the perpetrator's height from the length of his stride, the cause of death by sniffing the corpse's lips, and the entire motive through a single telegraph. What's more is that Sherlock Holmes is right in every aspect.

"A Study in Scarlet" was the first of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels about the brilliant Sherlock Holmes and his trusted assistant, Dr. John Watson. Over a century after its initial publication, the tales of the detective and doctor still fascinate the world. Why? It's incredibly well-written, intriguing, and just plain interesting. And isn't that what a mystery should be?

A Staggering Introduction To A Legend
The first Holmes mystery is one I will always cherish as it was rightfully my first introduction to the world of Sherlock Holmes. I have always been familiar with the name of the character but have only really become interested in reading the stories thanks to the rather shallow link between Holmes and the character Dr. Gregory House from the TV show House M.D. I know it is a ridiculous way to decide to take up the task of reading the Holmes stories, but after reading this it is a task I am glad to engage in. The similarities between the character from the TV show and the character from the books are plenty but I am writing this review for the book which has created a Holmes-like addiction within me to read more of the Sherlock mysteries.

Set at around 1880 and this book first being published in 1878 is told in two parts, the bulk of the story being told from the perspective of Dr. Watson. The first part comprises of the first person tale of how Watson came to meet Holmes and how they both came to live with each other at 221B Baker Street. The introduction to how this friendship began is brief as Doyle plunges immediately into the first Holmes case which is an investigation into the murder of Enoch J. Drebber of Cleveland, Ohio. When his body is found in n abandoned house with no visible wounds that could have caused his death, the real mystery begins with the discovery of a gruesome scrawling on a dark section of wall in the form of RACHE which was painted in blood. Soon after the discovery of Drebber, it becomes known that his travelling partner, Joseph Stangerson has also been murdered.

The second part is set in America and as it progresses gradually gives light to motives for the murders and the relationship the murderer has with his victims. It tells the story initially of John Ferrier being lost in the middle of a desert as him and a small girl are the only survivors of a twenty-one person caravan which ran out of food and water. On the verge of death they are rescued by Brigham Young and a large wagon convoy of travelling Mormons looking to escape persecution. As the years pass, Ferrier becomes a successful rancher and the little girl, Lucy grows up to be a beautiful woman who is sought after to become one of the wives of a prospective Mormon husband. Ferrier refuses to allow Lucy to be married to anyone with more than one wife, but due to the described Mormon custom, Ferrier is given an ultimatum that he must choose a suitable husband for Lucy within 29 days or face death.

Being Doyle's first entry into story telling he did a superb job of creating a realistic and intriguing character along with an intense and thought provoking story. The supporting characters are beautifully thought out for whatever length of time and importance they may hold in the whole story. Watson is not portrayed as what you would imagine to be a puppy dog following the master, rather an inquisitor looking to understand the mind of one of the most complex figures he has ever come across. Holmes is a significant character in literature as he is a character that transcends the original novels or the era in which he was born. The name is instantly recognisable and this original story was an instant achievement in bringing to life such a legacy that will undoubtedly last forever.

We are all thankful for Stamford for the wonderful introduction and thus the beginning of many great adventures
The authentic stories of the famed Sherlock Holmes are among my favorite reads, and I enjoy the adventures thoroughly. Once on my travels to London, I did visit the fictional house of Sherlock Holmes situated at 221B Baker Street. It was a surreal experience, that's for sure...because it is a fictional home of a fictional character, for goodness sake! Still to this day, I am not sure what the B part signifies: a half house or an upstairs portion? Anyway back to the story, A Study in Scarlet is the very beginning of the famous character Sherlock Holmes and his oft neglected (and still famous) sidekick Dr. John Watson. We can thank our lucky stars to Stamford for introducing both to each other before settling their claims on 221B Baker Street. From there, it began the many adventures that have encompassed the very foundation of sleuthing and solving crimes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced many of the concepts that were truly novel back and are now commonplace today among law enforcement, most notably the FBI. I find the introduction and the explanation of the techniques used by Sherlock Holmes interesting because I wondered how prevalent and how new they were at that time. Or perhaps I wondered if they were first conceived by the author in the novel, or were they just portrayed as fads at first (similar to science fiction books)? The writing by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is very beautiful and makes A Study in Scarlet a thoroughly pleasurable read, and there is a ton of wisdom contained within the lines and especially from the dialogues of Sherlock Holmes. In the collection of quotes by Sherlock Holmes, I have in A Study in Scarlet two favorites. One is when he says, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. etc. etc." He is absolutely correct in this manner because Sherlock Holmes is very self-conscious about his knowledge being pure and away from distortions, so he can maintain a sound foundation. Another is "If I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all." Well, that's an interesting way of putting things. It's a bit of a complaint of mine because when I am reading the details of how Sherlock goes his business (for example, walking along the path, checking the strides, measuring the lengths, etc.) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle frequently omits the details that would allow me to make conjectures of how the crime could happen. So, what happens instead is that Sherlock Holmes will explain away the conclusions and how he arrived at them, and we, as the readers, don't get a first-hand chance to observe the actualities of the details. Anyhow, I am not going to say that it is a disappointing part of the tales, but rather it's just a pitiful block of the reader's thorough experience. In A Study in Scarlet, you will automatically, as I did, be stumped when you start reading the second part as the tale surrounds the Alkali Plain and begin to wonder if the publisher had somehow misplaced the part. Be rest assured, the tale will eventually explain the entire criminal acts that transpired in the first part of the tale. A very interesting question will appear: what if Jefferson Hope did not have an aortic aneurism, would he have been waived from his crimes because of the surrounding circumstances? Who knows? At the end of A Study in Scarlet, "Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo. Ipse domi simul ac nummos contemplar in arca." means "The public hisses at me, but I applaud myself in my own house, and simultaneously contemplate the money in my chest." All in all, if you want to have a totally satisfying experience of reading, you can't go wrong with A Study in Scarlet as well as other authentic Sherlock Holmes stories.

It doesn't measure up to other Sherlock Holmes mysteries...
As a fan of the genre, I was a bit disappointed with this book.It starts off very interesting, Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder, study's the crime scene, and effortlessly shows he's more creative thinking and superior methods to the other investigators of the case, and so begins his search for the truth.Early on, the mystery is so well set up on so many levels, but unfortunately, somewhere in the middle of the book, Doyle lost me, I began counting the pages, and wanting it to end, it just lost its momentum.Read a different Sherlock Holmes book, there are better ones. ... Read more

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Two works from Doyle's "The Professor Challenger" series. Included books:
The Lost World
The Poison Belt
... Read more

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This Kindle file includes 38 books -- Sherlock Holmes, Challenger, historical novels, other novels, and non-fiction. Sherlock Holmes Novels and Stories: A Study in Scarlet, novel, 1887; The Sign of the Four, novel, 1890; The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, collection of stories originally published 1891-1892 (A Scandal in Bohemia; The Red-headed League; A Case of Identity; The Boscombe Valley Mystery; The Five Orange Pips; The Man with the Twisted Lip; The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle; The Adventure of the Speckled Band;
The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb; The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor; The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet; The Adventure of the Copper Beeches); The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, collection of stories originally published 1892-1893 (Adventure 1 Silver Blaze; Adventure 2 The Yellow Face; Adventure 3 The Stock-Broker's Clerk; Adventure 4 The "Gloria Scott"; Adventure 5 The Musgrave Ritual; Adventure 6 The Reigate Puzzle;
Adventure 7 The Crooked Man; Adventure 9 The Greek Interpreter; Adventure 10 The Naval Treaty; Adventure 11 The Final Problem); The Hound of the Baskervilles, novel, 1901-1902; The Return of Sherlock Holmes, collection of stories originally published 1903-1904 (The Adventure of the Empty House; The Adventure of the Norwood Builder;
The Adventure of the Dancing Men; The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist; The Adventure of the Priory School; The Adventure of Black Peter; The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton; The Adventure of the Six Napoleons; The Adventure of the Three Students;
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez; The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter;
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange; The Adventure of the Second Stain); The Valley of Fear, novel, 1914- 1915; His Last Bow, collection of stories originally published 1908-1913 and 1917 (The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge; The Adventure of the Cardboard Box; The Adventure of the Red Circle; The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans; The Adventure of the Dying Detective; The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax; The Adventure of the Devil's Foot; His Last Bow). Challenger Novels: The Lost World and
The Poison Belt. Historical Novels: Micah Clarke, 1888; The White Company, 1891; The Great Shadow and Other Napoleonic Tales, 1892; The Refugees, 1893; Rodney Stone, 1896; Uncle Bernac, 1897; Sir Nigel, 1906. Books about War: The Great Boer War;
The War in South Africa; A Visit to Three Fronts, June 1916. Other Fiction: The Adventures of Gerard; Beyond the City; The Captain of the Polestar and Other Stories;
A Desert Drama, Tragedy of the Korosko; The Doings of Raffles Haw; A Duet With Occasional Chorus; The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard; The Firm of Girdlestone; The Green Flag; The Last Galley. Impressions and Tales; The Mystery of Cloomber; The Parasite;
The Stark Munro Letters; Tales of Terror and Mystery; Through the Magic Door. Spiritualism: The New Revelation; The Vital Message. Medicine: Round the Red Lamp, Facts and Fancies of the Medical Life. According to Wikipedia: "Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was an author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger. He was a prolific writer whose other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction."

Responding to customer feedback, I improved the formatting on 7/3/2009.If you bought a copy before then, you should be able to download the new version at no additional cost. Feedback always welcome. seltzer@samizdat.com ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not all Sherlock Holmes stories!
Although this collection has a wide and varied range of novels, stories and other good works of Conan Doyle, its most important work: Sherlock Holmes novels and stories, is not complete! Not only is "The Resident Patient" ( story from "Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes") missing, but the whole "The Case of Sherlock Holmes" is also missing. That is 13 stories (12 from "The Case..." plus "The Resident Patient") which you will never read if you buy this collection believing that all Sherlock Holmes works are included.

All the stories, but doesn't work with Kindle Dictionary
I have read most of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and wanted to finish of the series.I enjoyed them, and was hoping to do this on the Kindle.The Kindle Dictionary works on other books that I have downloaded, but not on this piece.That's too bad.
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Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more