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Five Facts Little-Known Facts about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 – 1930)

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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859 and died in 1930.  He’s best known as the creator of the Sherlock Holmes.  But here are five things about him that you may not know.

1 – Conan Doyle was a physician.  He attended the University of Edinburgh Medical School and graduated in 1881 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Mastery of Surgery.

2 – He worked as a ship’s surgeon on a whaling vessel.

3 – Conan Doyle was not knighted for his Sherlock Holmes stories.  The War in South Africa: Its Causes and Conduct caught the eye of the monarchy.  In it, Conan Doyle comes to Great Britain’s defense against charges of war crimes in the Boer War.

4 – George Edalji was an innocent man convicted of mutilating and killing livestock.  Who helped him prove his innocence?  The case was solved by Arthur Conan Doyle.  Sir Arthur solved two real-life crime cases, the George Edalji case and the Oscar Slater case.

5 – Conan Doyle believed in Spiritualism.  It’s true.  The man who created the ever-logical Sherlock Holmes believed in spirits and things like automatic writing.

You can learn more about all of these subjects at our partner site, Conan Doyle Info.  As the site says, Sherlock Holmes is just the beginning.

Partial List of Work by Conan Doyle

  • A Study in Scarlet
  • Micah Clarke
  • The Mystery of Cloomber
  • The Sign of the Four
  • The Firm of Girdlestone
  • The White Company
  • The Doings of Raffles Haw
  • The Great Shadow
  • The Refugees
  • The Parasite
  • The Stark Munro Letters
  • Rodney Stone
  • Uncle Bernac
  • The Tragedy of the Korosko
  • A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus
  • The Hound of the Baskervilles
  • Sir Nigel
  • The Lost World
  • The Poison Belt
  • The Valley of Fear
  • The Land of Mist
  • The Maracot Deep

More Information about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Available for Pre-Order – Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure

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Sherlock HolmesA new Sherlock Holmes novel will hit bookstores in September.  Art in the Blood is by Bonnie MacBird.  She teaches screenwriting at UCLA Extension.  MacBird is also a speaker on multiple subjects.  She’s an expert on the topics of writing, creativity and of course, Sherlock Holmes.

pre-order Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure

“Thoroughly entertaining … worthy of Doyle himself. … a superb, labyrinthine plot, snappy pacing and, most importantly, a deep respect for the classic characters.” –Bryan Cogman, Co-Producer/Writer, HBO’s Game of Thrones

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Quiz

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Sherlock Holmes
Our partner site, The Chronicles of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, has as great quiz for the true Sherlockian.   Yes, I hear you scoff, “How hard can that be?”  Let me tell you, it’s pretty challenging!  In this multiple choice game you’re given the first line to 10 of the stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  Select the title that matches the first line from the drop down menu.  I hope you enjoy The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Matching Quiz.

The House of Silk – a NEW Sherlock Holmes Novel

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House of SilkIn January of  this year Anthony Horowitz made a surprising announcement at a meeting of the Sherlock Holmes Society.  The Conan Doyle Estate had authorized Horowitz to write a new Sherlock Holmes novel.    It was an absolutely unprecedented event.  The Estate had never before made such an arrangement.

The new Sherlock Holmes novel, The House of Silk, is now available and getting great reviews.

The Huffington Post ~ A book firmly rooted in the style of Doyle, faithful to the character as created and with just enough wiggle room to allow the author to say all the things he’s been longing to say about the world of 221B Baker Street…THE HOUSE OF SILK will satisfy.

Publishers Weekly (starred review) ~ The hype surrounding what’s being billed as the first pastiche ever officially approved by the Conan Doyle estate is amply justified … authentic. Horowitz gets everything right-the familiar narrative voice, brilliant deductions, a very active role for Watson, and a perplexing and disturbing series of puzzles to unravel-and the legion of fans of the originals will surely be begging for Horowitz to again dip into Watson’s trove of untold tales.

If you have a Kindleand are a little unsure about the whole Conan Doyle replacement issue, then you can download a sample chapter and check it out before you commit to buying the book.

Sherlock Season 1

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SherlockIf you haven’t seen this modern day retelling of the Sherlock Holmes stories then you’re in for a treat.  Sherlock brilliantly walks the line between staying true to the works of Conan Doyle and giving the tale a new twist.

Wait until you see what they did with the phrase “three pipe problem.” Here’s the original quote:

“It is quite a three pipe problem.” ~ The Red-Headed League by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle