Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the eldest son of the artist, Charles Doyle,
was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in May, 1859. He was educated in
England, Scotland, and Germany. In 1885 he received the degree of M.D.
from Edinburgh University. Immediately afterward he began to practice
as a physician, but although he attained no little success in this
profession, it is as a writer that all the world knows him.
He made his first real appearance as an author in 1887 when he
published _A Study in Scarlet_. It was in this novel that the wonderful
Sherlock Holmes was introduced to the public. Dr. Doyle soon attained
immense popularity by his narratives of _The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes_, which were first published in the _Strand Magazine_. This
popular character returned at intervals in several other novels: _The
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes_, _The Hound of the Baskervilles_, _The
Return of Sherlock Holmes_, and others.
These ingenious stories of the success of the imperturbable Sherlock
Holmes in detecting crime and disentangling mystery have become known
wherever the English language is spoken. It is a notable thing to be
able to create a character that is known even by people who have never
heard of the author, or who have never even read a book. Ask any little
street lad who Sherlock Holmes is, and see what he answers.
It is regrettable, however, that people know Sir Conan Doyle entirely
as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, when his best work has really been
done in other novels, such as _The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard_,
_Rodney Stone_, _The White Company_, and _Beyond the City_.
His late works include plays as well as numerous novels. It is
noteworthy that in all his writings women have played but little part.
His men characters, on the other hand, are many and varied, as well as
sharply defined. As an author Conan Doyle has a wonderful gift of
narrative, unusual imagination, fine constructive powers, and an
effective style.