Childhood & Early Life
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Charles Altamont Doyle, a Victorian artist and Mary Foley. His parents were of Irish-Catholic descent.
His family was affluent and well respected but his father was a heavy drinker and hence he was supported by his wealthy uncles. His mother was well read. When he was a child, she sparked his imagination with the great stories she narrated.
From 1868, he began to attend Hodder Place, a Roman Catholic Jesuit preparatory school and later went to the Stonyhurst College. He subsequently went to the Stella Matutina Jesuit School in Feldkirch, Austria.
In the year 1876, he enrolled at the medical school at the University of Edinburgh. During this period he also did many jobs and first began writing short stories. One of his earliest unpublished works of fiction was ‘The Haunted Grange of Goresthorpe'.
On September 6, 1879, his piece, ‘The Mystery of Sasassa Valley', was published in the Chambers’s Edinburgh Journal. This was his first publication. That year, his non-fiction work, ‘Gelsemium as a Poison' was also published.
In 1880, he was employed as a physician abode the Greenland whaler 'Hope of Peterhead'. Following his graduation, he became a ship surgeon abode the ‘S SMayumba’.
In 1882, he set up an independent medical practice at 1 Bush Villas in Elm Grove, Southsea. His practice did not prove to be very successful and he began writing stories while waiting for patients.
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Career
In 1887, his piece ‘A Study in Scarlet' was first published in the Beeton's Christmas Annual. The piece received good reviews and first introduced the characters, 'Sherlock Holmes' and ‘Dr John Watson'.
In 1888, ‘A Study in Scarlet' was published in book form. This was one of the first novels of that time to use the magnifying glass as an investigative tool. The following year, his historical novel, ‘Micah Clarke' was published.
In 1889, his novel ‘The Mystery of Cloomber' was published while the year 1890 saw the publication of 'The Firm of Girdlestone', which was later made into a silent film of the same name.
In 1890, he went on to study ophthalmology in Vienna, after which he moved to London. He later set up a practice as an ophthalmologist at No.2 Devonshire Place.
In 1890, his second 'Sherlock Holmes' novel, ‘The Sign of the Four' was published. It first appeared in the Lippincott's Monthly Magazine and later published in book form by Spencer Blackett.
In 1892, he published, ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes', which consisted of a series of twelve stories, featuring his well-known detective character, 'Sherlock Holmes'.
In 1893, his historical novel, ‘The Refugees' was published. The following year, he published the novelette, ‘The Parasite’ and ‘The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes’. In the latter book 'Sherlock Holmes' dies.
In 1893, along with J. M. Barrie, he co-authored the comic opera, ‘Jane Annie, or The Good Conduct Prize'. The same year, it opened at the Savoy Theatre in London.
In 1895, he published his epistolary novel titled, 'The Stark Munro Letters'. The following year, his 'Sherlock Holmes' short story titled, ‘The Field Bazaar’ was published.
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In 1896, his Gothic mystery novel, 'Rodney Stone' was published. It was later made into a silent film titled, ‘The House of Temperley'. The same year, his short story collection, ‘The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard' was published.
In 1898, his novel, 'The Tragedy of the Korosko' was published. This was published earlier in a monthly UK publication, ‘The Strand Magazine'. The following year, he came out with the novel, ‘A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus'.
In 1900, his non-fiction book on the Boer War, 'The Great Boer War' was published. After two years, he published a 'Sherlock Holmes' series novel titled, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles'.
In 1905, he came out with a series of 13 'Sherlock Holmes' stories titled, ‘The Return of Sherlock Holmes'. In this collection the character ‘Sherlock Holmes' reappeared after many years.
In 1906, his historical novel, 'Sir Nigel' was published. The book was about the early period of the Hundred Years' War. The following year, his book, 'Through The Magic Door' was published.
In 1912, came out with the novel, ‘The Lost World'. This was the first novel in which he introduced the character, ‘Professor Challenger’. The next year, a second ‘Professor Challenger’ novel, ‘The Poison Belt' was published.
In 1915, he came out with his final 'Sherlock Holmes' novel titled, ‘The Valley of Fear'. After two years, his book, ‘His Last Bow', which was a collection of 7 ‘Sherlock Holmes' stories, was published.
In 1918, he came out with a collection of short stories titled ‘Danger! And Other Stories' and a non-fiction work, ‘The New Revelation'. The following year, he published his book, ‘The Vital Message’.
In 1919, he came out with the work of poetry titled, ‘The Guards Came Through, and Other Poems'. In the following years, he came out with the non-fiction works, 'The Coming of the Fairies' and 'The Case for Spirit Photography'.
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In 1924, he published the ‘Sherlock Holmes' short story, ‘How Watson Learned the Trick'. After three years, he published his final collection of 12 Sherlock Holmes' short stories, ‘The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'.
In 1926, he came out with his ‘Professor Challenger' series novel, ' The Land of Mist', which was published by Hutchinson & Co. The same year, he came out with his non-fiction book, ‘The History of Spiritualism'.
In 1928, he authored the ‘Professor Challenger' short story titled, ‘When the World Screamed'. The following year another ‘Professor Challenger' short story, 'The Disintegration Machine' was published in Stand Magazine.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1885, he married Louisa Hawkins. Unfortunately she contracted tuberculosis and died of it in 1906. They had two children.
After the death of his first wife, he married Jean Elizabeth Leckie. The two married in 1907 and had three children. They fell in love when his first wife was still alive.
He suffered from Angina Pectoris.
He supported Christian Spiritualism and became a part of the Spiritualists’ National Union. He was a member of ‘The Ghost Club', an organisation that believed in the supernatural.
He played football and golf for clubs. He also played cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club.
He died at the age of 71, after a heart attack.
In his honour, a statue of him is built in Crowborough, where he resided for almost 23 years.
