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No literary crime could ever be solved without Sherlock Holmes and his faithful Watson, but author Arthur Conan Doyle, born on May 22, 1859, was more than his infamous detective. Originally published as “A Study In Scarlet” for Beeton’s Christmas Annual for 1887, Doyle soon tired of his hero.
In November 1891, he wrote to his mother: “I think of slaying Holmes … and winding him up for good and all. He takes my mind from better things.” As one of ten children, Doyle was exposed to many things and his diverse interests continued as an adult.
He studied medicine, was a war correspondent, married twice, and wrote historical novels (The White Company, Sir Nigel, Micah Clarke, Uncle Bernac, The Refugees, and The Great Shadow). Although he died in 1930, Doyle walked through life with his eyes wide open, and much of what he experienced became inspiration for the written word.
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” (The Hound of the Baskervilles).