A Study in Scarlet

About the Author

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a British writer, physician, and spiritualist who created the immortal characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish Catholic parents, Doyle studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where he met Dr. Joseph Bell, whose remarkable deductive abilities and observational skills would later inspire the character of Sherlock Holmes. After graduating, Doyle practiced medicine while beginning to write fiction. His literary career took off with the publication of 'A Study in Scarlet' in 1887, the first of four novels and 56 short stories featuring Holmes and Watson. Despite the immense popularity of his detective stories, Doyle came to resent Holmes's dominance of his literary legacy and famously attempted to kill off the character at Reichenbach Falls in 'The Final Problem' (1893), only to resurrect him due to public demand. Beyond the Holmes canon, Doyle wrote historical novels, science fiction, plays, poetry, and non-fiction. Following the deaths of his son and brother in World War I, Doyle became deeply involved in spiritualism, devoting much of his later life to promoting spiritual causes and investigating paranormal phenomena. He was knighted in 1902 for his services during the Boer War, where he served as a physician, and for his pamphlet justifying Britain's involvement in the conflict. Doyle died of a heart attack at his home in Crowborough, England, leaving behind a literary legacy that revolutionized detective fiction and continues to influence popular culture worldwide.