The Doctor, The Detective & Arthur Conan Doyle by Martin Booth

The Doctor, The Detective & Arthur Conan Doyle by Martin Booth is a lively and thoroughly researched biography of one of the most fascinating figures of late Victorian and early twentieth-century Britain. Published by Hodder & Stoughton in London in 1997, this first edition is a substantial 371-page hardcover, with 16 pages of photographic plates. The book includes a bibliography and index, making it useful both as an engaging biography and a reference work.

Although Arthur Conan Doyle is remembered above all as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, The Doctor, The Detective & Arthur Conan Doyle demonstrates just how much more there was to his remarkable life. Doyle trained and practised as a doctor before turning increasingly towards literature, eventually becoming one of the most successful authors of his generation.

Booth explores Doyle’s difficult childhood, medical training and early literary career before following his transformation into an internationally celebrated writer. The Doctor, The Detective & Arthur Conan Doyle examines the extraordinary range of his interests and activities, including travel, sport, politics, medicine and military affairs. Doyle served as a doctor during the Boer War and became increasingly involved in public questions and political causes.

Sherlock Holmes naturally occupies an important place in the narrative. Booth considers the creation and enormous popularity of the detective, as well as Doyle’s complicated relationship with his most famous character. The biography also explores Doyle’s other literary interests and his attempts to establish himself as more than simply the author of the Holmes stories.

One of the particularly intriguing aspects of Doyle’s later life was his passionate belief in spiritualism. The Doctor, The Detective & Arthur Conan Doyle examines this controversial chapter alongside Doyle’s rational, medically trained background, revealing the contradictions and complexities that made his personality so compelling. Contemporary reviewers likewise highlighted the striking contrast between Doyle’s scientific training and his later spiritualist convictions.

Martin Booth’s biography therefore presents Arthur Conan Doyle as much more than the man who invented Sherlock Holmes. It is an absorbing portrait of a Victorian author, physician, adventurer, campaigner and public figure whose interests extended far beyond detective fiction.

An excellent choice for readers interested in Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, Victorian Britain, literary biography, spiritualism and the fascinating personalities behind some of the most enduring characters in English literature.

Condition: Very Good – Light shelf wear on dust jacket and light foxing present.