Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle KStJ DL 22 May 1859 ampndash 7 July 1930 was a British writer who created the character Sherlock Holmes Originally a physician in 1887 he published A Study in Scarlet the first of four novels and more than fifty short stories about Holmes and Dr Watson The Sherlock Holmes stories are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fictionDoyle was a prolific writer other than Holmes stories his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard as well as plays romances poetry nonfiction and historical novels One of Doyleamp39s early short stories ampquotJ Habakuk Jephsonamp39s Statementampquot helped to popularise the mystery of the Mary CelesteDoyle struggled to find a publisher for his work His first work featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson A Study in Scarlet was written in 3 weeks when he was 27 and taken by Ward Lock ampamp Co on 20 November 1886 giving Doyle amppound25 amppound2700 today for all rights to the story The piece appeared one year later in the Beetonamp39s Christmas Annual and received good reviews in The Scotsman and the Glasgow Herald amphellipIn 1903 Doyle published his first Holmes short story in ten years ampquotThe Adventure of the Empty Houseampquot in which it was explained that only Moriarty had fallen but since Holmes had other dangerous enemiesampmdashespecially Colonel Sebastian Moranampmdashhe had arranged to...
