The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle: A Biography

As the creator of Sherlock Holmes, "the world's most famous man who never was," Arthur Conan Doyle remains one of our favorite writers; his work is read with affection-and sometimes obsession-the world over. Doctor, writer, spiritualist: his life was no less fascinating than his fiction.

Conan Doyle grew up in relative poverty in Edinburgh, with the mental illness of his artistically gifted but alcoholic father casting a shadow over his early life. He struggled both as a young doctor and in...