Doyle's World-Lost & Found: The Unknown Histories of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

by Daniel Friedman, MD, Eugene Friedman, MD

Overview

PRAISE for Doyle’s World—Lost & Found

"Everything you ever wanted to know about the dynamic duo"

"For fans of Sherlock Holmes and his creator, you can't do better than plunge into Doyle's World—Lost & Found: The Unknown Histories of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There you will find everything you ever wanted to know about the dynamic duo, including much it never would have occurred to you to ask."

—Nicholas Meyer, Oscar-nominated screenwriter/director and bestselling author ofThe Seven-Per-Cent Solution and The Return of the Pharaoh

“Your passport to a thrilling world”

“Absolutely mesmerizing! Son-father duo Daniel Friedman, MD and Eugene Friedman, MD take us on a vividly written journey into the mysterious labyrinth that is the life and mind of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—a deft unraveling of the tapestry of inspirations, experiences and intricate puzzle pieces that gave birth to the enigmatic genius of Sherlock Holmes. Whether you’re a devoted ‘Sherlockian,’ an aficionado of literature, or an eager explorer of the human psyche, this book is your passport to a thrilling world where fiction and reality blur into one.”

—Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of
The Accidental Billionaires and Dumb Money

“Impressive research”

“Sir Arthur Conan Doyle revolutionized the mystery novel when he created Sherlock Holmes—but now, in their new book Doyle’s World, the Friedmans may just have revolutionized how we look at Doyle himself. Drawing on all manner of impressive research, this book delivers the goods. It even presents some brand new mysteries of its own, with solutions to boot. Holmes and Doyle fans, unite!”

—Jeffery Deaver, bestselling author of The Bone Collector and Hunting Time

“Detect clues to long-debated Doylean literary mysteries”

“Whether you call yourself a ‘Holmesian,’ a ‘Watsonite’—or, God forbid, a ‘Lestradian’—you will be thrilled to detect clues to long-debated Doylean literary mysteries revealed by Drs. Friedman and Friedman without leaving the comfort of your own tatty, Le Corbusier armchair. Had another crazy day? Then relax with an old Hungarian Tokay, indulge in some common black shag in a briarwood pipe, and savor Doyle’s World—Lost & Found: The Unknown Histories of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The game is afoot!”

—Ian Punnett, MDiv, PhD, Coast to Coast AM / iHeart Radio

Doyle’s World is no ordinary biography about one of the world's most influential writers. It is instead a work that deciphers in particular the cryptic origins and actual scientific methods used by fiction's most famous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes—and a work that provides a detailed look into the psyche and working life of Holmes’ creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The book follows Doyle’s entire illustrious literary career, with emphasis on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries as they evolved from the late 1880s to the early 1900s. Revealed here for the first time—by son-father writing team Daniel Friedman, MD, and Eugene Friedman, MD—are the many inspirations behind the physical, emotional, and intellectual characteristics that Doyle wove together so deftly to bring his legendary sleuth to life. Readers are in for many surprises as the Friedmans bring forth tantalizing parallels between the literary realm of both Sherlock Holmes—along with his various other fiction and nonfiction works—and the actual events from Doyle’s childhood and early adulthood that served as frequent inspiration.

The authors offer answers to long-debated and mysterious questions, such as:

* From whom did Sherlock Holmes actually learn the art of detective work?
* Why did Doyle kill off Sherlock Holmes—and how did the country of Japan inspire how he brought his famous detective back to life after nearly a decade?
* What story elements did Doyle borrow from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island?
* How did Doyle apply his fervent belief in Spiritualism to a variety of Holmes stories?
* Who inspired Doyle to write about civil rights after a steamship journey in 1882?
* How did the women in Doyle's life come to influence the relationships with women that both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have across sixty written adventures?

Doyle’s World is divided into three sections. The first is dedicated to the elements—both good and bad—that comprised Doyle’s childhood and early adult years, and how an assemblage of persons and places and things from his life found their way into his literature. The second section emphasizes the highly complex themes and plots present in the Sherlock Holmes adventures, while it also thoroughly examines some of Doyle’s strengths—and weaknesses—as a public figure of his time. The Friedmans also reveal how Doyle was able to subtly incorporate his own political, social, and religious views—in particular, his passionate and often bewildering embrace of Spiritualism—into the Holmes stories. And in the third section, the authors offer two “lost” stories they uncovered that were written by Doyle under a pseudonym—accompanied by textual analysis with which they make their case.

This is a work of rich detail and in-depth scholarship that should win over both established fans of Doyle and devoted “Sherlockians” everywhere—and that will engage, and entertain, all others who enter this intriguing hall of literary mirrors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780757004483
Publisher:	Square One Publishers
Publication date:	01/09/2024
Pages:	344
Sales rank:	216,590
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Daniel L. Friedman, MD, received his BA from Stony Brook University, and his medical degree from St. George’s School of Medicine. He is currently a practicing pediatrician in Floral Park, New York, and is also an active member of the Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where he sits on the voluntary staff advisory committee. Dr. Friedman’s prize-winning articles on Doyle and Holmes have appeared in numerous national and international journals. He and Dr.
Eugene Friedman are also the authors of the book, The Strange Case of Doctor Doyle. Dr. Friedman resides in Long
Island, New York with his wife, Elena, and their three children.

Eugene Friedman, MD, received his BA from New York University, and his medical degree from New York Medical College. He was Chief Resident in
Pediatrics at New York Medical College and later served as Assistant Chief of
Pediatrics at Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia. Dr. Friedman has been in private practice with his son, Daniel, for over twenty years.. He has held multiple leadership positions in organized medicine and has devoted himself to the education of future physicians. He and his wife, Sheryl, live in
Long Island, New York and have five children and fifteen grandchildren.

Table of Contents

Note to Readers, x
Acknowledgments, xi
Preface, xiii

Introduction, 1

PART I—Building a World

1. Doyle and Holmes—A Study in Origins, 72. Doyle’s War—Friends, Enemies, and the Words Between, 23
3. Doyle’s Medical Professors and His Detective, 43
4. Doyle and Race—An Epiphany Aboard the Mayumba, 71
5. Doyle and Medicine—Writing Prescriptions and Prose, 89

PART II—Becoming a World

6. Something Borrowed, Something New—The Influence of Stevenson and Henley on the Writings of Doyle, 119
7. Sherlock Holmes—Wanted Dead . . . Then Alive?, 137
8. Rule Britannia, O Canada—Doyle’s “Empty House” and the Works of Grant Allen, 155
9. A Tale of Two Countries—Doyle and Holmes in the New World, 165
10. Spirits and Spiritualism—Caught Between Doyle’s World and the Afterworld, 191

PART III—Uncovering a Hidden World

11. Lost Doyle Stories—Backstory, 239
12. Lost Doyle Stories—Textual Analysis of the "Dr. Hoare" Works, 245
13. Lost Story # 1, “His Word of Honour” 259
14. Lost Story # 2, “What the Moon Revealed” 281

Afterword, 295
Annotated Bibliography, 299
About the Authors, 321
Index, 323

Editorial Reviews

"Is there a Sherlockian fan on your list? Then imagine the excitement when Doyle’s World Lost & Found: The Unknown Histories of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Daniel Friedman, MD, and Eugene Friedman, MD, (Square One Publishers) is beneath the tree. This book fills in a lot of the cracks between the Holmes mysteries with info from the tales’ author’s life. Fans of literature will want this book, and so will Holmes readers." —Terri Schlichenmeyer, syndicated book reviewer ("The Bookworm Sez")

syndicated book reviewer ("The Bookworm Sez") Terri Schlichenmeyer

This is an intriguing book, a book which is a must read if you are a Sherlock Holmes hardcore fan but also an entertaining one as Conan Doyle was a complex character: a physician, a spiritualist, a scientist attracted by the paranormal, a man who faced a lot of grief . . . [authors] Daniel and Eugene Friedman did a lot of research and delivered an intriguing book that doesn’t leave any shadow or mystery in Doyle’s life . . . It’s a great read if you are interested in the history of mystery writing or a great fan of Holmes.”

"Scrapping & Playing" (book review blog site)

“AN ENGAGING READ”

“While ostensibly a biography of [Sir Arthur Conan] Doyle, Doyle’s World—Lost & Found is, in fact, much more . . . It therefore ‘transcends mere biography and literary criticism,’ The authors intentionally eschew from using any biographies or book written about Doyle after 1943, and instead rely on primary sources . . . [It] will appeal most to fellow enthusiasts of Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes mysteries . . . an engaging read . . . following [the authors’] case is always a pleasure and enjoying how they let their evidence unfold is part of the fun.”

New York Journal of Books

There’s a whole book-load here . . . illustrating the authors’ thesis that ‘Doyle used his own life as a source for his fiction.’ Sometimes gloriously, as when the Skriker, a mythical beast from his childhood, is magnificently reincarnated as the glowing Hound of the Baskervilles . . . There are knockouts, such as when it’s revealed that ‘The Sign of the Four’ is a landlocked version of Stevenson’s Treasure Island . . . Sherlockians will love this and want more.”

Booklist (ALA)

"[A] lively book . . . [the Friedmans] are clearly in their element when drawing (and often uncovering) connections between historical events, people Doyle encountered, and the myriad plot twists and characters in the Holmes tales . . . Topics are covered in copious detail, with layer upon layer of context and explanation . . . [the Friedmans] have also published here in this book—for the first time—two short stories that the Friedmans believe were actually written by [Sir Arthur Conan] Doyle in the late 1800s under a pseudonym . . . If the world of Sherlock Holmes and its ever-inventive creator Doyle grip you in the same thrall that it so clearly has the Friedmans, then Doyle’s World — Lost & Found will be a great read. It’s packed with lore, real-life detail, ambitious assertions, and an obvious — and infectious — love of its subject."

Medium.com - Jana R. Martin

"The game is still afoot. In the case of Arthur Conan Doyle, whose Sherlock Holmes stories continue to intrigue, puzzle and surprise readers, new clues await revelation. You'll find them in Doyle's World—Lost & Found."

New York Newsday

2023-07-20
A deep dive into all things Doyle.

In their choppy second book, the father-and-son team of Eugene and Daniel Friedman offers a “fresh and unexpected perspective” on the doctor and his famous fictional character. They begin by looking at Arthur Conan Doyle’s early years “under the lens of a microscope,” uncovering obscure bits of biographical information, concluding Doyle inserted portions of his personality and early years into the characters of Holmes and Watson. In medical school, Doyle’s friend William Budd, with his “Holmes-like powers of observation,” influenced many stories. The authors explore how Doyle drew upon a “remarkably gifted coterie of physicians” and how he “transmuted” them into the gifted Holmes, and they show how another Edinburgh doctor, William Rutherford, inspired Doyle’s later creation, George Edward Challenger. They uncover a “long overlooked and virtually unknown Black leader Doyle met” while serving as ship’s physician aboard a freighter; this character, they write, “lurks behind his civil rights–inspired tales.” The Friedmans spend time on Doyle’s importance as a doctor who spoke out about urgent health matters like vaccinations and water contaminants, and they examine the influence fellow writers William Henley and Robert Louis Stevenson had on him. They also consider how Professor John Moriarty and Holmes’ relationship was becoming a “millstone” around the physician’s neck. After he killed Holmes off, ardent readers persuaded Doyle to bring him back. The Friedmans go on to examine his close relationship with friend and writer Grant Allen, for whom Doyle graciously completed the ill man’s last book; and Doyle’s feelings for and travels in America and his “lifelong belief in the unseen world,” employing “his own brand of scientific methodology to delve into the metaphysical.” The book concludes with a special treat: two stories by one of Doyle’s mentors, Dr. Reginald Ratcliff Hoare, stories the Friedmans endeavor to prove with scrupulous textual analysis were actually written by Doyle.

An odds-and-ends miscellany best suited for hard-core fans.

Kirkus Reviews