Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He trained as a physician at Edinburgh University, where he worked as assistant to Dr. Joseph Bell, an eccentric surgeon whose methods of observation would later serve as the model for Sherlock Holmes.

Though he is now remembered primarily for his detective stories, Doyle was a prolific writer who also published numerous novels in a variety of genres, as well as plays, books of poetry, and spiritual treatises. His poetry collections include The Poems of Arthur Conan Doyle: Collected Edition (John Murray, 1922), which gathered his three earlier volumes: Songs of Action (Smith, Elder, 1898); Songs of the Road (Smith, Elder, 1911); and The Guards Came Through, and Other Poems (John Murray, 1919). His poems often reflect a romantic and adventurous spirit, drawing on his own experiences as a physician, traveler, and sportsman. A passionate advocate for spiritualism in the later years of his life, Doyle wrote extensively on the subject, publishing works that included The Vital Message (Hodder & Stoughton, 1919). He also traveled widely to lecture on his beliefs.

Doyle was knighted in 1902, an honor widely attributed to his service as a field volunteer during the Boer War. He died on July 7, 1930, in Crowborough, England.