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The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes
This vivid biography, written by John Dickson Carr, a giant in the field of mystery fiction, benefits from his full access to the archives of the eminent Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-to his notebooks, diaries, press clippings, and voluminous correspondence. Like his creation Sherlock Holmes, Doyle had "a horror of destroying documents," and until his death in 1930, they accumulated to vast amount throughout his house at Windlesham. They provide many of the words incorporated by Carr in this lively portrayal of Doyle's forays into politics, his infatuation with spiritualism, his literary ambitions, and dinner-table conversations with friends like H. G. Wells and King Edward VII. Carr, then, in a sense collaborates with his subject to unfold a colorful narrative that takes Doyle from his school days at Stonyhurst to Edinburgh University and a medical practice at Southsea, where he conceived the idea of wedding scientific study to criminal investigation in the fictive person of Sherlock Holmes. It also explores the private tragedy of Doyle's first marriage and long-delayed second as it follows him into the arena of public activity, propaganda, and literary output that would win him not only celebrity but also knighthood. 8 pages of black-and-white photographs are featured.
447 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1975
About the author
John Dickson Carr
376 books542 followersAKA Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn.
John Dickson Carr was an American author best known for his mystery fiction, whose work also reached audiences through radio, film, and television. He wrote extensively for radio, particularly for the American anthology series Suspense and its British counterpart Appointment with Fear, introduced by Valentine Dyall. Carr also contributed numerous dramas to the BBC, writing both mystery stories and propaganda scripts during World War II. His radio career included Cabin B-13, a half-hour mystery play first broadcast in 1943. The story was later expanded into a CBS radio series that ran during 1948 and 1949, with Carr writing all 23 scripts. Some episodes drew on his earlier work, while others reworked devices associated with G. K. Chesterton. Cabin B-13 also became the basis for the screenplay of Dangerous Crossing, a 1953 film directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Michael Rennie and Jeanne Crain. During the late 1940s, Carr hosted Murder by Experts, a Mutual radio series originating from WOR in New York City. The program featured guest mystery writers, whose work Carr introduced to listeners. Several of his stories and novels were adapted for the cinema. The Man with a Cloak appeared in 1951, followed by Dangerous Crossing in 1953. The Emperor's Snuffbox was adapted as That Woman Opposite in 1957, while The Burning Court was loosely adapted as the French film La Chambre Ardente in 1962. Carr's fiction also provided material for television, especially anthology programs that did not depend on recurring characters. His detective Colonel March was adapted for the television series Colonel March of Scotland Yard, which began in 1954 and starred Boris Karloff as Colonel March. The series ran for 26 episodes in the United States and premiered in Britain the following year. These adaptations brought Carr's distinctive mystery writing to audiences who may not have encountered his novels, while demonstrating the versatility of his plots in different media. His radio scripts, screen work, and television adaptations form an important part of his career as a mystery writer, extending his reputation beyond the printed page. They also show how his carefully constructed mysteries, often centered on unusual crimes and puzzling circumstances, could be reshaped for performance without losing their central appeal. His work for broadcasting was particularly substantial, linking his literary career with the popular entertainment industries of both Britain and the United States. His output in these media complemented rather than replaced his novels.
John Dickson Carr was an American author best known for his mystery fiction, whose work also reached audiences through radio, film, and television. He wrote extensively for radio, particularly for the American anthology series Suspense and its British counterpart Appointment with Fear, introduced by Valentine Dyall. Carr also contributed numerous dramas to the BBC, writing both mystery stories and propaganda scripts during World War II. His radio career included Cabin B-13, a half-hour mystery play first broadcast in 1943. The story was later expanded into a CBS radio series that ran during 1948 and 1949, with Carr writing all 23 scripts. Some episodes drew on his earlier work, while others reworked devices associated with G. K. Chesterton. Cabin B-13 also became the basis for the screenplay of Dangerous Crossing, a 1953 film directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Michael Rennie and Jeanne Crain. During the late 1940s, Carr hosted Murder by Experts, a Mutual radio series originating from WOR in New York City. The program featured guest mystery writers, whose work Carr introduced to listeners. Several of his stories and novels were adapted for the cinema. The Man with a Cloak appeared in 1951, followed by Dangerous Crossing in 1953. The Emperor's Snuffbox was adapted as That Woman Opposite in 1957, while The Burning Court was loosely adapted as the French film La Chambre Ardente in 1962. Carr's fiction also provided material for television, especially anthology programs that did not depend on recurring characters. His detective Colonel March was adapted for the television series Colonel March of Scotland Yard, which began in 1954 and starred Boris Karloff as Colonel March. The series ran for 26 episodes in the United States and premiered in Britain the following year. These adaptations brought Carr's distinctive mystery writing to audiences who may not have encountered his novels, while demonstrating the versatility of his plots in different media. His radio scripts, screen work, and television adaptations form an important part of his career as a mystery writer, extending his reputation beyond the printed page. They also show how his carefully constructed mysteries, often centered on unusual crimes and puzzling circumstances, could be reshaped for performance without losing their central appeal. His work for broadcasting was particularly substantial, linking his literary career with the popular entertainment industries of both Britain and the United States. His output in these media complemented rather than replaced his novels.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 13, 2020
Fascinating, sympathetic look at the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In dealing with the biography, the author also gives a good overview of British history during ACD’s lifetime. I can now say all I know about the Boer War I learned from this book.
The author intrusion was a bit distracting at times.
The author intrusion was a bit distracting at times.
May 1, 2024
“‘The coat-sleeve, the trouser-knee, the callosities of the forefinger and thumb, the boot—any one of these might tell us, but that all united should fail to enlighten the trained observation is incredible.” —a note Sir Arthur Conan Doyle “scrawled quickly across the inside cover” of his notebook in 1886, quoted in John Dickson Carr’s THE LIFE OF SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (1948). Book #13 of 2024.
With those insights, “why not write a detective novel?” as Carr puts it. Carr, a master of Golden Age detective fiction in his own right, had access to Conan Doyle family papers and stories as he worked on this rollicking celebration of the life and work of Sherlock Holmes’s creator. There was a lot more to ACD than his famous sleuth, about whom he had mixed and occasionally murderous feelings. He most loved writing historical fiction like THE WHITE COMPANY. He was a major public figure for decades, weighing in with articles and books on everything from divorce reform (in favor) to women’s suffrage (not a fan) to the need for body armor to reduce the slaughter in the Great War (good luck with that one). He worked to see justice done in a couple of high-profile criminal cases. He volunteered as a doctor in South Africa during the Boer War, and was, to hear Carr tell it, a terror behind the wheel of a motorcar.
Then there’s his conversion to spiritualism after decades of resolute agnosticism—whatever you think of the cause, Conan Doyle gave it his all. He was also a devoted son to the Ma’am, as he called his formidable, heraldry-loving mother. Carr points out the steak of chivalry that recurs in Holmes stories, and now I understand where that comes from.
I’m a lifelong Sherlock fan and got a time-capsule kick out of this book, though it is not for all tastes, and Carr gets a bit overheated at times. This is not shy and retiring prose. Reading this felt like time-traveling back to the Victorian/Edwardian eras with a filter of 1940s best-of-good-old-England sentiment.
I picked this up on a lark at Daedalus, a used bookstore in Charlottesville that was a childhood fave of mine.
With those insights, “why not write a detective novel?” as Carr puts it. Carr, a master of Golden Age detective fiction in his own right, had access to Conan Doyle family papers and stories as he worked on this rollicking celebration of the life and work of Sherlock Holmes’s creator. There was a lot more to ACD than his famous sleuth, about whom he had mixed and occasionally murderous feelings. He most loved writing historical fiction like THE WHITE COMPANY. He was a major public figure for decades, weighing in with articles and books on everything from divorce reform (in favor) to women’s suffrage (not a fan) to the need for body armor to reduce the slaughter in the Great War (good luck with that one). He worked to see justice done in a couple of high-profile criminal cases. He volunteered as a doctor in South Africa during the Boer War, and was, to hear Carr tell it, a terror behind the wheel of a motorcar.
Then there’s his conversion to spiritualism after decades of resolute agnosticism—whatever you think of the cause, Conan Doyle gave it his all. He was also a devoted son to the Ma’am, as he called his formidable, heraldry-loving mother. Carr points out the steak of chivalry that recurs in Holmes stories, and now I understand where that comes from.
I’m a lifelong Sherlock fan and got a time-capsule kick out of this book, though it is not for all tastes, and Carr gets a bit overheated at times. This is not shy and retiring prose. Reading this felt like time-traveling back to the Victorian/Edwardian eras with a filter of 1940s best-of-good-old-England sentiment.
I picked this up on a lark at Daedalus, a used bookstore in Charlottesville that was a childhood fave of mine.
August 17, 2021
(Read aloud to Mom.) Published in 1949, this book assumes a wealth of background knowledge – about Conan Doyle, about war and world politics, about Sherlock Holmes and all the rest. Taking so much for granted, it can be maddeningly elliptical – even, at times, opaque. Still, it's lively throughout, and Doyle is certainly a captivating figure. "The good giant," one French journalist called him – and the moniker seems to fit.
February 24, 2025
Solid biography. A bit dry in spots (mainly the Boar War section). I believe the book was first published in 1940 (about ten years after Doyle's death. I had read the first hundred pages or so a couple different times but don't think I had ever finished it. This time I finished. My stopping in earlier tries was probably more due to my mood/interest--or lack thereof, at the time, rather than it being a reflection on the book itself.
November 20, 2022
So much I didn't know about ACD, which is why I read the book, so it didn't disappoint. It was written like a novel and gave good political background. Most helpful to someone reading it long after his death.
September 6, 2021
Fascinating account of a great man whose achievements extended far beyond Sherlock Holmes, well written by a thriller writer.
January 10, 2024
A solid biography about an absolutely fascinating human being. Worth reading for devotees of Sherlock Holmes.
January 6, 2024
I first read Dickson Carr's superb biography in summer 1981. Until then, my knowledge of Conan Doyle was based on SH paperbacks and Basil Rathbone on The Million Dollar Movie.
Unlike any other biographer of ACD, Dickson Carr was first and foremost a writer of classic crime fiction. His insights into ACD's crime stories are fascinating.
***
19 May 2026
The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1949) by John Dickson Carr
My favorite writer biography.
There is a real sympathy for Conan Doyle in Dickson Carr's discussion of ACD's works and days. It's not quite Virgil doing a life of Homer, but JDC's enthusiasm is magisterial.
The book it's not a life of the man who created Sherlock Holmes. It is a life of the author who created Holmes, Challenger, Gerard, and the poignantly drawn old troopers of The White Company and that magnificent straggler of '15. Not to mention the sublime Rodney Stone.
.I've read most of the ACD bios, Higham, Stashower, Lycett. Only JDC manages to convey Conan Doyle as a living, breathing, contradictory human being boiling with passion and craft.
Unlike any other biographer of ACD, Dickson Carr was first and foremost a writer of classic crime fiction. His insights into ACD's crime stories are fascinating.
***
19 May 2026
The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1949) by John Dickson Carr
My favorite writer biography.
There is a real sympathy for Conan Doyle in Dickson Carr's discussion of ACD's works and days. It's not quite Virgil doing a life of Homer, but JDC's enthusiasm is magisterial.
The book it's not a life of the man who created Sherlock Holmes. It is a life of the author who created Holmes, Challenger, Gerard, and the poignantly drawn old troopers of The White Company and that magnificent straggler of '15. Not to mention the sublime Rodney Stone.
.I've read most of the ACD bios, Higham, Stashower, Lycett. Only JDC manages to convey Conan Doyle as a living, breathing, contradictory human being boiling with passion and craft.
March 1, 2015
Blame it on Graham Moore!
While the urge to read about Sir ACD has gripped me occasionally, this time, with all his talk of missing papers, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, and turn of the century London, he made me try to read the book which enjoys a special reputation. It's not only Sir Arthur's first "authorised" biography, but also written by John Dickson Carr, a giant in the arena of mystery-writing.
Well, to cut it short, this book has been structured like a novel, and is a faster read than most award-winning tomes. But, it IS practically a novel, written with the aim of developing a shrine, upon which would be inscribed the maxim: "steel true, blade sharp".
If you are interested in hagiography, or would like to enjoy a pacy read, this one is for you. On the other hand, if you want to know about the human being who had created, murdered, and did a Lazarus on Sherlock Holmes, read the one written by Fawcette.
While the urge to read about Sir ACD has gripped me occasionally, this time, with all his talk of missing papers, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, and turn of the century London, he made me try to read the book which enjoys a special reputation. It's not only Sir Arthur's first "authorised" biography, but also written by John Dickson Carr, a giant in the arena of mystery-writing.
Well, to cut it short, this book has been structured like a novel, and is a faster read than most award-winning tomes. But, it IS practically a novel, written with the aim of developing a shrine, upon which would be inscribed the maxim: "steel true, blade sharp".
If you are interested in hagiography, or would like to enjoy a pacy read, this one is for you. On the other hand, if you want to know about the human being who had created, murdered, and did a Lazarus on Sherlock Holmes, read the one written by Fawcette.
April 19, 2014
Very well researched and fascinating book about a fascinating man. The only two things that stopped it getting five stars were
(1) the constant use by the author of the phrase 'this biographer' when referring to his own opinion or something he discovered. I found this an irritating and rather pompous way and would have preferred a simple 'I'.
(2) his attitude towards those who were less than enthusiastic about any of Mr Doyle's writing. It's obvious he is a fan of Doyle which is fine, but he could be quite insulting when talking of those who thought otherwise. There was no need to be so dismissive simply because their opinion differed from his.
Otherwise and in all other respects this is an excellent biography of one of our most famous (and best) writers. Recommended.
(1) the constant use by the author of the phrase 'this biographer' when referring to his own opinion or something he discovered. I found this an irritating and rather pompous way and would have preferred a simple 'I'.
(2) his attitude towards those who were less than enthusiastic about any of Mr Doyle's writing. It's obvious he is a fan of Doyle which is fine, but he could be quite insulting when talking of those who thought otherwise. There was no need to be so dismissive simply because their opinion differed from his.
Otherwise and in all other respects this is an excellent biography of one of our most famous (and best) writers. Recommended.
January 30, 2016
I really love all characterizations of Sherlock Holmes so I was really interested in reading the biography of Arthur Conan Doyle. Most of this book by John Dickson Carr I thoroughly enjoyed though there were 2 places when I was thinking "why am I reading this?". One when Mr. Carr describes the Boer War and then when he discusses the political scene. Both of these subjects eventually got around to Sir Arthur. Thankfully. I never knew that Sir Arthur was an inventor or that he believed so much in what he was writing that sometimes he wouldn't even take money for the book. He just wanted to get it "out there" to the people. I didn't realize he was asked to solve a few crimes - making him the REAL Sherlock. A very interesting story about an interesting man.
May 3, 2013
I loved the approach to this biography of Arthur Conan Doyle, Dickson Carr wrote it in story fashion, so it is a breeze to read and feels more like fiction with the cleverly woven anecdotes. An added bonus is that it is written by someone who lived in his time and didn't have to research the societal norms or historical background because he was there. Beautifully written, well researched - Carr had access to the family letters and Conan Doyle's notebooks before they got tied up in decades of legal debates - this is a must read for anyone who wants a good account of Arthur Conan Doyle's life.
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September 9, 2015福爾摩斯探案系列小說，可說是我閱讀的啟蒙，長大後照例要收藏一套，市面上福爾摩斯版本林立，有注音版、刪節版、精裝版...先人板板...要從中擇一，實在考驗腦汁。
經過種種評估考量後，我的候選名單剩下遠流四冊精裝版，跟這臉譜十冊版。最後我選擇了臉譜淘汰遠流的理由有三：臉譜九冊分印，遠流四冊硬塞，此其一；臉譜統一由王知一翻譯，遠流譯者各冊不同，此其二；第三是臉譜版這本市面難尋的《柯南‧道爾的一生》，可供讀者在閱讀完福爾摩斯之後，重新認識這名幕後作者的一生，大增收藏價值，則是我選擇臉譜版的主因。
當然，我買的時候正在促銷，臉譜版十大冊價錢比遠流四冊精裝便宜兩百塊，看倌們，選擇應該很明顯了吧，哈哈。
經過種種評估考量後，我的候選名單剩下遠流四冊精裝版，跟這臉譜十冊版。最後我選擇了臉譜淘汰遠流的理由有三：臉譜九冊分印，遠流四冊硬塞，此其一；臉譜統一由王知一翻譯，遠流譯者各冊不同，此其二；第三是臉譜版這本市面難尋的《柯南‧道爾的一生》，可供讀者在閱讀完福爾摩斯之後，重新認識這名幕後作者的一生，大增收藏價值，則是我選擇臉譜版的主因。
當然，我買的時候正在促銷，臉譜版十大冊價錢比遠流四冊精裝便宜兩百塊，看倌們，選擇應該很明顯了吧，哈哈。
March 10, 2009
Fans of Sherlock Holmes or Professor Challenger should be sure to read mystery writer John Dickson Carr biography of Sir Arthur, they'll be glad that they did.
April 11, 2010
Fascinating bio of interesting man that dabbled in spiritualism and medicine and traveled widely.
February 11, 2012
the best resource and depiction of the badass that was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews