Arthur Conan Doyle was a Scottish physician, novelist, short-story writer, and creator of Sherlock Holmes, one of the most enduring figures in detective fiction. Born in Edinburgh in 1859, Doyle trained as a doctor and drew on scientific method, medical observation, and contemporary interest in detection when developing Holmes's extraordinary habits of reasoning. A Study in Scarlet, first published in 1887, introduced both Holmes and Dr. Watson, establishing the narrative partnership that would become central to the Sherlock Holmes stories.Doyle went on to write four Sherlock Holmes novels and fifty-six short stories, along with historical novels, adventure fiction, science fiction, plays, essays, and works of public controversy. Although Holmes became so famous that Doyle sometimes felt overshadowed by his own creation, the character's influence on mystery fiction, popular culture, forensic imagination, and the figure of the brilliant detective has been immense. Doyle remains essential reading for fans of classic detective fiction, Victorian literature, crime fiction, and the origins of the modern mystery genre.
