The Essential Arthur Conan Doyle: Biography. Fiction. Other Writings

The success of Sherlock Holmes obscured the spectacular range of Conan Doyle's writings represented here, including, Brigadier Gerard and Professor Challenger from his adventure and historical novels, and his serious essays on spiritualism. - Rachel Redford, The Observer Sherlock Holmes fans will appreciate this examination of the famous detective's creator, Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). It begins with a biographical sketch of Conan Doyle, a Scot educated in medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Holmes was his most celebrated creation by far, a fact that was more irritating than pleasing to Conan Doyle, whose prolific output included a myriad of short stories and historical novels that he considered more deserving of admiration than the adventures of the clever "consulting detective." This set includes one Holmes story and a broad sampling of Conan Doyle's other creations-from a horror story to his impassioned writings on spiritualism and fairies. The audio production is clear and compelling. The narrators, all British, do an excellent job of conveying the drama of Conan Doyle's well-paced prose. - M.G., AudioFile

The rich life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) is featured here: his work as a doctor, his novels and journalistic writings, his support of Spiritualism and his defence of fairies. This is a unique set for the 150th anniversary of his birth. After his early years in medicine, the writing talents of Arthur Conan Doyle took over. "Sherlock Holmes" and "Professor Challenger" were among his successes. David Timson, an actor and director who has read the complete "Sherlock Holmes" collection for Naxos AudioBooks, has compiled this commemorative collection showing the range of Conan Doyle's life and work. It includes the 2CD biography by Hesketh Pearson, "The Speckled Band", an excerpt from "The Lost World" and his defence of the "Cottingley Fairies".