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Arthur Conan Doyle Facts & Worksheets

Arthur Conan Doyle was a doctor and author of 60 mystery stories depicting the most famous detective characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

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Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Deputy Lieutenant, is best known for his works about the adventures of Professor Challenger and the detective Sherlock Holmes, both of which are widely regarded as major innovations in the field of crime fiction. He was a prolific writer who also produced science fiction tales, historical novels, dramas and romances, poetry, and nonfiction.

See the fact file below for more information about Arthur Conan Doyle, or download the comprehensive worksheet pack, which contains over 11 worksheets and can be used in the classroom or homeschooling environment.

Key Facts & Information

Early Life

  • Charles Altamont Doyle and Mary Doyle, both of Irish descent, gave birth to Arthur Conan Doyle on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh. When he entered the Jesuit preparatory school Stonyhurst at the age of nine, he had already renounced Christianity and had converted to agnosticism by the time he graduated in 1875.
  • From 1876 until 1881, he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where he also worked in the Aston community. Following his studies, he worked as a ship’s physician on a voyage to the West African coast before opening a practice in Plymouth in 1882. He received his Ph.D. in 1885, with an emphasis on Tabes Dorsalis.
  • At the university, the young medical student made friends with several aspiring writers, including James Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson. However, without a doubt, one of his teachers, Dr. Joseph Bell, had the most significant impact on him. The excellent physician was a master of observation, reasoning, inference, and diagnosis. Later, all of these characteristics may be seen in the persona of the renowned investigator Sherlock Holmes.

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Literary Career

  • After a few years of study, Arthur decided to try his hand at short story writing. The outcome, The Mystery of Sasassa Valley, was remarkably reminiscent of the writings of Bret Harte and Edgar Allan Poe, two of his all-time favorite writers. It was approved by Chamber’s Journal, an Edinburgh publication that had previously published Thomas Hardy’s debut piece.
  • Arthur Conan Doyle was offered the position of ship’s surgeon on the Hope, a whaling boat about to depart for the Arctic Circle. He was twenty years old and in his third year of medical school. This incident made its way into his first fiction about the sea, a haunting tale called Captain of the Pole-Star.
  • In the fall of 1880, Conan Doyle returned to his studies. Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle’s first productive work following graduation was as a medical officer aboard the steamer “Mayumba,” a tattered old vessel traveling between Liverpool and the west coast of Africa.
  • Sherlock Holmes made his debut in Beeton’s Christmas Annual’s 1887 publication, A Study in Scarlet. Holmes was based on Doyle’s former university instructor, Joseph Bell.
  • Additionally, he wrote The Mystery of Cloomber, an extraordinarily peculiar and puzzling tale about the afterlife of three furious Buddhist monks. This story shows how Conan Doyle first became interested in the paranormal and spiritualism.
  • Conan Doyle was surprisingly more well-known as a writer in America than in England at the time. Joseph Marshall Stoddart, the managing editor of Philadelphia’s Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, traveled to London in August 1889 to set up a British edition of his publication. Conan Doyle was invited to join him for dinner at the opulent Langham Hotel in London.
  • From 1887 through 1916, Doyle actively participated in the Spiritualist movement and produced three works, which scholars believe to be substantially autobiographical. These include Beyond the City (1893), The Stark Munro Letters (1895), and A Duet with an Occasional Chorus (1899). After finding success as a writer, Doyle made the decision to leave medicine. His most well-known historical fiction, Rodney Stone, was published in 1896. He also created a few other historical novels around this time, including The Great Shadow, a work about the Napoleonic era, in 1892.
  • Throughout the 1890s until the 1900s, he published four books about Sherlock Holmes, including The Sign of Four (1890), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892), The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894), and The Hound of Baskervilles (1901). The final twelve stories about Sherlock Holmes were depicted in a compilation entitled The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes.
  • After this short story, Conan Doyle intended to quit writing about his renowned detective because, in his opinion, the Sherlock Holmes tales were detracting from his more important literary projects, and “killing” Holmes off was the only way to restore his literary reputation.
  • In the early 1900s, Doyle focused on writing about spiritualism. In 1918, he published The New Revolution, followed by The Vital Message (1919), The Wanderings of the Spiritualist (1912), and History of Spiritualism (1926).

Later Life, Legacy and Death

  • Despite being given a diagnosis of angina pectoris, Conan Doyle left on his final psychic tour of Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in the fall of 1929. By the time he returned, he was in so much pain that he needed to be carried ashore. He was bedridden ever since, yet on a chilly spring day in 1930, he nevertheless managed to take one final heroic journey. He got out of bed and crept into the backyard invisibly. When he was discovered, he was on the ground holding a single white snowdrop in one hand and his heart in the other.
  • The 60 stories about Sherlock Holmes that Arthur Conan Doyle authored are what made him most famous. Nearly 200 novels, short tales, poetry, historical books, and pamphlets are included in his corpus of work.
  • The detective Sherlock Holmes and the numerous novels Conan Doyle penned about him are what make him most renowned. The Sherlock Holmes persona has been featured in many publications since Conan Doyle’s passing.
  • Although Sherlock Holmes originated in 19th-century Victorian England, the majority of the traits fans like about him are ageless. Holmes is incredibly powerful and clever, yet he is also likable. For these reasons, Sherlock Holmes continues to be the most well-known fictional investigator.
  • Conan Doyle built Undershaw at Hindhead, south of London, and resided there for at least ten years. From 1924 until 2004, Undershaw served as a hotel and restaurant. Following a developer’s purchase, it has stood vacant ever since, despite environmentalists’ and Conan Doyle enthusiasts’ best efforts to save it.
  • A statue honoring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has been erected at Crowborough Cross in Crowborough, East Sussex, England, where he spent 23 years. A statue of Sherlock Holmes may be found at Picardy Place in Edinburgh, Scotland, near the home where Conan Doyle was born.
  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the novelist who invented Sherlock Holmes, is distantly connected to Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor who has lately taken on the role. Cumberbatch, 40, and Conan Doyle, who passed away in 1930, were 16th cousins once removed. 

Arthur Conan Doyle Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about novelist Arthur Conan Doyle across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-useArthur Conan Doyle worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a doctor and author of 60 mystery stories depicting the most famous detective characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Arthur Conan Doyle Facts
  • Man of Mysteries
  • Detective Gadgets
  • Doyle’s Mystery
  • Crime Mystery Authors
  • Find the Missing Terms
  • A Parable
  • Sherlock Holmes
  • Secrets to Tell
  • Case Unclosed
  • Unveiling Knowledge

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Arthur Conan Doyle stop writing Sherlock Holmes?

Conan Doyle intended to quit writing about his renowned detective because, in his opinion, the Sherlock Holmes tales were detracting from his more important literary projects, and “killing” Holmes off was the only way to restore his literary reputation.

What was Arthur Conan Doyle famous for?

Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Deputy Lieutenant, is best known for his works about the adventures of Professor Challenger and the detective Sherlock Holmes, both of which are widely regarded as major innovations in the field of crime fiction.

Are Benedict Cumberbatch and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle related?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the novelist who invented Sherlock Holmes, is distantly connected to Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor who has lately taken on the role. Cumberbatch, 40, and Conan Doyle, who passed away in 1930, were 16th cousins once removed. 

How many books did Arthur Conan Doyle write?

The 60 stories about Sherlock Holmes that Arthur Conan Doyle authored are what made him most famous. Nearly 200 novels, short tales, poetry, historical books, and pamphlets are included in his corpus of work.

Why is Sherlock Holmes so popular?

Although Sherlock Holmes originated in 19th-century Victorian England, the majority of the traits fans like about him are ageless. Holmes is incredibly powerful and clever, yet he is also likable. For these reasons, Sherlock Holmes continues to be the most well-known fictional investigator.

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