Arthur Conan Doyle bibliography
, DL was a Scottish writer and physician. In addition to the series of stories chronicling the activities of Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr John Watson for which he is well-known, Doyle wrote on a wide range of topics, both fictional and non-fictional. In 1876 Doyle entered the University of Edinburgh Medical School, where he became a pupil of Joseph Bell, whose deductive processes impressed his pupil so much that the teacher became the chief model for Holmes. Doyle began writing while still a student, and in October 1879 he had his first work—"The Mystery of the Sasassa Valley"—published in Chambers's Journal. He continued writing short works—both fictional and non-fictional—throughout his career, and had over 200 stories and articles published.
In July 1891 Doyle published the short story "A Scandal in Bohemia" in The Strand Magazine—a "story which would change his life", according to his biographer, Andrew Lycett, as it introduced Holmes and Watson to a wide audience; the duo had provided the subject of Doyle's first novel, A Study in Scarlet, which was published in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887. The story in The Strand was one in a series of six, published in successive months. They were well received by the public, and the editors of the magazine commissioned a further six stories, and then another series of twelve. Doyle, fearful of having his other work overshadowed by his fictional detective, killed his creation off in December 1893 in "The Adventure of the Final Problem". He also wrote four full-length Holmes works, as well as adventure novels and nine historical works of fiction. In 1912 he began the adventure series featuring Professor Challenger, who first appeared in The Lost World—both in short stories and novel form.
Doyle also wrote four volumes of poetry and a series of stage works—his first was Jane Annie, an unsuccessful attempt at a libretto to an operetta, which he wrote with J.M. Barrie. Doyle was an enthusiastic supporter of the Boer War, and wrote two histories of the events. During the First World War he also wrote extensively on that conflict, both short articles and a six-volume history. Following the close successive deaths of his son and his brother, Doyle turned to spiritualism and wrote extensively on the subject; his biographer Owen Dudley Edwards writes that at the time of Doyle's death in July 1930, while the writer "most wanted to be remembered as a champion of spiritualism and as a historical novelist, it is Sherlock Holmes who has continued to capture the imagination of the public."
Publications in periodicals
Title | Date of publication | Periodical | Notes |
Chambers's Journal | Published anonymously | ||
20 September 1879 | British Medical Journal | ||
London Society | |||
London Society | |||
London Society | |||
London Society | |||
London Society | |||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
Good Words | A semi-scientific article | ||
Blackwood's Magazine | |||
Cassell's Magazine | |||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
Chambers's Journal | |||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
Chambers's Journal | |||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
– December 1891 | Cornhill Magazine | Serialised throughout the year | |
credited in the table of contents but not on the story itself | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– June 1893 | Harper's Magazine | Serial | |
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– November 1893 | Sherlock Holmes story | ||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
–1895 | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
– December 1896 | |||
Punch | |||
– June 1897 | |||
– March 1897 | Serialised weekly | ||
– December 1897 | Serialised over eight instalments | ||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
Round the Fire story | |||
– December 1899 | Serialised in three parts | ||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
"Strange Studies From Life" story | |||
"Strange Studies From Life" story | |||
"Strange Studies From Life" story | |||
– April 1902 | Sherlock Holmes story; serialised over nine months | ||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
– February 1903 | Brigadier Gerard story | ||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– December 1906 | Serialised over 13 episodes | ||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
– October 1907 | Cassell's Magazine | ||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Cornhill Magazine | |||
Brigadier Gerard story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– April 1911 | Sherlock Holmes story | ||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– November 1912 | Professor Challenger story | ||
"The Poison Belt" | – July 1913 | Professor Challenger story | |
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– May 1915 | Sherlock Holmes story | ||
– April 1915 | Cornhill Magazine | ||
– June 1917 | Over fifteen months | ||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– June 1918 | |||
– August 1918 | |||
– November 1918 | |||
– February 1919 | |||
Interview by Hayden Church | |||
, January, May, September and November 1920 | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– March 1922 | Sherlock Holmes story | ||
contribution to symposium | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– July 1924 | Serialised over ten issues | ||
contribution to symposium | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– March 1925 | Sherlock Holmes story | ||
"The Land of Mist" | – March 1926 | Professor Challenger story | |
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
Sherlock Holmes story | |||
– September 1927 | |||
– February 1928 | |||
– May 1928 | |||
– May 1929 | |||
Novels
Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher | Series or genre | Notes |
Beeton's Christmas Annual | Sherlock Holmes | |||
Micah Clarke | Longmans, Green & Co. | Historical fiction | ||
Ward and Downey | Horror/adventure | |||
Spencer Blackett | Sherlock Holmes | Also appeared in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in February 1890 | ||
Chatto & Windus | Romance/adventure | |||
Smith, Elder & Co. | Historical fiction | First of three volumes | ||
Cassell & Co | Social science fiction | |||
J. W. Arrowsmith, Bristol | Historical fiction | In 1893 the second edition was published that also included Beyond the City | ||
Longmans, Green & Co. | Historical fiction | First of three volumes | ||
Constable & Co. | Horror/adventure | |||
Longmans, Green & Co. | – | |||
Rodney Stone | Smith, Elder & Co. | Historical fiction | ||
Uncle Bernac | Horace Cox | Historical fiction | ||
Smith, Elder & Co. | Historical fiction | |||
Grant Richards | – | |||
George Newnes | Sherlock Holmes | |||
Sir Nigel | Smith, Elder & Co. | Historical fiction | ||
Hodder & Stoughton | Professor Challenger | |||
Hodder & Stoughton | Professor Challenger | |||
Smith, Elder & Co. | Sherlock Holmes | |||
Hutchinson & Co | Professor Challenger | |||
J. Murray & Sons | Horror/adventure | Novel with three short stories |
Short story collections
Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher | Series or genre |
Mysteries and Adventures | Scott | Mysteries | |
Longmans, Green | – | ||
George Newnes | Sherlock Holmes | ||
Scott | Mysteries | ||
George Newnes | Sherlock Holmes | ||
Round the Red Lamp: Being Facts and Fancies of Medical Life | Methuen | – | |
George Newnes | Brigadier Gerard | ||
Smith, Elder & Co. | – | ||
George Newnes | Brigadier Gerard | ||
George Newnes | Sherlock Holmes | ||
Round the Fire Stories | Smith, Elder & Co. | – | |
Smith, Elder & Co. | – | ||
His Last Bow | John Murray | Sherlock Holmes | |
Danger! and Other Stories | John Murray | – | |
Three of Them | John Murray | – | |
John Murray | Sherlock Holmes |
Stage works
Poetry
The majority of Doyle's poetry falls into the genre of war poetry.Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher |
Songs of Action | J. Murray | |
Songs of the Road | J. Murray | |
J. Murray | ||
J. Murray |
Non fiction
Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher | Topic |
Smith, Elder & Co. | Military history | ||
Smith, Elder & Co. | Military history | ||
Through the Magic Door | Smith, Elder & Co. | Memoir of the books in Doyle's library | |
Hutchinson | History | ||
Hodder & Stoughton | Crime | ||
Hodder & Stoughton | Military history | ||
Hodder & Stoughton | Military history | ||
Hodder & Stoughton | Military history | ||
Memories and Adventures | Hodder & Stoughton | Autobiography | |
Dangerous Work: Diary of an Arctic Adventure | Autobiography |
Spiritualist and paranormal works
Books
Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher |
Hodder & Stoughton | ||
Hodder & Stoughton | ||
Verbatim Report of a Public Debate on 'The Truth of Spiritualism' between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Joseph McCabe | Watts & Co | |
Hodder & Stoughton | ||
Hodder & Stoughton | ||
Hutchinson | ||
Our American Adventure | Hodder & Stoughton | |
Our Second American Adventure | Hodder & Stoughton | |
Two Worlds Publishing Company | ||
Cassell | ||
Pheneas Speaks | Psychic Press | |
Our African Winter | John Murray | |
John Murray |