Ground-breaking biography of the creator of fiction's best loved detective

Though Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's name is recognised the world over, for decades he was overshadowed by his creation, Sherlock Holmes - one of literature's most enduring characters.

Conan Doyle was a man of many contradictions. Romantic, energetic, idealistic and upstanding, he could also be selfish and foolhardy. Lycett assembles the many threads of Conan Doyle's life, including the lasting impact of his domineering mother and his alcoholic father; his affair with a younger woman while his wife lay dying; and his fanatical pursuit of scientific data to prove and explain various supernatural phenomena.

Lycett combines access to new material with assiduous research and penetrating insight to offer the most comprehensive, lucid and sympathetic portrait yet of Conan Doyle's personal journey from student to doctor, from world-famous author to ardent spiritualist.

Ground-breaking biography of the creator of fiction's best loved detective

About the Author
Andrew Lycett was educated at Charterhouse and went on to read modern history at Christ Church, Oxford. As a foreign reporter he specialised in Africa and the Middle East. A full-time author since the early 1990s, he has written a number of highly acclaimed biographies and lives in North London.

Reviews
"splendid, evocatively illustrated biography" SUNDAY TELEGRAPH "Comprehensive and authoritative, it is undoubtedly the best account of Doyle to date" SUNDAY TIMES "Lycett excels at the troubled context of of Doyle's times, caught first on the cusp and then on the charge of change" -- Ross Leckie TIMES "Packed with fascinating detail about Doyle's milieu, this engaging and perceptive account deserves to sell in vast quantities to the army of Holmes fans" -- Christopher Hirst INDEPENDENT "a massive work and Lycett has gathered much new material to produce a comprehensive, lucid and sympathetic portrait of a larger-than-life character" HUDDERSFIELD DAILY EXAMINER "deftly and sensitively treated by Lycett" GOOD BOOK GUIDE



Book Information
ISBN 9780753824283
Author Andrew Lycett
Format Paperback
Page Count 600
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 568g
Dimensions(mm) 215mm * 140mm * 41mm