Through the Magic Door
by Arthur Conan Doyle 
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As the creator of one of the most beloved fictional characters of all time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had a fair amount of credibility when it came to literary matters. In this volume, Conan Doyle presents his views of literature and the pleasures of reading, and even offers some suggestions and recommendations from among his own favorites..
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No importa lo humilde que sea tu estantería, ni lo modesta que sea la habitación que adorna. Cierra la puerta, acalla todas las cuestiones del mundo exterior, sumérgete de nuevo en la tranquilizadora compañía de los muertos insignes, y entonces atravesarás el portal mágico de aquellos dominios donde la preocupación y aflicción no podrán seguirte nunca más. Has dejado a tus espaldas todo lo que es vulgar y sórdido. Allí esperan alineados tus compañeros silenciosos y nobles.
Tras una interesante introducción a modo de entrevista de Bram Stoker a Arthur Conan Doyle, este nos invita a traspasar la Puerta Mágica de su biblioteca. Conan Doyle repasa algunas de sus estanterías y algunos de sus libros y autores favoritos. Walter show more Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Boswell, Gibbon, Samuel Johnson, son sólo algunos de los escritores admirados por el creador de Sherlock Holmes. Doyle nos habla de las guerras napoleónicas, boxeo, libros de viajes, ciencia, poesía, ensayo, pero sobre todo de historia, su gran pasión. Personalmente, el capítulo que más me ha gustado ha sido el sexto, en el que el autor habla sobre los mejores relatos, y lo difícil que es crear un buen cuento. Poe, Stevenson, Maupassant, Kipling, Bulwer-Lytton, Bierce son algunos de los escritores mencionados.
‘Cruzando la puerta mágica’ (Through the Magic Door, 1907), de Sir Arthur Conan Doyle es un estupendo libro en el que se nota el amor de su autor por la literatura. Hay partes que, según el lector, gustan más que otras, pero Conan Doyle sin duda sabe transmitir pasión por lo que cuenta, y además lo narra muy bien. show less
A friendly, conversational tour of Conan Doyle's favorite books, written as though he were literally and physically showing you his favorite bookcase. He described his favorite books so well and so beautifully that it had the drawback of adding many titles to my to-read list. Fortunately, I could find most of them as free e-books on services like Gutenberg, FeedBooks and Google Books. The tone and style is extremely engaging, much more so than his Sherlock Holmes stories even. One of my favorites among the "writers recommending other writers" genre.
A pleasant evening's read through the gentleman's library 100 years ago. I've added some titles to my TBR list after reading this, and found some common ground w/ ACD over some old favorites.
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3,998+ Works 169,511 Members
The most famous fictional detective in the world is Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. However, Doyle was, at best, ambivalent about his immensely successful literary creation and, at worst, resentful that his more "serious" fiction was relatively ignored. Born in Edinburgh, Doyle studied medicine from 1876 to 1881 and received his M.D. in show more 1885. He worked as a military physician in South Africa during the Boer War and was knighted in 1902 for his exceptional service. Doyle was drawn to writing at an early age. Although he attempted to enter private practice in Southsea, Portsmouth, in 1882, he soon turned to writing in his spare time; it eventually became his profession. As a Liberal Unionist, Doyle ran, unsuccessfully, for Parliament in 1903. During his later years, Doyle became an avowed spiritualist. Doyle sold his first story, "The Mystery of the Sasassa Valley," to Chambers' Journal in 1879. When Doyle published the novel, A Study in Scarlet in 1887, Sherlock Holmes was introduced to an avid public. Doyle is reputed to have used one of his medical professors, Dr. Joseph Bell, as a model for Holmes's character. Eventually, Doyle wrote three additional Holmes novels and five collections of Holmes short stories. A brilliant, though somewhat eccentric, detective, Holmes employs scientific methods of observation and deduction to solve the mysteries that he investigates. Although an "amateur" private detective, he is frequently called upon by Scotland Yard for assistance. Holmes's assistant, the faithful Dr. Watson, provides a striking contrast to Holmes's brilliant intellect and, in Doyle's day at least, serves as a character with whom the reader can readily identify. Having tired of Holmes's popularity, Doyle even tried to kill the great detective in "The Final Problem" but was forced by an outraged public to resurrect him in 1903. Although Holmes remained Doyle's most popular literary creation, Doyle wrote prolifically in other genres, including historical adventure, science fiction, and supernatural fiction. Despite Doyle's sometimes careless writing, he was a superb storyteller. His great skill as a popular author lay in his technique of involving readers in his highly entertaining adventures. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Arthur Conan Doyle has a Legacy Library. Legacy libraries are the personal libraries of famous readers, entered by LibraryThing members from the Legacy Libraries group.
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Through the Magic Door
- Original publication date
- 1907
- First words
- When I wrote the series of papers which have been published under the inclusive name of "Through the Magic Door" my idea was rather to address the young man of from 17 to 22 who was asking for some guidance in literary matter... (show all)s. In these days of cheap editions there is no one who cannot afford to have small library of his own, and as a man's mind and character depend upon what he reads, it is very important that the bookshelf- even if it be in the singular- shall contain books that count.
- Quotations
- A fine thought in fine language is a most precious jewel, and should not be hid away, but be exposed for use and ornament. p. 21
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Literature Studies and Criticism, Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 800 — Literature & rhetoric Literature, rhetoric & criticism Literature (Belles-lettres) and rhetoric
- LCC
- Z1003 — Bibliography, Library Science and Information Resources General bibliography Biography of bibliographers
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 141
- Popularity
- 229,873
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.06)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 58
- ASINs
- 7
