The Captain of the Polestar and Other Tales
by Arthur Conan Doyle 
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Although Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is best known as the creator of the brilliant fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, the author tried his hand at a number of different genres before perfecting the detective story. The Captain of the Polestar showcases a different, but equally engrossing, side of the author's undeniable talent for fiction..
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I thought this would be a book of ghost stories after reading the first couple and was disinclined to read it, but bluetyson's review encouraged me onward. While many of the stories are rather predictable, I found that Doyle almost always created a character or situation that kept me reading. If you like good, old-fashioned 19th century stories, give these a try.
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4,002+ Works 169,794 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.
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- Canonical title
- The Captain of the Polestar and Other Tales
- Original title
- The Captain of the Polestar and Other Tales
- Original publication date
- 1890-03-06
- People/Characters
- J. Habakuk Jephson; John Vansittart Smith; Sosrs; Parmes; Tuthmosis I; Atma
- Important places
- Mary Celeste; Louvre Museum, Paris, France; Egypt; Abaris, Egypt
- Dedication
- To
My Friend
MAJOR-GENERAL A.W. DRAYSON
as a slight token
Of
My admiation for his great
and as yet unrecognised services to astronomy
this little volume
is
dedicated - First words
- September 11th.—Lat. 81 degrees 40' N.; long. 2 degrees E. Still lying-to amid enormous ice fields. The one which stretches away to the north of us, and to which our ice-anchor is attached, cannot be smaller than an English... (show all) county.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The authorities are of opinion that the man was bearing away the mummy with some idea of selling it to a private collector, but that he was struck down in the very act by long-standing disease of the heart. It is said that he was a man of uncertain age and eccentric habits, without any living relations to mourn over his dramatic and untimely end."
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- 98
- Popularity
- 328,820
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.78)
- Languages
- Arabic, English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 52
- ASINs
- 10
