Quite a bio!

Conan Doyle came from a family of intelligent, creative people, including political cartoonists and writers. He inherited and developed both a drawing and writing ability, but also a personality susceptible to a kind of romantic view of the world.

Arthur wrote many "serious" books, and was disappointed that none of them ever attracted the attention his Sherlock Holmes stories did. He considered Holmes lightweight stuff and didn't particularly like being associated only with his famous sleuth. He tried to kill him off more than once to divert attention away from him and toward his work on wars, whaling, and, later, spiritualism and faeries. But his bigger works never caught on, and were often the subject of ridicule by critics.

As a person, Conan Doyle was "larger than life". He was tall, broad, a formidable person. He was an adventurer, always looking for more from the world. Thus he sailed on a whaling ship and took part in whaling as well as the killing of seals and other sea animals. He got into the Boer Wars as a medic (he was trained as a doctor) and survived horrific conditions. He later visited the front in the first World War, and wrote a six-volume history of the war (not well received).

When Conan Doyle took up spiritualism he was ridiculed mercilessly, but ridicule only spurred him on. He and his second wife, Jean, blazed a trail across the United States, speaking on spiritualism, and later did the same in Africa, with less success. His gullibility in this venture is difficult to understand if one compares it to the personality of Sherlock Holmes, who was guided by science. But the two are not alike.

Arthur's devotion to his beliefs was both endearing and frustrating. While still married to his first wife, Touie, he fell in love with Jean and carried on a chaste "affair" with her until Touie died. Touie was sick for many years and couldn't have not known about this other interest, especially as Jean was often a guest at their home. Yet Arthur felt he was behaving entirely appropriately. As long as the affair was not consummated he couldn't see the problem.

When Touie died, Jean arranged that Conan Doyle's two older children (by Touie) were away at school until grown. It is clear in this book that the author has no love for Jean and I admit I shared that feeling.

A highly detailed and readable biography of a man of almost boyish beliefs and integrity, an intelligent yet naive and oddly trusting writer.
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Thorough, somewhat dry ( )