Includes bibliographical references (pages [497]-503) and index.

Arthur Conan Doyle remains one of our favorite writers; his work is read with affection--and sometimes obsession--the world over, but his life was no less fascinating than his fiction. Conan Doyle grew up in relative poverty in Edinburgh. He struggled both as a young doctor and in his early attempts to sell short stories, having only limited success until Sherlock Holmes propelled him to worldwide fame. Beyond writing, Conan Doyle led a full life, participating in the Boer War, falling in love with another woman while his wife was dying of tuberculosis, campaigning against injustice, and converting to Spiritualism, a move that would bewilder friends and fans. Russell Miller is the first biographer to have been granted unlimited access to Conan Doyle's private correspondence, and also makes use of the writer's personal papers and the Richard Lancelyn Green archive, the world's most comprehensive collection of Conan Doyle material.--From publisher description.