Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), Scottish novelist and creator of Sherlock Holmes, the detective whose powers of deduction enabled him to solve the most complicated crimes. The character of Holmes was inspired by a surgeon at Edinburgh University, where Doyle studied medicine. He practised as a doctor until 1890 and again in the Boer War. The first Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, appeared in 1887 and a number of short stories followed. The character of Holmes soon became extremely popular, although Doyle would have preferred to be remembered for his historical novels. He was knighted in 1902.
