Adrian Conan Doyle
Encyclopedia
Adrian Malcolm Conan Doyle (19 November 1910, Crowborough
, Sussex
, England - 3 June 1970, Geneva
, Switzerland
) was the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
and his second wife Jean, Lady Conan Doyle. He had two siblings, a sister, Jean
, and a brother, Denis.
Adrian Conan Doyle has been depicted as a race-car driver, big-game hunter, explorer, and writer. Biographer Andrew Lycett
calls him a "spendthrift playboy" who (with his brother Denis) "used the Conan Doyle estate as a milch-cow".
He married Denmark
-born Anna Andersen, and was his father's literary executor
after his mother died in 1940. He founded the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Foundation in Switzerland in 1965. On his death, his sister Jean Conan Doyle
took over as their father's literary executor.
stories, some with the assistance of John Dickson Carr
. The basis of his production was to complete the tales referenced in his father's stories, but which his father had never written. These Sherlock Holmes tales were written in 1952 and 1953, but have been republished subsequently. In 1954 a hard cover collection of the stories was published as The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes
. Other authors have also written Sherlock Holmes stories based on the same references within the original tales.
announced that an authentic, unpublished Sherlock Holmes
story had been found by Adrian Conan Doyle. Supposedly written in his father's uniquely neat handwriting, the story was buried in a chest that contained family documents. However, as pointed out by Jon L. Lellenberg in Nova 57 Minor , the manuscript was not in Conan Doyle's handwriting, but typewritten. Sir Arthur's daughter Jean said she knew the manuscript was not written by her father. Adrian Conan Doyle refused to publish it. A month later, the Baker Street Irregulars
wrote a letter to the Saturday Review of Literature, insisting that the story be published.
In the United States, Cosmopolitan
magazine obtained it and published it in their August 1948 issue under the uncharacteristic title The Case of the Man who was Wanted. It was also published in London
's
Sunday Dispatch magazine the following January. Sherlockian Vincent Starrett
doubted that the story was written by the elder Doyle and suggested that Adrian was the author.
In September 1945, a letter was received by Hesketh Pearson
, a biographer of Arthur Conan Doyle. The letter stated, "My pride is not unduly hurt by your remark that 'The Man who was Wanted' is certainly not up to scratch for the sting is much mitigated by your going on to remark that it carries the authentic trade–mark! This, I feel, is a great compliment to my one and only effort at plagiarism." The letter was written by an architect
named Arthur Whitaker who had sent the story to Arthur Conan Doyle in 1911 with a suggestion that they publish it as a joint collaboration. Doyle refused, but sent Whitaker a "cheque for ten guineas
" in payment for the story. Whitaker retained a carbon copy. After seeing it attributed in the Sunday Dispatch to Arthur Conan Doyle, Whitaker wrote a letter to Denis Conan Doyle explaining the true authorship. Denis forwarded the letter to his brother Adrian, who became angry, demanded proof, and threatened legal action. In 1949, the Doyles admitted, after seeing the carbon copy and listening to people who had read it in 1911, that Whitaker was the author. The story, which was thought by many people to be the work of Arthur Conan Doyle, has been published recently in the collection The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
interests but was not what readers wanted, so after their mother's death Adrian and Denis grudgingly allowed Hesketh Pearson
to write Conan Doyle: His Life and Art (Methuen, 1943). But Pearson's book offended Adrian and Denis by saying that the secret of Arthur Conan Doyle's success was that he was the "common man". Adrian threatened criminal proceedings against Pearson's "fakeography", and wrote an article in protest, and later a book The True Conan Doyle (John Murray, 1945).
Later "When the BBC commissioned an anniversary talk from Hesketh Pearson, Adrian announced that if it went ahead it would never broadcast another Sherlock Holmes story. The Corporation cravenly caved in." Lycett states that Pearson had met Arthur Conan Doyle at Francis Galton's home before the First World War. Pearson had idolised him from an early age, but was disappointed to find a thick-set broad-faced man with no more mystery than a pumpkin, who fulminated against Sherlock Holmes for preventing him from writing the historical novels he wanted.
Crowborough
The highest point in the town is 242 metres above sea level. This summit is the highest point of the High Weald and second highest point in East Sussex . Its relative height is 159 m, meaning Crowborough qualifies as one of England's Marilyns...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England - 3 June 1970, Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) was the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
and his second wife Jean, Lady Conan Doyle. He had two siblings, a sister, Jean
Jean Conan Doyle
Air Commandant Dame Lena Annette Jean Conan Doyle, Lady Bromet , DBE, AE, WRAF, ADC was best known as Jean Conan Doyle....
, and a brother, Denis.
Adrian Conan Doyle has been depicted as a race-car driver, big-game hunter, explorer, and writer. Biographer Andrew Lycett
Andrew Lycett
Andrew Lycett is an English biographer and journalist.He was educated at Charterhouse School and studied history at Christ Church, Oxford University. He then worked for a while for The Times as a correspondent in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia...
calls him a "spendthrift playboy" who (with his brother Denis) "used the Conan Doyle estate as a milch-cow".
He married Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-born Anna Andersen, and was his father's literary executor
Literary executor
A literary executor is a person with decision-making power in respect of a literary estate. According to Wills, Administration and Taxation: a practical guide "A will may appoint different executors to deal with different parts of the estate...
after his mother died in 1940. He founded the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Foundation in Switzerland in 1965. On his death, his sister Jean Conan Doyle
Jean Conan Doyle
Air Commandant Dame Lena Annette Jean Conan Doyle, Lady Bromet , DBE, AE, WRAF, ADC was best known as Jean Conan Doyle....
took over as their father's literary executor.
Additional Sherlock Holmes stories
Adrian Doyle produced additional Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
stories, some with the assistance of John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published under the pen names Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn....
. The basis of his production was to complete the tales referenced in his father's stories, but which his father had never written. These Sherlock Holmes tales were written in 1952 and 1953, but have been republished subsequently. In 1954 a hard cover collection of the stories was published as The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes
The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes
The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes is a short story collection written by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr, first published in 1954.The stories contained in the collection are:*"The Adventure of the Seven Clocks"*"The Adventure of the Gold Hunter"...
. Other authors have also written Sherlock Holmes stories based on the same references within the original tales.
Discovery of unpublished Holmes story
On 12 September 1942, the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
announced that an authentic, unpublished Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
story had been found by Adrian Conan Doyle. Supposedly written in his father's uniquely neat handwriting, the story was buried in a chest that contained family documents. However, as pointed out by Jon L. Lellenberg in Nova 57 Minor , the manuscript was not in Conan Doyle's handwriting, but typewritten. Sir Arthur's daughter Jean said she knew the manuscript was not written by her father. Adrian Conan Doyle refused to publish it. A month later, the Baker Street Irregulars
Baker Street Irregulars
The Baker Street Irregulars are any of several different groups, all named after the original, from various Sherlock Holmes stories in which they are a gang of young street children whom Holmes often employs to aid his cases.- Original :...
wrote a letter to the Saturday Review of Literature, insisting that the story be published.
In the United States, Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
magazine obtained it and published it in their August 1948 issue under the uncharacteristic title The Case of the Man who was Wanted. It was also published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's
Sunday Dispatch magazine the following January. Sherlockian Vincent Starrett
Vincent Starrett
Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett , known as Vincent Starrett, was an American writer and newspaperman.- Biography :...
doubted that the story was written by the elder Doyle and suggested that Adrian was the author.
In September 1945, a letter was received by Hesketh Pearson
Hesketh Pearson
Edward Hesketh Gibbons Pearson was a British actor, theatre director and writer. He is known mainly for his popular biographies; they made him the leading British biographer of his time, in terms of commercial success....
, a biographer of Arthur Conan Doyle. The letter stated, "My pride is not unduly hurt by your remark that 'The Man who was Wanted' is certainly not up to scratch for the sting is much mitigated by your going on to remark that it carries the authentic trade–mark! This, I feel, is a great compliment to my one and only effort at plagiarism." The letter was written by an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
named Arthur Whitaker who had sent the story to Arthur Conan Doyle in 1911 with a suggestion that they publish it as a joint collaboration. Doyle refused, but sent Whitaker a "cheque for ten guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
" in payment for the story. Whitaker retained a carbon copy. After seeing it attributed in the Sunday Dispatch to Arthur Conan Doyle, Whitaker wrote a letter to Denis Conan Doyle explaining the true authorship. Denis forwarded the letter to his brother Adrian, who became angry, demanded proof, and threatened legal action. In 1949, the Doyles admitted, after seeing the carbon copy and listening to people who had read it in 1911, that Whitaker was the author. The story, which was thought by many people to be the work of Arthur Conan Doyle, has been published recently in the collection The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Works about his father
Sir Arthur's widow Jean chose a spiritualist, the Rev. John Lamond, to write an authorised life of him, Arthur Conan Doyle: A Memoir (John Murray, 1931). The memoir emphasised his paranormalParanormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
interests but was not what readers wanted, so after their mother's death Adrian and Denis grudgingly allowed Hesketh Pearson
Hesketh Pearson
Edward Hesketh Gibbons Pearson was a British actor, theatre director and writer. He is known mainly for his popular biographies; they made him the leading British biographer of his time, in terms of commercial success....
to write Conan Doyle: His Life and Art (Methuen, 1943). But Pearson's book offended Adrian and Denis by saying that the secret of Arthur Conan Doyle's success was that he was the "common man". Adrian threatened criminal proceedings against Pearson's "fakeography", and wrote an article in protest, and later a book The True Conan Doyle (John Murray, 1945).
Later "When the BBC commissioned an anniversary talk from Hesketh Pearson, Adrian announced that if it went ahead it would never broadcast another Sherlock Holmes story. The Corporation cravenly caved in." Lycett states that Pearson had met Arthur Conan Doyle at Francis Galton's home before the First World War. Pearson had idolised him from an early age, but was disappointed to find a thick-set broad-faced man with no more mystery than a pumpkin, who fulminated against Sherlock Holmes for preventing him from writing the historical novels he wanted.
Sherlock Holmes stories
- by Adrian Doyle and John Dickson Carr
- "The Adventure of the Seven ClocksThe Adventure of the Seven ClocksThe Adventure of the Seven Clocks is a Sherlock Holmes story by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes....
" (from: "A Scandal in BohemiaA Scandal in Bohemia"A Scandal in Bohemia" was the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories to be published in The Strand Magazine and the first Sherlock Holmes story illustrated by Sidney Paget....
") - "The Adventure of the Gold HunterThe Adventure of the Gold HunterThe Adventure of the Gold Hunter is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes....
" (from: "The Five Orange PipsThe Five Orange Pips"The Five Orange Pips", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fifth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes....
") - "The Adventure of the Wax GamblersThe Adventure of the Wax GamblersThe Adventure of the Wax Gamblers by John Dickson Carr is a Sherlock Holmes story. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes, a joint enterprise of Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr.- Plot :...
" (from: "A Scandal in BohemiaA Scandal in Bohemia"A Scandal in Bohemia" was the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories to be published in The Strand Magazine and the first Sherlock Holmes story illustrated by Sidney Paget....
") - "The Adventure of the Highgate MiracleThe Adventure of the Highgate Miracle"The Adventure of the Highgate Miracle" is a Sherlock Holmes mystery story by John Dickson Carr. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes, a joint enterprise of Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr.-Plot:...
" (from: "The Problem of Thor BridgeThe Problem of Thor Bridge"The Problem of Thor Bridge" is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle, which appears in the collection The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes...
") - "The Adventure of the Black BaronetThe Adventure of the Black BaronetThe Adventure of the Black Baronet is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery written by Adrian Conan Doyle. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes, a joint enterprise of John Dickson Carr and Adrian Conan Doyle....
" (from: The Hound of the BaskervillesThe Hound of the BaskervillesThe Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an...
) - "The Adventure of the Sealed RoomThe Adventure of the Sealed RoomThe Adventure of the Sealed Room is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes, a joint enterprise of Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr....
" (from: "The Adventure of the Engineer's ThumbThe Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb"The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the ninth of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in Strand Magazine in March 1892.-Synopsis:In his...
") by Adrian Doyle solely - "The Adventure of the Foulkes RathThe Adventure of the Foulkes RathThe Adventure of Foulkes Rath is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes.Dr...
" (from: "The Adventure of the Golden Pince-NezThe Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez"The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes.-Synopsis:...
") - "The Adventure of the Abbas RubyThe Adventure of the Abbas Ruby"The Adventure of the Abbas Ruby" is a Sherlock Holmes mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle, the youngest son of Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes creator. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes.-Plot:...
" (from: The Hound of the BaskervillesThe Hound of the BaskervillesThe Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an...
) - "The Adventure of the Dark AngelsThe Adventure of the Dark AngelsThe Adventure of the Dark Angels is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes.- Plot :...
" (from: "The Adventure of the Priory SchoolThe Adventure of the Priory School"The Adventure of the Priory School", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes...
") - "The Adventure of the Two WomenThe Adventure of the Two Women"The Adventure of the Two Women" is a Sherlock Holmes crime story by Adrian Conan Doyle. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes.Holmes is called upon to save the widow of a distinguished family from shame...
" (from: The Hound of the BaskervillesThe Hound of the BaskervillesThe Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an...
) - "The Adventure of the Deptford HorrorThe Adventure of the Deptford HorrorThe Adventure of the Deptford Horror is a Sherlock Holmes story by Adrian Conan Doyle. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes....
" (from: "The Adventure of Black PeterThe Adventure of Black Peter"The Adventure of Black Peter" is a Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle. This tale is in the collection The Return of Sherlock Holmes, but was published originally in 1904 in the Strand Magazine and Collier's.-Plot summary:...
") - "The Adventure of the Red WidowThe Adventure of the Red WidowThe Adventure of the Red Widow is a short Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes....
" (from "A Scandal in BohemiaA Scandal in Bohemia"A Scandal in Bohemia" was the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories to be published in The Strand Magazine and the first Sherlock Holmes story illustrated by Sidney Paget....
")
- "The Adventure of the Seven Clocks
Non-Holmes works
- Heaven has Claws (1952, London, John Murray)
- Lone Dhow (1963, London, Murray)
- The Lover of the Coral Glades