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Who Is This Writer? Elementary, Dear Readers

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By MARY PATRICK

Published: February 3, 2008

"Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters," by Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley (Penguin, $38)
Arthur Conan Doyle is an interesting case study in how the creation can often eclipse the creator.

His creation, Sherlock Holmes, is world famous, as bright a star in the literary firmament as Heathcliff and Mr. Darcy. Doyle, on the other hand, has been little known outside the world populated by English majors and those obsessed with books and literature. This famously bothered Doyle, who killed off Holmes at one point, then brought him back when his readers went bonkers.

But Doyle had a point. He led a fascinating life that went far beyond his creation of the famous detective. Unfortunately, this book alone will not show it to you. However, it would serve as a companion piece to one of the many biographies available, including Doyle's "Memories and Adventures."

This volume does, however, introduce Doyle's own voice, as it contains previously unpublished private papers and scores of letters he wrote to his mother, Mary Foley Doyle.

The letters cover the time from his days as a schoolboy in 1867 to his mother's death in 1920. The letters touch on many of his exploits - from his own adventures as an investigator to his time as a World War I correspondent and spiritualist missionary.

It also includes some great lines, like this one, when he received his knighthood in 1902 and was named Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Surrey: "I feel like a new married girl who is not sure of her own name."

"A Life in Letters" offers a revealing, if not complete, look into the life of a literary giant.

Mary Patrick of Tampa is a freelance writer.

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