Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859. He trained to become a doctor at Edinburgh, and eventually set up his own practice in Southsea. During the quiet periods between patients, he turned his hand to writing. And so Sherlock Holmes, his greatest creation, was born. Towards the end of his life he devoted much of his time to his belief in Spiritualism, using writing as a means of providing funds to support his activities in the field. He died in 1930.
Robert Giddings is an established literary critic who regularly writes for many publications including the Sunday Times, the Guardian and the New Statesman.