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"Arthur Conan Doyles name is synonymous with The Strand magazine, chiefly because of the Sherlock Holmes stories but also due to many of his other contributions, such as the Professor Challenger stories, his articles on spiritualism and fairies, and his coverage of the major battles of the First World War. For almost forty years from 1891 until his death in 1930, more than 250 contributions by Doyle appeared in The Strand, including 120 stories, 9 serialized novels, and dozens of other items. This was a considerable proportion of his total writing output, and it is impossible fully to appreciate Conan Doyles artistic development without considering the context of The Strand, as the magazine published almost all of his most important stories. But it also published essays, commentary and other works that have become unjustly forgotten, overshadowed by the worldwide fame of Sherlock Holmes. Doyles contributions to The Strand highlight, for example, his abilities as a sportsman--an interest which frequently found its way into his fiction. This book gives a broader picture of Conan Doyle's life and work, focused through the lens of The Strand magazine. It charts his outlook and views, examines his shifting reputation during his lifetime, and assesses how Doyles contributions to The Strand fit into his overall output as a writer. Doyle and The Strand helped each other to build a successful reputation, together establishing detective fiction as a distinct genre and leading to the growth of the popular fiction magazine as an important medium in the early 20th century."--Dust jacket Paths to The Strand -- Enter Sherlock Holmes -- Idler interlude -- Napoleon and the brigadier -- Doyle and the noble art -- Doyle and the Sudan -- Round the fire stories -- The return of Sherlock Holmes -- Back to the Past -- Doyle and the dawn of science fiction -- Doyle at war -- Family lives -- Spirits and fairies -- Memories in The Strand -- Final days -- After life
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