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Within that exclusive group of literarycharacters who have survived through the centuries--from Hamlet to HuckleberryFinn--few can rival the cultural impact of Sherlock Holmes. Since his firstpublic appearance 20 years ago, the gentleman with the curved pipe and a tastefor cocaine, the master of deductive reasoning and elaborate disguise, has lefthis mark everywhere--in crime literature, film and television, cartoons and comicbooks. At Holmes side, of course, was his trustedfriend Dr. Watson. Looming even larger, however, was another doctor, one whosemedical practice was so slow it allowed him plenty of time to pursue hisliterary ambition. His name: Arthur Conan Doyle. As the creator of thesefictional icons, Conan Doyle has himself become something of a cult figure, theobject of countless critical studies, biographies and fan clubs. Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859,in a respectable middle-class Catholic family. Still, it was far from an easylife. There was never enough money; they moved frequently in search of lowerrents; and his father, a civil servant and illustrator was an alcoholic who hadto be institutionalized. Yet the early letters he wrote to his mother aresurprisingly optimistic, concerned mainly with food, clothes, allowances andschoolwork. At 14 came his first unforgettable visit to London, includingMadame Tussauds, where he was delighted with the room of Horrors, andthe images of the murderers. | 
