Arthur Conan Doyle bibliography
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle KStJ, DL was a Scottish writer and physician. In addition to the series of stories chronicling the activities of Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr John Watson for which he is well known, Doyle wrote on a wide range of topics, both fictional and non-fictional. In 1876 Doyle entered the University of Edinburgh Medical School, where he became a pupil of Joseph Bell, whose deductive processes impressed his pupil so much that the teacher became the chief model for Holmes. Doyle began writing while still a student, and in October 1879 he had his first work—"The Mystery of the Sasassa Valley"—published in Chambers's Journal. He continued writing short works—both fictional and non-fictional—throughout his career, and had over 200 stories and articles published.
In July 1891 Doyle published the short story "A Scandal in Bohemia" in The Strand Magazine—a "story which would change his life", according to his biographer, Andrew Lycett, as it introduced Holmes and Watson to a wide audience; the duo had provided the subject of Doyle's first novel, A Study in Scarlet, which was published in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887. The story in The Strand was one in a series of six, published in successive months. They were well received by the public, and the editors of the magazine commissioned a further six stories, and then another series of twelve. Doyle, fearful of having his other work overshadowed by his fictional detective, killed his creation off in December 1893 in "The Adventure of the Final Problem". He also wrote four full-length Holmes works, as well as adventure novels and nine historical works of fiction. In 1912 he began the adventure series featuring Professor Challenger, who first appeared in The Lost World—both in short stories and novels.
Doyle also wrote four volumes of poetry and a series of stage works—his first was Jane Annie, an unsuccessful attempt at a libretto to an operetta, which he wrote with J. M. Barrie. Doyle was an enthusiastic supporter of the Boer War, and wrote two histories of the events. During the First World War he also wrote extensively on that conflict, both short articles and a six-volume history. Following the close successive deaths of his son and his brother, Doyle turned to spiritualism and wrote extensively on the subject; his biographer Owen Dudley Edwards writes that at the time of Doyle's death in July 1930, while the writer "most wanted to be remembered as a champion of spiritualism and as a historical novelist, it is Sherlock Holmes who has continued to capture the imagination of the public".
Publications in periodicals
| Title | Date of publication | Periodical | Notes |
| Chambers's Journal | published anonymously | ||
| 20 September 1879 | British Medical Journal | ||
| London Society | Christmas issue | ||
| London Society | |||
| London Society | published as by "A.C.D." | ||
| London Society | published anonymously | ||
| London Society | |||
| London Society | |||
| 2 September 1882 | All the Year Round | published anonymously | |
| London Society | |||
| Temple Bar | |||
| 31 March 1883 | All the Year Round | published anonymously | |
| 11 July 1883 | Bow Bells | ||
| London Society | |||
| London Society | |||
| Christmas issue | |||
| Good Words | semi-scientific article | ||
| Temple Bar | |||
| 16 February 1884 | Cassell's Saturday Journal | ||
| 12 April 1884 | Cassell's Saturday Journal | serialised in two instalments | |
| 17 May 1884 | Cassell's Saturday Journal | ||
| 20 August 1884 | Bow Bells | ||
| Christmas issue | |||
| London Society | |||
| 2 May 1885 | Cassell's Saturday Journal | ||
| Belgravia | |||
| Christmas issue | |||
| London Society | |||
| Cassell's Magazine | |||
| Christmas issue | |||
| serialised over seven issues | |||
| Beeton's Christmas Annual | Sherlock Holmes novel | ||
| 30 August 1888 | novel serialised in The Pall Mall Budget and The Pall Mall Gazette | ||
| Chambers's Journal | |||
| 27 October 1889 | The People | novel serialised from October 1889 to April 1890 | |
| Lippincott's Magazine | Sherlock Holmes novel | ||
| Blackwood's Magazine | |||
| Chambers's Journal | |||
| 21 December 1890 | The People | published anonymously | |
| – December 1891 | serialised throughout the year | ||
| verse | |||
| Temple Bar | |||
| credited in the table of contents but not on the story itself | |||
| 21 March 1891 | Black and White | ||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| 26 July 1891 | Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper | ||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| 21 November 1891 | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| 19 December 1891 | |||
| Christmas issue | |||
| Good Words | Christmas issue | ||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| 2 January 1892 | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| 12 November 1892 | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| – June 1893 | Harper's Magazine | serial | |
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| verse | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| 21 October 1893 | quiz about the Sherlock Holmes stories; published anonymously but shown in 2024 to have been written by Doyle | ||
| – November 1893 | Sherlock Holmes story | ||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| –November 1895 | novel in epistolary form | ||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| 19 January 1895 | serialised in two parts | ||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| – December 1896 | serialised in 12 parts | ||
| Punch | |||
| "Tales of the High Seas"/Captain Sharkey story | |||
| – March 1897 | Brigadier Gerard novel; serialised weekly | ||
| "Tales of the High Seas"/Captain Sharkey story | |||
| – December 1897 | serialised over eight instalments | ||
| "Tales of the High Seas"/Captain Sharkey story | |||
| "Tales of the High Seas" story | |||
| later published as "The New Catacomb" | |||
| 17 January 1898 | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| 1 October 1898 | The Manchester Weekly Times | also published in Ainslee's Magazine, October 1898 | |
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| Round the Fire story | |||
| – December 1899 | serialised in three parts | ||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| completion of novel by Grant Allen | |||
| completion of novel by Grant Allen | |||
| Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly | |||
| "Strange Studies From Life" article | |||
| "Strange Studies From Life" article | |||
| "Strange Studies From Life" article | |||
| – April 1902 | Sherlock Holmes novel; serialised over nine months | ||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| – February 1903 | Brigadier Gerard story | ||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| – December 1906 | serialised over 13 issues | ||
| – October 1907 | Cassell's Magazine | ||
| Sherlock Holmes story; published in book form as first part of "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story; published in book form as second part of "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| story in verse | |||
| Brigadier Gerard story | |||
| "Through the Mists" story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| "Through the Mists" story | |||
| "Through the Mists" story | |||
| – April 1911 | Sherlock Holmes story | ||
| Captain Sharkey story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| – November 1912 | Professor Challenger story | ||
| – July 1913 | Professor Challenger story | ||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| – May 1915 | Sherlock Holmes novel; serialised over nine issues | ||
| – April 1915 | |||
| – June 1917 | serialised over fifteen months | ||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes-related article | |||
| "Three of Them" story | |||
| "Three of Them" story | |||
| – June 1918 | |||
| "Three of Them" story | |||
| "Three of Them" story | |||
| – November 1918 | |||
| "Three of Them" story | |||
| – February 1919 | |||
| interview by Hayden Church | |||
| , January, May, September and November 1920 | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| – March 1922 | Sherlock Holmes story | ||
| contribution to symposium | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| – July 1924 | autobiography; serialised over ten issues | ||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| contribution to symposium | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| – March 1925 | Sherlock Holmes story | ||
| "The Land of Mist" | – March 1926 | Professor Challenger story | |
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes story | |||
| Sherlock Holmes-related essay | |||
| – September 1927 | |||
| – February 1928 | |||
| – May 1928 | Professor Challenger story | ||
| Professor Challenger story | |||
| – May 1929 | published in book form as the last two chapters of The Maracot Deep | ||
| 8 August 1930 | also published in The Strand Magazine, December 1930 | ||
| 23 August 1930 | also published in The Strand Magazine, November 1930 |
Novels
Short story collections
| Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher | Series or genre |
| Mysteries and Adventures | Scott | Mysteries | |
| Longmans, Green | – | ||
| George Newnes | Sherlock Holmes | ||
| Scott | Mysteries | ||
| George Newnes | Sherlock Holmes | ||
| Round the Red Lamp: Being Facts and Fancies of Medical Life | Methuen | – | |
| Strange Secrets | R.F. Fenno and Company | Mysteries | |
| George Newnes | Brigadier Gerard | ||
| Smith, Elder & Co. | – | ||
| George Newnes | Brigadier Gerard | ||
| George Newnes | Sherlock Holmes | ||
| Round the Fire Stories | Smith, Elder & Co. | – | |
| Smith, Elder & Co. | – | ||
| His Last Bow | John Murray | Sherlock Holmes | |
| Danger! and Other Stories | John Murray | – | |
| Tales of Terror and Mystery | John Murray | – | |
| Three of Them | John Murray | – | |
| John Murray | Sherlock Holmes |
Stage works
| Title | Location of first performance | Date of first performance | Year of publication | Publisher | Notes |
| Jane Annie; or, The Good Conduct Prize | London | Chappell & Co. | Libretto to operetta, with J.M. Barrie; music by Ernest Ford | ||
| Foreign Policy | London | – | – | Based on A Question of Diplomacy | |
| Bristol | Samuel French Ltd. | A one-act play written for Sir Henry Irving | |||
| Brothers | Aberdeen | – | Based on novel Halves by James Payn | ||
| Sherlock Holmes | London | Samuel French Ltd. | With William Gillette | ||
| London | Samuel French Ltd. | ||||
| Brigadier Gerard | London | Gaslight, Bloomington, IN | |||
| Liverpool | – | – | |||
| London | – | – | |||
| London | – | – | |||
| London | Samuel French Ltd. | ||||
| Bristol | Privately printed | ||||
| Angels of Darkness: A Drama in Three Acts | – | – | The Baker Street Irregulars in cooperation with the Toronto Public Library, New York, NY |
Poetry
The majority of Doyle's poetry falls into the genre of war poetry.| Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher |
| Songs of Action | Smith, Elder & Co. | |
| Songs of the Road | Smith, Elder & Co. | |
| J. Murray | ||
| J. Murray |
Non-fiction
| Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher | Topic |
| Smith, Elder & Co. | Military history | ||
| Smith, Elder & Co. | Military history | ||
| Through the Magic Door | Smith, Elder & Co. | Memoir of the books in Doyle's library | |
| Hutchinson | History | ||
| Hodder & Stoughton | Crime | ||
| Hodder & Stoughton | Military history | ||
| Hodder & Stoughton | Military history | ||
| Hodder & Stoughton | Military history | ||
| Memories and Adventures | Hodder & Stoughton | Autobiography | |
| Dangerous Work: Diary of an Arctic Adventure | Autobiography |
Spiritualist and paranormal works
Books
| Title | Year of first publication | First edition publisher |
| Hodder & Stoughton | ||
| Hodder & Stoughton | ||
| Verbatim Report of a Public Debate on 'The Truth of Spiritualism' between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Joseph McCabe | Watts & Co | |
| Hodder & Stoughton | ||
| Hodder & Stoughton | ||
| Hutchinson | ||
| Our American Adventure | Hodder & Stoughton | |
| Our Second American Adventure | Hodder & Stoughton | |
| Two Worlds Publishing Company | ||
| Cassell | ||
| Pheneas Speaks | Psychic Press | |
| Our African Winter | John Murray | |
| John Murray |