Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and Devon

The definitive tour guide for anyone looking to retrace the steps, physically or virtually, of Arthur Conan Doyle during his time in Devon and see the places that inspired the Sherlock Holmes stories. The book features a comprehensive tour map with GPS co-ordinates for around thirty key sites. Arthur Conan Doyle is best remembered for writing sixty tales that feature his legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes. Between 1882 and 1923, Doyle visited Devon on no fewer than ten occasions and he resided there for some four months in total. During 1882, Dr. George Turnavine Budd employed Doyle as a junior physician at his surgery in West Devon. Their partnership was dissolved after just seven weeks and Doyle was compelled to turn increasingly to writing in order to supplement his income. During 1891 and 1892, George Newnes elevated Sherlock Holmes to stardom via the pages of his Strand Magazine. He then used some of the ensuing profits to build a summer home in North Devon. In July 1900, Doyle befriended a young journalist called Bertram Fletcher Robinson from South Devon. This friendship inspired Doyle to resurrect Holmes for his highly successful supreme adventure, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Once again, Newnes used some of the resulting profits to fund civic improvements in North Devon. These links are further explored within Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and Devon - A Complete Tour Guide and Companion.