The life of Arthur Conan Doyle illustrates the excitement and diversity of the Victorian age unlike that of any other figure of the period. In his autobiography, he wrote: “I have had a life which, for variety and romance, could, I think, hardly be exceeded.‘ He was not wrong. But Conan Doyle was also a Victorian with a twist, a man of tensions and contradictions. He was fascinated by travel, exploration, invention, and indeed all things modern and technological; yet at the same time very traditional, voicing support for values such as chivalry, duty, constancy, and honour. By the time of his death he was a celebrity, achieving worldwide fame for his creation of the rationalist, scientific super-detective Sherlock Holmes; but his later decades were taken up with advocacy of the new religion of Spiritualism, in which he became a devoted believer.The new Complete Works of Conan Doyle embodies all of the excitement and vitality of this extraordinary man’s life, ranging from the Sherlock Holmes stories to philosophical and spiritual works, taking in science fictions and historical comedies, grand histories and criminological investigations. The contents of the volumes are as follows:Volume 1 (204 pp.): Introduction to the works by Dr. Neil McCaw; A Study in Scarlet; The Sign of FourVolume 2 (150 pp.): The Hound of the BaskervillesVolume 3 (148 pp.): The Valley of FearVolume 4 (378 pp.): Micah ClarkeVolume 5 (283 pp.): Sir NigelVolume 6 (336 pp.): The White CompanyVolume 7 (304 pp.): The RefugeesVolume 8 (209 pp.): Rodney StoneVolume 9 (140 pp.): Uncle BernacVolume 10 (169 pp.): The Lost WorldVolume 11 (265 pp.): The Poison Belt; The Land of MistVolume 12 (121 pp.): The Mystery of CloomberVolume 13 (332 pp.): The Firm of GirdlestoneVolume 14 (163 pp.): The Stark Munro LettersVolume 15 (110 pp.): A Desert DramaVolume 16 (188 pp.): A Duet, with an Occasional ChorusVolume 17 (244 pp.): The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesVolume 18 (206 pp.): The Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesVolume 19 (262 pp.): The Return of Sherlock HolmesVolume 20 (198 pp.): The Case-book of Sherlock HolmesVolume 21 (179 pp.): The Captain of the PolestarVolume 22 (309 pp.): The Great Shadow and other storiesVolume 23 (167 pp.): Round the Red LampVolume 24 (176 pp.): The Green FlagVolume 25 (161 pp.): The Exploits of Brigadier GerardVolume 26 (221 pp.): Round the Fire StoriesVolume 27 (171 pp.): The Last GalleyVolume 28 (139 pp.): Danger! and other storiesVolume 29 (284 pp.): Detective and Mystery StoriesVolume 30 (137 pp.): The Maracot Deep and other storiesVolume 31 (101 pp.): The Parasite and Other StoriesVolume 32 (441 pp.): Uncollected Short StoriesVolume 33 (268 pp.): complete poetry; The Journey (play)Volume 34 (98 pp.): Waterloo; The Speckled Band (plays)Volume 35 (79 pp.): Jane Annie (an opera, libretto by Conan Doyle in collaboration)Volume 36 (185 pp.): Through the Magic Door; A Glimpse of the British Army; A Glimpse of the Italian Army; A Glimpse of the French Line; The Vital MessageVolume 37 (98 pp.): The Story of Mr. George Edalji; The Case of Oscar SlaterVolume 38 (132 pp.): The War in South AfricaVolume 39 (448 pp.): The Great Boer WarVolume 40 (114 pp.): The Crime of the CongoVolume 41 (81 pp.): The German War; To Arms!Volume 42 (199 pp.): The British Campaign in France and Flanders, vol. I (1914)Volume 43 (142 pp.): The British Campaign in France and Flanders, vol. II (1915)Volume 44 (193 pp.): The British Campaign in France and Flanders, vol. III (1916)Volume 45 (178 pp.): The British Campaign in France and Flanders, vol. IV (1917)Volume 46 (195 pp.): The British Campaign in France and Flanders, vol. V (January-June 1918)Volume 47 (181 pp.): The British Campaign in France and Flanders, vol. VI (July-November 1918)Volume 48 (85 pp.): The Coming of the FairiesVolume 49 (210 pp.): The Edge of the Unknown; The New RevelationVolume 50 (160 pp.): Pheneas Speaks; Psychic Experiences; Spiritualism and RationalismVolume 51 (194 pp.): The History of SpiritualismVolume 52 (127 pp.): Our African WinterVolume 53 (159 pp.): The Wanderings of a SpiritualistVolume 54 (108 pp.): Our American AdventureVolume 55 (129 pp.): Our Second American AdventureVolume 56 (329 pp.): Memories and Adventures; Western WanderingsThe Works have all been newly typeset for this edition. In the absence of an even nearly complete edition of Conan Doyle’s works which is in the public domain, the texts for this edition have had to be sourced piecemeal from available public-domain versions. The majority of these have been relatively early editions; a few have been modern reprints of the original texts unedited; a number have been etexts reproducing in their turn editions now in the public domain. Due to their number and variety, it is impossible to list them all here.Neil McCaw, Reader in English Literature at the University of Winchester and Academic Director of The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, Lancelyn Green Bequest, has written a new introduction to the Works, in volume 1, which covers biographical background, critical reception, influence, and a brief bibliography.
