Arthur Who Wrote Sherlock

Written by Linda Bailey

Illustrated by Isabelle Follath

Tundra Books

978-0-7352-6925-5

56 pp.

Ages 5-9

2022

Many young readers will know the name Sherlock Holmes, probably from TV or movies, though perhaps more rarely from the books in which he stars, and I suspect fewer will know his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Linda Bailey is sure to remedy that with her latest illustrated creative biography in Tundra's Who Wrote Classics series by shining a spotlight on the author and how Sherlock came to be.

From Arthur Who Wrote Sherlock by Linda Bailey, illus. by Isabelle Follath

From listening to stories told by his mother, learning to read and becoming a voracious reader, and then writing his first story at age 6, Arthur had a history of love for words and the magic they could create. That love of words would certainly help sustain him as his family dealt with poverty and a mentally ill father who turned to alcohol. When sent away to boarding school by his rich uncles, Arthur struggled with new challenges but could always rely on his storytelling to help him through. 

From Arthur Who Wrote Sherlock by Linda Bailey, illus. by Isabelle Follath

At 17, Arthur went to medical school where he became the assistant to the amazing Dr. Joseph Bell from whom he learned much about observation to aid in diagnosis. Throughout his studies he took on a variety of jobs to earn money. But these jobs, which included being a ship's medical officer, provided him with the adventures and anecdotes that would later feature in his stories. These would be important because, as Arthur struggled to establish a medical practice, he wrote. And, among all his writing endeavours, he created a detective based on his brilliant teacher, Dr. Bell. Though getting published was laborious, Arthur tweaked onto the idea of serializing Sherlock's stories and publishing them regularly in the same magazine to get readers excited and hooked. With that endeavour, Sherlock became a hit. 

From Arthur Who Wrote Sherlock by Linda Bailey, illus. by Isabelle Follath

Surprisingly, Sherlock was such a hit that readers were convinced he was real, and Arthur was left with no time for anything except Sherlock. Even when he resolved to kill off his detective, he was drawn back in by fans, and found a way to resurrect Sherlock and control what he chose to write, always with the aim of ensuring justice and fairness prevailed, whether in real life or in his stories.

 

Linda Bailey wanted to make Arthur the star of his story. Everyone knew and knows Sherlock Holmes, dubbed "the world's most famous man who never was" but Arthur Conan Doyle is a lesser character in his own story. Linda Bailey, though, makes him the lead in Arthur Who Wrote Sherlock, just as she did for Mary Shelley in her earlier book Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein (2018). Arthur is no longer the man behind the man. He is Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock comes from him; this is what Swiss illustrator Isabelle Follath depicts in the book's cover. But beyond highlighting the author of Sherlock, Linda Bailey tells us the story of Arthur Conan Doyle both around and beyond Sherlock. This is an illustrated biography and Linda Bailey makes sure to tell us everything of Conan Doyle's beginnings and trajectory to famous author. His story is full and what she doesn't tell us in the text she includes in an extensive "Author's Note" with references at the end of the book. There's lots to learn about the man and the writer and Linda Bailey makes sure that we know who wrote the stories of Sherlock Holmes.

Isabelle Follath's artwork, primarily in watercolour and pencil, play up the realism of a biography, though her depictions of the fancy of Conan Doyle's imagination allow for some whimsy and dramatic abandon from the tangible of a life of poverty, challenges, and work.

Young readers may learn a little bit more about Sherlock Holmes, but they will most definitely learn loads about Arthur Conan Doyle and understand better how he became the man who wrote Sherlock.