Eight-page holograph speech

Eight-page holograph speech

June 29, 1896

Delivered at the Authors’ Club

Displayed for the first time, this eight-page holograph speech catches Conan Doyle at the midpoint of his life. Reading this manuscript is akin to hearing Conan Doyle himself. It is personal, good-humored, appreciative of his literary heroes, full of anecdotes about his early, struggling years as a writer and his bemusement at the annoyances of celebrity, and offers kindly advice to fellow writers. It is rich in witty insights about what led him into detective fiction, his true feelings about his most famous creation, and more. There are few better ways to fall under Conan Doyle’s spell than by reading this speech.