Arthur Conan Doyle

Le Signe des quatre (The Sign of Four en version originale) est la deuxi me aventure de Sherlock Holmes, crite en 1889 par Arthur Conan Doyle et publi e en 1890. Le titre de ce roman, chronologiquement le premier du cycle de Sherlock Holmes para tre en fran ais, fut aussi traduit La Marque des quatre ou encore Le Pacte des quatre. R sum Ennuy par le manque d'enqu tes, Sherlock Holmes s'adonne la consommation de drogues pour s'occuper, ainsi qu' diverses activit s ennuyeuses, sous le regard de son colocataire, le docteur John Watson. En 1888, une jeune cliente blonde, Mary Morstan, d barque chez Holmes, et lui demande de l'aide. Elle lui explique qu'elle est gouvernante, et que c'est sa patronne qui lui a conseill de venir ici. Watson tombe sous le charme de la jeune femme qui expose son probl me; son p re tait navigateur dans les Indes et est d c d environ dix ans auparavant (disparu le 3 d cembre 1878). Or, elle re oit, depuis six ans, et cycle r gulier, des perles de grande valeur. Et ce m me jour lui est parvenu une enveloppe o un anonyme lui demande de venir un rendez-vous, accompagn e si elle le souhaite, mais pas d'un policier. Holmes accepte de l'aider, et paul de Watson, accompagne Mary au dit rendez-vous. Ils d couvrent sur place que l'anonyme est le fils d'un ancien ami et coll gue du capitaine Morstan. Celui-ci r v le que leurs p res avaient d couvert un tr sor de cinq cent mille livres, mais que ni le tr sor ni les bijoux n'ont t partag s avec la fille de Morstan. L'homme explique enfin que son fr re a d couvert le coffre hier, cach dans leur maison. Mais arriv s sur les lieux, ils constatent la mort du fr re et la disparition du coffre. Holmes et Watson commencent alors un dangereux p riple qui les m nera jusqu' une course poursuite folle sur la Tamise... Arthur Conan Doyle (n Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle le 22 mai 1859 dimbourg, en cosse, et mort le 7 juillet 1930 Crowborough dans le Sussex), est un crivain et m decin britannique. Il doit sa c l brit ses romans et nouvelles mettant en sc ne le d tective Sherlock Holmes - consid r s comme une innovation majeure du roman policier - et le professeur Challenger. Cet crivain prolifique a galement t l'auteur de livres de science-fiction, de romans historiques, de pi ces de th tre, de po sies et d'oeuvres historiques. Il a t lev au rang de Chevalier de l'ordre du Tr s v n rable ordre de Saint-Jean par le roi douard VII le 24 octobre 1902 et porte depuis le vocable de Sir . Biographie D buts et formation Arthur Conan Doyle na t en 1859 en cosse, dans une famille catholique d'origine normande immigr e du village d'Ouilly-sur-Orne. D'un p re anglais Charles Altamont Doyle, et d'une m re irlandaise, Mary Foley, mari s en 1855. D'apr s la pr face de la version fran aise de La Compagnie blanche, il serait aussi un descendant des ducs de Bretagne (Conan). Cet arbre g n alogique serait l'origine de sa passion pour l'histoire, et ainsi de ses oeuvres La Compagnie Blanche et Sir Nigel. Conan est son troisi me pr nom, mais il l'associera plus tard son patronyme. Conan Doyle effectue sa scolarit primaire l' cole pr paratoire des j suites de Hodder Place (en), dans la ville de Hurst Green (en) - pr s de Clitheroe, dans le Lancashire. l' ge de neuf ans, il est inscrit au coll ge de Stonyhurst qu'il quitte vers 1875, rejetant le christianisme avant de devenir agnostique. De 1876 1881, il tudie la m decine l'universit d' dimbourg et effectue plusieurs stages Aston (en) (actuellement un district de Birmingham) et Sheffield. Tout en pratiquant la m decine, il commence crire des nouvelles dont les premi res sont publi es dans le Chambers's Edimburgh Journal avant sa vingti me ann e. Le 28 f vrier 1880, alors qu'il est en 3 ann e de m decine, il s'embarque comme of

"Jim Harrison - boxeur" par Arthur Conan Doyle. Arthur Conan Doyle tait un crivain et m decin cossais (1859-1930).

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of those authors whose literary creation is much more famous than the man himself. Those who do know the name Arthur Conan Doyle tend to know him only as the inventor of the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes. A smaller segment of this group goes further and remembers Doyle as the inventor of the great detective who squandered his fame with crackpot beliefs in faeries and the supernatural. Sadly, there is so much more to the man who revolutionized the writing not just of detective fiction but also of the genre of horror, the supernatural, and even influenced history itself. This two volume anthology's point is to put Doyle back on the pedestal he so rightly deserves. Its aim is twofold. First, to introduce readers to Doyle's lesser known (yet no less important) works. These works speak for themselves in showing a master writer at his craft. The stories are timeless, enjoyable, and hopefully will lead to new fans embracing a great author's somewhat forgotten tales. The second aim is to show the relevance of Doyle's works. Through a collection of articles written by current scholars and experts, readers can see just how revolutionary Doyle's writings remain even today.

Sherlock Holmes decodes a cipher which turns out to be a warning from Moriarty's organization for one Douglas in Birlstone, but there is only a corpse waiting for the warning. Holmes fixates quickly on some inconsistencies at the murder scene which leads to the Vermissa Valley inside coal country in the United States. The mystery intertwines the Freemen of Chicago, the old west mountain coal mining areas, the take down of a corrupt group of murders who ran the Freeman Lodge and even a love story. Will Holmes succeed or will Moriarty prove to be too much for our infamous detective?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of those authors whose literary creation is much more famous than the man himself. Those who do know the name Arthur Conan Doyle tend to know him only as the inventor of the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes. A smaller segment of this group goes further and remembers Doyle as the inventor of the great detective who squandered his fame with crackpot beliefs in faeries and the supernatural. Sadly, there is so much more to the man who revolutionized the writing not just of detective fiction but also of the genre of horror, the supernatural, and even influenced history itself. This two volume anthology's point is to put Doyle back on the pedestal he so rightly deserves. Its aim is twofold. First, to introduce readers to Doyle's lesser known (yet no less important) works. These works speak for themselves in showing a master writer at his craft. The stories are timeless, enjoyable, and hopefully will lead to new fans embracing a great author's somewhat forgotten tales. The second aim is to show the relevance of Doyle's works. Through a collection of articles written by current scholars and experts, readers can see just how revolutionary Doyle's writings remain even today.

REVEALING THE PERSONAL SECRETS OF HARRY HOUDINI WAS HE A CLOSET PSYCHIC? CLAIRVOYANT? OR MEDIUM? HIS LIFE LONG FRIEND SIR AUTHOR CONAN DOYAL INSISTED HE HAD THE EVIDENCE THAT THE WORLD'S GREATEST ESCAPE ARTIST WAS NOT THE SKEPTIC HE MADE HIMSELF OUT TO BE THE CREATOR OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ASKED? --WAS HOUDINI'S FANATICAL DEBUNKING OF PSYCHICS AND MEDIUMS A SUBTERFUGE TO CONCEAL HIS OWN REMARKABLE PARANORMAL ABILITIES? . . At his burial some curious and suggestive words were used by the presiding rabbi: -- "HOUDINI POSSESSED A WONDROUS POWER THAT HE NEVER UNDERSTOOD AND WHICH HE NEVER REVEALED TO ANYONE IN LIFE . . The creator of Sherlock Holes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Harry Houdini were strange bedfellows. Doyle was a contemporary of the world's greatest magician and escape artist, who continually battled his friend over the legitimacy of life after death, and the reality of spiritualism. Doyle was a "true believer," while Houdini made it his "mission" to denounce just about all things preternatural. . . -- Doyle was convinced - from what he personally witnessed and what others confided to him - that Houdini could read minds, dematerialize, possessed supernatural strength, and was guided by angelic forces which shielded him from harm even during the most dangerous of escape performances which likely would have caused death to others. . . Doyle stated that Houdini had once remarked, "There are some of my feats which my own wife does not know the secret of." And a famous Chinese conjurer who had seen Houdini perform added, "This is not a trick, it is a gift." Sadly, many of Houdini's feats died with him, even though they would have been an invaluable asset. "What can cover all these facts," states Doyle, "save that there was some element in his power which was peculiar to himself, that could only point to a psychic element -- in a word, that he was a medium." . . . -- Here is both sides of the story -- in the actual words of the famed Sherlock Holmes originator and Houdini himself, who went out of his way to create the impression that fakes and phonies were afoot everywhere in the "shady world" of table tapping, levitating trumpets, spirit photography, slate writing, as well as the materialization of ectoplasmic forms in the darkening shadows of the s ance room.