The Narrative of John Smith

One of the lesser known Arthur Conan Doyle books: Conan Doyle wrote his first novel The Narrative of John Smith in 1883 when he was just 23, living in Portsmouth and struggling to establish himself as a doctor and a writer. This volume has never published before, and it has exceptional value as a window into the mind of the creator of Sherlock Holmes, and many of the themes and tropes of Conan Doyle's later writing can clearly be seen.

Through John Smith, a 50-year-old man confined to his room by an attack of gout, Arthur Conan Doyle sets down his thoughts and opinions on a range of subjects – literature, science, religion, war, politics – making it a novel of considerable biographical importance.

Also available as a Kindle ebook

Review
'... the heart of every lover of British writing will rejoice at this discovery of an early and as yet unpublished work by the creator of Holmes, Watson, Moriarty and Professor Challenger.' Stephen Fry