Discovery of Unpublished Holmes Story
On 12 September 1942, the Associated Press announced that an authentic, unpublished Sherlock Holmes story had been found by Adrian Conan Doyle. Supposedly written in his father's uniquely neat handwriting, the story was buried in a chest that contained family documents. However, as pointed out by Jon L. Lellenberg in Nova 57 Minor, the manuscript was not in Conan Doyle's handwriting, but typewritten. Sir Arthur's daughter Jean said she knew the manuscript was not written by her father. Adrian Conan Doyle refused to publish it. A month later, the Baker Street Irregulars wrote a letter to the Saturday Review of Literature, insisting that the story be published.
In the United States, Cosmopolitan magazine obtained it and published it in their August 1948 issue under the uncharacteristic title The Case of the Man who was Wanted. It was also published in London's Sunday Dispatch magazine the following January. Sherlockian Vincent Starrett doubted that the story was written by the elder Doyle and suggested that Adrian was the author.
In September 1945, a letter was received by Hesketh Pearson, a biographer of Arthur Conan Doyle. The letter stated, "My pride is not unduly hurt by your remark that 'The Man who was Wanted' is certainly not up to scratch for the sting is much mitigated by your going on to remark that it carries the authentic trade–mark! This, I feel, is a great compliment to my one and only effort at plagiarism." The letter was written by an architect named Arthur Whitaker who had sent the story to Arthur Conan Doyle in 1911 with a suggestion that they publish it as a joint collaboration. Doyle refused, but sent Whitaker a "cheque for ten guineas" in payment for the story. Whitaker retained a carbon copy. After seeing it attributed in the Sunday Dispatch to Arthur Conan Doyle, Whitaker wrote a letter to Denis Conan Doyle explaining the true authorship. Denis forwarded the letter to his brother Adrian, who became angry, demanded proof, and threatened legal action. In 1949, the Doyles admitted, after seeing the carbon copy and listening to people who had read it in 1911, that Whitaker was the author. The story, which was thought by many people to be the work of Arthur Conan Doyle, has been published recently in the collection The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Read more about this topic: Adrian Conan Doyle
Famous quotes containing the words discovery of, discovery, unpublished, holmes and/or story:
“As the mother of a son, I do not accept that alienation from me is necessary for his discovery of himself. As a woman, I will not cooperate in demeaning womanly things so that he can be proud to be a man. I like to think the women in my son’s future are counting on me.”
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin (20th century)
“The discovery of Pennsylvania’s coal and iron was the deathblow to Allaire. The works were moved to Pennsylvania so hurriedly that for years pianos and the larger pieces of furniture stood in the deserted houses.”
—For the State of New Jersey, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“The true colour of life is the colour of the body, the colour of the covered red, the implicit and not explicit red of the living heart and the pulses. It is the modest colour of the unpublished blood.”
—Alice Meynell (1847–1922)
““No, no; the real name,” said Holmes sweetly. “It is always awkward doing business with an alias.””
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)
“I should like to suggest that at least on the face of it a stroke by stroke story of a copulation is exactly as absurd as a chew by chew account of the consumption of a chicken’s wing.”
—William Gass (b. 1924)