Round the Fire Stories (Paperback)

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author) "My friend, Leonel Dacre, lived in the Avenue de Wagram, Paris..." (more)
Key Phrases: japanned box, smoking carriage, surgery door, Lord Linchmere, Monsieur Caratal, Miss Morton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"The reader who takes up the book may make sure of having quite enough thrills to last him for some time". -- The Spector, October 17, 1908

"Again and again the sly and highly intellectual humor of the author is in evidence, even in his quite seriously conceived tales". -- The News York Times, November 21, 1908

Originally published in 1908 and out of print for more than half a century, this collection of stories, complete with a Preface by the author, presents Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at his finest. These are seventeen tales of suspense and adventure, of the mysterious and fantastic, mean to be read "round the fire" upon a winter's night. Murder, madness, ghosts, unsolved crimes, diabolical traps, and inexplicable disappearances abound in these exciting accounts narrated by doctors, lawyers, gentlemen, teachers, burglars, dilettantes, and convicted criminals. The titles are inviting-"The Pot of Caviare", "The Clubfooted Grocer", "The Brazilian Cat", "The Sealed Room", and "The Fiend of the Cooperage"-and the stories are riveting. This is a rediscovered classic by a master storyteller.

About the Author
The creator of Sherlock Holmes, the world's most famous literary detective. Born in Scotland, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a practising doctor when he began to write tales of mystery and adventure. In addition to the Sherlock Holmes stories, Conan Doyle also wrote the Professor Challenger adventures, and his classic, The Lost World, is one of the original fantasy novels. Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was born in Edinburgh and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh's Medical School. Graduating in 1881, he set up practice as an occultist, but as patients proved elusive he turned to writing. An important influence upon his literary career was his professor, Dr Joseph Bell, who could observe the most minute detail regarding a patient's condition. This master of deduction became the model for Conan Doyle's legendary literary creation, the detective Sherlock Holmes, introduced in A Study in Scarlet in 1887. Conan Doyle also espoused spiritualism and devoted considerable time and effort to a campaign of support for this cause. He also wrote successfully in genres other than detective fiction. His non-fiction includes military writing on the Boer War and pamphlets on spiritualism. It is known that he felt constricted at times by the popularity of Holmes, but it is nevertheless for Sherlock Holmes and his foil, the ponderous Dr Watson that he is best remembered. As Sherlock Holmes was the first detective to solve cases by deduction rather than due to an error by the criminal, Conan Doyle can be credited with creating the modern detective novel. He was knighted in 1902 for his support of the British cause in the Boer Wars. After the death of his son in the First World War, he devoted the rest of his life to spiritualism on which he wrote and lectured. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (June 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877018839
• ISBN-13: 978-0877018834
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #724,595 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #11 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Doyle, Arthur Conan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Conan Doyle Was Brilliant, July 9, 2008

By	William Lyons "Filmhunter" (Fairfield, CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I disagree with the reviewer below that these tales are not "great" or "brilliant". While all these tales certainly aren't great, some shine with brilliancy. "The Brazilian Cat" was a masterpiece of horror. It slowly builds to its conclusion and the wind outside, beautifully described by Conan Doyle, creepily adds to the atmosphere. The story has an even greater impact when we learn our hosts charming facade masks a great evil. The writing is crisp and taunt as it slowly mounts. I'd like to see the reviwer below write something this good...

"The Case of Lady Sannox" is a very dark and disturbing tale with a diabolical twist at the end. There are hints and traces of the more darker corners of Conan Doyle's mind in the Holmes canon. But because those were essentially mysteries I think he held back on the more horror aspects. But in these tales he lets loose that suppressed darker nature of man..

The reviewer complains about most of the characters being male, Caucasian or European. Gee, since most of the tales take place in Europe, that would only make sense, no ? A Europe that was mostly populated with Caucasians at the time. The reviewer below is clearly placing today's liberal ideals on Victorian standards which quite differed quite from our own. As for women, Conan Doyle always wrote admirably and highly of them. In fact, he has a woman outwit the great and mighty Sherlock Holmes and had knights do great, daring, dangerous and chivilrous deeds for women in "The White Company".

My only complaint about this book is it did not include the tale "Lot No. 249". It is without a doubt one of the most chilling and horrifying tales ever written. For an author who was not known for horror or ghost stories, his work in that genre certainly ranks up there with Poe, LeFanu, M.R. James, Machen, Blackwood or Lovecraft. In fact Conan Doyle was a brilliant man, his interests and pursuits branching out and becoming all-encompassing.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Free SF Reader, October 8, 2007

By	Blue Tyson "- http://freesf.blogspot.com" - See all my reviews

This is mostly a supernatural/horror collection, with a bit of the mystery stuff thrown in.

Round the Fire Stories : THE MAN WITH THE WATCHES - Arthur Conan Doyle
Round the Fire Stories : THE BLACK DOCTOR - Arthur Conan Doyle
Round the Fire Stories : THE JEW'S BREASTPLATE - Arthur Conan Doyle
Round the Fire Stories : THE LOST SPECIAL - Arthur Conan Doyle
Round the Fire Stories : THE CLUB-FOOTED GROCER - Arthur Conan Doyle
Round the Fire Stories : THE SEALED ROOM - Arthur Conan Doyle
Round the Fire Stories : THE BRAZILIAN CAT - Arthur Conan Doyle


Train death mystery.

3 out of 5


Fraternal history in Argentina revisits a country doc.

3 out of 5


Protecting artefacts.

3.5 out of 5


Train nicking crime.

3 out of 5



An uncle requires his nephew's aid, physical prowess and gun, in a tale of criminals, diamonds and revenge.

4 out of 5


An accident encounter leads to an inhabitant discovery.

3 out of 5


Even if broke, don't visit relatives with pumas as housecats.

4 out of 5