Conan Doyle's First Novel

1895

S. S. McClure Tells How It Was Received In England.

S. S. McClure, in a recent interview, tells of his first acquaintance with Dr. A. Conan Doyle.

Mr. McClure said he was visiting Andrew Lang at St. Andrew's university, in Scotland. Mr. Lang said: "There is a young man named Dr. Doyle, who has written a capital shilling shocker (which is British for dime novel), and who is about to have a novel published by Longmans, and this man has a future."

"On my way back to Edinburgh," said Mr. McClure, "I purchased a copy of the shilling shocker, which proved to be one of the earliest and greatest of the famous Sherlock Holmes stories. I read it with unbounded delight. It was more than a shilling shocker. It was a great story, and although a detective story it certainly was a piece of literature.

"I continued my journey to London and purchased on the train copies of the two great critical journals, The Athenaeum and The Academy. It happened that both contained a review of Conan Doyle's new novel, 'Micah Clarke.' Dr. Doyle's name was then unknown to literature, and the book was heralded as a great work by a new writer. The Athenaeum scored the novel in strong terms and expressed wonder that any publisher should dare publish a book so dull. The Academy, on the other hand, praised the novel and rated it between 'Kidnapped,' by Stevenson, and 'Westward, Ho,' by Kingsley. It is needless to say that The Academy's verdict was the right one and the verdict of the public. I bought and read 'Micah Clarke,' and I instantly recognized the promise of this writer and arranged for his new novels and stories."