Sherlock Holmes: Hound of the Baskervilles Audio Book

About the author

Arthur Conan Doyle was born on 22 May 1859, in Edinburgh, to Irish parents. He attended a Jesuit preparatory school, then, from the age of 17, studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh.  After graduating he served as a ship's doctor on a voyage to West Africa, and then in 1882 set up a practice in Plymouth.

His medical practice was not very successful, so while waiting for patients he began writing stories. His most famous character, Sherlock Holmes, made his first appearance in 1887, in a serialised novel, A Study in Scarlet.

Over the course of forty years (1887-1927) Conan Doyle wrote a total of 56 short stories and four novels featuring Sherlock Holmes.  His other published works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction.

In 1885 Conan Doyle married Louisa (or Louise) Hawkins, with whom he had two children.  She suffered from tuberculosis and eventually died in 1906.   With his second wife, Jean Leckie, whom he married in 1907, Sir Arthur had a further three children.

At the turn of the 20th century Conan Doyle was a notable campaigner in support of England's role in the Boer war. Soon after, in 1902, he was knighted.   He was also a fervent advocate of justice, a first class cricketer, a war correspondent, historian, whaler, and twice unsuccessfully stood for election to Parliament as a Liberal Unionist.

After the death of his first wife, Conan Doyle found solace supporting spiritualism and in attempts to prove the existence of life after death.   By the 1920's he had also become, apparently, convinced of the existence of fairies, and published a book on the subject, including purported photographs.  His beliefs in the supernatural prompted a bitter, public falling-out with his one-time friend, the American magician Harry Houdini.

Conan Doyle died on July 7, 1930.

About the narrator

Shane Sody was, for 18 years, a professional broadcaster on some of Australia’s best-known commercial radio stations.

 
He has also been a part-time dramatic and comic actor (including Shakespearean roles) with local theatre companies in Sydney and the Gold Coast.  But it was his consistent and award-winning performances on radio that made him so well known to hundreds of thousands of Australian listeners from 1979 to 1997.  

As a newsreader on Sydney’s 2GB and 2UE, later as news director and current affairs commentator on Adelaide’s radio 5AD and 5DN, Shane Sody established a reputation as one of Australia’s authoritative radio voices.  He has been narrating and producing audio books for sale on eBay since March 2005.