An Entirely New Country
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Alistair Duncan knows his Arthur Conan Doyle stuff. This excellent observation of the -Undershaw- period of Conan Doyle s life follows his previous fine appraisal of the -Norwood- period. Duncan covers the gamut of Conan Doyle s public and private life and comments fairly on what he sees as the noble and flawed aspects of his character. --Bill Barnes, The Sydney Passengers
It was evident from his first book Eliminate the Impossible that Alistair Duncan writes well, that he writes with knowledge and enthusiasm, and that he thinks about what he writes. His subsequent books, Close to Holmes and The Norwood Author, did more than just confirm that impression: they established him as an important commentator on Arthur Conan Doyle and his famous creation. After exploring the years when Conan Doyle lived in Norwood - surprisingly neglected by previous biographers, even though it was then that he became truly famous - Mr Duncan has turned his attention to the author's next decade, perhaps the most turbulent of his life. Undershaw, the house that Conan Doyle had built at Hindhead, was his home from 1897 to 1907. He wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Nigel, The Return of Sherlock Holmes and much else at Undershaw. The house saw the end of his first marriage and the beginning of his second. He was resident here when he became Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yet, despite its cultural and architectural importance, Undershaw currently stands empty, vandalised and neglected. Read An Entirely New Country and you'll understand just why the Undershaw years were so important. --Roger Johnson, The Sherlock Holmes Journal
This charming book stands not only as a testament to a crucial and hugely productive period in the life of one of our greatest storytellers but as a proud call to arms for his houses preservation. [saveundershaw.com]. --Mark Gatiss (BBC Sherlock)
It was evident from his first book Eliminate the Impossible that Alistair Duncan writes well, that he writes with knowledge and enthusiasm, and that he thinks about what he writes. His subsequent books, Close to Holmes and The Norwood Author, did more than just confirm that impression: they established him as an important commentator on Arthur Conan Doyle and his famous creation. After exploring the years when Conan Doyle lived in Norwood - surprisingly neglected by previous biographers, even though it was then that he became truly famous - Mr Duncan has turned his attention to the author's next decade, perhaps the most turbulent of his life. Undershaw, the house that Conan Doyle had built at Hindhead, was his home from 1897 to 1907. He wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Nigel, The Return of Sherlock Holmes and much else at Undershaw. The house saw the end of his first marriage and the beginning of his second. He was resident here when he became Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yet, despite its cultural and architectural importance, Undershaw currently stands empty, vandalised and neglected. Read An Entirely New Country and you'll understand just why the Undershaw years were so important. --Roger Johnson, The Sherlock Holmes Journal
This charming book stands not only as a testament to a crucial and hugely productive period in the life of one of our greatest storytellers but as a proud call to arms for his houses preservation. [saveundershaw.com]. --Mark Gatiss (BBC Sherlock)
Product Description
The late 1890s saw Arthur Conan Doyle return to England after several years abroad. His new house, named Undershaw, represented a fresh start but it was also the beginning of a dramatic decade that saw him fall in love, stand for parliament, fight injustice and be awarded a knighthood. However, for his many admirers, the most important event of that decade was the resurrection of Sherlock Holmes - the character that he felt had cast a shadow over his life.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I recently purchased this book because firstly I was curious about Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle's years in Undershaw and secondly this raises awareness of the Undershaw cause (see more at Undershaw Preservation Trust's website).
I must admit I have never been fond of biographies and other non fiction books. They just have always reminded me too much of the school textbooks which are (with rare exceptions) boring. But I wanted to get to know more about Undershaw and what it meant to Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and the Sherlockian world. Alistair Duncan has a way with words that keeps a reader like me interested. Even hooked. I have never said that about a non fiction book and I mean it as a compliment. Very well researched, brilliantly written with subtle sparks of humor - I often found myself smiling or chuckling when reading it. Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle lived a very interesting, at times even a bit scandalous life and Alistair's commentary made it unfold before my eyes just like I would be reading a great imaginary story. It doesn't matter whether the story is fictional or tells the true facts, it really is important how it is told. That's a sign of a good story teller and Alistair Duncan is one.
A must have for every Sherlockian (or Holmesian).
I must admit I have never been fond of biographies and other non fiction books. They just have always reminded me too much of the school textbooks which are (with rare exceptions) boring. But I wanted to get to know more about Undershaw and what it meant to Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and the Sherlockian world. Alistair Duncan has a way with words that keeps a reader like me interested. Even hooked. I have never said that about a non fiction book and I mean it as a compliment. Very well researched, brilliantly written with subtle sparks of humor - I often found myself smiling or chuckling when reading it. Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle lived a very interesting, at times even a bit scandalous life and Alistair's commentary made it unfold before my eyes just like I would be reading a great imaginary story. It doesn't matter whether the story is fictional or tells the true facts, it really is important how it is told. That's a sign of a good story teller and Alistair Duncan is one.
A must have for every Sherlockian (or Holmesian).
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"A snapshot is a very revealing thing" writes Mark Gatiss in the foreword to Alistair Duncan's new study of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man who created Sherlock Holmes. The value of this 'snapshot' is to call attention to the sheer amount of work Doyle carried out during his residence at Hindhead, Surrey, from 1897 to 1907. His home for most of this time was Undershaw, a house he commissioned to be built in a location considered agreeable for his first wife who was suffering from tuberculosis. The house is now sadly neglected, a fact brought home to the reader by Alistair's use of contemporary photos showing dilapidated rooms, much changed since they were used to entertain fin-de-siècle literary society. Alistair navigates us through the diverse range of activities Doyle involved himself with - his volunteering during the Boer War, his literary and theatrical work, his political campaigns, his love of sport - and uses meticulous archive and newspaper research to present us with a decade in the life of a complex public figure who was much more than just a writer of wonderful detective stories. As well as his public life, Alistair considers closely Doyle's complicated private life and is justifiably critical of his treatment of the children from his first marriage on the death of their mother. It is a very readable biographical study which will leave the reader questioning why Undershaw has not been treated with the respect it deserves as an important reminder of our literary heritage.
Format:Paperback
Alistair Duncan's An Entirely New Country is an incredibly well researched account of ten of the most productive years in Arthur Conan Doyle's life. It is a pot of gold where it comes to details and unknown facts about Doyle's life, which add up to a much larger and more concise picture of a man who has done and achieved more than seems humanly possibly in one lifetime. The years described in this book, linked, ultimately to Doyle's life at Undershaw, are densely filled with all kinds of adventures, projects, love and sickness, happy times and toils. Even if it is unlikely to get bored by such an immense collection of events and facts, Alistair Duncan's style keeps the reader always with the nose in the book. It's a brilliant read, wonderfully worded with a well balanced amount of humorous and serious commentary by the author. Many myths and half-truths are cleared up and one gets the impression to have met the man himself and gotten to know him intimately when the book is finished. An absolute must read for anyone interested in Arthur Conan Doyle and his contemporaries.
Maria Fleischhack - The Baker Street Babes Podcast
Maria Fleischhack - The Baker Street Babes Podcast
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