Episode 176: The Man Who Would Be Sherlock

“it would be a great pleasure” [SIGN]  Acclaimed biographer Christopher Sandford joins us to discuss his book The Man Who Would Be Sherlock: The Real-Life Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle. But this isn't a biography. As Sandford explained, there was a perpetual itch that Conan Doyle had to scratch, and his writing wasn't enough to satisfy it. How did his lifelong crusade pan out? Why did he embrace spiritualism so fervently when he also valued the scientific method? How did he feel about the dissolution of his friendship with Harry Houdini? We discover the answers to these questions and more in our conversation with Chris, as well as the gothic setting of his own childhood, which was eerily similar to Conan Doyle's—and, how a cricket match led to him writing Mick Jagger's biography. Plus, be sure to tune in for the latest Canonical Couplet to see if you won. We have another opportunity for you to win a prize in the latest round. Information on sponsors, links, and notes available below. Please do consider becoming a Patron of the Arts. Your support helps us to ensure we can keep doing what we do, covering file hosting costs, production, and this year, transcription services. SponsorsWe're proud to feature Wessex Press as our lead sponsor. They've been with us for nearly the entire run. Please visit their site and let them know you found them via I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. We have room for more than one sponsor. If you're interested in advertising with us, you can find more information here. Let's chat! Download [Save As] | File size 27.6 MB, 1:00:15 LinksThis episode: ihose.co/ihose176The Man Who Would Be Sherlock: The Real-Life Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle by Christopher Sandford (Amazon)Christopher Sandford (MacMillan) Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at ihose.co/flipsherlock as well as through our accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Please subscribe on the podcast provider of your choosing:Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic, Soundcloud, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or Spreaker — or perhaps another we haven't listed here — and be kind enough to leave a rating and review for the show. And please tell a friend about us, in any fashion you feel comfortable. Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323). TranscriptWe're still looking for your help to reach our goal of $100 per episode level on Patreon (we're currently at $95 per episode—we're so close!). That will allow us to fund transcripts of every episode. But we do need you to pitch in — please consider supporting us via Patreon or PayPal for any amount to make this process sustainable! amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmontys0e-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "125007956X"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "4ef3ada3da779d1325c919f132599c01"; --