A prolific author and one of the most popular storytellers of his time, Arthur Conan Doyle was a remarkable man, with visions and attitudes far ahead of his era. In short, a Victorian with his mind firmly set on the 20th century. His narrative encompasses such a wide range that it surpasses that of any other writer of his generation, although for the vast majority of the public, his work is largely associated with the creation of Sherlock Holmes, which is no small feat, given that Holmes is one of the most endearing characters in world literature. However, many would be surprised to learn that less than 20 percent of his efforts were dedicated to the saga of his famous detective. The remaining 80 percent comprises a rich array of works of all kinds, from fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories to historical novels, plays, chronicles, and poetry.

Irish by descent, Scottish by birth, and British by conviction, Conan Doyle was an athletic and adventurous man who moved through fields as disparate as they were contradictory. From literature, he turned to journalism, writing fiery articles for various British newspapers, helping to popularize skiing in Switzerland, dabbling in politics, and fervently embracing spiritualism after the death of his son in the Great War. He also embarked on perilous maritime expeditions, risked his life on the front lines of three bloody conflicts, and shared experiences with some of the most notable figures of his time, such as Harry Houdini, H. G. Wells, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde. Furthermore, he was a champion of seemingly impossible causes and collaborated in solving some of the most notorious crimes of his era with the sole aim of freeing an innocent person from an inevitable conviction.

The purpose of this richly illustrated biography, which reads like a novel, is to offer a detailed exploration of his life and literary work: his early writings, his elaborate novels and short stories, his controversial treatises on spiritualism, and his love-hate relationship with Sherlock Holmes, a character who catapulted him to fame but also cast a longer shadow than he would have liked. All of this is accompanied by amusing anecdotes, curiosities of the era, and facets of his life revealed for the first time in Spanish; all through a profound and engaging immersion into the most captivating years of contemporary history.