Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a Scottish author and physician best known for his detective fiction featuring the character Sherlock Holmes. He wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring Holmes, as well as other works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and historical novels. Doyle was a prolific writer who also wrote on spiritualism, politics, and social issues. He was knighted in 1902 for his services to literature. Doyle was a pioneer in the field of detective fiction and his works remain popular to this day. He is credited with popularizing the genre and inspiring generations of writers and readers.