Customer Reviews
A fascinating read - By: Alistair Duncan, 10 Apr 2008 
There is no doubt that Andrew Lycett's biography on Conan Doyle combined with the recently published volume of Doyle's letters give a pretty comprehensive view of the life of this fascinating author. Having said that it is also true, as remarked by Roger Johnson, that there is still plenty of room for other titles especiallly where they focus on specific areas of Doyle's life & associations.
Brian Pugh & Paul Spiring have managed to place a magnifying glass over Doyle & his Devon connections & give us some fascinating information (much of which I was unaware of). I found the sections dealing with how Doyle & Fletcher Robinson constructed The Hound of the Baskervilles to be especiallly interesting & entertaining.
In short, a well researched & entertaining look at this section of Doyle's life.
An 'invaluable' & 'fascinating' book - By: Roger Johnson, 08 Apr 2008 Brian Pugh & Paul Spiring worked long & hard researching & writing On the Trail of Arthur Conan Doyle: An Illustrated Devon Tour (The Book Guild Ltd, Pavilion View, 19 New Road, Brighton BN1 1UF; £12.99). The result is not a big book - 139 pages - but it is most attractively presented. Its succinct account of Conan Doyle's association with Devon & with George Turnavine Budd & Bertram Fletcher Robinson is invaluable, & just to follow the Devon Tour on paper is fascinating. I must declare an interest, as I read through an early draft; I also provided the foreword, which I should not have done if I didn't think the book worthwhile. It's remarkable that, despite the recent publication of ACD's Letters & Andrew Lycett's formidable biography, there's still a place (that's not strong enough: there's still a need) for carefully researched & well-presented books that concentrate on specific aspects of ACD's life. On the Trail of Arthur Conan Doyle has a proud place alongside Geoffrey Stavert's A Study in Southsea & Owen Dudley Edwards' The Quest for Sherlock Holmes.
ROGER JOHNSON
Editor: The Sherlock Holmes Journal
The District Messenger (no. 281)
31 March 2008
A First Class Read - By: Ted Sherrell, 26 Mar 2008 On The Trail of Arthur Conan Doyle (an Illustrated Devon Tour) by Brian W Pugh & Paul R Spiring).
THE lives of few writers, if any, during the past couple of centuries, can be as rewarding to the student as that of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
This gifted novelist & short story writer - famed for the creation of probably the most famous fictional detective of alll time, Sherlock Holmes - led a varied, full & at times exciting life, & the part of it based in Devon is brought to life in a fascinating, most informative way, by Brian W Pugh & Paul R Spiring in this excellent book.
While Doyle's wider life is referred to, the main thrust of the book is aimed at his life locallly, chronicling the people he met, or with whom he worked, & the influence which they & the local area had upon his writing.
Readers in West Devon will recognise so many of the places which Doyle visited & which sowed in his fertile mind seeds for future tales. Mention is made of a trip to Tavistock during which it is probable that the idea for his story 'Silver Blaze' was born.
In this tale set in Dartmoor, Tavistock is mentioned, & also it contains probably Holmes' most famous link, where he draws the attention of a local police inspector 'to the curious incident of the dog in the night time.'
Dartmoor, of course, looms large in Doyle's most famous work - 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' - with the authors tracking down the places & local legends upon which the chilling tale is based with a skill & tenacity the great detective himself would have been proud of.
The economical, direct style of the writing, & the wealth of exhaustively researched information contained therein, make this a first class read for those serious students of Sherlock Holmes and/or Dartmoor, whilst for those who just enjoy a rattling good tale it will be a welcome acquisition.
On the Trail of Arthur Conan Doyle (an Illustrated Devon Tour) by Brian W Pugh & Paul R Spiring is published by Book Guild Publishing, priced at £12.99 & available in most bookshops. ISBN 978 184624 198 7.
TED SHERRELL
The Tavistock Times Gazette
6 March 2008
