Review:
"What does "Dangerous Work" have in common with "Moby-Dick"? A few of a hundred possible answers: Both books disguise great depth beneath the cloak of an adventure story. Both offer accounts of what was once a major industry, comparable in relative terms to today's oil industry. Both should be read from cover to cover, shared with friends and revisited in front of a warm fire. And both, for different reasons, are books to treasure, the kind that kindle and rekindle a love of words and a feeling of irredeemable debt to the men behind them."--Bill Streever "New York Times Book Review " "[W]orthwhile not least for Conan Doyle's whimsical illustrations. . . . In books by and about Arthur Conan Doyle, all roads lead to Holmes, and this book is, not at all regrettably, no exception. . . . "Dangerous Work" is the richer for showing not just Conan Doyle's proto-Holmesian work, but also his tendencies to romanticize his experience and to enliven it with a well-chosen white lie. One of the most amusing things that emerges when all of his Arctic writings are brought together is just how often he revisited and revised his memories of the expedition."--Laura Marsch "New Republic " "[T]here is something thrilling about reading Doyle's observations almost straight from his own pen."--Jan Gardner "Boston Globe " "We revere Arthur Conan Doyle as the creator of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, but he was far more than just the great storyteller of his age: There was a streak of the adventurer in Conan Doyle's make-up, reflected in his passion for boxing matches, outdoor sports, and war zones. While still a medical student, a very young Arthur shipped out for six months on an Arctic whaler, turning twenty-one just 600 miles from the North Pole. His diary of this 'dangerous work' makes irresistible reading, especially when annotated by two of the most knowledgeable Conan Doyle scholars alive. As a supplement, Jon Lellenberg and Daniel Stashower include four magnificent pieces of writing inspired by this youthful adventure: Conan Doyle's reflections on 'The Glamour of the Arctic' and 'Life on a Greenland Whaler, ' his most haunting ghost story, 'The Captain of the "Pole"s"tar", ' and one of the most dramatic of all Sherlock Holmes mysteries, 'The Adventure of Black Peter.' This is, in short, an important book for scholars, but also a tremendously exciting one for readers."--Michael Dirda, author of On Conan Doyle "For 130 years, this amazing diary, written by the creator of Sherlock Holmes, has lain hidden. Only now have Sir Arthur's descendants consented to its publication. It is probably one of the most exciting literary finds of recent years, for it sheds an entirely new light on a writer we thought we knew so well."--Philip Hoare "Daily Mail "
About the Author:
Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930) was a British physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes. He was a prolific writer whose other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays, romances, poetry, and non-fiction.
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