The Coming of the Fairies

arthur conan doyle john m. lynch

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes but also a devout spiritualist, was entirely convinced by a set of photographs seemingly showing two young girls playing with a group of tiny, translucent fairies.

To demonstrate his unshakable belief in the spirit world, the celebrated writer published, in 1922, 'The Coming of the Fairies'. It recounts the story of the photos, their supposed provenance, and the startling implications of their existence.

One of the great hoaxes of all time, the Cottingley Fairy photographs are proof of mankind s willingness to believe. Conan Doyle s book, reprinted here with the original photographs, offers a unique insight into the mind of an intelligent, highly respected figure, who just happened to believe in fairies.

Genres nonfictionclassicshistorymysteryparanormalfairiesbiographyfairy talesfolklorebritish literature

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1921

This edition

Format: 189 pages, Paperback
Published: October 1, 2006 by Bison Books
ISBN: 9780803266551
ASIN: 0803266553
Language: English

About the author

arthur conan doyle

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.