was a Scottish author most noted for his stories about the

detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major

innovation in the field of crime fiction, and the adventures of

Professor Challenger. He was a prolific writer whose other works

include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and

romances, poetry, and non-fiction. Conan was originally a given

name, but Doyle used it as part of his surname in his later years.