THE PSYCHIC QUEST by ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

THE PSYCHIC QUEST

From Memories and Adventures by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories & The Best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Most listeners know Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, the great champion of observation, evidence, and cold deductive reasoning. But there was another side of Conan Doyle, one that became increasingly important to him as his life went on.

In"The Psychic Quest," the concluding chapter of his 1924 autobiography Memories and Adventures, Conan Doyle turns to what he describes as the most important pursuit of his life: his investigation of psychic phenomena and his eventual belief in Spiritualism. He explains that his interest developed gradually, following years of study that he believed had moved him away from his earlier agnostic and materialist outlook. [cambridge.org], [arthur-con...-doyle.com]

It makes for a fascinating contrast with Sherlock Holmes. Here is Holmes's creator, a physician by training and a man famous for inventing literature's supreme rational detective, describing his own search for answers to questions that seemed to reach beyond the physical world.

"The Psychic Quest" is Chapter XXXII of Memories and Adventures, an autobiography that also recounts Conan Doyle's experiences in medicine, literature, travel, politics, war and sport. [cambridge.org], [edinburghu...ypress.com]

AND THIS WEEK, ANOTHER JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN...

If Conan Doyle's fascination with the unexplained catches your imagination, don't miss our two-part presentation of THE CURSE OF TUTANKHAMUN, playing this week on 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries.

The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb produced one of the most enduring legends of the 20th century: was there really a curse associated with opening the ancient pharaoh's tomb?

It's a perfect companion to "The Psychic Quest": two stories exploring that fascinating territory where documented history meets mystery, belief, and the enduring human desire to understand what we cannot easily explain.

Enjoy "The Psychic Quest" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on 1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories & The Best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and then join us for THE CURSE OF TUTANKHAMUN, Parts One and Two, on 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries.