Doyle, Arthur Conan: - Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a British author and doctor. In 1887, he invented the character Sherlock Holmes for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four books and fifty-six short tales featuring Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are seminal works of criminal fiction. Doyle was a prolific writer; in addition to Sherlock Holmes stories, he wrote fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, funny stories about Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), contributed to the popularity of the Mary Celeste mystery. Doyle is frequently referred to as "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" or "Conan Doyle," emphasizing that "Conan" is a component of a compound surname rather than a middle name. His baptism entry in St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, has "Arthur Ignatius Conan" as his given name and "Doyle" as his surname. It also identifies Michael Conan as his godfather. The British Library and Library of Congress catalogues only list "Doyle" as his surname. Steven Doyle, publisher of The Baker Street Journal, wrote, "Conan was Arthur's middle name." Shortly after graduating from high school, he started using Conan as a type of surname. But technically, his surname is simply 'Doyle'.