The End of Lord Berrymore

You can read the entire book in electronic form by following the link on the SZKEO website. The gift illustrated edition is printed on domestic pigmented chunky book-design paper of cream color with a bookmark of the same color as... the headband.

This collection by the famous English writer Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) includes twenty-five stories notable for their thematic diversity. In each story, the author demonstrates his extraordinary literary skill, intricately weaving an intriguing plot. All texts are translated by Dmitry Mochnev. The book is adorned with illustrations that appeared at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries in various periodicals that first published Arthur Conan Doyle's stories.

Arthur Conan Doyle's love for literature was instilled in him by his mother from childhood — in hundreds of letters to her, he polished his prose style. At the Jesuit college of Stonyhurst, a group of enthusiastic listeners invariably gathered around the young Doyle — Arthur easily improvised, creating yet another intriguing story on the spot. In 1881, Doyle graduated from the medical faculty of the University of Edinburgh and soon opened a private practice in Portsmouth, but the young doctor had few patients. To pass the time and try to improve his financial situation, Doyle decided to seriously pursue literature. And he did not regret it!

In history, Arthur Conan Doyle will forever be remembered as the creator of the immortal image of the insightful detective Sherlock Holmes. However, the literary legacy of the writer is much broader than the "Holmsiana", which began in 1886 with the novella "A Study in Scarlet". Doyle believed that his true calling was historical novels. He wrote the novel "The Exiles", which described events in France in the late 17th century. The novel "The White Company" was dedicated to events of the Hundred Years' War. The action of his novel "The Adventures of Miché Clark" takes place during the overthrow of King James II. The themes of Doyle's other literary works are quite varied. He wrote on socio-domestic issues and paid tribute to science fiction. In the second half of his life, Doyle became fascinated with mysticism, and this motif did not leave the writer until the end of his days.

In the stories included in this book, Doyle demonstrates his inexhaustible talent for invention. The themes of these literary miniatures are bets, eccentricities, pranks, and deceits. In the first story of the collection, it is described how Lord Berrymore became the laughingstock of the entire town due to a clever prank. The story "The End of the Career of Signor Lambert" tells of the most sophisticated revenge in the world. With the skill of a magician, Doyle pulls out of his head one more amusing plot after another. For example, he narrates the incredible consequences that can arise from replacing one recording cylinder in a phonograph with another, or how a perpetual motion machine invented by two partners helps to dispose of a corpse. And after reading the story "A Disgraceful Act in the Carabiniers' Regiment", you will find out why Major Errington stubbornly tried to lose at cards to himself. Each story in the collection surprises with an unusual plot twist.

The edition is adorned with drawings by several artists who illustrated Doyle's stories published in various periodicals at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Thanks to these illustrations, we can view Conan Doyle's stories through the eyes of his contemporaries.