‘Not very good’ Conan Doyle tales go on display

Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle branded “not very good” by his publisher are to go on display at the National Library of Scotland.

The tales were discovered by John Murray locked away after the Sherlock Holmes creator’s death in 1930. Mr Murray had them typed up but after reading them added a cover note which said “not very good and not used as the quality was too poor”.

The stories include The Ghosts of Goresthorpe Grange which Conan Doyle wrote as an 18-year-old student in Edinburgh.

It contains characters similar to Holmes and Dr Watson and suggests Conan Doyle was experimenting with these ideas from a young age.

The new display of Conan Doyle papers includes journals, newspaper and an index to all Sherlock Holmes stories.

David McClay, curator of the library’s John Murray Archive, said: “It is sure to be of great interest.”