EDITORIAL & NEWS

Knowing His Methods

by Margie Deck & Nancy Holder

As we reviewed this page of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s manuscript for its debut with this project, we realized it is, perhaps, a perfect example of Doyle’s method of work, and, specifically, his disinclination to change his original words before publication. He described this working method in an interview published by The New York Times on November 19, 1905:

“My methods of work are not made out to any particular plan. I write when the mood is on me. I never dictate a single word, but write the entire story with my pen. I write slowly and very seldom make any corrections afterward. Often when I have done so I have found the result so unsatisfactory that I have restored what I had originally written. If I do make an alteration it usually entails reconstruction of part of the story. First impressions always seem to me the best.”

As this page demonstrates, he was still employing this method a good five years later, as “The Terror of Blue John Gap” was written in the summer of 1910. It was a very busy summer for Doyle, as previously detailed for this project by Mattias Boström, but he took the time to observe his method, as we can only find three small changes in his hand on this page of the manuscript:

1. Rushed is changed to Ran: “Stooping and shading my candle with my hand, I rushed ran in a frenzy of fear to the rocky archway, hastened up it, and never stopped until, with weary feet and panting lungs, I rushed up the final slope of stones, broke through the tangle of briars, and flung myself exhausted upon the soft grass under the peaceful light of the stars.”

We assume this change was made to avoid repetition.

2. Experience is changed to adventure: “It was three in the morning when I reached the farm-house, and today I am all unstrung and quivering after my terrific experience adventure.”

We assume this change was made because, to be fair, adventure is a more exciting word than experience, and Dr. Hardcastle’s experience was quite an adventure.

3. 23rd is changed to 25: “Ap 23rd 25. — I was laid up in bed for two days after my incredible adventure in the cavern.”

Doyle obviously made this change to make his math work between the previous entry for Dr. Hardcastle’s diary of April 22nd and the “for two days” in the last sentence on this page.

Clearly, he found these small changes satisfactory despite his normal inclination to revert to his original constructions as the changes appear in the version of the story first published by The Strand Magazine for August 1910. Although, we must note that the editor of the magazine changed “Ap. 25” to “April 25th” to retain a consistent ordinal format for publication. We don’t know if Doyle approved of the date styling changes but we do. Every writer, including the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, needs a good copy editor from time to time, no matter their writing methods.

Copyright 2025 Margie Deck & Nancy Holder

COMMENTARY & CREATIVITY

A Vesta Virgin — Drying out matches … is the pits.

by Max Magee

“I had taken my matches from my armpit and felt them. They seemed perfectly hard and dry. Stooping down into a crevice of the rocks, I tried one of them. To my delight it took fire at once. I lit the candle, and, with a terrified backward glance into the obscure depths of the cavern, I hurried in the direction of the Roman passage. As I did so I passed the patch of mud on which I had seen the huge imprint.”

When I first read these sentences from page 11 of “The Terror of Blue John Gap,” I scoffed (literally, out loud); as an Eagle Scout myself, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

continued . . .

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YOU ARE HERE: 11

page 11 of the manuscript of The Terror of Blue John Gap

The autograph manuscript of “The Terror of Blue John Gap” reproduced above is courtesy of Dartmouth College Library, Rauner Special Collections, MS-93: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Transcription

gigantic. The combat between my reason which told me that such

things could not be, and my senses which told me that they

were, raged within me as I lay. Finally I was almost ready to

persuade myself that this experience had been part of some

evil dream, and that my abnormal condition might have

conjured up a hallucination. But before I won my way

out of the cavern I had a final experience which removed the

last possibility of doubt from my mind.

I had taken my matches from my armpit and

and felt them. They seemed perfectly hard and dry. Stooping

down into a crevice of the rocks I tried one of them. To my

delight it took fire at once. I lit the candle, and with a

terrified backward glance into the obscure depths of the cavern

I hurried in the direction of the Roman passage. As I did

so I passed the patch of mud on which I had seen the

huge imprint. Now I stood astonished before it, for there

were three similar imprints upon its surface, enormous in

size, irregular in outline, of a depth which indicated

the ponderous weight which had left them. Then a great

terror came suddenly upon me. Stooping and shading my

candle with my hand I [deleted: rushed / inserted: ran] in a frenzy of fear to the

rocky archway, hastened down it, and never stopped

until with weary feet and panting lungs I rushed up

the final slope of stones, broke through the tangle of briars,

and flung myself exhausted upon the soft grass under

the peaceful light of the stars. It was three in the morning

when I reached the farmhouse. and today I am all

unstrung and quivering after my terrific [deleted: experience / inserted: adventure]. As yet

I have told no one. I must move warily in the matter. What

would the poor lonely women or the uneducated yokuls here

think of it, if I were to tell them my experience. Let me go to some

one who can understand or advise.

Ap [deleted: 23 / inserted: 25]d. I was laid up in the bed for two days after

The full story as it was printed in The Strand is available at
The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia.