The Horror of The Heights by Arthur Conan Doyle

Classic Ghost Stories

Tony Walker

Fiction, Drama, Science Fiction

4.9 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 29 June 2023

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a renowned British writer and physician, best known for creating the famous detective character Sherlock Holmes. He was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Charles Altamont Doyle and Mary Foley Doyle. Doyle's early education took place at the Jesuit preparatory school of Hodder Place and Stonyhurst College. Later, he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and graduated in 1881. After completing his medical studies, Conan Doyle worked as a ship's doctor on various voyages, including a whaling expedition to the Arctic. He also served as a surgeon on a British steamship traveling to West Africa. These experiences provided him with a rich source of inspiration for his future writing. Conan Doyle's career as a writer took off when he began publishing short stories and novels. His most notable creation, Sherlock Holmes, made his first appearance in the novel "A Study in Scarlet" in 1887. The character of Holmes, with his keen powers of observation and deductive reasoning, quickly became immensely popular among readers. Sherlock Holmes' popularity led Conan Doyle to write numerous stories and novels featuring the detective and his loyal companion, Dr. John Watson. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes, including classics like "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," made Conan Doyle one of the most widely read and celebrated authors of his time. Despite his success with the Sherlock Holmes stories, Conan Doyle felt constrained by the detective's popularity and wished to focus on more serious literary work. In an attempt to distance himself from Holmes, he famously killed off the character in the story "The Final Problem." However, due to public outcry and popular demand, Conan Doyle eventually resurrected Holmes in later stories. Apart from his detective fiction, Conan Doyle also wrote historical novels, science fiction, plays, and non-fiction works on a variety of subjects. He was a prolific writer, producing over fifty books, countless short stories, and numerous articles throughout his career. In addition to his literary pursuits, Conan Doyle was deeply interested in spiritualism and the supernatural. He became a prominent advocate for spiritualism, even participating in seances and investigating alleged paranormal phenomena. This interest often brought him into conflict with skeptics and critics. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's contributions to literature and popular culture were widely recognized during his lifetime. In 1902, he was knighted by King Edward VII for his services as a volunteer army doctor during the Boer War. Conan Doyle passed away on July 7, 1930, at the age of 71, leaving behind a rich legacy of detective fiction and captivating storytelling that continues to captivate readers worldwide. New Patreon Request Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREE Support the showVisit us here: www.ghostpod.orgBuy me a coffee if you're glad I do this: https://ko-fi.com/tonywalkerIf you really want to help me, become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barcudMusic by The Heartwood Institute: https://bit.ly/somecomeback Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Horror of the Heights by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Horror of the Heights by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
0:25.1	The idea that the extraordinary narrative which has been called the Joyce Armstrong fragment
0:29.9	is an elaborate practical joke, evolved by some unknown person cursed by a perverted
0:35.7	and sinister sense of humour, has now been abandoned
0:39.2	by all who have examined the matter. The most macabre and imaginative of plotters would
0:45.3	hesitate before linking his morbid fancies with the unquestioned and tragic facts, which
0:52.0	reinforced the statement. Though the assertions contained in it are amazing and even monstrous,
0:58.5	it is nonetheless forcing itself upon the general intelligence that they are true,
1:03.8	and that we must readjust our ideas to the new situation.
1:07.8	This world of ours appears to be separated by a slight and precarious margin of safety from a most singular and unexpected danger.
1:18.8	I will endeavour in this narrative, which reproduces the original document in its necessarily somewhat fragmentary form,
1:26.2	to lay before the reader the whole of the facts up to date,
1:29.8	prefacing my statement by saying that,
1:32.2	if there be any who doubt the narrative of Joyce Armstrong,
1:35.9	there can be no question at all as to the facts concerning Lieutenant Myrtle Royal Navy,
1:42.3	and Mr. Hay Connor, who undoubtedly met their end in a manner
1:47.2	described. The Joyce Armstrong fragment was found in the field which is called Lower Haycock,
1:53.2	lying one mile to the westward of the village of Withiam upon the Kent and Sussex border.
1:59.0	It was on the 15th September last that an agricultural
2:02.6	labourer, James Flynn, in the employment of Matthew Dodd, farmer of the Chantry Farm
2:08.2	Withyham, perceived a briar pipe lying near the footpath, which skirts the hedge in Lower Hacock.
2:14.7	A few paces farther on, he picked up a pair of broken binocular glasses.
	...

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