Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle ( 22 May 1859 â `` 7 July 1930 ) was a Scottish doctor and author . He is well known because he wrote short stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes . Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle , DL ( 22 May 1859 â `` 7 July 1930 ) was a Scottish physician and writer , most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes , which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction , and for the adventures of Professor Challenger .