In February 1880, when Arthur Conan Doyle was only 20 years old, he embarked upon 'the first real outstanding adventure in my life,' seven months as a ship's surgeon on an Arctic whaler. The voyage took him into unknown regions and plunged him into dangerous and bloody work on the ice floes of the Arctic seas. His unforgettable adventure was echoed in a number of his early landmarks as a writer. During the voyage, Conan Doyle kept a detailed diary. This incredible document, hidden from public view for more than a century, is written in his clear handwriting and is illustrated with many pen-andink sketches of scenes of life on board. It provides a vivid account of the coming of age of the young man who would go on to create Sherlock Holmes, and of a life at sea that no longer exists. This book features a facsimile of the diary, with a transcript, as well as several non-fiction and fiction pieces based on the experience, including the Sherlock Holmes story 'The Adventure of the Black Peter.'.