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The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
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The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
First published in 1886, this vivid and brilliantly plotted murder thriller,is set in the charming and deadly streets of marvellous Melbourne. A wonderful depiction of a bustling yet uneasy city, it has a central place in Australian literary history. It has been declared 'ranks as the most successful detective story of all time'.
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Description
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was the best-selling crime novel of the nineteenth century. It was an overnight sensation when published in Melbourne in 1886 and rapidly found readers around the world, especially in Britain. The book became a huge international success and was translated into eleven languages. The novel's fame has endured well into this century.
In 1954, The Sunday Times listed it as one of the 100 best crime novels of all time, and six years later, Everyman's Dictionary of Literary Biography declared that The Hansom Cab ranks as the most successful detective story of all time. A wonderful depiction of a bustling yet uneasy city, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab holds a central place in Australian literary history.
Although much has changed, Melbourne itself continues to be the place Hume knew. Hansom Cab is also a key text in crime fiction's formative years. Apart from minor corrections to spelling and punctuation, this edition reproduces the text of the original edition printed in 1886.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume is widely praised for its intricate plot and atmospheric depiction of 19th-century Melbourne. Readers appreciate its classic mystery elements and engaging storyline, which have made it a significant work in the crime and thriller genre. While some note that its age shows in writing style, many find its historical context and twist-filled narrative compelling.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781920885373
Publisher: Text Publishing
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 09 January 2006
Country: Australia
Imprint: The Text Publishing Company
Edition: New edition
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education
DIMENSIONS
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 328
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About the Author
Fergus Hume was born in England in 1859. His family soon immigrated to New Zealand, where Hume qualified as a lawyer. He was admitted to the bar in 1885 and moved to Melbourne in the same year. Desperate to become a playwright but having no success, Hume decided to write a murder novel instead. When he couldn't find a publisher for The Mystery of a Hansom Cab he published it himself. It was a sensation and sold over twenty thousand copies in Melbourne. With a hit on his hands, Hume sold his copyright to the Hansom Cab Publishing Company in London for fifty pounds. The book was a phenomenal success but Hume never saw another penny from his bestseller. It may have influenced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes adventure. Hume moved back to England in 1888 after the publication of his second novel, Madame Midas. He embarked on a career that produced over 130 novels. He never became a famous playwright but he did co-write the theatrical adaptation of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, which played in London for five hundred nights. The story was also filmed three times in the silent era. Fergus Hume died in 1932.
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Madame Midas
Charming, intelligent and forthright, the remarkable Madame Midas makes her fortune on the goldfields of Ballarat—and becomes the target of the villainous ex-convict Gaston Vandeloup, a charismatic Frenchman who soon makes himself indispensable to her mining operations. A companion piece to The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, Fergus Hume's second novel is both a tightly plotted murder mystery and an...Paperback$1799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume is Australia's original blockbuster and an international best-selling crime novel. First published in 1886, it achieved overnight sensation status by selling hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide and being translated into eleven languages. Over a century later, Hansom Cab has lost none of its page-turning power. Set in the charming yet...Paperback$1799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
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