Blockbuster! : Fergus Hume & the mystery of a hansom cab
Sussex, Lucy, 1957-2015
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Click and Collect for Blockbuster! : Fergus Hume & the mystery of a hansom cabBefore there was Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, there was Fergus Hume's The Mystery of a Hansom Cab - the biggest- and fastest-selling detective novel of the 1800s, and Australia's first literary blockbuster. Fergus Hume was an aspiring playwright when he moved from Dunedin to Melbourne in 1885. He wrote The Mystery of a Hansom Cab with the humble hope of bringing his name to the attention of theatre managers. The book sold out its first run almost instantly and it became a runaway word-of-mouth phenomenon - but its author sold the copyright for a mere fifty pounds, missing out on a potential fortune. Blockbuster! is the engrossing story of a book that would help define the genre of crime fiction, and a portrait of a great city in full bloom. Rigorously researched and full of arresting detail, this captivating book is a must-read for all fans of true crime, history and crime fiction alike.
Blockbuster! : Fergus Hume & the mystery of a hansom cab / by Lucy Sussex.
Melbourne : Text, 2015
298 pages, [4] pages of unnumbered plates : illustrations (some colour), portraits ; 24 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
9781922147943
A823.2823.8
English
252352
Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
---|---|---|---|
Brighton Library | Adult Non Fiction - Biography | 823.8 HUM | Onloan - Due: 27 Apr 2024 |
Find it!
Total copies: 1
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Click and Collect for Blockbuster! : Fergus Hume & the mystery of a hansom cab