| The Mystery of a Hansom Cab | |
|---|---|
London edition (1888) |
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| Author(s) | Fergus Hume |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | Mystery |
| Genre(s) | Fiction |
| Publisher | Fergus Hume |
| Publication date | 1886 |
| Pages | 164 |
| ISBN | 1153714493 |
| OCLC Number | 8476357 |
| LC Classification | ca 08000675 |
| Followed by | Professor Brankel's Secret |
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a mystery fiction novel by English writer Fergus Hume. The book was first published in Australia in 1886. Set in Melbourne, the story focuses on the investigation of a homicide involving a body discovered in a hansom cab, as well as an exploration into the social class divide in the city. Sales of the book were successful in Australia, with 100,000 copies sold in the first two print runs. The book was subsequently published in Britain and the United States, and sold over 500,000 copies in both countries. The Mystery of a Hansom Cab became an international bestseller and outsold the worldwide 1887 publication of the Sherlock Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle.[1]
Reception of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was positive; it received praise in works including A Companion to Crime Fiction,[2] A History of the Book in Australia 1891-1945,[3] and A History of Victoria,[4] and was featured in the book Vintage Mystery and Detective Stories.[5] A parody version was published in 1888,[6] and separate film adaptations were produced in 1911,[7] 1915,[8] and 1925.[7] The story was adapted into a play for the theatre in 1990,[9] and a radio promotion in 1991.[10]
Contents |
Originally from Britain, Fergus Hume worked as a barrister's clerk in Melbourne, Australia at the time of the book's first publication.[2] Hume went on to become a prolific writer, authoring more than 130 additional novels in fiction subjects including science fiction and adventure.[2][3][5]
The story of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab takes place in Melbourne, Australia, and involves an investigation into a homicide where the deceased was discovered in the evening inside of a hansom cab. The city of Melbourne is itself a significant factor in the plot and setting, and is described by the author: "Over all the great city hung a cloud of smoke like a pall."[11] Throughout the novel the influential and secretive Frettbly family is a key element, and it is revealed later in the book that they have an illegitimate daughter living on the streets. The name of the killer himself is not as much of a significant revelation in the story, as is the role of the Frettbly family and their secret. The class divide between the wealthy and less fortunate of the city of Melbourne is juxtaposed throughout the plot.[12]
The protagonist in the novel is a law enforcement official named Detective Gorby, who is tasked with solving the murder.[13] Hume uses descriptive text to describe the character's investigative skills: "He looked keenly round the room, and his estimate of the dead man's character was formed at once."[13] The author commented in a later introduction, "All of the scenes in the book, especially the slums, are described from personal observation; and I passed a great many nights in Little Bourke Street, gathering material".[2] At this time, the street had gained notoriety as a place frequented by prostitutes and criminals.[14]
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was first published in Melbourne, Australia, in 1886, and subsequently published in Britain in 1887.[2] The author self-published the first edition of the novel.[5][1] It was published in the United States in 1888 by G. Munro.[15] Hume wrote an introduction to a revised edition published in 1898.[2] Later publications have included New York publishers Arno Press in 1976,[16] and Dover in 1982.[17]
The book was successful in sales with publishers; it sold 25,000 copies in its first print run in Australia,[3] and in its first two print runs in Australia the book sold 100,000 copies.[13] In its first six months after publication in Britain, 300,000 copies were sold.[2][12] In 1888, sales continued heavily in the thousands in Britain each week.[2][12] According to A Gregarious Culture (2001), "sales of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, published in 1886, would reach astronomical figures".[6] Over 500,000 copies were sold in Britain, by the publishing company Jarrod.[13] An additional 500,000 copies sold in the United States.[5] A Concise History of Australia notes that the book became an "international bestseller".[11] A Companion to Australian Literature since 1900 noted The Mystery of a Hansom Cab "provided Australia with its first international bestseller".[1] and Vintage Mystery and Detective Stories characterized the book as "the best-selling detective novel of the nineteenth century".[5]
The author did not benefit greatly from the sales of the work, as he had sold his rights to the book for GB£50.[13] A Gregarious Culture identifies "the only known copy of the first edition" of the book as "a treasure" of the Mitchell Library at State Library of New South Wales.[6] Illustrated London News reported in 1888 on the popularity of the book, "Persons were found everywhere eagerly devouring the realistic sensational tale of Melbourne social life. Whether travelling by road, rail or river the unpretending little volume was ever present in some companion's or stranger's hands."[2][12] The book outsold the worldwide 1887 publication of the Sherlock Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle.[1]
"The most spectacular reimagining of the sensation novel"
A Companion to Crime Fiction (2010) by Charles J. Rzepka and Lee Horsley called The Mystery of a Hansom Cab "The most spectacular reimagining of the sensation novel, and a crucial point in the genre's transformation into detective fiction".[2] A History of the Book in Australia 1891-1945 (2001) described the book as, "a lively and engaging crime novel which used its Melbourne setting to considerable effect."[3] Geoffrey Blainey wrote in A History of Victoria that The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, "did more than any book to give the outside world a picture of Melbourne of the late 1880s".[4] David Stuart Davies featured the work in his book Vintage Mystery and Detective Stories, writing, "The author was determined to make a fortune by creating a story 'containing a mystery, a murder, and a description of low life in Melbourne'. He succeeded. Like a rich plum in our vintage mystery pudding we include the whole novel in this collection."[5]
In 1915, the book was adapted into a film with a screenplay by Eliot Stannard.[8] Directed by Harold Weston, the film starred actors Milton Rosmer, Fay Temple, A.V. Bramble, James Dale, and Arthur Walcott.[8]
A remake of the 1911 version of the film was produced in 1925 in Australia.[7] The 1925 cast included Arthur Shirley, Grace Glover, Godfrey Cass, Cora Warner, and Isa Crossley.[7]
The story was adapted into a play for the theatre in 1990 by Michael Rodger,[9] and a radio promotion in 1991 by Queensland Performing Arts Trust.[10]