Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and the Mystery of a Hansom Cab (Lucy Sussex, Text)

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was a late Victorian publishing phenomenon. It was a huge bestseller in Australia before going on to big sales on both sides of the Atlantic. It has since been made into three films, a play, a radio play and a telemovie, and was one of Text’s inaugural classics. While the book made Hume’s literary career, it didn’t make him much money. He never expected it to be so successful and sold the rights for £50. Lucy Sussex’s Blockbuster is a difficult book to classify: part literary criticism, part biography, part history. But it succeeds admirably. It is well researched and well written, and evokes the literary scene in 1880s Melbourne in an informative yet entertaining way. Hume is a fascinating character but the novel itself is the star of the show. Anyone who has read and loved Hansom Cab will love Sussex’s book also, and it will appeal to readers of quality biography and Australian history. Expect strong sales of Hansom Cab to follow its publication.

Dave Martus is the manager of Dymocks Neutral Bay in Sydney

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Category: Reviews