''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' is a mystery fiction novel by the Australian writer

Fergus Hume Ferguson Wright Hume (8 July 1859 – 12 July 1932), known as Fergus Hume, was a prolific English novelist, known for his detective fiction, thrillers and mysteries. Early life Hume was born in Powick, Worcestershire, England, the second ...

. The book was first published in Australia in 1886. Set in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, 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. The book was successful in Australia, selling 100,000 copies in the first two print runs. It was then published in Britain and the United States, and went on to sell over half a million copies worldwide, outselling the first of

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

'' novels, '' A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' received praise in works including ''A Companion to Crime Fiction'', ''A History of the Book in Australia 1891–1945'', and ''A History of Victoria'', and was featured in the book ''Vintage Mystery and Detective Stories''. A parody version was published in 1888, and film adaptations were produced in 1911, 1915 and 1925. The story was adapted into a BBC Radio serial in 1958, a stage play in 1990, a radio promotion in 1991 and a telemovie in 2012.

Author

Originally from Britain, Fergusson Wright Hume worked as a barrister's clerk in Melbourne, Australia, at the time of the book's first publication. He went on to become a prolific author, and wrote more than 130 novels in fiction subjects including adventure and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

Plot

''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' takes place in Melbourne, Australia, and involves an investigation into a

homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

, after a corpse is discovered in the early hours, in a hansom cab. Melbourne plays a significant role in the plot and, as the author describes, "Over all the great city hung a cloud of smoke like a pall." The killer's identity is not as significant a revelation in the story as are the roles of the influential and secretive Frettlby family, and their secret: they have a daughter living on the streets, and the woman everyone assumes is their daughter is illegitimate. The class divide between Melbourne's wealthy and less fortunate is addressed throughout the plot. The protagonist in the novel is a policeman named Detective Gorby, who is given the task of solving the murder. As Hume describes the character's investigative skills, "He looked keenly round the room, and his estimate of the dead man's character was formed at once." 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". At this time, the street was notorious as a place frequented by prostitutes and criminals.

Publication history

''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' was first published in Melbourne in 1886 and in Britain in 1887 (he author self-published the first edition) and in the United States in 1888, by G. Munro. Hume wrote an introduction to a revised edition published in 1898, and later publications have included those by the publishers Arno in 1976, and by Dover in 1982, and a new Australian edition with an introduction by Simon Caterson, in 1999 by The Text Publishing Company, which has been reprinted several times.

Reception

Sales

"A Concise History of Australia" notes that the book became an international bestseller. ''A Companion to Australian Literature since 1900'' noted ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' provided Australia with its first international bestseller. and ''Vintage Mystery and Detective Stories'' characterized the book as the best-selling detective novel of the 19th century. In Australia, the book sold 25,000 copies in its first print run, and 100,000 copies in its first two print runs. In Britain, in its first six months after publication, 300,000 copies were sold, and, in 1888, sales continued in thousands in Britain each week. According to ''A Gregarious Culture'' (2001), "sales of ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'', published in 1886, would reach astronomical figures". Over 500,000 copies were sold in Britain, by the publishing company Jarrold. In the United States, an additional 500,000 copies were sold. The author did not benefit from the sales of the work, as he had sold his rights to it for £50. ''A Gregarious Culture'' identifies "the only known ompletecopy of the first edition" of the book as "a treasure" of the Mitchell Library at

State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establish ...

. '' 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." The book outsold the worldwide 1887 publication of the

novel '' A Study in Scarlet'' by

Reviews

* Charles J. Rzepka and Lee Horsley's ''A Companion to Crime Fiction'' (2010) called ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' "The most spectacular reimagining of the

sensation novel The sensation novel, also sensation fiction, was a literary genre of fiction that achieved peak popularity in Great Britain in the 1860s and 1870s.I. Ousby ed., ''The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English'' (1995) p. 844 Its literary forebears i ...

, and a crucial point in the genre's transformation into detective fiction".. * ''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". . * Geoffrey Blainey wrote in ''A History of Victoria'', ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' "did more than any book to give the outside world a picture of Melbourne of the late 1880s". *

David Stuart Davies David Stuart Davies (born 1946) is a British writer. He worked as a teacher of English before becoming a full-time editor, writer, and playwright. Davies has written extensively about Sherlock Holmes, both fiction and non-fiction. He is the editor ...

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."

Adaptations

A parody edition, titled ''The Mystery of a Wheelbarrow'' (1888), is attributed to a W. Ferguson. The same year, it was adapted for the stage by Arthur Law. ''

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' is a mystery fiction novel by the Australian 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 ...

'' (1911) is a film produced by Amalgamated Pictures, an Australian adaptation of the book. In 1915, the book was again adapted into a film with screenplay by

Eliot Stannard Eliot Stannard (1 March 1888 – 21 November 1944) was an English screenwriter and director. He was the son of civil engineer Arthur Stannard and Yorkshire-born novelist Henrietta Eliza Vaughan Palmer. Stannard wrote the screenplay for more ...

. Directed by Harold Weston, the film starred the actors

Milton Rosmer Milton Rosmer (4 November 1881 – 7 December 1971) was a British actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern ...

, Fay Temple, A. V. Bramble, James Dale and Arthur Walcott. A remake of the 1911 version of the film was produced in 1925, in Australia. Made by Pyramid Pictures, ''

'' cast included Arthur Shirley, Grace Glover,

Godfrey Cass Godfrey Cass (1867 – 14 May 1951) was an Australian actor in the silent era. Between 1906 and 1935 he acted in nineteen film roles. He played Ned Kelly three times, and also had roles in a number of other bushranger movies including '' A Tale ...

, Cora Warner and Isa Crossley. ''

'' was a 1935 reissue of the 1925 Australian silent film. It was released by Pathescope. A six-part radio serial adaptation was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme from 2 November to 7 December 1958. The Melbourne television station GTV-9 produced a version of the play in 1962, adapted by Barry Pree, as part of ''

The General Motors Hour ''The General Motors Hour'' was an Australian radio and television drama series. Radio The radio series was a regular one hour drama broadcast over the Macquarie Radio Network at 8 pm on Thursays. It is believed to have commenced in the late 1940 ...

''. Michael Rodger adapted the story as a stage play in 1990 and a radio promotion in 1991 by Queensland Performing Arts Trust. Burberry Entertainment, in association with the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

, produced a telemovie adaptation which was premiered on 28 October 2012 and stars John Waters,

Oliver Ackland Oliver Ackland (born 9 November 1979) is an Australian actor. Biography In 2009 he was awarded the inaugural Heath Ledger scholarship by Australians in Film. Ackland starred in Ben Lucas' ''Wasted on the Young'', which premiered at the 2010 S ...

Helen Morse Helen Morse (born 24 January 1947) is an English-born Australian actress who has appeared in films, on television and on stage. She won the AFI (AACTA) Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1976 film '' Caddie'', and starred in the 19 ...

and

Jessica De Gouw Jessica Elise De Gouw (born 15 February 1988) is an Australian actress. She is known for her role as Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress in the television series '' Arrow'', as Mina Murray in the NBC TV series '' Dracula'', and as Elizabeth Hawkes ...

References

Sources

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External links

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Classic Crime Fiction Fergus Hume bibliography

Works by or about Fergus Hume
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

(scanned books & audiobooks, original editions color illustrated) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mystery of a Hansom Cab, The 1886 novels 19th-century Australian novels Australian mystery novels Australian novels adapted into films British novels adapted into films Novels by Fergus Hume Novels set in Melbourne