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Hume, Fergus (1859 - 1932)

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Born
8 July 1859
England
Died
12 July 1932
Thundersley, Essex, England

Summary

Hume was born in England, but grew up in Dunedin, New Zealand, from the age of three. He studied law at the University of Otago, and left for Australia shortly after graduating in 1885. In Melbourne he worked as a barrister's clerk and attempted writing for the theatre, before turning to popular fiction. His sensational Melbourne detective novel, The Mystery of a Hanson Cab (1886), was initially self-published, but was soon taken up by a London publisher and went on to become an international bestseller. Hume left Australia for England in 1888, where he continued writing stories of mystery and detection, publishing over 100 novels in his lifetime. Those with Australian settings or themes include Madame Midas (1888), Miss Mephistopheles (1890) and High Water Mark (1910).

Published resources

Books

  • Hume, Fergus, The carbuncle clue : a mystery, Warne, London. Details
  • Hume, Fergus, Madame Midas, H. A. Abrahams & Sons, London, 222 pp. Details
  • Hume, Fergus, The mystery of a hansom cab, Kemp and Boyce, Melbourne, 1887?, 242 pp. Details
  • Hume, Fergus, Miss Mephistopheles : a novel : sequel to Madame Midas, F. V. White, London, 1890, 315 pp. Details

See also

Archival resources

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

  • Letter, 1905 Jan. 1, Essex,to Benners, from Fergus Hume, 1905, NLA MS 847; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

Rachael Weaver