‘Blockbuster!’: The strange tale of the best-selling crime novel of the 19th century

Publishing history is full of strange tales, and that recounted by Lucy Sussex in “Blockbuster! Fergus Hume & the Mystery of a Hansom Cab” is certainly among the strangest and most poignant. In late 1880s Australia a would-be dramatist decided that he might gain more attention from theater impresarios if he were a published author. So Fergus Hume sat down to produce what ultimately became the best-selling crime novel of the 19th century.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/blockbuster-the-strange-tale-of-the-best-selling-crime-novel-of-the-19th-century/2016/07/20/57b074d8-4a91-11e6-90a8-fb84201e0645_story.html?source=Snapzu