copyright 1899; F.M. Buckles & Company publishers, London; hardbound; very good condition; green boards with gilt lettering  very good with minimal fading; no dust jacket.
 
description -
The Coming of Hagar--2
The First Customer and the Florentine Dante--3
The Second Customer and the Amber Beads--3
The Third Customer and the Jade Idol--
The Fourth Customer and the Crucifix--
The Fifth Customer and the Copper Key--
The Sixth Customer and the Silver Teapot--
The Seventh Customer and the Mandarin--
The Eighth Customer and the Pair of Boots--
The Ninth Customer and the Casket--3
The Tenth Customer and the Persian Ring--
The Passing of Hagar--
 
Author -
Fergusson Wright Hume, known as Fergus Hume (1859- 1932) was an English novelist. Shortly after graduation he left for Melbourne. He began writing plays, but found it impossible to persuade the managers of the Melbourne theatres to accept or even read them. Finding that the novels of Emile Gaboriau were then very popular in Melbourne, he obtained and read a set of them and determined to write a novel of a similar kind. The result was the self-published novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), which became a great success. After the success of his first novel and the publication of another he returned to England in 1888. He resided in the Essex countryside for thirty years, eventually producing over 100 novels and short stories. He was a capable writer of mystery stories, and may be looked upon as one of the precursors of the many writers of detective stories whose work was so popular in the twentieth century. His other works include Madame Midas (1888), The Silent House (1899), The Bishop's Secret (1900), Secret Passage (1905), The Green Mummy (1908), and Red Money (1912).