The Last Tenant

Farjeon, B. L.

Published by Cassell, New York, 1893

About this Item

Farjeon, B. L. The Last Tenant. New York: Cassell Publishing Company, [1893]. First U.S. edition. Octavo, pp. [1-2] [i-ii] iii-iv [1] 2-349 [350: blank] [note: fly leaf at front and rear]. Original light gray decorative cloth, front panel stamped in maroon and black, spine panel stamped in gold and black. A couple of small light faint damp stains on bottom of front panel, generally a bright, solid very good copy. #3242. $100. The novel starts out as a domestic comedy set in London where a hen-pecked husband goes along with his wife's rather whimsical but stubborn resolution to find new and better dwellings. Her ardor cools when they get to #79 Lamb's Terrace (the only building on the street), a house haunted by the ghosts of a maid and cat murdered not long before. The husband (Ned), accompanied by his old school friend (Bob), then turn the this into an amateur detective story. The duo are soon assisted by Mr. Emery, who, after going blind, had acquired paranormal abilities -- he is the one who can sense the presence of the ghosts, which prod the trio forward through mazes towards the rectification of this old wrong. Later their party is supplemented by Mr. Dickson, a "private enquiries agent" (or private detective, as we would say today). The trail takes them through sordid parts of London and eventually to the Continent, culminating in a show-down at a secluded house in Switzerland where all the mysteries are finally cleared up. It's rather amusing that Farjeon, who, after growing up in England, spent 12 years in Australia, should name the villain of this story Nisbet, the surname of another writer, Hume Nisbet, a Scot who set off for Australia about ten years after Farjeon arrived and who later milked his experiences there for a number of adventure stories, many of them spiced heavily with the supernatural. The current title is very much a typical mid-Victorian specimen in which the supernatural acts, in effect, as a clue-bearer to help catalyze a crime-and-detection plot. "Sensational murder mystery with strong supernatural episodes; ghosts of victim and hideously decayed cat haunt murder site, arousing suspicion. Author was father of J. Jefferson and Eleanor Farjeon." -- Robert Knowlton. Bleiler (1948), p. 112. Reginald 05154. Listed in Hubin Crime IV (as indeed are most of Farjeon's novels). Seller Inventory # 3242

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Last Tenant

Publisher: Cassell, New York

Publication Date: 1893

Binding: Hardback

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket

Edition: First Edition.