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Thomas M. M. Hemy
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TREGEAGLE'S HEAD
Silas K. (Kitto) Hocking (Mar24,1850/Sep15,1935) was, I
read, an English novelist & a Methodist preacher. This
site lists 26 volumes that
he wrote with dates
of publication running from 1890 through 1913.
In total he would seem to have written 50 books - see below re
some biographical data
including that number - but
BookFinder.com,
as this page was first created, seemed to list no less than 56 works by the author. I do
not know what the correct total number is.
The copy of the volume that I purchased bears no date of publication. And most
copies that I have seen sold in recent years, via e-Bay, also advised no publication date.
An expired e-Bay item
however states the publication date of that particular volume to be 1890. And it would seem that the book
was republished in 1890 & in 1891. They all would seem to have been
published by Frederick Warne and Co. of London and New York. Had you an interest
in the exact first publication date it might help to know that my volume indicates Hocking to be
the author already of no less than 42 earlier volumes including 'Her Benny,' 'Ivy,' 'For Abigail,' etc., etc. 275 pages.
Page size about 7 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches. A number of different covers, some quite
decorative.
'Her Benny', a story of Liverpool street urchins, was, apparently, the very first volume in history to sell more than a million copies in the
author's lifetime. Which is interesting, I think. It has relatively recently been,
in fact,
republished.
'Tregeagle's Head' contains six black & white full page illustrations by Thomas
M. Hemy. I will provide here scans of those
illustrations & provide also the captions, though the captions only have a context relative to the actual text.
I do not think
that the volume is today in great demand. A copy sold in
Dec. 2007 for GBP 1.50, a rather lesser sum than I paid for my own copy,
when I bought it for these pages!
And the last six.
And the frontispiece of my volume. Along with the certificate inside its cover which indicates the volume
was awarded as an attendance prize to Joe Dobson by the Independent Methodist
Sunday School in Haslingden (Haslingden is 19 miles north of Manchester), U.K. No indication of the year of the award, however.
That certificate is, to me at least, of some visual interest.
That's it, for the moment. Until I read the book!
The webmaster has now read the book. And quite enjoyed it. Of a young man
charged with murder, on circumstantial evidence - & sentenced to be hanged. You might enjoy it also, so I will not spoil
your enjoyment
by saying any more - lest you decide to read it also. 'The Southport Visitor'
said, I read, "There is much variety and fascination in the story. The plot is a
remarkably ingenious one."
I had hoped that the list of 42 other Hocking books
at the back of my volume might have referenced more books
illustrated by Thomas M. Hemy. But not so. And 'Tregeagles's Head', when mentioned in the list, simply says it has six illustrations but
does not refer to the artist by name. Which it does for most of the other 42
volumes. And the list has the subtitle of 'Tregeagle's Head' slightly different, in fact.
('A Tale of the Cornish Coast'). No problem. That is the way it is. And was.
SILAS
K. HOCKING?
I trust that I may be forgiven if I indicate that the purpose of this page is
Thomas M. Hemy & to a much lesser extent is concerned with the author in whose
volume his artworks appeared. But none-the-less ....
I have read & I quote:
'Silas Hocking was born in 1850 in St Stephen-in-Brannel
near St Austell, where his father was tenant of a small farm called Broadmoor
owned by the Boconnoc Estate. Silas became a Methodist minister first in
Manchester and Liverpool and then in Southport, where he preached to full houses
for thirteen years. Whilst he was working in the north of England, he wrote “Her
Benny”, the story of Victorian Liverpool street urchins. Although Hocking
sold the copyright of this novel for only £20, it was an immediate best-seller
and ultimately became the first book to sell a million copies during the
lifetime of the author.
In addition to novels, Hocking also produced many other works including
sermons. Many of these were on the themes of such subjects as temperance and
morality. A large amount of his work also reflected his concerns about the
well-being of children.
In 1895, Hocking retired from the ministry to devote himself to full time
writing. He also became involved in Liberal politics. In total, he wrote fifty
books, including a volume of autobiography. He also became editor of several
magazines. His brother, Joseph, and sister, Salome, also became best selling
novelists.'
Thomas M. M. Hemy datapages
01,
02
&
03 are now on site. Plus all
of the other image pages, accessible through the index on page
05.
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