Madame Midas: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Madame Midas: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.

Madame Midas is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Hume, Fergus (1859–1932).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Madame Midas" by Fergus Hume is a novel written in the late 19th century that explores themes of ambition, betrayal, and the consequences of wealth. The story opens with vivid descriptions of a desolate Australian coastline and introduces two men, one a cunning Frenchman and the other his mute companion, who have escaped from a French prison. Their arrival on this inhospitable land sets the stage for their pursuit of fortune, particularly in the context of gold mining, highlighting the desperate and often treacherous nature of their ambitions. The opening of "Madame Midas" presents a dramatic and atmospheric setting, introducing the characters in two parallel narrative arcs. Initially, we follow the escapees as they arrive at the Australian shores, driven by dreams of wealth and freedom. This is juxtaposed with the backstory of Robert Curtis’s daughter, Mrs. Villiers, who has rebuilt her life and achieved respectability as a gold mine owner after a tumultuous marriage. The stage is set for conflict as her estranged husband returns seeking to reclaim power over her, while new characters enter her life, indicating the intertwined fates driven by their aspirations and the quest for fortune that defines their existence in the gold-rush era of Australia.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Madame Midas
- Author credits: Hume, Fergus (1859–1932)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Australia -- Fiction
- Mineral industries -- Australia -- Fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Historical Novels
- Category: Novels
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.



