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Audiobook edition · 9 h 40 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
How far can you run when your enemy has followers in many lands and never loses his calm?
Richard Hatteras is brave, fond of the open sea, and no trained detective or soldier. In Guy Boothby's A Bid for Fortune; Or, Dr. Nikola's Vendetta, this young Englishman finds himself drawn into a dangerous contest with Dr Nikola. Phyllis Wetherell's fate is tied to Nikola's scheme, and Hatteras is determined to protect her.
Nikola has learning, money, quiet manners, and followers far beyond one city. Hatteras must discover how far his enemy's reach extends as the pursuit crosses land and sea. Steamships and telegraphs connect this world, but distance remains part of the danger. Money, power, and safety are prizes worth gambling for—and the people pursuing them are ready to take great risks.
What you’ll discover
- A villain with style Meet Dr Nikola, whose polite confidence makes his criminal aims all the more chilling.
- Courage without special training Follow Hatteras as fair play and determination meet an enemy with money and followers.
- Pursuit across the oceans Travel through a chase where steamer routes and long voyages give distance a dangerous weight.
- A fate worth fighting for Share Hatteras's resolve to protect Phyllis Wetherell from the scheme that entangles her.
- The nerve to gamble Explore how the hunger for money, power, or safety drives people toward great risks.
Who will love it
Readers who love Victorian adventure, scheming villains with a pet cat, disguises, clue-hunting and sea voyages across the world.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Nikola gathers three agents for a vendetta
- A pearler rescues a girl and loses her
- A stranger at chess knows too much
- A rescued boy and a tutor worth watching
- Warnings, a drugged journey and a ship to Naples
- Port Said ends in darkness and a cord
- A cell, a mouse and a room of horrors
- A false marquis, a vanished girl and a trail
- Clues, a ransom note and a mysterious stick
- Dick tells it his way, with fate and a cat
Who’s who
- Dick HatterasA strong, honest pearler from Thursday Island who comes to England on holiday, falls for Phyllis, and sets out to beat the man who stalks her family.
- Dr. NikolaA dark, courteous hypnotist with a black cat, who plots through hired agents and wants a small Chinese stick owned by Wetherell.
- Phyllis WetherellThe brave daughter of the Colonial Secretary, loved by Dick, who keeps her promise to him despite her father's refusal and becomes a target.
- Sylvester WetherellThe Colonial Secretary of New South Wales, haunted by fear of Nikola, who forbids Dick's suit without explaining why.
- Marquis of BeckenhamA sheltered young nobleman saved from drowning by Dick, who loves the idea of adventure and becomes his loyal friend.
- Mr. BaxterA sly tutor in clerical dress who serves Nikola and tries to send the boy on a voyage.
- PrendergastA white-haired, scarred agent of Nikola who pesters Phyllis on a voyage and later guards prisoners.
- Sir William HatterasDick's miserly uncle in Hampshire, who wants his nephew's money and asks him for a thousand pounds.
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Une fortune à conquérir, ou la vengeance du docteur Nikola
by Guy Boothby · 1895
A black cat, a Chinese stick and a pearler from Thursday Island collide in a chase from London to the South Seas.
Medium level5–10 hours to readfrançais
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In short
Three men sit down to dinner in a private room on the Thames Embankment, waiting for a host none of them has ever met. In walks Dr. Nikola, and before the evening ends a rich man on the far side of the world is marked for ruin.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Nikola gathers three agents for a vendetta
The book opens before Dick appears. The manager of a new restaurant holds a strange letter from Brazil. It orders dinner for four in Room 22, with candles under red shades and a saucer and jug of milk.
Before eight, three guests arrive: Eastover, an American, Prendergast, with snow-white hair and a pitted face, and Baxter, a stout man dressed as a clergyman. They have served their host for years, yet none has seen him.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1895
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 6 h 15 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Boothby, Guy. A Bid for Fortune; Or, Dr. Nikola's Vendetta. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-bid-for-fortune-or-dr-nikolas-vendetta.
Boothby, G. (2026). A bid for fortune; or, Dr. Nikola's vendetta. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-bid-for-fortune-or-dr-nikolas-vendetta (Original work published 1895)
Boothby, Guy. A Bid for Fortune; Or, Dr. Nikola's Vendetta. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-bid-for-fortune-or-dr-nikolas-vendetta.
@book{boothby2026bid,
author = {Boothby, Guy},
title = {A Bid for Fortune; Or, Dr. Nikola's Vendetta},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-bid-for-fortune-or-dr-nikolas-vendetta},
note = {First published 1895}
}
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What is A Bid for Fortune about?
It follows Dick Hatteras, an Australian pearler, who gets caught in the schemes of Dr. Nikola, a hypnotist who wants a small Chinese stick. The chase runs from London to Port Said, Sydney and a South Sea island.
Who is Dr. Nikola?
Nikola is the villain, a slim, dark, polite man with a huge black cat. He hypnotises, drugs and bribes, using agents like Baxter, Eastover and Prendergast, and he never quite explains his motives.
What is the little stick everyone wants?
It is a short, heavy piece of wood covered in Chinese writing, left to Wetherell by a dying man called China Pete. He says it is worth a fortune, but its true use stays a mystery.
The author
Guy Boothby
1867–1905 · Australian novelist
Guy Boothby (1867–1905) was an Australian novelist born in Adelaide. He lived in Australia and later in England. He wrote novels and short stories, including stories featuring Dr Nikola. His books include A Bid for Fortune, published in 1895, and A Prince of Swindlers, published in 1897.
More by Guy Boothby
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