A classic novel based in Hastings has turned into a surprise bestseller. According to industry insiders, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell has enjoyed a huge upsurge in sales. And experts believe this could be a direct result of the recession, as readers flock to snap up more radical reads. Sales of the book received a boost last year, following a star-studded Radio 4 serialisation of the work that featured Bill Bailey, Timothy Spall, Johnny Vegas, Paul Whitehouse and the MP John Prescott in a cameo role. This year, in the midst of dire economic forecasts, the book is still confounding expectations, peaking at number six in the Amazon Movers and Shakers list.
What’s amusing is that Tressell ridicules the local newspaper in the socialist novel as The Obscurer. Sadly, the newspaper’s reputation hasn’t improved one century later! The novel is set in Hastings or Mugsborough as it is depicted in the novel. We went on a walking tour of Hastings last summer to see where Tressell lived and worked and wrote The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. Tressell is also featured at the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery.
