H. Rider Haggard Works
1889 - Cleopatra
HRH's major foray into ancient Egypt!
According to McKay and Scott, HRH wrote CLEOPATRA between May 27 and August 2, 1887. HRH only took 2 months to write this long and complex novel!
The first appearance was as a serialization, published by The Illustrated London News from January through June 1889, and this serialization contains 29 large and excellent illustrations by R. Caton Woodville.
McKay, Scott and Whatmore claim that Longmans, Green and Company published in London 57 copies in a large-paper edition on June 24, 1889. The text for the Longmans edition has been altered from that which appeared in the ILN serialization.
25,000 copies of the trade edition were printed and published for sale also on June 24, 1889. Longmans supplied 18 new illustrations, on plates, by Maurice Greiffenhagen combined with only 11 of the R. Caton Woodville illustrations, as plates. Ads at the end of the book are dated January 1889 or August 1889.
The novel was first authorized to be published in book form in New York by Harper & Brothers in 1889, with the same illustrations as found in the Longmans edition.Â
See the VisualHaggard.org page dedicated to the illustrations found in various editions.
I do not own any of the books pictured, unless noted.Â
THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS
Volume 94, January - June 1889
There are 26 parts.
There are 29 large and excellent illustrations by R. Caton Woodville
I own the complete serialization.
R. Caton Woodville illustration from the serialization
My copy of the first US edition
Greiffenhagen frontispiece and title-page within my copy of the first US edition
Below: some photos of one of the Large Paper Editions
photos supplied by David Frank
Longmans first British edition
Longmans first British edition
My copy of the first British edition, rebound without ads
I also own another first edition in original navy-blue cloth, with August ads
Below: My rebound 1905 SIGNED copy that HRH gifted to John Hays Hammond, part of a set of 23 volumes
The frontispiece by Greiffenhagen is the same as that found in the Longmans first British edition
Longmans' Colonial Library reprint edition and Silver Library edition
Readers Library British reprint with original dust jacket
Hodder & Stoughton British reprint with original dust jacket
Street & Smith American paperback reprints
Harrap British reprint with original dust jacket
