Click to return to the H. Rider Haggard homepage

H. Rider Haggard Works

Click portrait to return to the H. Rider Haggard homepage

1892 - Nada the Lily

"A pure Zulu story"

NADA THE LILY  first appeared as a serialized novel, published by THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS  from January 2 through May 7, 1892, and this serialization contains 32 large and excellent illustrations by R. Caton Woodville.

McKay, Scott and Whatmore claim that Longmans, Green and Company is purported to have published the novel in New York on April 30, 1892. Longmans supplied 23 new illustrations, on plates, by Charles Kerr, electing not to use any of the R. Caton Woodville illustrations. The American first edition has no frontispiece.

McKay, Scott and Whatmore also claim that Longmans also published an edition in London on May 9, 1892, with the same illustrations as found in its American edition, but with a frontispiece, and that 10,000 copies were printed. Ads at the end of the book are dated-coded 2/92 (February 1892).

See the VisualHaggard.org page dedicated to the illustrations found in various editions.


I do not own any of the books pictured, unless noted. 

The serialization in THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS has 32 large and excellent illustrations by R. Caton Woodville. 

I own the complete serialization. One of the illustrations is below, as well as an engraving of Woodville.

Below: 2 more R. Caton Woodville illustrations from the serialization

Longmans first American edition

Title-page from the American first edition

An ad for the novel found in the back of the first American edition of MONTEZUMA'S DAUGHTER.

Longmans first British edition

My copy of the first British edition was inscribed, signed, and dated May 17, 1892, a week after the book was first published

Below: Some Charles Kerr illustrations from the Longmans British and American first editions

The Longmans' Colonial Library first edition

My rebound 1904 SIGNED copy that HRH gifted to John Hays Hammond, part of a set of 23 volumes

Below: the frontispiece and title-page vignette from my signed copy

The first British edition has the same frontispiece and title-page vignette

Collier American paperback reprints from 1894

The Longmans' Colonial Library reprint paperback

George Newnes paperback reprints, some with illustrations by Cyrus Cuneo (my copy is illustrated)

Hodder & Stoughton British reprint with original dust jacket

Harrap British 3rd printing, June 1929 (1st was May 1925)

Collins British reprint from 1957 (1st printing)

The two printing histories below conflict with one another with only the date of the first edition being the same

Below: a photo of the signature within a copy of the American first edition