H. Rider Haggard Works
1909 - The Lady of Blossholme
The first appearance of THE LADY OF BLOSSHOLME was as a serialized novel, published in The British Weekly, June 24, 1909 through November 18, 1909, without illustrations.
McKay, Scott, and Whatmore claim that Hodder and Stoughton published the first edition in book-form in London on December 15, 1909. Apparently 15,000 copies were printed, with 5 color illustrations by W. Paget. There are no ads at the end of the book.
According to Whatmore:
In January 1909, 100 proof copies were printed.
In April 1909, 12 pulls of the corrected version of the proofs were sent to Hodder and Stoughton and 2 to HRH.
Higgins claims that The British Weekly paid £750 ($127,000 in 2020 dollars) for the serial rights, and Hodder paid £750 ($127,000 in 2020 dollars) as an advance for publication in book-form.
This novel was not published in the United States of America.
See the VisualHaggard.org page dedicated to the illustrations found in various editions.
Frontispiece and title-page
My copy of the first British edition that HRH signed for Mrs. Pitt
According to Sumner and Stillman, booksellers out of Maine, from whom I purchased this copy: "Mrs Sarah Pitt was a writer of novels meant for children, or at least young adults -- for whom Cassell was likewise the UK publisher; she had been quite popular during the years 1881-1900."
I am not certain that they are correct, but their theory sounds reasonable.
The first edition has 5 color plates, of which I am particularly fond
I own 5 copies of THE LADY OF BLOSSHOLME. The copy signed for Mrs Pitt, above, and 4 more copies. Three of my copies are variant bindings of the first editions.
The London binding
One of the Colonial Edition bindings
Four of the variant bindings for comparison
Four of the variant bindings for comparison
The binding above on the far right is shorter, and shown below
It does not contain any of the color plates, and its title-page omits the year 1909, but adds "New York Toronto."
I sold the copy below to another collector
A Hodder and Stoughton November 1911 paperback reprint, not mine
Hodder & Stoughton reprint with original dust jacket, not mine
Original Italian edition, with dust jacket, in my collection
