“Title-page” (1888) and “Dedication” (1886), for the Longman's First British Edition of H. Rider Haggard's She: A History of Adventure (1888), illustrated by Murice Greiffenhagen, R. A. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Dedication to Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
The highly educated and prolific writer-critic Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 — 20 July 1912) was both a friend, a mentor, a critic, and an editor for the younger writer. As an early expert in the field of anthropology Lang had a profound influence on Haggard's romances, particularly She. As an anthropologist Lang published on topics central to Haggard's 1886 novel: Custom and Myth (1884) and Myth, Ritual, and Religion (1887).
Lang's involvement in scholarly controversy about folk-tales led to his best-remembered work. In contrast to Max Muller, professor of philology at Oxford, he did not believe that all fairy-tales originated in Central Asia and were spread by travellers over the rest of the world. Instead, he thought such tales to be relics of savage customs and thoughts common to early man — such as the belief that animals can understand and speak in human language. [Ousby, 529]
Early Editions: 1886, 1887, and 1888
"SHE": A History of Adventure first appeared as a magazine serial in The Graphic, a large folio magazine printed weekly in London, between 2 October 1886 and 7 January 1887. The serialisation was accompanied by fourteen large-scale composite woodblock illustrations by Ernest Killingworth Johnson (1825-1896). An American edition was published by Harper & Bros. in New York on 24 December 1886; this small volume included Johnson's illustrations translated into much smaller lithographs. On 1 January 1887 a British edition was published by Longmans, Green, & Co., without any illustrations. It featured significant textual revisions by Haggard himself to make the cannibalism less sensational. He made further revisions for the British edition of 1888, which included eighteen entirely new, small-scale illustrations by Maurice Greiffenhagen and C. H. M. Kerr. The 'New Edition' of 1888 in turn became the basis for The Annotated She edited by Norman Etherington, who effected some four hundred minor stylistic changes.
[Maurice Greiffenhagen's] friendship with H. Rider Haggard led to him illustrating the author's popular adventure books, starting with an edition of She: A History of Adventure in 1889 [sic] – though Greiffenhagen apparently "disliked doing black-and-white work". He illustrated the serialisation of Ayesha: The Return of She (1904–05). [Ellis, 179]
Scanned images and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use the images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose, as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned them, and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Brantlinger, Patrick. Introduction. She: A History of Adventure. By H. Rider Haggard. London: Penguin, 2004. vii-xxviii.
Ellis, P. B. H. Rider Haggard: A Voice from the Infinite. London: Routledge, 1978.
Haggard, H. Rider. "SHE:" A History of Adventure. Illustrated by E. K. Johnson. The Graphic Magazine, Vols. XXXIV and XXXV. 2 October 1886 to 8 January 1887.
Haggard. H. Rider. SHE: A History of Adventure. Illustrated by E. K. Johnson. New York: Harper & Bros., 1887.
Haggard, H. Rider. SHE: A History of Adventure. Illustrated by Maurice Greiffenhagen and Charles H. M. Kerr. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1888, rpt. 1927.
Haggard, H. Rider. She. Project Gutenberg EBook #3155 produced by John Bickers; Dagny; William Kyngesburye; David Kyngesburye; David Widger. 2016. Web. Accessed 9 May 2025.
Ousby, Ian. "Lang, Andrew." The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge: Cambridge U. P., 1993, rpt. 2003. 529.
Created 16 May 2025