A Comparison of the American and British Early Editions of The Woman in White (1860-61)
The First American edition published by Harper & Bros., New York [August] 1860. The 1861 Sampson Low Edition in early 1861 as evidenced by “Preface to the Present Edition (February 1861).” .. .. .. .. vi-vii.
The first British edition was actually an unillustrated triple-decker published “on 15 or 16 August 1860, before the last instalment of the serialization had appeared” (Bachman and Cox, 42). The single-volume Harper and Brothers’ edition, based closely on the weekly serialisation in Harper’s Weekly, appeared about the same time, but accompanied by illustrations. The Sampson Low single-volume edition of April 1861 incorporated all of Collins’s editorial changes, replacing the ur-version three-volume edition which finished its run in February 1861. Only the Smith Elder (1865-72) and Chatto and Windus (1875-1912) editions include the frontispiece by Sir John Gilbert and the eight wood engravings by F. A. Fraser.
The Circumstances of Writing and Publication: 15 August 1859 to 8 September 1860
Wilkie Collins began writing the novel on 15 August 1859 at Dickens's seaside retreat, Broadstairs, and completed his 490-page manuscript on 26 July 1860: in other words, the novel was far from complete when the initial serial instalment appeared simultaneously in London and New York. When Collins began publishing The Woman in White in Dickens's new weekly journal All the Year Round in late November 1859, he was already a staff writer, and one of the very few contributors who received a byline. Previously he had published two serials with Dickens, both in Household Words: A Rogue's Life (1 March-29 March 1856) and The Dead Secret (3 January-13 June 1857). This latest effort would, however, be novel-length, running to forty weekly instalments. More significantly, Dickens sold the AYR proof sheets to Harper and Brothers in New York: the two serial versions ran transAtlantically and simultaneously — at least until the final numbers: Part 40 ran in Dickens's journal on Saturday, August 25, 1860, but Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization did not conclude the serial run until 8 September 1860 with two further, unillustrated instalments. Undoubtedly some of the discrepancies between the first British and American volumes are attributable to this difference in winding up the serial publication.
The serisalisation in All the Year Round ran to exactly 40 numbers. The publication in Harper's Weekly extended to 42 numbers because Collins's final instalments had a word count nearly double that of the usual number. This delay probably accounts for the lack of illustrations in the final two parts. [Gasson, 18]
THE WOMAN IN WHITE: "The Story begun by Walter Hartright, of Clement’s Inn, Teacher of Drawing."
Sampson Low does not call Chapter I “Preamble” (as Harper's does on p. 5), but both begin with “The Narrative of Walter Hartright, of Clement's Inn, London." The Harper’s Weekly serial, following the precedent of the ninth page of the 26 November 1859 issue of All the Year Round, calls Chapter I “Preamble,” thereby throwing off the correspondence in chapter numbers since Collins seems to have corrected the chapter numbering prior to the 1861 Sampson Low single-volume edition.
- I........p. 1 "The Narrative of..., of Clement’s Inn, London. I,” p. 5.
- II.......p. 2 is the same as I..........p. 5
- III......p. 4 is the same as II.........p. 6
- IV......p. 11 is the same as III......p. 10
- V.......p. 19 is the same as IV.......p. 14
- VI......p. 20 is the same as V.......p. 17
- VII.....p. 26 is the same as VI......p. 17
- VIII....p. 32 is the same as VII.....p. 20
- IX......p. 44 is the same as VIII....p. 27
- X.......p. 48 is the same as IX......p. 29
- XI......p. 55 is the same as X.......p. 33
- XII.....p. 61 is the same as XI......p. 35
- XIII....p. 68 is the same as XII.....p. 39
- XIV.....p. 79 is the same as XIII....p. 45
- XV......p. 85 is the same as XIV on p. 48
[The End of "Hartright’s Narrative," p. 94 in Sampson Low, p. 53 in Harper’s]
Sampson Low: The Story Continued by Vincent Gilmore, of Chancer Lane, Solicitor. (95) Harper’s: "The Narrative of Vincent Gilmour, Solicitor, of Chancery Lane, London." (53)
- I.. .. .. .. .p. 95 I.. .. .. p. 53
- II.. .. .. p. 102 II.. .. .. p. 58
- III.. .. .. p. 110 III. .. .. p. 61
- IV.. .. .. p. 118 IV.. .. ..p. 66
Sampson Low: "The Story continued by Marian Halcombe, in Extracts from her Diary." Harper’s: "The Narrative of Marian Halcombe, Taken from her Diary."
- I.. .. .. .p. 123 I.. .. .. .. p. 68
- II.. .. .. p. 137 27th.. .. .. p. 75
"The Second Epoch, The Story continued by Marian Halcombe"
- I.. .. .. .. p. 150 June 27.. .. ..p. 81
- II.. .. .. ..p. 161
- III .. .. .. .p. 173
- IV.. .. .. . p. 186
- V.. .. .. .. p. 198
- VI.. .. .. ..p. 206
- VII.. .. .. .p. 224
- VIII.. .. .. p. 235
- IX.. .. .. ..p. 246
- X.. .. .. .. p. 260
"The Story continued by Frederick Fairlie, Esq., of Limmeridge House."
- p. 264 p. 142
"The Story continued by Eliza Michelson, Housekeeper of Blackwater Park."
- p. 179 p. 149
1. "The Narrative of Hester Pinhorn, Cook in the Service of Count Fosco."
- Sampson Low p. 312 Harper's p. 166
- Sampson Low p. 317 Harper's p. 168
- Sampson Low p. 317 Harper's p. 168
- Sampson Low p. 317 Harper's p. 169
- Sampson Low p. 317 Harper's p. 169
2. "The Narrative of the Doctor."
3. "The Narrative of Jane Gould."
4. "The Narrative of the Tombstone."
5. "The Narrative of Walter Hartright."
"The Third Epoch" Part II. “Hartright’s Narrative”
"The Story continued by Walter Hartright."
- I.. .. .. .p. 322 I. p. 172
- II.. .. ...p. 324 II. p. 173
- III.. .. .. p. 337 III. p. 180
- IV.. .. .. p. 343 IV. p. 183
- V.. .. .. .p. 353 V. p. 188
- VI.. .. .. p. 358 VI. p. 191
- VII.. .. ..p. 364 p. 194 not marked as VII (starts afresh on p. 199).
- VIII.. .. .. p. 374 “When I reached home again…” VII. “When I reached home again. . .” p. 199 marked as VII.
- IX.. .. .. p. 386 (“I left the house….’) VIII, “Before I had reached…” p. 205
- IX, “Once out of sight of the Church…” p. 210.
Whereas Harper’s keeps Mrs. Catherick’s lengthy letter to Hartright within his chapters, Sampson Low starts the renumbering of Hartright’s narrative at that point. Consequently, SL gives “My first impulse” as the start of I, “The Story continued by Walter Hartright,” and therefore has II: “It was between nine” (p. 428), whereas Harper’s calls this "Chapter XII".
- X.. .. .. p. 395 p. 191
- XI.. .. .. p. 409 IX.. .. .. p.210 X.. .. .. p. 217
- No part XII.. .. .. .. XI.. .. .. “My first impulse” p. 226
This section in Sampson Low is “The Story continued by Walter Hartright, I.” (425)
In the Sampson Low edition, “The Third Epoch” begins with “The Story continued by Walter Hartright” I. “I open a new page. I advance my narrative by one week” (322). This part corresponds to “Part II, Hartright’s Narrative, I” in the Harper’s volume, p. 172.
This in no way reflects the Harper’s “Part III, Walter Hartright’s Narrative continued.” I.“Four months passed. April came — the month of spring, the month of change.” (Harper’s, p. 234)
III. This section corresponds to Sampson Low’s “The Story continued by Walter Hartright, III,” “Four months elapsed [sic] — the month of Spring; the month of change.” (p. 437)
Such changes in part numbering and diction suggest that the Sampson Low text has incorporated editing which Collins made after initial serial publication.
Sampson Low (London) versus Harper’s (New York)
- IV. “The course of this narrative” (p. 442). II. (p. 236 in Part III)
- V. “The last notes of the introduction” (p. 447). III. (p. 239 in Part III)
- VI. “My first conviction, as soon as” (p. 455). IV. (p. 243 in Part III)
- VII. “There was no lamp in the hall” (p. 460) Not a separate chapter on p. 245, half-way through IV (243-250).
Sampson Low: “The Count’s Narrative” and Harper’s: only the full title p. 250
"The Narrative of Isidor Ottavio Baldassare Fosco. Count of the Holy Roman Empire. Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Brazen Crown. Arch-Master of the Rosicrucian Masons of Mesopotamia. Attached, in Honorary Capacities, to Societies Medical, Societies Musical, Societies Philosophical, and Societies General Benevolent, Throughout Europe, Etc., Etc." [p. 471 in Sampson Low, p. 250 in Harper’s]
- II. “Two more events remain. . .” (258 Harper’s), but Sampson Low, p. 489.
- III. “The summer and autumn passed. . .” (259 Harper’s), but Sampson Low, p. 492.
Harper’s and Sampson Low both end with “let Marian end our Story. The End.” (p. 230 in Harper’s, 494 in Sampson Low). The discrepancy in page numbering lies entirely with the double-columned, fine print of Harper’s versus the single-column, larger print and smaller page format of the Sampson Low volume.
Harper’s ends the Count’s narrative on p. 255. Sampson Low ends Fosco’s account on p. 483, and adds “The Story concluded by Walter Hartright, I” (“When I closed the last leaf,” p. 483). Harper’s finishes the book with “Walter Hartright’s Narrative Concluded,” I: “When I closed the last leaf” (255). Sampson Low’s II: “Two more events remain to be added” (489), corresponds to Harper’s II (p. 258).
The only significant difference in the final paragraph is the American spelling of “labour.”
So she spoke. In writing those last words, I have written all. The pen falters in my hand; the long, happy labour of many months is over! Marian was the good angel of our lives — let Marian end our Story. THE END. [Sampson Low, 483]
So she spoke. In writing those last words I have written all. The pen falters in my hand; the long, happy labor of many months is over! Marian was the good angel of our lives — let Marian end our Story. THE END. [Harper’s, 260]
Notably, the last three serial illustrations from Harper’s Weekly (18 and 25 August) do not appear in the American first edition, suggesting the haste with which the New York publisher issued the volume to capitalize on the story's popularity.
Related Material
- John McLenan's illustrations in the American serial: 26 November 1859 through 25 August 1860.
- F. A. Fraser's illustrations in the 1876 British volume edition: Eight Wood-engravings.
- Fred Walker's poster: The Woman in White for the Olympic's October 1871 adaptation
Bibliography
Collins, Wilkie. The Woman in White: A Novel. New York: Harper & Bros., 1861 (first printing, 15 August 1860; reissued in single-column format in 1902, 548 pages).
Collins, Wilkie. The Woman in White: A Novel. Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization. Illustrated by John McLenan. Vols. III-IV (26 November 1859 through 8 September 1860).
Collins, Wilkie. The Woman in White. London: Sampson Low, 1860; rpt. with illustrations by F. A. Fraser and Sir John Gilbert, Chatto & Windus, 1876.
Collins, Wilkie. The Woman in White. Ed. Maria K. Bachman and Don Richard Cox. Illustrated by Sir John Gilbert and F. A. Fraser. Toronto: Broadview, 2006.
Gasson, Andrew. The Woman in White: A Chronological Study. London: Wilkie Collins Society, 2010. (24 pages).
Peters, Catherine. "Chapter Twelve: The Woman in White (1859-1860)." The King of the Inventors: A Life of Wilkie Collins. London: Minerva Press, 1992. Pp. 205-225.
"Portrait of Wilkie Collins." Engraved from photograph. Frontispiece for Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White. Library Edition. London: Chatto and Windus, 1901.
Vann, J. Don. "The Woman in White in All the Year Round, 26 November 1859 — 25 August 1860." Victorian Novels in Serial. New York: MLA, 1985. Pp. 44-46.
Created 18 September 2024