Click to return to the H. Rider Haggard homepage

H. Rider Haggard Works

Click portrait to return to the H. Rider Haggard homepage


1910 - Morning Star

The first appearance of MORNING STAR was as a serialized novel, published in The Christian World News of the Week between October 1909 and March 1910.

McKay, Scott, and Whatmore claim that Cassell and Company published the first edition in book-form in London on March 11, 1910. Apparently 13,500 copies were printed, with 3 illustrations by A.C. Michael, 2 in color. Ads at the end of the book are dated-coded 1/10 (January 1910).

Higgins claims that Cassell paid ÂŁ450 ($76,000 in 2020 dollars) as an advance for publication in book-form.

Longmans, Green and Company published the first edition in book-form in New York on May 27, 1910. The same illustrations as found in the Cassell first edition are included in the Longmans edition. There are no ads at the end of the book. McKay and Scott both agree on the New York publication date.

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


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

As per David Frank, this is an Advance Copy of the Cassell British first edition

Below, a copy of the first British edition with original dust jacket, which was signed the day after publication. I wish this copy were in my collection, but alas, it is not. The dust jacket is extremely rare.

My copy of the first British edition

Frontispiece and title-page

The ads at the end of the first British edition are date-coded 1/10

The images and info below are provided by David Frank

Here is a salesman's sample of the First Edition variant binding of blue cloth covered boards with paper illustration pasted to front cover and with the back cover identical to the first edition's spine of gilt lettering and white star decorations. The interior contains the tissue guarded full color frontispiece, the title page, Contents, List of Illustrations, b/w illustration of page 73, [1], 2, b/w illustration of page 284, 3-4, rear end page.

Below, my copy of the first British edition, likely the Colonial First Edition. No ads are at the end.

Pasted to the front paste-down my Colonial edition is the HRH portrait below. A.D. 1910 can be seen at the left

Another copy of the same British edition

The Longmans American first edition original dust jacket, sadly not mine

I own two different variants of the first American edition: cloth color and height differences

Frontispiece and title-page

My copy of the Cassell 1913 reprint with original dust jacket

Cassell reprints with original dust jackets, not mine

Cassell reprint with original dust jacket that I used to own

Cassell paperback reprint, not mine

Famous Fantastic Mysteries illustrated edition, February 1950