A GUIDE TO THE FICTION OF RIDER HAGGARD

This totally original book is unique in many ways. It has a brief bibliographical guide to firsts and interesting reprints; a plot synposis and commentary; a value guide and un unusual or rare picture for each of 60 fiction titles; all A4 plus 16 colour pictures and appendices. It is spiral bound with illustrated colour cover and acetate. It is in a limited edition of 200 and costs £15 post free (UK) from Mr Roger Allen, 27 Deneholm, Whitley Bay, NE25 9AU.

Below is a sample page:

15. DR THERNE

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

U.K. 1st 1898 Longmans, Green & Co. Light tan cover. 10,000 copies.

U.S. 1st 1898 Longmans, Green & Co. Maroon cover.

Reprints: Very few.

1900 IN The Dawn of the Day published in various local parish magazines. The only illustrated edition.

1923 Hodder & Stoughton.

VALUE: D

PLOT SYNOPSIS

This unusual story is really a campaign book in favour of vaccination against smallpox, an issue at the time. Dr Therne is an anti-vaccinationist who is vehemently opposed to vaccination and as such reaps the personal harvest of the loss of his son and is then exposed as a fraud. Although set in Mexico and England this does not easily fall into fictional classification.

The picture is taken from The Dawn of the Day as published in the North Tyne Magazine 1900.