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y； I wrote “King Solomon’s Mines；” “Allan Quatermain；” “Jess；” and “She。” Also I followed my profession； spending many hours of each day studying in chambers； or in Court； where I had some devilling practice； carried on my usual correspondence； and attended to the affairs of a man with a young family and a certain landed estate。
A little later on the work grew even harder； for to it was added the toil of an enormous correspondence hurled at me by every kind of person from all over the earth。 If I may judge by those which remain marked with a letter A for “answered；” I seem to have done my best to reply to all these scribes； hundreds of them； even down to the autograph…hunter； a task which must have taken up a good part of every day； and this in addition to all my other work。 No wonder that my health began to give out at last； goaded as I was at that period of my life by constant and venomous attacks。
When “She” was in proof for serial publication in the Graphic I showed it to Andrew Lang。 He writes to me on July 12； 1886：
I have pretty nearly finished “She。” I really must congratulate you； I think it is one of the most astonishing romances I ever read。 The more impossible it is； the better you do it； till it seems like a story from the literature of another pla。 I can’t give a better account of the extraordinary impression it makes upon me； as to the Public I never can speak。
Then he makes some criticisms of the style； the ic element and the horrors； and ends with a P。S。 “I know I shan’t sleep。”
On the 25th of the same month Lang writes again：
I have just finished “She；” previously I skipped a bit to get to the end。 I certainly still think it the most extraordinary romance I ever read； and that’s why I want you to be very careful with the proofs； before it goes out in a volume。 。 。 。 I nearly cried over Ayesha’s end。 But how did she e to Kor？ There is a difficulty about Leo。 He is not made a very interesting person。 Probably he was only a fine animal。 Anyhow that can’t be helped now and never could perhaps。 I dare say Kallikrates was no better。 But some of the chaff in awful situations lets one down too suddenly。 I’d take other fellows’ advice about it； in some of the marked places。 I hope they find She in Thibet； and all die together。 ＇They did； practically； twenty years later； see “Ayesha。” — H。 R。 H。＇ By George； I’d have gone into the fire and chucked in She too； perhaps it would have picked her up again。
In another letter he says：
It is awfully good of you to think of putting my name in “She” and I consider it a great distinction。 The only thing is that； if you do； I shan’t be able to review it； except with my name signed thereto and my honest confession。 Probably I could do that in the Academy。 It is rather curious （plagiarism on your side again） that I was going to ask you to let me dedicate my little volume of tales； “That Missionary；” etc。 to you。
I may say here that Lang did review “She” in the Academy over his own name； but； I am almost sure； nowhere else； although I believe he was accused of having written a dozen or more notices of this work； and that he did dedicate “In the Wrong Paradise” to me in very charming language。
Having run through the Graphic； where it attracted a good deal of attention； “She” appeared as a six…shilling volume； I think the first or one of the first novels that was published in that form； some time in December 1886。 It was brought out by Messrs。 Longmans and very well got up； the elaborate sherd pounded by my sister…inlaw； then Miss Barber； and myself being reproduced in two plates at the beginning of the volume。 The illustrations by Messrs。 Greiffenhagen and Kerr were； however； added afterwards。 By the way； the reproduction of this sherd was shown as being from a genuine antique to Mr。 （afterwards Sir John） Evans； who of course was a great expert on such matters。 For a long while he peered at it through his eyeglasses and at last put it down； remarking； “All I can say is that it might possibly have been forged” — which I consider great testimony to the excellency of the sherd； which now reposes in a cupboard upstairs。15
15 It is now in Norwich Museum with the original MSS。 of many of Sir Rider’s tales。 — Ed。
The title “She；” if I remember aright； was taken from a certain rag doll； so named； which a nurse at Bradenham used to bring out of some dark recess in order to terrify those of my brothers and sisters who were in her charge。
“She” proved a great and immediate success； and I received many letters； of Sir Walter Besant； and one from Mr。 （now Sir Edmund） Gosse。
12 Gayton Crescent； Hampstead：
January 2； 1887。
My dear Haggard； — While I am under the spell of “Ayesha；” which I have only just finished； I must write to congratulate you upon a work which most certainly puts you at the head — a long away ahead
— of all contemporary imaginative writers。 If fiction is best cultivated in the field of pure invention then you are certainly the first of modern novelists。 “Solomon’s Mines” is left far behind。 It is not only the central conception that is so splendid in its audacity； but it is your logical and pitiless working out of the whole thing in its inevitable details that strikes me with astonishment。
I do not know what the critics will say about it。 Probably they will not read more than they can help and then let you off with a few general expressions。 If the critic is a woman she will put down this book with the remark that it is impossible — almost all women have this feeling towards the marvellous。
Whatever else you do； you will have “She” always behind you for purposes of odious parison。 And whatever critics say the book is bound to be a magnificent success。 Also it will produce a crop of imitators。 And all the little conventional story…tellers will be jogged out of their grooves — until they find new ones 。 。 。 。
Yours very sincerely；
Walter Besant。
Certainly Besant was quite right when he said that I should always have “She” behind me “for purposes of odious parison。” I always have。 Quite a large proportion of my critics during many years have mentioned in the course of their reviews of various wor