12 Classic Books Originally Published as Serial Novels
There was a time when the best novels were first published in magazines, not books
You might be surprised to know that many of the classic books you know and love weren’t originally published as books at all — they were published as serials, in magazines and newspapers.
For the latter half of the 19th century and well into the 20th century, serialization was a legitimate and even preferred method for publishing a novel. Indeed, for much of the Victorian era, a novel was seen as “lesser” if it couldn’t secure a spot in one of the popular magazines and had to be published as a book first.
Let’s take a look at some of the most well-known titles that were published as serials during this time.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
This classic tale of adventure and revenge was originally published in Journal des Débats in Paris in eighteen parts. Serialization ran from August 1844 to January of 1846.
Alexandre Dumas was prolific as a serial writer and The Count of Monte Cristo was one of many serial novels, with his most famous other book being The Three Musketeers.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens first sparked the craze for serial fiction in 1836 with The Pickwick Papers, but nearly all of Dickens’ novels were serialized. A Tale of Two Cities, perhaps the best-known of Dickens’ works today, was originally published as 31 installments in his weekly periodical All Year Round from April to November in 1859.
A notable exception to Dickens’ use of serialization for his novels is A Christmas Carol, and it’s clear that he wasn’t being paid by the word— it is markedly short compared to his other books.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
This gripping tale full of mental anguish and moral dilemma was originally published in twelve monthly installments in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in 1866.
Other notable novels by Dostoevsky that were first published as serials are The Brothers Karamazov, Notes from the Underground, and The Idiot.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
This mammoth Russian classic evolved over time. The Russian Messenger published part of Tolstoy’s draft in serial form in 1865 and 1866. However, Tolstoy was not satisfied with this version, and although he allowed parts of it to be published with a different ending in 1867, he rewrote the entire novel between 1866 and 1869. This rewritten version was published as a book in 1869, and Russians were keen to buy the complete novel.
The Russian Messenger also published Tolstoy’s other famous work Anna Karenina, serializing all but last part of the novel.
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
This classic children’s book written by the grandfather of the fantasy genre was first published as a serial in the monthly magazine Good Words for the Young in November of 1870.
MacDonald’s fantasy novel At the Back of the North Wind was also serialized in the same publication two years before.
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
This well-known adventure story was originally published by Parisian daily newspaper Le Temps in 1872. Because the closing date of the story was the same as the date of the serial, many readers speculated that the serial was describing an ongoing journey around the globe.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne was also first published as a serial.
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
This classic science fiction novel was published in the January to May editions of The New Review in 1895. Other novels by Wells were also first published as serials: The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The most famous of the Sherlock Holmes books, The Hound of the Baskervilles was published in installments in The Strand Magazine between August of 1901 and April of 1902. A total of 38 Sherlock Holmes stories, both serials and short stories, were published in The Strand Magazine.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
This hallmark of English children’s literature was first published as a serial in The American Magazine from November of 1910 to August of 1911. Although serial novels were common, its publication was considered unique at the time because The Secret Garden was one of the first instances of a children’s novel being published in a magazine with an adult readership.
Other serialized children’s classics by Frances Hodgson are Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess, the latter of which was originally published as a short story in serial form and then expanded and re-published as a book.
Dune by Frank Herbert
The renowned science fiction series Dune began when its first volume was published as two separate serials in Analog magazine in 1965. Its sequel Dune Messiah followed as a serial in Galaxy magazine in 1969, and the third book, Children of Dune, was serialized in the Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine in 1976.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
This satirical novel about the correspondence between a senior demon and his junior apprentice was originally published in weekly installments in the periodical The Guardian from May to November 1941.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The novel that spawned the literary genre “gonzo journalism” and a cult classic film was first published as two part serial in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971. It was released as a book in 1972.
