Some of the Victorian era's brightest literary stars contributed to this collection of reminiscences on the struggle and reward of publishing a first book. Alongside such indisputable masters as Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Rudyard Kipling, we encounter lesser-known figures like Israel Zangwill, a son of Jewish immigrants from London who earned acclaim from novelist George Gissing and President Theodore Roosevelt for such works as The Melting Pot (1908) and Children of the Ghetto: A Study of Peculiar People (1892). Marie Corelli, despite being rejected by the literary establishment of her time, was a pioneering science fiction writer whose bestselling works were beloved by the British people and Royal Family alike. Hall Caine was a bestselling writer whose novels, short stories, and poems-often set on his native Isle of Man-made him the most financially successful writer of his day. H. Rider Haggard, an influential forerunner of the lost world genre of literature, was an English writer whose tales of high adventure-notably King Solomon's Mines (1885)-won him popularity around the world.

The wait for a debut publication is often excruciating for writers at the beginning of their careers. In My First Book, the Victorian era's finest authors reflect on their own humble beginnings. Opened with a heartfelt introduction by English humorist Jerome K. Jerome, the collection includes reflections by such literary titans as Robert Louis Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling, and Arthur Conan Doyle.