Montezuma's Daughter

In the historical romance set during the sixteenth century, Montezuma's Daughter, Englishman Thomas Wingfield seeks revenge on his Spanish cousin Juan de Garcia for murdering his mother. After pursuing the villain from Seville to Mexico, Wingfield witnesses the arrival of Cortes, and he marries the Aztec princess Otomie. It is not until after his nemesis, Otomie, and his five children perish that Wingfield returns to England and weds Lily Bozard, the English betrothed of his youth. MD was inspired by Haggard’s trip to Mexico in 1892, but biographers note that the death of the protagonist's five children reflects Haggard’s own grief after the death of his son Jock.

MD was serialized in The Graphic from July to November 1893, and included illustrations by Seymour Lucas & J. R. Weguelin. Longmans, Green, and Co., London, published the first edition on 13 November 1893 featuring 24 full-page illustrations by Maurice Greiffenhagen. Longmans issued 10,000 copies in this printing. Longmans, New York, published the first US edition. Macdonald & Co., London, published an edition of MD illustrated by Hookway Cowles in December 1948, 1st thus, with a 6th imprint November 1965.

Further Reading:

Haggard, H. Rider. The Days of My Life, An Autobiography. 2 Vols. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1926. I: 39-44. Print.

Pocock, Tom. Rider Haggard and the Lost Empire. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1993. 87-89. Print.

Whatmore, D.E.. H Rider Haggard: A Bibliography. Westport, CT: Meckler Publishing Co., 1987. F16, 27-28. Print.