Sales Figures of Ellen Wood's Books
TITLE |
1889 |
1901 |
1912 |
1923 |
1931 |
East Lynne |
200,000 |
545,000 |
970,000 |
984,000 |
984,000 |
The Channings |
80,000 |
210,000 |
330,000 |
353,000 |
356,000 |
Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles |
58,000 |
160,000 |
255,000 |
272,000 |
272,000 |
The Shadow of Ashlydyat |
38,000 |
110,000 |
210,000 |
215,000 |
217,000 |
Lord Oakburn's Daughters |
20,000 |
125,000 |
235,000 |
273,000 |
275,000 |
Verner's Pride |
30,000 |
95,000 |
193,000 |
203,000 |
203,000 |
Roland Yorke |
45,000 |
150,000 |
206,000 |
210,000 |
210,000 |
Johnny Ludlow - 1st Series |
25,000 |
55,000 |
67,000 |
72,000 |
72,000 |
Mildred Arkell |
36,000 |
90,000 |
177,000 |
184,000 |
N/A |
St. Martin's Eve |
31,000 |
90,000 |
178,000 |
190,000 |
190,000 |
Trevlyn Hold |
30,000 |
75,000 |
168,000 |
177,000 |
177,000 |
George Canterbury's Will |
35,000 |
83,000 |
132,000 |
141,000 |
143,000 |
The Red Court Farm |
32,000 |
85,000 |
195,000 |
215,000 |
215,000 |
Within the Maze |
31,000 |
140,000 |
194,000 |
209,000 |
209,000 |
Elster's Folly |
30,000 |
65,000 |
131,000 |
133,000 |
N/A |
Lady Adelaide |
65,000 |
205,000 |
219,000 |
221,000 |
|
Oswald Cray |
65,000 |
144,000 |
152,000 |
152,000 |
|
Johnny Ludlow - 2nd Series |
20,000 |
40,000 |
50,000 |
50,000 |
50,000 |
Anne Hereford |
29,000 |
60,000 |
73,000 |
78,000 |
81,000 |
Dene Hollow |
70,000 |
115,000 |
125,000 |
125,000 |
|
Edina |
50,000 |
65,000 |
69,000 |
69,000 |
|
A Life's Secret |
75,000 |
202,000 |
215,000 |
215,000 |
|
Court Netherleigh |
51,000 |
64,000 |
72,000 |
72,000 |
|
Lady Grace |
31,000 |
38,000 |
41,000 |
N/A |
|
Bessy Rane |
55,000 |
105,000 |
110,000 |
110,000 |
|
The Unholy Wish |
20,000 |
30,000 |
30,000 |
N/A |
|
Johnny Ludlow - 3rd Series |
23,000 |
28,000 |
30,000 |
30,000 |
|
The Master of Greylands |
57,000 |
71,000 |
80,000 |
80,000 |
|
Orville College |
50,000 |
87,000 |
89,000 |
91,000 |
|
Pomeroy Abbey |
53,000 |
161,000 |
168,000 |
168,000 |
|
Johnny Ludlow - 4th Series |
20,000 |
67,000* |
67,000* |
68,000* |
|
Adam Grainger |
20,000 |
25,000 |
25,000 |
25,000 |
|
Johnny Ludlow - 5th Series |
20,000 |
25,000 |
25,000 |
25,000 |
|
Johnny Ludlow - 6th Series |
20,000 |
20,000 |
N/A |
||
The House of Halliwell |
30,000 |
116,000 |
123,000 |
N/A |
|
Ashley |
15,000 |
94,000 |
97,000 |
N/A |
|
The Story of Charles Strange |
15,000 |
34,000 |
34,000 |
N/A |
|
Parkwater |
20,000 |
100,000* |
100,000* |
N/A |
* These figures were almost certainly the result of a printing error that was never corrected in the subsequent editions of Wood's Books. However, there is also another possibility. The large increase in sales of Ashley between 1901 and 1912 may have been due to the publication of a very cheap paperback version. In 1904 the Ashley paperback was retailing as part of Macmillan's sixpenny series. It is possible that similar very cheap editions of Parkwater and Johnny Ludlow: Fourth Series were also available, which dramatically increased their sales. If this theory is correct it fails to explain why similar leaps in sales are not apparent for The Story of Charles Strange or Johnny Ludlow: Third Series. Did Macmillan only issue cheap paperback versions of selected later Wood titles, which had not been selling in sufficient numbers in the more usual hardback editions?
N/A = Figures not available. It would seem these nine titles went out of print between 1929, when figures were available, and 1931 when these titles were no longer included in listings.
Can you help?
If you have copies of Wood's books with the sales figures for: 1894, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1922 and anything after 1923, except for 1929 & 1931. I would be very pleased to hear from you. Please use the e-mail link on the Home Page.
I would like to thank Richard Beaton who generously supplied figures from his extensive stock of Wood's novels. Also my thanks to Sarah Webb, who very kindly supplied the figures for 1929 and 1931.
