History
Lady Audley's Secret was partially serialized in Robin Goodfellow magazine July–September 1861, then entirely serialized in Sixpenny Magazine January–December 1862 and once again serialized in London Journal March–August 1863. It was published in 1862 in three volumes by William Tinsley.
Braddon initially sold the rights to the Irish publisher John Maxwell, with whom Braddon also lived and had children. Maxwell published it in his ailing magazine Robin Goodfellow, but Braddon did not labor much writing the final third in less than two weeks. Not until it was published as a three-volume novel by William Tinsley did it become a success and allow Braddon to be financially independent for the remainder of her life. It also enriched her publisher William Tinsley who went on to build a villa at Barnes, 'Audley Lodge', with the profits.
Notably for the bigamous nature of the plot, Maxwell himself was married to another woman and thus Braddon was unable to marry him until his wife died in 1874. When it became public that Maxwell and Braddon had been living in an "irregular" arrangement all those years, it caused a minor scandal during which all their servants gave notice.
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