In 1880 the publishing conditions in Britain could best be described as traditional, even a bit sleepy. Triple-decker novels and lending libraries like Mudie's that purchased them still controlled most of the market for new fiction, while the periodical market was dominated by holdovers like Blackwood's (1817–1980), the less staid Belgravia (1866–99), Chamber's Edinburgh Journal (1832–1956), Cornhill (1860–1975), Good Words (1860–1906), Macmillan's (1859–1907) and Temple Bar (1860–1906). Change was already evident, however, in the form of George Newnes’ Tit-Bits (1881–1984), the profusely illustrated Illustrated London News (1842–present), the English Illustrated Magazine (1883–1913) and the lively Boy's Own Paper (1879–1967). The movement was away from the print-heavy, largely non-fiction content of the established journals toward lighter articles and fiction – both serial novels and short stories. As this chapter will later demonstrate, new magazines sprang up in the 1890s following the success of the Strand (1891–1950), opening up huge new markets for authors.

Meanwhile, the spread of education created new demands for inexpensive and largely sensational fiction; as a result, both the novel itself and its three-volume incarnation were under huge pressures: