Due to the demands of his professional life, he had only completed half the book by May 1918, and when in the latter part of that year Abdu'l-Baha was made aware of Esslemont's book project, he requested a copy for his review, Esslemont forwarding the nine chapters he had completed in January 1919. His plan had been to visit Haifa in July 1919, Abdu'l-Baha requesting that he take the completed manuscript with him; however, since Esslemont hadn't completed the book he postponed his visit for a few months, arriving in Haifa in early November and staying until 23 January 1920. During this time, Abdu'l-Baha reviewed the book and spoke with Esslemont about suggestions for its improvement. As a result of having direct access to Abdu'l-Baha, Esslemont was able to collect a considerable amount of new information about the history and teachings of the Baháʼí Faith. He returned to England to revise the book, which he completed in June 1920. The work was then translated into Persian and forwarded to Abdu'l-Baha for final review. Because Abdu'l-Baha died in 1921 before reviewing the work in its entirety, the remainder was reviewed by Shoghi Effendi. The first edition of Baháʼu'lláh and the New Era was published in September 1923 and the American edition was published in October 1924. The book is still in print, though it has gone through many updates and revisions. "Baháʼu'lláh and the New Era" has been translated into 60 languages and is one of the most widely distributed books on the Baháʼí Faith in the world.