The novel first appeared in 1928 as a serial in "The Saturday Evening Post". It also appeared as a serial in "The Strand Magazine" from October 1927 to February 1928. In 1929 it was followed by a sequel, "The Lord of the Dark Face", beginning with the April issue of "The Strand". The same year the novel was published in "The Maracot Deep and Other Stories" from John Murray in London, and was released in the U.S. by Doubleday Books of New York.