George Bernard Shaw had become interested in Davies, a literary unknown at the time, and had agreed to write a preface for the book, largely through the efforts of his wife Charlotte.

Shaw was also instrumental in keeping the unusual title of the book, of which Davies himself was unsure, and which later proved to be controversial with some reviewers.

"[3] In April 2013 Parthian Books published a new edition of the novel featuring Bernard Shaw's original introduction; it is part of the Library of Wales series, a collection of classic writing from Wales in the English language, a joint initiative of the Welsh Assembly Government and a Welsh Books Council.

After crossing the Atlantic from Britain to Canada at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush, Davies fell while hopping a train.

The English rock group Supertramp (whose founder and only constant member coincidently shared the same surname as the Welsh writer) was named after the book by original guitarist and lyricist Richard Palmer-James.