In July 1896, volume 10 of The Yellow Book appeared, with Laurence Housman's black-and-white line drawing, "The Barren Life," among its art contents. The image, which was likely owned by publisher John Lane, was an old work recycled under a new title. The original drawing had been produced by Housman in 1893 as the frontispiece for Francis Thompson’s Poems. Lane had rejected this drawing by his novice book designer, and required Housman to produce a different frontispiece for Poems. In 1896, Housman was a well-established book designer and illustrator, whose self-illustrated collection of poems, Green Arras, was about to be published by The Bodley Head. Lane may have included "The Barren Life" in the summer issue of The Yellow Book by way of promoting the work of a Bodley Head designer who was about to become a Bodley Head author as well.