A Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4) - Samuel Smiles (books like beach read TXT) 📗
- Author: Samuel Smiles
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Was No Other Than Thomas Carlyle, Who, When He Made The Acquaintance Of
Mr. Murray, Had Translated Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister," Written The "Life
Of Schiller," And Several Articles In The Reviews; But Was Not Yet Known
As A Literary Man Of Mark. He Was Living Among The Bleak, Bare Moors Of
Dumfriesshire At Craigenputtock, Where He Was Consoled At Times By
Visits From Jeffrey And Emerson, And By Letters From Goethe, And Where
He Wrote That Strange And Rhapsodical Book "Sartor Resartus," Containing
A Considerable Portion Of His Own Experience. After The Ms. Was Nearly
Finished, He Wrapt It In A Piece Of Paper, Put In It His Pocket, And
Started For Dumfries, On His Way To London.
Mr. Francis Jeffrey, Then Lord Advocate, Recommended Carlyle To Try
Murray, Because, "In Spite Of Its Radicalism, He Would Be The Better
Publisher." Jeffrey Wrote To Mr. Murray On The Subject, Without
Mentioning Carlyle's Name:
_Mr. Jeffrey To John Murray_. _May_ I, 1831.
"Lord Jeffrey [Footnote: Jeffrey Writes Thus, Although He Did Not Become
A Lord Of Session Till 1834.] Understands That The Earlier Chapters Of
This Work (Which Is The Production Of A Friend Of His) Were Shown Some
Months Ago To Mr. Murray (Or His Reader), And Were Formally Judged Of;
Though, From Its Incomplete State, No Proposal For Its Publication Could
Then Be Entertained. What Is Now Sent Completes It; The Earlier Chapters
Being Now Under The Final Perusal Of The Author.
"Lord Jeffrey, Who Thinks Highly Of The Author's Abilities, Ventures To
Beg Mr. Murray To Look At The Ms. Now Left With Him, And To Give Him, As
Soon As Possible, His Opinion As To Its Probable Success On Publication;
And Also To Say Whether He Is Willing To Undertake It, And On What
Terms."
Carlyle, Who Was Himself At The Time In London, Called Upon Mr. Murray,
And Left With Him A Portion Of The Manuscript, And An Outline Of The
Proposed Volume.
_Mr. Carlyle To John Murray_.
6 Woburn Buildings, Tavistock Square,
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 160
_Wednesday, August_ 10, 1831.
Dear Sir,
I Here Send You The Ms. Concerning Which I Have, For The Present, Only
To Repeat My Urgent Request That No Time May Be Lost In Deciding On It.
At Latest, Next Wednesday I Shall Wait Upon You, To See What Further, Or
Whether Anything Further Is To Be Done.
In The Meanwhile, It Is Perhaps Unnecessary To Say, That The Whole
Business Is Strictly Confidential; The Rather, As I Wish To Publish
Anonymously.
I Remain, Dear Sir, Yours Truly,
Thomas Carlyle.
Be So Kind As To Write, By The Bearer, These Two Words, "Ms. Received."
When Carlyle Called A Second Time Murray Was Not At Home, But He Found
That The Parcel Containing The Ms. Had Not Been Opened. He Again Wrote
To The Publisher On The Following Friday:
_Mr. Carlyle To John Murray_.
Dear Sir,
As I Am Naturally Very Anxious To Have This Little Business That Lies
Between Us Off My Hands--And, Perhaps, A Few Minutes' Conversation Would
Suffice To Settle It All--I Will Again Request, In Case I Should Be So
Unlucky As To Miss You In Albemarle Street, That You Would Have The
Goodness To Appoint Me A Short Meeting At Any, The Earliest, Hour That
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 161Suits Your Convenience.
I Remain, Dear Sir, Yours Truly,
Thomas Carlyle.
This Was Followed Up By A Letter From Mr. Jeffrey:
_Mr. Jeffrey To John Murray_.
_Sunday, August_ 28, 1831.
My Dear Sir,
Will You Favour Me With A Few Minutes' Conversation, Any Morning Of This
Week (The Early Part Of It, If Possible), On The Subject Of My Friend
Carlyle's Projected Publication. I Have Looked A Little Into The Ms. And
Can Tell You Something About It. Believe Me, Always, Very Faithfully
Yours,
F. Jeffrey.
The Interview Between Jeffrey And Murray Led To An Offer For The Ms.
_Mr. Carlyle To John Murray_.
Tuesday.
Dear Sir,
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 162
I Have Seen The Lord Advocate [Jeffrey], Who Informs Me That You Are
Willing To Print An Edition Of 750 Copies Of My Ms., At Your Own Cost,
On The Principle Of What Is Called "Half Profits"; The Copyright Of The
Book After That To Belong To Myself. I Came Down At Present To Say
That, Being Very Anxious To Have You As A Publisher, And To See My Book
Put Forth Soon, I Am Ready To Accede To These Terms; And I Should Like
Much To Meet You, Or Hear From You, At Your Earliest Convenience, That
The Business Might Be Actually Put In Motion. I Much Incline To Think,
In Contrasting The Character Of My Little Speculation With The Character
Of The Times, That _Now_ (Even In These Months, Say In November) Were
The Best Season For Emitting It. Hoping Soon To See All This Pleasantly
Settled,
I Remain, Dear Sir, Yours Truly,
Thomas Carlyle.
Mr. Murray Was Willing To Undertake The Risk Of Publishing 750 Copies,
And Thus To Allow The Author To Exhibit His Literary Wares To The
Public. Even If The Whole Edition Had Sold, The Pecuniary Results To
Both Author And Publisher Would Have Been Comparatively Trifling, But As
The Copyright Was To Remain In The Author's Possession, And He Would
Have Been Able To Make A Much Better Bargain With The Future Editions,
The Terms May Be Considered Very Liberal, Having Regard To The
Exceptional Nature Of The Work. Mr. Carlyle, However, Who Did Not Know
The Usual Custom Of Publishers, Had In The Meantime Taken Away His Ms.
And Offered It To Other Publishers In London, Evidently To Try Whether
He Could Not Get A Better Bid For His Book. Even Jeffrey Thought It "Was
Too Much Of The Nature Of A Rhapsody, To Command Success Or Respectful
Attention." The Publishers Thought The Same. Carlyle Took The Ms. To
Fraser Of Regent Street, Who Offered To Publish It If Carlyle Would
_Give Him_ A Sum Not Exceeding L150 Sterling. He Had Already Been To
Longmans & Co., Offering Them His "German Literary History," But They
Declined To Publish The Work, And He Now Offered Them His "Sartor
Resartus," With A Similar Result. He Also Tried Colburn And Bentley, But
Without Success. When Murray, Then At Ramsgate, Heard That Carlyle Had
Been Offering His Book To Other Publishers, He Wrote To Him:
_John Murray To Mr. Carlyle_.
_September_ 17, 1831.
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 163
Dear Sir,
Your Conversation With Me Respecting The Publication Of Your Ms. Led Me
To Infer That You Had Given Me The Preference, And Certainly Not That
You Had Already Submitted It To The Greatest Publishers In London, Who
Had Declined To Engage In It. Under These Circumstances It Will Be
Necessary For Me Also To Get It Read By Some Literary Friend, Before I
Can, In Justice To Myself, Engage In The Printing Of It.
I Am, Dear Sir, Your Faithful Servant,
John Murray.
To This Mr. Carlyle Replied:
_September_ 19, 1831
Sir,
I Am This Moment Favoured With Your Note Of The 17th, And Beg To Say, In
Reply,:
_First_.--That Your Idea, Derived From Conversation With Me, Of My
Giving You The Preference To All Other Publishers, Was Perfectly
Correct. I Had Heard You Described As A Man Of Honour, Frankness, And
Even Generosity, And Knew You To Have The Best And Widest Connexions; On
Which Grounds, I Might Well Say, And Can Still Well Say, That A
Transaction With You Would Please Me Better Than A Similar One With Any
Other Member Of The Trade.
_Secondly_.--That Your Information, Of My Having Submitted My Ms. To The
Greatest Publishers In London, If You Mean That, After Coming Out Of
Your Hands, It Lay Two Days In Those Of Messrs. Longman & Rees, And Was
From Them Delivered Over To The Lord Advocate, Is Also Perfectly
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 164Correct: If You Mean Anything Else, Incorrect.
_Thirdly_.--That If You Wish The Bargain, Which I Had Understood Myself
To Have Made With You, Unmade, You Have Only To Cause Your Printer, Who
Is Now Working On My Ms., To Return The Same, Without Damage Or Delay,
And Consider The Business As Finished. I Remain, Sir, Your Obedient
Servant,
Thomas Carlyle.
In The Meantime Murray Submitted The Ms. To One Of His Literary
Advisers, Probably Lockhart, Whose Report Was Not Very Encouraging.
Later, As Mr. Carlyle Was Unwilling To Entertain The Idea Of Taking His
Manuscript Home With Him, And None Of The Other Publishers Would Accept
It, He Urgently Requested Mr. Murray Again To Examine It, And Come To
Some Further Decision. "While I, With Great Readiness," He Said, "Admit
Your Views, And Shall Cheerfully Release You From All Engagement, Or
Shadow Of Engagement, With Me In Regard To It: The Rather, As It Seems
Reasonable For Me To Expect Some Higher Remuneration For A Work That Has
Cost Me So Much Effort, Were It Once Fairly Examined,
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