A Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4) by Samuel Smiles (the top 100 crime novels of all time txt) ๐
- Author: Samuel Smiles
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We Have Inserted Your Name, As We Have No Doubt Of Your Doing Everything
You Can For The Poor Poet. The Advertisement, Which Is Excellent, Is
Written By Mr. Scott."
Hogg Was Tempted By The Duke Of Buccleuch's Gift Of A Farm On Eltrive
Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 10Lake To Build Himself A House, As Scott Was Doing, And Applied To Murray
For A Loan Of L50, Which Was Granted. In Acknowledging The Receipt Of
The Money He Wrote:
_Mr. James Hogg To John Murray_.
_August_ 11, 1818.
.... I Am Told Gifford Has A Hard Prejudice Against Me, But I Cannot
Believe It. I Do Not See How Any Man Can Have A Prejudice Against Me. He
May, Indeed, Consider Me An Intruder In The Walks Of Literature, But I
Am Only A Saunterer, And Malign Nobody Who Chooses To Let Me Pass.... I
Was Going To Say Before, But Forgot, And Said Quite Another Thing, That
If Mr. Gifford Would Point Out Any Light Work For Me To Review For Him,
I'll Bet A Ms. Poem With Him That I'll Write It Better Than He Expects.
Yours Ever Most Sincerely,
James Hogg.
As Scott Still Remained The Great Unknown, Murray's Correspondence With
Him Related Principally To His Articles In The _Quarterly_, To Which He
Continued An Occasional Contributor. Murray Suggested To Him The
Subjects Of Articles, And Also Requested Him To Beat Up For A Few More
Contributors. He Wanted An Article On The Gypsies, And If Scott Could
Not Muster Time To Do It, He Hoped That Mr. Erskine Might Be Persuaded
To Favour Him With An Essay.
Scott, However, In The Midst Of Pain And Distress, Was Now Busy With His
"Rob Roy," Which Was Issued Towards The End Of The Year.
A Short Interruption Of His Correspondence With Murray Occurred--Scott
Being Busy In Getting The Long Buried And Almost Forgotten "Regalia Of
Scotland" Exposed To Light; He Was Also Busy With One Of His Best
Novels, The "Heart Of Midlothian." Murray, Knowing Nothing Of These
Things, Again Endeavoured To Induce Him To Renew His Correspondence,
Especially His Articles For The _Review_. In Response Scott Contributed
Articles On Kirkton's "History Of The Church Of Scotland," On Military
Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 11Bridges, And On Lord Orford's Memoirs.
Towards The End Of The Year, Mr. Murray Paid A Visit To Edinburgh On
Business, And After Seeing Mr. Blackwood, Made His Way Southward, To Pay
His Promised Visit To Walter Scott At Abbotsford, An Account Of Which
Has Already Been Given In The Correspondence With Lord Byron.
James Hogg, Who Was Present At The Meeting Of Scott And Murray At
Abbotsford, Wrote To Murray As Follows:
_James Hogg To John Murray_.
Edinburgh, _February_ 20, 1819.
My Dear Sir,
I Arrived Here The Day Before Yesterday For My Spring Campaign In
Literature, Drinking Whiskey, Etc., And As I Have Not Heard A Word Of
You Or From You Since We Parted On The Top Of The Hill Above Abbotsford,
I Dedicate My First Letter From The Metropolis To You. And First Of All,
I Was Rather Disappointed In Getting So Little Cracking With You At That
Time. Scott And You Had So Much And So Many People To Converse About,
Whom Nobody Knew Anything Of But Yourselves, That You Two Got All To
Say, And Some Of Us Great Men, Who Deem We Know Everything At Home,
Found That We Knew Nothing. You Did Not Even Tell Me What Conditions You
Were Going To Give Me For My "Jacobite Relics Of Scotland," The First
Part Of Which Will Make Its Appearance This Spring, And I Think Bids
Fair To Be Popular....
Believe Me, Yours Very Faithfully,
James Hogg.
After The Discontinuance Of Murray's Business Connection With Blackwood,
Described In The Preceding Chapter, James Hogg Wrote In Great
Consternation:
Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 12
_Mr. James Hogg To John Murray_,
Eltrive, By Selkirk, _December_ 9, 1829.
My Dear Sir,
By A Letter From Blackwood To-Day, I Have The Disagreeable Intelligence
That Circumstances Have Occurred Which I Fear Will Deprive Me Of You As
A Publisher--I Hope Never As A Friend; For I Here Attest, Though I Have
Heard Some Bitter Things Against You, That I Never Met With Any Man
Whatever Who, On So Slight An Acquaintance, Has Behaved To Me So Much
Like A Gentleman. Blackwood Asks To Transfer Your Shares Of My Trifling
Works To His New Agents. I Answered, "Never! Without Your Permission."
As The "Jacobite Relics" Are Not Yet Published, And As They Would Only
Involve You Further With One With Whom You Are Going To Close Accounts,
I Gave Him Liberty To Transfer The Shares You Were To Have In Them To
Messrs. Cadell & Davies. But When I Consider Your Handsome Subscription
For "The Queen's Wake," If You Have The Slightest Inclination To Retain
Your Shares Of That Work And "The Brownie," As Your Name Is On Them,
_Along With Blackwood_, I Would Much Rather, Not Only From Affection,
But Interest, That You Should Continue To Dispose Of Them.
I Know These Books Are Of No Avail To You; And That If You Retain Them,
It Will Be On The Same Principle That You Published Them, Namely, One Of
Friendship For Your Humble Poetical Countryman. I'll Never Forget Your
Kindness; For I Cannot Think That I Am Tainted With The General Vice Of
Authors' _Ingratitude_; And The First House That I Call At In London
Will Be The One In Albemarle Street.
I Remain, Ever Yours Most Truly,
James Hogg.
Murray Did Not Cease To Sell The Shepherd's Works, And Made Arrangements
With Blackwood To Continue His Agency For Them, And To Account For The
Sales In The Usual Way.
Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 13
The Name Of Robert Owen Is But Little Remembered Now, But At The Early
Part Of The Century He Attained Some Notoriety From His Endeavours To
Reform Society. He Was Manager Of The Lanark Cotton Mills, But In 1825
He Emigrated To America, And Bought Land On The Wabash Whereon To Start
A Model Colony, Called New Harmony. This Enterprise Failed, And He
Returned To England In 1827. The Following Letter Is In Answer To His
Expressed Intention Of Adding Mr. Murray's Name To The Title-Page Of The
Second Edition Of His "New View Of Society."
_John Murray To Mr. Robert Owen_.
_September_ 9, 1817.
Dear Sir,
As It Is Totally Inconsistent With My Plans To Allow My Name To Be
Associated With Any Subject Of So Much Political Notoriety And Debate As
Your New System Of Society, I Trust That You Will Not Consider It As Any
Diminution Of Personal Regard If I Request The Favour Of You To Cause My
Name To Be Immediately Struck Out From Every Sort Of Advertisement That
Is Likely To Appear Upon This Subject. I Trust That A Moment's
Reflection Will Convince Which I Understand You Talked Of Sending To My
House. I Beg Leave Again To Repeat That I Retain The Same Sentiments Of
Personal Esteem, And That I Am, Dear Sir,
Your Faithful Servant,
John Murray.
Among The Would-Be Poets Was A Young Quaker Gentleman Of
Stockton-On-Tees Who Sent Mr. Murray A Batch Of Poems. The Publisher
Wrote An Answer To His Letter, Which Fell Into The Hands Of The Poet's
Father, Who Bore The Same Name As His Son. The Father Answered:
_Mr. Proctor To Mr. Murray_.
Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 14
Esteemed Friend,
I Feel Very Much Obliged By Thy Refusing To _Publish_ The Papers Sent
Thee By My Son. I Was Entirely Ignorant Of Anything Of The Kind, Or
Should Have Nipt It In The Bud. On Receipt Of This, Please Burn The
Whole That Was Sent Thee, And At Thy Convenience Inform Me That It Has
Been Done. With Thanks For Thy Highly Commendable Care.
I Am Respectfully, Thy Friend,
John Proctor.
The Number Of Persons Who Desired To Publish Poetry Was Surprising, Even
Sharon Turner, Murray's Solicitor, Whose Valuable Historical Works Had
Been Published By The Longmans, Wrote To Him About The Publication Of
Poems, Which He Had Written "To Idle Away The Evenings As Well As He
Could." Murray Answered His Letter:
_John Murray To Mr. Sharon Turner_.
_November_ 17, 1817.
I Do Not Think It Would Be Creditable To Your Name, Or Advantageous To
Your More Important Works, That The Present One Should Proceed From A
Different Publisher. Many Might Fancy That Longman Had Declined It.
Longman Might Suspect Me Of Interference; And Thus, In The Uncertainty
Of Acting With Propriety Myself, I Should Have Little Hope Of Giving
Satisfaction To You. I Therefore Refer The Matter To Your Own Feelings
And Consideration. It Has Afforded Me Great Pleasure To Learn Frequently
Of Late That You Are So Much Better. I Hope During The Winter, If We
Have Any, To Send You Many Amusing Books To Shorten The Tediousness Of
Time, And Charm Away Your
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