A Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4) by Samuel Smiles (the top 100 crime novels of all time txt) ๐
- Author: Samuel Smiles
Book online ยซA Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4) by Samuel Smiles (the top 100 crime novels of all time txt) ๐ยป. Author Samuel Smiles
"I Can't Say What Ought To Be Done With This Book. To Me, Knowing Whose
It Is, It Is Full Of Interest; But The Affectations And Absurdities Are
Such That I Can't But Think They Would Disgust Others More Than The Life
And Brilliancy Of Many Of The Descriptions Would Please Them. You Should
Send It To Milman Without Saying Who Is The Author.--J.G.L."
The Ms. Was Accordingly Sent To Mr. Milman, But As He Was Very Ill At
The Time, And Could Not Read It Himself, But Transferred It To His Wife,
Much Delay Occurred In Its Perusal. Meanwhile, Mr. Disraeli Became Very
Impatient About The Publication, And Again Wrote:
_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_.
_March_ 4, 1832.
My Dear Sir,
I Wish That I Could Simplify Our Arrangements By A Stroke By Making You
A Present Of "The Psychological Romance"; But At Present You Must Indeed
Take The Will For The Deed, Although I Hope The Future Will Allow Us To
Get On More Swimmingly. That Work Has, In All Probability, Cost Me More
Than I Shall Ever Obtain By It, And Indeed I May Truly Say That To Write
That Work I Have Thrown To The Winds All The Obvious Worldly Prospects
Of Life.
I Am Ready To Make Every Possible Sacrifice On My Part To Range Myself
Under Your Colours. I Will Willingly Give Up The Immediate And Positive
Receipt Of A Large Sum Of Money For The Copyright, And By Publishing The
Work Anonymously Renounce That Certain Sale Which, As A Successful,
Although I Confess Not Very Worthy Author, I Can Command. But In
Quitting My Present Publisher, I Incur, From The Terms Of Our Last
Agreement, A _Virtual Penalty_, Which I Have No Means To Pay Excepting
From The Proceeds Of My Pen. Have You, Therefore, Any Objection To
Advance Me A Sum On The Anticipated Profits Of The Edition, Not
Exceeding Two Hundred Pounds?
It Grieves Me Much To Appear Exacting To You, But I Frankly Tell You The
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 144Reason, And, As It Will Enable Me To Place Myself At Your Disposal, I
Hope You Will Not Consider Me Mercenary, When I Am Indeed Influenced By
The Most Sincere Desire To Meet Your Views.
If This Modification Of Your Arrangement Will Suit You, As I Fervently
Trust It Will, I Shall Be Delighted To Accede To Your Wishes. In That
Case Let Me Know Without Loss Of Time, And Pray Let Us Meet To Talk Over
Minor Points, As To The Mode Of Publication, Etc. I Shall Be At Home All
The Morning; My Time Is Very Much Occupied, And On Thursday Or Friday I
Must Run Down, For A Day Or Two, To Wycombe To Attend A Public Meeting.
[Footnote: Mr. Disraeli Was Then A Candidate, On The Radical Side, For
The Borough Of Wycombe.]
Fervently Trusting That This Arrangement Will Meet Your Wishes,
Believe Me, Yours,
Benj. Disraeli.
While The Ms. Was Still In Mr. Milman's Hands, Mr. Disraeli Followed
This Up With Another Letter:
_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_
35 Duke Street, St. James's.
My Dear Sir, I Am Very Sensible That You Have Conducted Yourself, With
Regard To My Ms., In The Most Honourable, Kind, And Judicious Manner;
And I Very Much Regret The Result Of Your Exertions, Which Neither Of Us
Deserve.
I Can Wait No Longer. The Delay Is Most Injurious To Me, And In Every
Respect Very Annoying. I Am Therefore Under The Painful Necessity Of
Requesting You To Require From Your Friend The Return Of My Work Without
A Moment's Delay, But I Shall Not Deny Myself The Gratification Of
Thanking You For Your Kindness And Subscribing Myself, With Regard
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 145
Your Faithful Servant,
Benj. Disraeli.
At Length Mr. Milman's Letter Arrived, Expressing His Judgment On The
Work, Which Was Much More Satisfactory Than That Of Mr. Lockhart.
_The Rev. H.H. Milman To John Murray_.
Reading, _March_ 5, 1832.
My Dear Sir,
I Have Been Utterly Inefficient For The Last Week, In A State Of Almost
Complete Blindness; But Am Now, I Trust, Nearly Restored. Mrs. Milman,
However, Has Read To Me The Whole Of The Ms. It Is A Very Remarkable
Production--Very Wild, Very Extravagant, Very German, Very Powerful,
Very Poetical. It Will, I Think, Be Much Read--As Far As One Dare
Predict Anything Of The Capricious Taste Of The Day--Much Admired, And
Much Abused. It Is Much More In The Macaulay Than In The Croker Line,
And The Former Is Evidently In The Ascendant. Some Passages Will Startle
The Rigidly Orthodox; The Phrenologists Will Be In Rapture. I Tell You
All This, That You May Judge For Yourself. One Thing Insist Upon, If You
Publish It-That The Title Be Changed. The Whole Beauty, Of The Latter
Part Especially, Is Its Truth. It Is A Rapid Volume Of Travels, A
"Childe Harold" In Prose; Therefore Do Not Let It Be Called "A Romance"
On Any Account. Let Those Who Will, Believe It To Be A Real History, And
Those Who Are Not Taken In, Dispute Whether It Is Truth Or Fiction. If
It Makes Any Sensation, This Will Add To Its Notoriety. "A Psychological
Auto-Biography" Would Be Too Sesquipedalian A Title; But "My Life
Psychologically Related," Or "The Psychology Of My Life," Or Some Such
Title, Might Be Substituted.
H.H. Milman.
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 146
Before Mr. Milman's Communication Had Been Received, Another Pressing
Letter Arrived From Mr. Disraeli.
_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_.
My Dear Sir,
It Is With Deep Regret And Some Mortification That I Appear To Press
You. It Is Of The Highest Importance To Me That The "P.R." Should
Appear Without Loss Of Time. I Have An Impending Election In The
Country, Which A Single And Not Improbable Event May Precipitate. It Is
A Great Object With Me, That My Work Should Be Published Before That
Election.
Its Rejection By You Will Only Cause Me Sorrow. I Have No Desire That
You Should Become Its Publisher, Unless You Conceive It May Be The First
Of A Series Of Works, Which May Support Your Name, And Sustain Your
Fortunes. There Is No Question Of Pecuniary Matters Between Us; I Leave
All These With You, With Illimitable Trust.
Pray, Pray, My Dear Sir, Do Not Let Me Repent The Feelings Which Impel
Me To Seek This Renewal Of Our Connection. I Entreat Therefore Your
Attention To This Subject, And Request That You Will Communicate Your
Decision.
Believe Me, As I Have Already Said, That Whatever That Decision May Be,
I Shall Not The Less Consider Myself,
Very Cordially Yours,
B. Disraeli.
And Again, In A Subsequent Letter, Mr. Disraeli Said:
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 147
"There Is No Work Of Fiction On Whose Character I Could Not Decide In
Four-And-Twenty Hours, And Your Critic Ought Not To Be Less Able Than
Your Author. Pray, Therefore, To Communicate Without Loss Of Time To
Your Obedient Faithful Servant.
"B.D."
On Receiving Mr. Milman's Approval, Mr. Murray Immediately Made Up His
Mind To Publish The Work. He Wrote To Mr. Disraeli:
_John Murray To Mr. Disraeli_.
_March_ 6, 1832.
My Dear Sir,
Your Ms. Has This Moment Been Returned To Me, Accompanied By A
Commendation Which Enables Me To Say That I Should Be Proud Of Being Its
Publisher. But In These Times I Am Obliged To Refrain From Speculation,
And I Cannot Offer Any Sum For It That Is Likely To Be Equal To Its
Probable Value.
I Would, However, If It So Please You, Print At My Expense An Edition Of
1,200 Or 1,500 Copies, And Give You Half The Profits; And After The Sale
Of This Edition, The Copyright Shall Be Entirely Your Own; So That If
The Work Prove As Successful As I Anticipate, You Will Ensure All The
Advantages Of It Without Incurring Any Risque. If This Proposal Should
Not Suit You, I Beg To Add That I Shall, For The Handsome Offer Of Your
Work In The First Instance, Still Remain,
Your Obedient Servant,
John Murray.
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 148
Some Further Correspondence Took Place As To The Title Of The Work.
"What Do You Think," Said Mr. Disraeli, "Of The 'Psychological Memoir'?
I Hesitate Between This And 'Narrative,' But Discard 'History' Or
'Biography.' On Survey, I Conceive The Ms. Will
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