John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 27 February 1861
Title
John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 27 February 1861
Title
John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 27 February 1861
Sender
John Blackwood
Recipient
George Eliot
Date(s)
- 1861-02-27
Place
Edinburgh
Letter Content
John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 27 February 1861
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
Edinburgh | February 27/61.
My Dear Madam
We think there will be no risk in making Silas one volume to sell at 12/ as we can make it a thicker and handsomer book than the ordinary volume of a 31/6 Novel.
For an edition of four thousand copies to sell at this price we beg to offer you Eight Hundred Pounds payable at six Mos. from publication, and payment at a like rate for any number we may sell beyond the four thousand.
Our idea is that 5 or 6 thousand at least should be sold and the only doubt we have is as to how the one volume may affect the library demand, but we think any possible falling off in that quarter is more than made up by the additional chance of the one volume Story finding private customers who never think of buying a 1/11/6 novel.
I hope the above proposition will meet with your approval and that I shall soon have the pleasure of receiving the conclusion of the story, of the character of which I am delighted to hear.
Since I wrote to you Willie and Mr. Simpson have read the M.S. and are in a most pleasurable state of excitement about it. In regard to the printing it will hardly be worth while to begin until the whole is finished or the end fairly in sight unless you wish to have the proofs by you. On consulting the foreman of the Printing Office as to time he said "Oh, we'll blaw it out like a bottle," meaning that the printing would be as rapid as that almost instantaneous process which you may have seen.
Will you send the form of advertisement you would like, as we should begin to blow our trumpets at once.
It is a relief to try to think upon your book or anything as sorrow is pressing hard upon us here. My dear brother's state leaves little or no hope. He is very calm and resigned and suffers little, which is a great comfort.
ever yours truly
John Blackwood.
Mrs. M. E. Lewes.
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
Edinburgh | February 27/61.
My Dear Madam
We think there will be no risk in making Silas one volume to sell at 12/ as we can make it a thicker and handsomer book than the ordinary volume of a 31/6 Novel.
For an edition of four thousand copies to sell at this price we beg to offer you Eight Hundred Pounds payable at six Mos. from publication, and payment at a like rate for any number we may sell beyond the four thousand.
Our idea is that 5 or 6 thousand at least should be sold and the only doubt we have is as to how the one volume may affect the library demand, but we think any possible falling off in that quarter is more than made up by the additional chance of the one volume Story finding private customers who never think of buying a 1/11/6 novel.
I hope the above proposition will meet with your approval and that I shall soon have the pleasure of receiving the conclusion of the story, of the character of which I am delighted to hear.
Since I wrote to you Willie and Mr. Simpson have read the M.S. and are in a most pleasurable state of excitement about it. In regard to the printing it will hardly be worth while to begin until the whole is finished or the end fairly in sight unless you wish to have the proofs by you. On consulting the foreman of the Printing Office as to time he said "Oh, we'll blaw it out like a bottle," meaning that the printing would be as rapid as that almost instantaneous process which you may have seen.
Will you send the form of advertisement you would like, as we should begin to blow our trumpets at once.
It is a relief to try to think upon your book or anything as sorrow is pressing hard upon us here. My dear brother's state leaves little or no hope. He is very calm and resigned and suffers little, which is a great comfort.
ever yours truly
John Blackwood.
Mrs. M. E. Lewes.
Signature
John Blackwood.
Citation
John Blackwood, John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 27 February 1861, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/95247