Copy outletter book British Library Add MSS.55382 P. 59-60

Dear Madam,

I have got all your books now from Messrs Longmans & have been distributing the enclosed circular through the booksellers all over the country, so there ought now to be no uncertainty or difficulty on the part of any bookseller getting your books. But it may be a little time before all chance of misunderstanding ceases. We are advertising your books together as widely & well as we can.

I think it would be as well to let the printing of the Trial begin at once and if you will let me know I will send what we have to press. April would be a good time to publish. We found that it would make two rather thick volumes. Would there be any possiblity of make [sic] some containments, increase of compactness is rather an advantage in general.

We will require to reprint the ‘Daisy Chain'[.] 1000 was printed from the plates of the last edition Oct 1862, I think we should print 2000. May we do so? We are asked for a nicer edition of the Little Duke. Do you see any objection to our doing it like the Lances of Lynwood – at 8/6. I certainly would advise its being done & will willingly take the risk if you prefer it.

The Idea of the little book I spoke to your brother about was suggested by my sister-in-law (who is also my partner) Mrs Daniel Macmillan. She was struck with [the] large attention that seemed to be drawn to the idea of getting on as depicted in such works as Self-Help, and noble and good and important as this idea is it seemed to her & to me that another aspect of great human effort should to [illegible] and help of others. She suggested to me some months since that a little book of the Golden Treasury Series should be made up & the title we [illegible] on most was ‘The Golden deeds of all ages & nations’. Our notion was that the great instances of self sacrifice of all times should be selected & told in as simple true beautiful language as possible. The case of the Birkenhead? was it not? I mean the ship was sinking off the coast of Africa, and in which not a soldier moved till the women & children were safe ashore seems to me almost typical. Not many, not over many, cases where love as of a parent to a child, or child to parent, draws men into the high heroic mood, but many tales of the call of simple duty men do the Godlike Ch[illegible] not. Does the idea commend itself to you? I want a little book of the size of Sir Roundell’s Book of Praise, so we would require great selections, and perhaps it would be well to make our selection as wide as possible from the old world & the New.

Yours very faithfully
A. Macmillan

Miss Yonge Elderfield Otterbourne Winchester