University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign: Letter 7.
My dear Mrs Blackburn,
The price of the binding was /6½ per volume, as that blue is an expensive cloth, and the binding of an illustrated book is always more expensive, because the plates have to be sewn in separately. I must say that I have a suspicion that you had divided the sum total by 1000 instead of 2150, for certainly 1/4 would have been almost enough to bind a quarto. The paper is included in the £64, as well as the printer’s journey in search of it, indeed Parker was quite surprised at the printing being done so cheaply. I have not heard any more as to how it is going off. I will let you know when I do. You ask what I am thinking about Queen Eleanor and that his horse was quite clumsy.1 I believe the great chargers were so in reality, but surely they had few slender palfreys. This was too early for Arabs.2 But after the Crusades I think they had some Spanish barbs. If you read the Lances, I think you will consider that Brigliador must have been a barb. I should be very sorry to part company, if I ever do bring out a book in the same style, and that I think must be determined by the aspect of affairs in the summer, and partly by your feelings too.
By the by, I have been looking lately at Mrs Bayle’s,3 which I certainly do not in general think so successful as yours, and for the heads, I think hers are larger still in the summer in the country. That pretty one of Lady Dalmeny’s I only saw once, that is if hers is the clever illustration of “my lady loves her will”. I fancy your idea of me is not much like the reality. I never had a horse, and was by no means happy last time I was on the back of one to go up Skiddaw. My hunter and soldier temper is only sympathy with my father & brother who both have it keenly. I am personally a great coward and not at all enterprising, I was as a girl rather wild and scrambling, but it went off, I fancy from leading a quiet life, and in those things I am older at 30 than my cousins, though in love of fun and play rather younger. Marian has a likeness but not me Elizth in Abbeychurch, Lilias, and Ethel in the Daisy Chain, though I beg to observe that I am not such an eccentric looking mortal as she was.
I am glad you like the Columbus sketch. I was so much delighted with him when I got to know him and so provoked with the stupid books that made one think he had no glory but perseverance instead of the true beauty of his character. I do not think you will be satisfied with what I did with the White Hoods. I never could care for revolutionists of any sort, the only ones I do like at all were the Florentines for the sake of Nicolo de Lapi. I wish you would read him, there is a translation of him now, I am quite sure dear old Fanfulla would instantly become a prime hero of yours, I long to hear how you would gloat over him
Yours sincerely
C M Yonge