Related Letters
My dear Sir, I have authorized M. Tauchnitz to republish “The Little Duke,” and Mr Sydney Williams tells me that he is about to apply to you for a cast of the frontispiece - I am afraid however that the lithographs can be no longer renewed, and I must reply to him that only the vignette of the little page is still to be had. I believe Mrs Blackburn had the stones broken up after the ... continue reading
Dear Cobweb
I did not answer you at once because the Glowworm sent me a set of questions by the same post, and I had to refer to the Secretary to know which was to have the first turn. She decides that, as by some blunder the Glow Worm stepped into Fru Astrida’s place, and that her questions had therefore better have the first turn. I believe this is rather a good thing for your first ... continue reading
Sir, I have now heard from Messrs Longman, so that I can proceed in the matter on which I wrote to you some weeks since.
I should be obliged if you would let me know whether you would undertake my works hitherto in Messrs Parker’s hands, namely
the stock and stereotypes being transferred to you. All these have been hitherto on commission, ... continue reading
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 ... continue reading
Dear Miss Yonge I will see whether we can find some one who would do a few vigorous outlines for the little Duke. Something like those to Kingsleys Heroes. Reproductions of foreign books are not generally successful.
We send the Daisy Chain to press today
I am very glad indeed that you take to our idea. It would do admirable [sic] for a Christmas book. I think you have quite caught the idea I had & I think ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan
Herewith I send enough of the Trial for the printer to proceed with at once. I have erased all the redundancies I could find, and I hope it may thus become less cumbrous - Unless there is some difficulty I suppose there is no need of sending me proofs. Mr Parker wrote to me himself to recommend Phelps who printed the History of Christian Names and as there were a good many letters ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan,
I enclose what Mrs Blackburn says in answer to my question about the drawings for the Little Duke - Will you tell me what you think of the matter? I suppose she might improve some of the faces, but I think it is quite open to you to find some other designer. I shall send tomorrow another parcel of the Trial
Yours faithfully C.M. Yonge
... continue readingDear Mr Macmillan,
I am sorry to trouble you again, but will you kindly tell me how to answer the letter from Mrs Blackburn about the Illustrations to the Little Duke, which I sent about ten days ago - You see she says it must be settled quickly as she is going abroad
Yours faithfully
My dear Miss Yonge I suppose you would like to have the 'Trial' stereotyped. This can be done now at nearly the same cost as the Composition would be hereafter. For readjusting the page and having stereotype plate cast the expense would be £68. I do not know how you have arranged the matter on former occasions. But I suppose that you would probably prefer to purchase the plates and have them as your own property.
The ... continue reading
My dear Mr Macmillan, I suppose the Trial ought to be stereotyped that it may stand on the same footing with the other books. In all the former cases I have been at the whole expense of printing, paper, binding &c, and have thus had all the profits, except the commission on the sales - I think the arrangement with regard to the Trial was that I was to receive £200 for 2,000 copies; I conclude ... continue reading
Dear Miss Yonge .
What you received is an original drawing - not a proof. I am glad you like it so far. I want to reproduce it by the photolithographic process which is at once cheap and accurate. The artist is a very promising young man who is almost self taught & who has done some charming oil[sic]. He wanted to try his hand on book illustrations, and this seemed a good chance for him, if ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan, I sent the drawing by the train yesterday. It was very dull of me not to have seen that it was a drawing. Our only other criticism is that a touch or two might make the little Duke’s limbs more child like.
As a matter of fact I believe the Normans did not wear beards, but I only found this out long after the book was out, so book and beard must both stand ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan, I should prefer keeping the Clever Woman uniform with the other tales, as I think a good many people have a set of them, to which they would add it. And I should be scolded by half my friends for coming out in the 3 vol shape!
I am glad the Trial has done well. I see you are advertising a cheap edition. What are to be the terms for it.
I have this morning ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan Somehow my direction book has been faithless and I have missed Mr Masson’s address, so I am sending the new chapters of Dove etc. direct to you. I am afraid the story may be thought to flag a little just here, but I could not help it, and there is plenty of incident to come after the next division.
I think Miss Sewell’s idea was to divide by periods. I think I should ... continue reading
My dear Miss Yonge The M S. has come all right. Sending as early as - I am thankful indeed you do, to address him here is the simplest way. His private address is 2 Newton Villas Finchley New Road. N.W.
I shall be very glad to hear about the result of your conference with Miss Sewell. My only feeling in the suggestion I made re - Montfort was that each volume - supposing it is found ... continue reading
My dear Miss Yonge I have seen the lithographer this morning and shown him Miss John’s drawing. He, I am sorry to say, was more emphatic against it than even I felt. Would you mind my going to my friend Mr Farren I do not like seeming to slight your friend but indeed I doubt much whether Miss Johns could do justice to the charming story. Mr Farren has greatly improved since he did the [[cmybook:20]Little ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan Will you direct this on if you know the address - if not perhaps Mr Williams would kindly do so. M. Pichot wrote to ask my sanction for translation of the Dove, and I answered that I had already given permission to Mlle Souvestre. But the next thing I heard was that Mlle Souvestre had given it up for want of time so that I must write to him again, and I had ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan I believe we agreed that except to those who know me my name shall not be mentioned as Editor of the Sunday Library. I think this, as you say, wise & desirable, but my difficulty with regard to Miss Yonge is that she says there is to be no editor. This of course is quite another thing & would be a very grave misunderstanding & one that would seriously affect me.
For all cases ... continue reading
Dear Miss Yonge, Don’t you think that an Index and some chronological tables would be of similar use to the Cameos? If you agree with me I can get them done. The printer is making a table of contents of which you shall see a proof.
I enclose a letter about the terrible story(?). But I think the Little Duke has been close and [rest of paragraph indecipherable]
I hope you like the gilt-edged copy of the ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan, I believe the Little Duke has been translated into French, I am sure I have given leave for it, but I do not always hear whether a translation comes to anything
The Cameos would certainly be the better for an Index, I do not think a genealogical table is wanted
I find I still have one of your books, besides Julius Caesar. I will return them together.
The gilt edged copy is very pretty - many ... continue reading
My dear Marianne Here we are, after having, I think, done very well on our journey. We met Miss Martin on board the steamer. I forget whether I told you that she had begged to come at the same time for the benefit of our escort, and though we had rather have been alone, she was very helpful and pleasant. She is the editor of the Sunday Library, which is the way we fell in with ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan
It is rather difficult to arrange the order of these books. Heartsease was out before the Daisy Chain indeed those four that I numbered first were meant to answer to the four Seasons, and ought to go together
In point of date, the Daisy Chain and the Young Stepmother are the next, but the Daisy Chain Trial and Pillars ought to come together
What is to be done about the lesser historical ones, ... continue reading
Dear Mr Craik
You will think there is no end to me, but it may save more letters if you get this before seeing Mr Carr.
1st - Could some copies be put in boards for prizes for the Board Schools at Liverpool. I suppose they could tell how many, and others might like them
2d - . If I could have a list of convenient illustrations I could make them salient points
3d - As to length, ... continue reading
Dear Mr Craik
The printer can judge better than I but I do not think there is enough of the Quest of Ulysses to make more than such a volume as the Little Duke, so I think it had better belong to that Series.
Thank you for Lord Albemarles’ memoirs. I was waiting to do so till I saw what Mudie sent me, and his box is either delayed or lost, as I have just discovered.
I will ... continue reading
Dear Miss Roberts, Carlisle Cathedral is a very pretty sketch, and will be very acceptable to the Monthly Packet, I think however it will be better to keep it for next year perhaps, if we and the Packet proceed and prosper as hitherto, so that it may be the opening of a series which promises to be very useful and interesting, I will consult a very good archaeologist at Winchester about the rugged [sic] staff ornament ... continue reading
Dear Sir, My new tale of ‘Heartsease or The Brother's Wife’ is now complete. I am willing to publish it in the same manner as the ‘Heir of Redclyffe’ and if you are ready to undertake it, will forward it to you, as soon as I have heard from you. At your convenience, I should be glad to know the state of the account of The Little Duke.
Yours faithfully, C M Yonge
... continue readingMy dear Mrs Blackburn, Herewith is a ‘Heartsease’ which I don’t expect you to like much except one character in it. I wonder if I judge rightly which of them you will tolerate, not that I shall tell you beforehand.
The time for the Little Duke’s second edition is come, so would you be so kind as to give directions to have another 2000 plates struck off. It is to be a cheaper affair this ... continue reading
My dear Mrs Blackburn, We are rather in distress for the eight folds of paper, as the width of the back depends on them, and orders should be given to the binder, so if they have not set off would you have them sent to me at Deer Park, Honiton, whither it seems finally settled that we are to go on Monday. If you could also send me the impressions of the other illustrations we could ... continue reading
Dear Mr Craik I shall be very happy to have the Little Duke and the Dove in the Eagle’s Nest manipulated for schools. I should think there would be little to do to the Little Duke as it was written for children. I should have thought the Lances of Lynwood more suitable than the Dove as being on English history.
I know the Eversley country is full of beauty, I once drove through it. I believe there ... continue reading
Dear Sir I have been so much interested by the book you have kindly sent me, in common with rest of the Author’s Society and, having had a little correspondence with you many years ago, when you were editing the English Plutarch, I venture to write, thinking you may care to hear some experiences of a long life of writing, not from necessity but because I had something to say.
The passion for telling a story developed ... continue reading
My dear Lottie I put off writing till the 19th was over, for it really was a very interesting day, though I little knew beforehand all they were going to make of it. About £1800 was collected for the scholarship, and this was presented, with a beautifully illuminated address, by the Bishop in the High School, making a wonderful speech about having read the Little Duke when he was a small boy, and all that ... continue reading
Dear Mrs Drew, I am almost certain that the Little Duke and the Lances of Lynwood are published in chapter form for school children’s reading and our schoolmistress told us she had seen Kenneth advertised as abridged for School reading - I know Arnold wrote to me for permission and I told him he might use it, if he could arrange with Parker of Oxford, who published it when I knew nothing of arrangements. Macmillan has ... continue reading