Dear Sir,

I found the other day that Messrs Longman’s delay in transferring my books to you was rendering it difficult for the retail booksellers to procure them - I therefore wrote to them a day or two ago to urge on the completion of the arrangements and I hope you may soon be able to let me know that this has been done.

How soon do you think it would be advisable to begin printing the ... 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

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

My dear Miss Palmer I am ashamed of not having thanked you sooner for the statement C M S which is a great help to me, being very clear though of course very sad. I think Mr Gorst’s book must be soon coming, and then I shall dash into my subject - I was going to say like Captain Dodd at the pirate, for I have just been reading that wonderful chapter of Hard Cash. Have ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge We have at length got the Trial ready. I am afraid you will think we have been somewhat dilatory, which indeed has been the case. Our printer has been busy, and it was somewhat hard to keep him moving with due speed. You will I hope be satisfied with the result as regards the look [illegible] and I think it comes out at a favourable time. We sold about 1200 to start with. ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge I enclose a list of the presentation copies we have sent out. Including those to the Press. I dont know whether there are any other papers that you have been in the habit of having your books sent to. I will send any you suggest gladly.

I am sorry that your parcel went by a route that is inconvenient to you. We will remember again when we have any thing to send.

We will advertise ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan,

There is one more copy of the Trial that I should like to have sent to the Press - i.e., to Events of the Month, Mozley’s, 6 Paternoster Row - it is a sort of school room Athenaeum which I wish to help forward

Thanks for your note. I hope nothing will prevent my meeting Mrs D Macmillan and I shall be glad to talk over your scheme, and see if it comes within ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge I am very sorry to have missed you when you called today.

I will take my chance of finding you at Mr Gibbs tomorrow between 12 & 1 & will bring the MS which is at the printer with me.

After much searching my clerk, whom I sent to Piles Coffee House could not recover the story about the little girl I wonder if you will be able to find it

Karamsin has been translated ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, We are still constantly reminded by our own condition of the nursery tale of the old woman whose rope -rope would not hang butcher - butcher would not kill ox, &c &c, only unluckily the last link in the chain does not stop at 'I shall not get home tonight', but as long as plasterer will not plaster stairs and stairs can’t be gone up &c, &c, I cannot finish Golden Deeds!

I can ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, We are at home at last and in three days more I hope to send up the copy for the printer of all the ancient history Golden Deeds. Of course he will let me have the proofs. I hope the delay will not prove to have been of consequence. Are there to be any vignettes to the chapters, if there are, there is a story of the Coliseum which quite asks for one ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge We shall be very glad indeed to see the Deeds become words in print. I meant to have no illustrations except the vignette which I have had in my other Golden Treasury books. This has been 'exercising' me a good deal of late. I cannot hit on either the sort of subject or the man to do it. I would be most grateful to you for a hint. I am inclined to send ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan The first instalment of Golden Deeds shall start tomorrow - it is all ready except one extract.

About the engraving. If a merely typical one, I think a figure rushing between some prostrate form and receiving a murderer’s stroke would express the spirit of the whole.

The individual scenes that seem to tell their story best, and to express the whole in one would be such as Sir Philip Sidney rejecting the water - Horatius ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan Herewith are the first division of Deeds. I will put a short preface before the introductory chapter I have sent. There are some bits to touched up in the proofs - i.e. the scenery of the Decius story - and of the 'the Chief of the Arverni'. I shall get at my books better in another week, but I will not delay longer.

Also I wrote in the stock gladiator lines (which hackneyed as ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, The lamp is decidedly a bright thought. I will add a bit about Miss Nightingale to the introduction to bring it in appropriately.

Yours very truly C. M. Yonge

Dear Miss Yonge

There are three aspects of [illegible] Miss Bonham Carter, not [illegible] is the artist. I saw it in his studio and concluded it was his own. Of course we can only engrave one of the three. I think unquestionably the one looking to the right.

Please tell me how you like it

Yours ever truly A. Macmillan

Dear Mr Macmillan, I think of these three photographs the one in profile is prettiest, the full faced decidedly not good, but the third the most characteristic, and the position of the hand comes out the best.

The more I look at it the better I like it and see the superiority to the other two.

Here is a proof where I have added more than I hope to have to add to future ones. Shall I send ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, Will you kindly give me your advice on this letter? It is written to friend of mine at Philadelphia who seeing my 'Clever Woman of the Family' was about to appear in parts in 'the Living Age' wrote to enquire about it. This is Mr Littell’s answer.

I should tell you that Appleton gave me £25 for each of my larger books till the war, when he said he did not get profit enough ... continue reading

My dear Mr Macmillan, The Clever Woman of the Family as far as she goes will be sent you in a day or two from a friend who had had her to read.

The illustrations are decidedly not successful and I should not wish to perpetuate them. They are not half so good as what Miss Keary’s young cousin does.

There is about a fourth more of the story to come.

I have nearly finished the Golden Deeds, but ... 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 Miss Yonge We shall deal with the Clever Woman as we did with the Trial as you wish it. Will it be safe to begin printing it or will you prefer waiting till we are a little further on. If we cannot publish before the end of November it would be better to wait till February.

We will be very glad to have all the copy for the golden Deeds. The little extra will not matter. ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I am afraid the Clever Woman cannot come out till March, as Hogg gives me no hope of finishing her before that time—so it would be hardly worth while to begin printing her till the beginning of the year.

I have sent all the rest of the Golden Deeds direct to the printers, they will end with Dr. Kane.

Yours sincerely C M Yonge

Dear Mr Macmillan If you think this preface will do, please send it to the printer.

I thought some acknowledgment of the sources was due -- and some hint too of what is less authenticated.

I have wound up with a suggestion about penny readings, as I think the book might be useful for it, but if this is not advisable it may come out.

From Monday to Saturday of next week we shall be staying with the ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I send both title page and the proof of the statuette, which is indeed most beautiful and suggestive. I wrote yesterday about the title page. I could not do so before as I only came home late on Saturday and the Sunday post goes early. I enclose the list of presentation copies

Yours sincerely C M Yonge

Will you be kind enough to send the sheets of the Golden Deeds to Messrs Williams & Norgate for ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I send the second chapter of the Dove because I hardly think the first can be long enough for one of your numbers.

Christina does marry the young baron secretly but most of the adventures concern her sons.

I shall be well pleased with the terms you propose, if the story will answer the purpose.

I sent off one last chapter to the Golden Deeds yesterday

Yours very truly C. M. Yonge

Dear Mr Macmillan Please to let me correct two things in the list of presentation copies of the Golden Deeds

Yours sincerely C M Yonge

Miss Margaret Lonsdale 28 Westbourne Terrace W

Miss Charlotte Fursdon Fursdon Cadbury Tiverton

My dear Mr Macmillan, You once said you would be kind enough to put me in the way of getting any out of the way books. Would you be so kind as to get these sent for for [sic] me - except the second in the list. It is the list from Freytag, and I must confess to finding the German M S too difficult to attempt to write out an order for an English bookseller. ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan I have to thank you for sending me the parcel of German books, which I hope will much add to the correctness of my story. I am not sure however that one has not come for me to which I have no right -Alt-Nordisches Leben Von Dr Karl Weinhold -

Miss Keary told me that you had promised to get for her some Old Northern books, so perhaps it was meant for her. In ... continue reading

My dear Miss Yonge Will you kindly send back the book by Weinhold. It is for Miss Otté who is going to do a history of North Europe. Miss Keary also has been at work on the same region.

I meant to have dropped you a note tell [sic] you why I sent you Duncans book which I stumbled on in an old book-shop, where after an old habit I was prowling about. I thought this will ... continue reading

My dear Mr Macmillan, I think I ought to refer to you a request I have had from Dr and Mrs Vaughan for leave to put two of the stories in Golden Deeds i.e. 'The last fight in the Colyseum', and the faithful slaves of Haïti into a ]book of readings for National Schools acknowledging where they come from, but I conclude that you have no objection. When there is a reprint, I have another faithful ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge I am writing to Mrs Vaughan & will tell her with how much pleasure I consent to her using the story from Golden Deeds. I will remind you when we reprint, that you may give us the additional story.

I don’t think I ever congratulated you on the marvellous good scotch you give us in the Clever Woman. I, a western man, from the Land of Burns, claim a classical purity in my ... continue reading

My dear Mr Macmillan, This is a quick fire upon a busy man, but there are two or three things to say, and first that Mme de Witt has written to say that the Christian Names have not reached her, and asking whether you have sent them through any Paris bibliothèque where they could be enquired for. I also enclose a direction to which I should like to send a copy of the Golden Deeds. It ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge I sent the copy Golden Deeds to the Princess addressed as you wished to her governess by post yesterday. I hope it will reach her soon.

The copy of 'Christian Names' I sent to Mdme de Witt through Messrs Williams & Norgate, as it would have been expensive to send by post, and moreover would have been apt to get bruised and battered, being large and heavy. They explain that they have not parcels ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge

Mr Sutcliffe is a very old friend of ours. I must write him on the subject of plain hand. He[,] the head of an Educational department[,] ought to know better.

I have sent you four copies of Golden Deeds through Nutt & Wells. I suppose you can get them thence.

My sister threatens you with a letter. But we wanted to see the first chapter in type first. The printer is doing this.

Yours ever truly A. ... continue reading

My dear Mr Macmillan, I send a second instalment of the Dove in the Eagle’s Nest, I suppose about enough for another number.

I hope I am to have the proofs, for there is a mention of Maximilian in the first chapter as grown up which I must alter.

I have done two more chapters of Bethlehem, - that is I have written them, but I am not satisfied with the second of them.

Many thanks for the four ... continue reading

It is in an appendix to collected editions of Mrs. Hemans’ life and works, where she had made notes of subjects from history suitable to write poems upon, unluckily without saying where they came from. I have watched for this story for years . . . I will write to the friend who owns the copy of Mrs Hemans from which I took it.

My dear Miss Yonge It is most kind of you to take all my suggestions as you do. Indeed I do not want any one else to do the work unless you really find it distasteful to you - which I hope is not the case.

I am quite willing to wait your perfect convenience. I daresay ideas such as the ones I was fancying for the book, are not to be commanded, and it may ... continue reading

My dear Mr Macmillan, You are very kind about the undertaking, and I certainly should much regret giving it up, if those very capricious things ideas can be brought into accordance with the plan. But if it will not disturb your arrangements very much, I think I had better look to its completion for the autumn of 1866, rather than the autumn of 1865. I never have quite so much time in the summer, or rather ... continue reading

My dear Mr Macmillan I think Miss Sewell and I pretty well came to this conclusion that the first of our periods should begin with William the Conqueror and end with the absolution of King John, so as to make its leading idea the great strife for supremacy between Church and State. I believe we have plenty of materials for a volume. She under takes the compilation of the materials, and I am to write the ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan By no means did I mean the graceful little lamp on Golden Deeds - nor the Dove in the Sunday Book - nor the well in Cawnpore. I meant such a high priest and book as are outside Smith’s Biblical dictionary; or some of the whole pictures of men and women one often sees upon books, - spoiling the whole effect of the real illustration within. It was odd that I asked my ... continue reading

I would think that Mr Lea’s proposal was a very good one, and that the Golden Deeds might be very useful as such a class book. But I imagine that to give it currency, it would be advisable to get it placed on the list of books recommended by the Council of Education people. I suppose there would have to be some omissions to make it into so cheap a book.

Yours sincerely C M ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I shall be very glad to mark off the chapters that would suit best for the school abridgement of Golden Deeds. Having tried some on my own school children I can do it the better. I should fancy the reading book Mr Lea proposes to be something of what Dr Vaughan was about, and I also know a lady who I believe has one in hand.

Tell me how soon you would like to ... continue reading

My dear Child, I am sorry to say that my dearest wife is unable to write you a little Christmas greeting as she had hoped, and as you simply have earned by your better than best behaviour in writing to her so regularly, for which we can never love and thank you enough. I wish I could say that she is at all better, but her breathing and palpitations become, I fear, more and more troublesome, ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I have now had time to think over the Book of Heroes, and have been making out a list of those whom I think worthy of the name.

But two or three difficulties occur to me.

In the first place is not the name too much like Mr Kingsley’s mythological book? People could never be expected to keep 'the Heroes' and the Book of the Heroes distinct in their minds. I think if I had ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I like the name of the Book of Worthies. I think I might begin with mentioning the old Nine Worthies, and then say that here we set forth whatever multiple of nine it may be possible to produce.

I believe that 'nine-worthiness' is a word, which perhaps may sanction it! though I am afraid it is only one of the Carlyle’s words.

Worthy is a vague word, which is convenient. How would 'Good men and ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, Thanks for the books which the carrier will probably bring today. I will betake myself to St John’s pupils at once, though it is rather a sudden change from the banks of the Granicus, where I left Alexander.

And there is another thing that I should like to know ie - the sum that will come to me both for the Pupils of St John and the Danvers Papers. The reason I ask is ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge, We will give you the £200 for the copyright of the Cameos. It is a rather full sum but the book is of a kind we like to possess. Some day we will get a series of actual Cameos engraved for it. But in the mean time we contract [illegible] with one for the title page & one for the cover. I think you will certainly like the look of the book.

We send ... continue reading

Dear Mr Craik I cannot at all tell whether this is the right length, as the only ‘Golden Treasuries’ I have seen are my own and I do not think they have introductions.

I can easily add biographical details if you wish it to be longer - but I like to write to my own sense of the needs of the subject and to add or diminish afterwards as required.

Do you know whether Mrs Ritchie is abroad. ... continue reading