GE to George Simpson, London, 25 April 1874
Title
GE to George Simpson, London, 25 April 1874
Title
GE to George Simpson, London, 25 April 1874
Sender
George Eliot
Recipient
George Simpson
Date(s)
- 1874-04-25
Place
London
Letter Content
GE to George Simpson, London, 25 April 1874
MS: Herter Collection, New York Public Library. Hitherto unpublished.
The Priory, | 21. North Bank, | Regents Park.
April 25. 74.
Dear Mr. Simpson
I am thoroughly satisfied with the red cover which I now return. That sober red, the tone of fine Russia, is a favourite with me, and I should be glad to have all my books put into that colour. I agree with you that it is not desirable to pare off the front edges. You rightly conjecture that my Keats is bound, 76 and I see that a copy in boards pared down to the same size would make a miserable figure when it came to be bound.
Is the paper quite as good as what you generally use for poems? That used in the cheaper edition of the Spanish Gypsy seems to me much nicer, and has a creamy tint which I think specially desirable. But I suppose it is too late to make that remark now. The volume looks poorer than I expected, and in my opinion it would be hideously high at 6/. But I leave that point to be settled by Mr. Lewes and Mr. Blackwood.
The erratum 77 is just what is should be. The page is a pretty one, and the printing seems to have been very carefully managed. It is only the dead-white paper that I am rather down-at-heart about. It is the first time I ever thought your choice of paper otherwise than handsome.
Yours sincerely
M. E. Lewes.
MS: Herter Collection, New York Public Library. Hitherto unpublished.
The Priory, | 21. North Bank, | Regents Park.
April 25. 74.
Dear Mr. Simpson
I am thoroughly satisfied with the red cover which I now return. That sober red, the tone of fine Russia, is a favourite with me, and I should be glad to have all my books put into that colour. I agree with you that it is not desirable to pare off the front edges. You rightly conjecture that my Keats is bound, 76 and I see that a copy in boards pared down to the same size would make a miserable figure when it came to be bound.
Is the paper quite as good as what you generally use for poems? That used in the cheaper edition of the Spanish Gypsy seems to me much nicer, and has a creamy tint which I think specially desirable. But I suppose it is too late to make that remark now. The volume looks poorer than I expected, and in my opinion it would be hideously high at 6/. But I leave that point to be settled by Mr. Lewes and Mr. Blackwood.
The erratum 77 is just what is should be. The page is a pretty one, and the printing seems to have been very carefully managed. It is only the dead-white paper that I am rather down-at-heart about. It is the first time I ever thought your choice of paper otherwise than handsome.
Yours sincerely
M. E. Lewes.
Signature
M. E. Lewes.
Citation
George Eliot, GE to George Simpson, London, 25 April 1874, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/92496