GE to John Blackwood, London, 20 May 1868
Title
GE to John Blackwood, London, 20 May 1868
Title
GE to John Blackwood, London, 20 May 1868
Sender
George Eliot
Recipient
John Blackwood
Date(s)
- 1868-05-20
Place
London
Letter Content
GE to John Blackwood, London, 20 May 1868
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
The Priory, | 21. North Bank, | Regents Park.
May 20. 68.
My dear Sir
We had been sorry to hear from Mr. William Blackwood, before your letters came, that you had been laid up in this fine weather. It seems especially hard for us Britons not to be able to enjoy our scant sunshine.
As to finance -- I would not on any account have the price of the Poem raised; indeed, I should have been glad if it could have cost only 10/6 to the public. I prefer to abide by the arrangement which you find possible at 12/6 for the present edition of 2000: i.e. 3/ per copy sold, as my share.
I think we must expect it to make its way but slowly into the public knowledge, owing to my not having finished it longer beforehand, so as to give time for a longer preliminary announcement. Mr. Tom Trollope, who has just left me, said -- "When shall we have your song?" and on my saying "the 25th" he looked astonished, and exclaimed, "I had no idea it was near at hand!"
We are going away -- to Germany and probably Switzerland -- at the beginning of next week. That is sooner than we had intended to go, but we are both of us in need of exile and quiet. We mean to set out without a regular programme, and to be guided by circumstances, because we have so often hurried away from a place that suited us for the sake of fulfilling an intention. Mr. Lewes will write to you and let you know to what place we would beg of you to send us a letter in the course of a few weeks -- when there is anything to tell.
Mr. William was so kind as to copy a passage, from Mr. Brown's letter, giving that experienced man's judgment of the Poem. His enjoyment of it seems a good augury.
I hope you will soon get up your strength. Perhaps you will come to town at your usual time in June. I have a selfish reason for wishing that, because you tell the news so well when you have been on the spot.
Always yours faithfully
M. E. Lewes.
John Blackwood Esq.
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
The Priory, | 21. North Bank, | Regents Park.
May 20. 68.
My dear Sir
We had been sorry to hear from Mr. William Blackwood, before your letters came, that you had been laid up in this fine weather. It seems especially hard for us Britons not to be able to enjoy our scant sunshine.
As to finance -- I would not on any account have the price of the Poem raised; indeed, I should have been glad if it could have cost only 10/6 to the public. I prefer to abide by the arrangement which you find possible at 12/6 for the present edition of 2000: i.e. 3/ per copy sold, as my share.
I think we must expect it to make its way but slowly into the public knowledge, owing to my not having finished it longer beforehand, so as to give time for a longer preliminary announcement. Mr. Tom Trollope, who has just left me, said -- "When shall we have your song?" and on my saying "the 25th" he looked astonished, and exclaimed, "I had no idea it was near at hand!"
We are going away -- to Germany and probably Switzerland -- at the beginning of next week. That is sooner than we had intended to go, but we are both of us in need of exile and quiet. We mean to set out without a regular programme, and to be guided by circumstances, because we have so often hurried away from a place that suited us for the sake of fulfilling an intention. Mr. Lewes will write to you and let you know to what place we would beg of you to send us a letter in the course of a few weeks -- when there is anything to tell.
Mr. William was so kind as to copy a passage, from Mr. Brown's letter, giving that experienced man's judgment of the Poem. His enjoyment of it seems a good augury.
I hope you will soon get up your strength. Perhaps you will come to town at your usual time in June. I have a selfish reason for wishing that, because you tell the news so well when you have been on the spot.
Always yours faithfully
M. E. Lewes.
John Blackwood Esq.
Signature
M. E. Lewes.
Citation
George Eliot, GE to John Blackwood, London, 20 May 1868, 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/92636