John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 1 April 1874
Title
John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 1 April 1874
Title
John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 1 April 1874
Sender
John Blackwood
Recipient
George Eliot
Date(s)
- 1874-04-01
Place
Edinburgh
Letter Content
John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 1 April 1874
MS: National Library of Scotland. Extract published: John Blackwood, p. 380.
George Street, | Edinburgh.
April 1/74.
My Dear Mrs. Lewes
Along with this I send the rest of the Revise of your Poems. My idea is to make the Impression 1500. What do Lewes and you think as to price of the little volume? I daresay 5/- is the right thing. We have not said anything about Terms of publication but I propose to offer you either two thirds of profits or a lordship on each copy sold when we have settled the selling price.
I have had a copy of the proofs lying in my dressing room and have been reading and rereading the Poems at night. They are very beautiful. There is a solemn cadence and power, almost a warning voice about them all, which becomes very impressive when thought over. You must have been thinking if not writing Poetry all your life, and if you have any lighter pieces written before the sense of what a great author should do for mankind came so strongly upon you, I should like much to look at them. Turning over the leaves of the revise I see you have removed the dates which stood originally at the end of each Poem. Something should be said as to previous publications of the Poems. Do you intend a preface or should something be said in contents indicating the facts of previous appearance? Mr. Simpson is very anxious to hear whether he has met your views as to handiness of form etc.
I expect Willie home tomorrow night and hope to get good accounts of you both from him. He has been seeing no end of people and must I fear be rather knocked up. He has been much with the Ashanti Warriors. Indeed during the turmoil of receptions and reviews Brackenbury has half pitched his tent at the Burlington as being more handy than his own home at Shooters Hill. Brackenbury's History of the Expedition 68 promises to be both interesting and very curious. He has Wolseley's consent to publish everything.
We have had such a fine winter that we began to brag over Italy and all the rest of the world, but during the last few days we have winds and rain, which tell that Scotland is Scotland still.
We do not think of going up to London until the middle of May. Will you still be there at that time?
always yours truly
John Blackwood.
MS: National Library of Scotland. Extract published: John Blackwood, p. 380.
George Street, | Edinburgh.
April 1/74.
My Dear Mrs. Lewes
Along with this I send the rest of the Revise of your Poems. My idea is to make the Impression 1500. What do Lewes and you think as to price of the little volume? I daresay 5/- is the right thing. We have not said anything about Terms of publication but I propose to offer you either two thirds of profits or a lordship on each copy sold when we have settled the selling price.
I have had a copy of the proofs lying in my dressing room and have been reading and rereading the Poems at night. They are very beautiful. There is a solemn cadence and power, almost a warning voice about them all, which becomes very impressive when thought over. You must have been thinking if not writing Poetry all your life, and if you have any lighter pieces written before the sense of what a great author should do for mankind came so strongly upon you, I should like much to look at them. Turning over the leaves of the revise I see you have removed the dates which stood originally at the end of each Poem. Something should be said as to previous publications of the Poems. Do you intend a preface or should something be said in contents indicating the facts of previous appearance? Mr. Simpson is very anxious to hear whether he has met your views as to handiness of form etc.
I expect Willie home tomorrow night and hope to get good accounts of you both from him. He has been seeing no end of people and must I fear be rather knocked up. He has been much with the Ashanti Warriors. Indeed during the turmoil of receptions and reviews Brackenbury has half pitched his tent at the Burlington as being more handy than his own home at Shooters Hill. Brackenbury's History of the Expedition 68 promises to be both interesting and very curious. He has Wolseley's consent to publish everything.
We have had such a fine winter that we began to brag over Italy and all the rest of the world, but during the last few days we have winds and rain, which tell that Scotland is Scotland still.
We do not think of going up to London until the middle of May. Will you still be there at that time?
always yours truly
John Blackwood.
Signature
John Blackwood.
Citation
John Blackwood, John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 1 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/95168