John Blackwood to GE, London, 25 May 1860
Title
John Blackwood to GE, London, 25 May 1860
Title
John Blackwood to GE, London, 25 May 1860
Sender
John Blackwood
Recipient
George Eliot
Date(s)
- 1860-05-25
Place
London
Letter Content
John Blackwood to GE, London, 25 May 1860
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
The Cavendish | May 25/60.
My Dear Madam
I got your letter on the morning of the Derby and if the Major in sending it to me had not mentioned that he had given you all news, I would have made myself too late for the National event by sitting down to write you at once -- an amount of devotion which I hope you will appreciate. The Major will have explained that the 6000 are all sold and that we are reprinting 500, which will be ready in a day or two now. These will I think supply the public until we can treat the world to a 12/- edition.
This is highly satisfactory and I rejoice to think that there is every prospect of your making as much by our arrangement as the most speculative publisher was likely to have offered you. That it was the best plan for you in the long run I had no doubt, but I thought it very probable there might be an apparent loss in the individual book. I chuckle considerably over Mudie having to take the 3000. You may recollect that he offered to take that number if we would make the book sell at 21/. Confound his impudence it would have been simply diverting something like 3000 times 8/- from the pockets of author and publisher into his voracious maw.
As to public opinion of the book the cry at first was inferior to Adam, but the tide turned and I think opinions are pretty equally divided between the two. The review in the Times of the 19th May is by Dallas. It is not bad and thoroughly friendly in its tone although I do not agree with the critic in many of his views about the book.
I expect to be in London for a month and although I should like to see you taking a prolonged holiday I fancy I have a chance of seeing you before I go north.
I suppose you will have left Florence before this can reach [you], but I daresay you will have left orders for letters to be forwarded. I would have written to Naples but I was away at St. Andrews when Lewes' letter came and when I got home I felt doubtful whether I would be in time to catch you in that lovely place, as to the charms of which, especially the environs, I thoroughly agree with you. There as elsewhere everything looks troubled and war may break out in any corner of Europe.
I hear that Gladstone has no intention of resigning, saying that he feels bound in conscience to stick to his post, to the intense disgust of Palmerston who is sick of him.
I went to the Derby with Steuart, the discoverer of the Pug. I hope that valuable specimen is in safety. Mrs. Blackwood has called her mare (formerly Meg) Maggie Tulliver. The Mare is a wicked, gay-looking thoroughbred with a tendency to get on her hind legs if ridden by any one but her mistress, with whom she is gentle as a lamb.
Hamley 546 does not believe that fine young woman Maggie Tulliver is dead and will be glad if you will introduce him to the original. We are at last in a new edition of the Clerical Scenes 547 and it moves although nothing like Adam, which I think is also in a new edition 548 in which you have interest although I am not quite certain still I feel pretty sure it is. The fag end of the edition of a book has an unfortunate resemblance to the Widow's Cruise, as White 549 said of one of his books, which like the last edition of the Clerical it seemed impossible to exhaust.
With best regards to Lewes I am
ever yours truly
John Blackwood.
Mrs. M. E. Lewes.
Tell Lewes I hope to see him quite robust when he returns.
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
The Cavendish | May 25/60.
My Dear Madam
I got your letter on the morning of the Derby and if the Major in sending it to me had not mentioned that he had given you all news, I would have made myself too late for the National event by sitting down to write you at once -- an amount of devotion which I hope you will appreciate. The Major will have explained that the 6000 are all sold and that we are reprinting 500, which will be ready in a day or two now. These will I think supply the public until we can treat the world to a 12/- edition.
This is highly satisfactory and I rejoice to think that there is every prospect of your making as much by our arrangement as the most speculative publisher was likely to have offered you. That it was the best plan for you in the long run I had no doubt, but I thought it very probable there might be an apparent loss in the individual book. I chuckle considerably over Mudie having to take the 3000. You may recollect that he offered to take that number if we would make the book sell at 21/. Confound his impudence it would have been simply diverting something like 3000 times 8/- from the pockets of author and publisher into his voracious maw.
As to public opinion of the book the cry at first was inferior to Adam, but the tide turned and I think opinions are pretty equally divided between the two. The review in the Times of the 19th May is by Dallas. It is not bad and thoroughly friendly in its tone although I do not agree with the critic in many of his views about the book.
I expect to be in London for a month and although I should like to see you taking a prolonged holiday I fancy I have a chance of seeing you before I go north.
I suppose you will have left Florence before this can reach [you], but I daresay you will have left orders for letters to be forwarded. I would have written to Naples but I was away at St. Andrews when Lewes' letter came and when I got home I felt doubtful whether I would be in time to catch you in that lovely place, as to the charms of which, especially the environs, I thoroughly agree with you. There as elsewhere everything looks troubled and war may break out in any corner of Europe.
I hear that Gladstone has no intention of resigning, saying that he feels bound in conscience to stick to his post, to the intense disgust of Palmerston who is sick of him.
I went to the Derby with Steuart, the discoverer of the Pug. I hope that valuable specimen is in safety. Mrs. Blackwood has called her mare (formerly Meg) Maggie Tulliver. The Mare is a wicked, gay-looking thoroughbred with a tendency to get on her hind legs if ridden by any one but her mistress, with whom she is gentle as a lamb.
Hamley 546 does not believe that fine young woman Maggie Tulliver is dead and will be glad if you will introduce him to the original. We are at last in a new edition of the Clerical Scenes 547 and it moves although nothing like Adam, which I think is also in a new edition 548 in which you have interest although I am not quite certain still I feel pretty sure it is. The fag end of the edition of a book has an unfortunate resemblance to the Widow's Cruise, as White 549 said of one of his books, which like the last edition of the Clerical it seemed impossible to exhaust.
With best regards to Lewes I am
ever yours truly
John Blackwood.
Mrs. M. E. Lewes.
Tell Lewes I hope to see him quite robust when he returns.
Signature
John Blackwood.
Citation
John Blackwood, John Blackwood to GE, London, 25 May 1860, 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/95311