John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 17 January 1873
Title
John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 17 January 1873
Title
John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 17 January 1873
Sender
John Blackwood
Recipient
George Henry Lewes
Date(s)
- 1873-01-17
Place
Edinburgh
Letter Content
John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 17 January 1873
MS: National Library of Scotland. The statement is in Mrs. Ouvry's Collection. Hitherto unpublished.
George Street, | Edinburgh.
January 17/73.
My Dear Lewes
It gives me much pleasure to receive your most friendly letter 711 and to hear that your Great Book "Problems of Life and Mind" is so far advanced. I have no hesitation in agreeing to publish the work and on the terms you propose, half profits, which is in this case I think the best and fairest arrangement.
Thanks for your consideration as to the difference in our opinions, and I feel quite satisfied from what you say that there will be nothing in your book which I or any publisher should decline to publish. Indeed I cannot imagine the cause of real religion being injured by any amount of free and fair discussion such as yours is sure to be. The maulers of plain and beautiful Texts and the dogmatic insisters upon Creeds as to points which no human being can know anything about are more likely to injure the cause of religion than any amount of philosophic speculation as to mind and life.
You have been so long engaged on this Key to all the Mythologies that I am very confident it will be a most instructive book, and I know well how clearly and readably you can put any scientific or philosophic point. If the lamented Casaubon had written it I should have insisted on his publishing at his own risk. By the way did I ever send you Collins' letter about the pathos in the story of Casaubon? If I did not I must fish it out for Mrs. Lewes. The Guinea edition is in progress and we shall get it out as soon as we can. 712
I have the pleasure of inclosing a cheque £143 being the balance due to Author on Middlemarch advertiser as per inclosed statements. We thought the Advertiser would have a better chance in the hands of a regular canvasser Mr. Watson than with us, and have deducted his commission from our share in the proceeds. The Commission looks large, but he does not get the whole of it as he makes deductions for repeated advertisements and also to other birds like himself with whom he exchanges advertisements.
I have taken the liberty of giving a note of introduction to a Mrs. Thompson 713 to Mrs. Lewes. She has written some pamphlets in an excellent spirit and is rather a remarkable woman. Willie told Mrs. Lewes that she (Mrs. Thompson not Mrs. Lewes) was a Dutchwoman, but that he finds is a mistake. Her husband is an engineer and had large works in Holland; that is her connection with the German flute.
ever yours truly
John Blackwood.
MIDDLEMARCH ADVERTISER
Amount charged for Advertisements
December in Book I 89.19.
February Book II 54.19.
April Book III 38. 7.
June Book IV 38. 7.
August Book V 38. 5.
October Book VI 38. 5.
November Book VII 38. 5.
December Book VIII 38. 5.
Deduct cost of Printing and Paper 88. 9.10
2. 2
Amount due Author 143. 1. 1
To Author's share, one half Commission to Canvasser paid by Publisher 75.19. 0
Publisher's share 67. 2. 1 143. 1. 1
2. 2
MS: National Library of Scotland. The statement is in Mrs. Ouvry's Collection. Hitherto unpublished.
George Street, | Edinburgh.
January 17/73.
My Dear Lewes
It gives me much pleasure to receive your most friendly letter 711 and to hear that your Great Book "Problems of Life and Mind" is so far advanced. I have no hesitation in agreeing to publish the work and on the terms you propose, half profits, which is in this case I think the best and fairest arrangement.
Thanks for your consideration as to the difference in our opinions, and I feel quite satisfied from what you say that there will be nothing in your book which I or any publisher should decline to publish. Indeed I cannot imagine the cause of real religion being injured by any amount of free and fair discussion such as yours is sure to be. The maulers of plain and beautiful Texts and the dogmatic insisters upon Creeds as to points which no human being can know anything about are more likely to injure the cause of religion than any amount of philosophic speculation as to mind and life.
You have been so long engaged on this Key to all the Mythologies that I am very confident it will be a most instructive book, and I know well how clearly and readably you can put any scientific or philosophic point. If the lamented Casaubon had written it I should have insisted on his publishing at his own risk. By the way did I ever send you Collins' letter about the pathos in the story of Casaubon? If I did not I must fish it out for Mrs. Lewes. The Guinea edition is in progress and we shall get it out as soon as we can. 712
I have the pleasure of inclosing a cheque £143 being the balance due to Author on Middlemarch advertiser as per inclosed statements. We thought the Advertiser would have a better chance in the hands of a regular canvasser Mr. Watson than with us, and have deducted his commission from our share in the proceeds. The Commission looks large, but he does not get the whole of it as he makes deductions for repeated advertisements and also to other birds like himself with whom he exchanges advertisements.
I have taken the liberty of giving a note of introduction to a Mrs. Thompson 713 to Mrs. Lewes. She has written some pamphlets in an excellent spirit and is rather a remarkable woman. Willie told Mrs. Lewes that she (Mrs. Thompson not Mrs. Lewes) was a Dutchwoman, but that he finds is a mistake. Her husband is an engineer and had large works in Holland; that is her connection with the German flute.
ever yours truly
John Blackwood.
MIDDLEMARCH ADVERTISER
Amount charged for Advertisements
December in Book I 89.19.
February Book II 54.19.
April Book III 38. 7.
June Book IV 38. 7.
August Book V 38. 5.
October Book VI 38. 5.
November Book VII 38. 5.
December Book VIII 38. 5.
Deduct cost of Printing and Paper 88. 9.10
2. 2
Amount due Author 143. 1. 1
To Author's share, one half Commission to Canvasser paid by Publisher 75.19. 0
Publisher's share 67. 2. 1 143. 1. 1
2. 2
Signature
John Blackwood.
Citation
John Blackwood, John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 17 January 1873, 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/95371