John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 7 December 1857
Title
John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 7 December 1857
Title
John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 7 December 1857
Sender
John Blackwood
Recipient
George Henry Lewes
Date(s)
- 1857-12-07
Place
Edinburgh
Letter Content
John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 7 December 1857
Text: Copy in Blackwood Letter Book, National Library of Scotland.
Edinburgh | December 7/57.
My dear Lewes
I am very glad to find you entering so keenly into the Editing of Johnston's Chemistry of C. Life and the way in which you propose to handle the book satisfies me that you will do it well.
I quite agree with you that your second plan is the best -- viz: to incorporate the corrections and new matter with the text. The other common plan of constantly putting Editor or Brackets breaks the narrative and interrupts the Reader. In your preface you can give some idea of the extent to which the corrections and additions go.
Do not hurry yourself inconveniently as we have stock to go on with for a time but I will write you again as to the time when we think it would be advisable to begin publishing. I think we shall reissue the work in parts.
My brother is at 38 Jermyn Street but I daresay he will drop you a line. He is only in town for a week and I doubt not very busy.
I am delighted to know that George Eliot is going on with spirit and any report of progress will be very acceptable.
I feel quite friendly towards the old clergyman who was so deeply affected by Janets Repentance -- oddly enough the next letter I opened after yours was from another old clergyman, 352 a correspondent of my own, who said that "Janets repentance was exquisite." This gave me pleasure as the writer is a man of good taste and highly accomplished. My pleasure was shortlived as the next paragraph went on to say, "I must write out my own parochial reminiscences." This gave me a spasm as I more than doubt his power of writing anything like a good story, and I know he will be down upon me with his M.S.
G.E. is too diffident of his own powers and prospects of success. Very few men indeed have more reason to be satisfied as far as the experiment has gone. The following should be a practical Cheerer. When I was away in England my brother got more sanguine than we had been about the Clerical Scenes and increased the impression from 750 to 1000. This will necessitate a change in the sum to be paid to the author for the Edition and I propose that we should pay a further sum of Sixty pounds (£60) when 750 copies are sold.
Ever yours truly
John Blackwood.
G. H. Lewes Esq.
I had nearly forgot to say that I think an Index will be desirable for your book. If you can do it without serious trouble you could do it best yourself but I daresay we could manage it here if you were indisposed. Give my regards to G.E.
Text: Copy in Blackwood Letter Book, National Library of Scotland.
Edinburgh | December 7/57.
My dear Lewes
I am very glad to find you entering so keenly into the Editing of Johnston's Chemistry of C. Life and the way in which you propose to handle the book satisfies me that you will do it well.
I quite agree with you that your second plan is the best -- viz: to incorporate the corrections and new matter with the text. The other common plan of constantly putting Editor or Brackets breaks the narrative and interrupts the Reader. In your preface you can give some idea of the extent to which the corrections and additions go.
Do not hurry yourself inconveniently as we have stock to go on with for a time but I will write you again as to the time when we think it would be advisable to begin publishing. I think we shall reissue the work in parts.
My brother is at 38 Jermyn Street but I daresay he will drop you a line. He is only in town for a week and I doubt not very busy.
I am delighted to know that George Eliot is going on with spirit and any report of progress will be very acceptable.
I feel quite friendly towards the old clergyman who was so deeply affected by Janets Repentance -- oddly enough the next letter I opened after yours was from another old clergyman, 352 a correspondent of my own, who said that "Janets repentance was exquisite." This gave me pleasure as the writer is a man of good taste and highly accomplished. My pleasure was shortlived as the next paragraph went on to say, "I must write out my own parochial reminiscences." This gave me a spasm as I more than doubt his power of writing anything like a good story, and I know he will be down upon me with his M.S.
G.E. is too diffident of his own powers and prospects of success. Very few men indeed have more reason to be satisfied as far as the experiment has gone. The following should be a practical Cheerer. When I was away in England my brother got more sanguine than we had been about the Clerical Scenes and increased the impression from 750 to 1000. This will necessitate a change in the sum to be paid to the author for the Edition and I propose that we should pay a further sum of Sixty pounds (£60) when 750 copies are sold.
Ever yours truly
John Blackwood.
G. H. Lewes Esq.
I had nearly forgot to say that I think an Index will be desirable for your book. If you can do it without serious trouble you could do it best yourself but I daresay we could manage it here if you were indisposed. Give my regards to G.E.
Signature
John Blackwood.
Citation
John Blackwood, John Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 7 December 1857, 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/95425