John Blackwood to William Blackwood, Bonchurch, 12 December 1859
Title
John Blackwood to William Blackwood, Bonchurch, 12 December 1859
Title
John Blackwood to William Blackwood, Bonchurch, 12 December 1859
Sender
John Blackwood
Recipient
William Blackwood
Date(s)
- 1859-12-12
Place
Bonchurch
Letter Content
John Blackwood to William Blackwood, Bonchurch, 12 December 1859
MS: National Library of Scotland. Endorsed: Mill on the Floss. Hitherto unpublished.
Bonchurch | December 12/59.
My Dear Bill . . .
I have just finished reading the volume and half of George Eliot's new story. I should think 600 pages print. It is wonderfully clever and shows an almost incredible wealth of fun and illustrations and power of painting character. It is impossible to read it quickly. This arises doubtless from the number of good things in every other page and partly also I fear from the want of the hurrying on interest of a taking narrative. This want is the defect of the book as far as I have gone; when at the middle of second volume the hero and heroine are not above 16.
Still the genius of the writer is so manifest throughout that I think almost no one could fail to feel it and go on and there are symptoms of the interest piling up. The mother and three aunts of the hero and heroine 436 are beyond price. The heroine a child as yet is very good and quaint and the hero is a wonderful picture of a boy and lifelike contrast to the sort of Tom Brown ideals of what boys are. I would not advise serial publication unsupported by the prestige of the Magazine and shall make such an offer as you propose.
If they accept it I do not think we can lose; if not good and well. I would have no objection to showing them all our calculations; let me know what you think of this.
Send me also a memo of the exact numbers printed of Adam Bede I think they have an over estimate of this. They think there was an edition of 5000 but I do not. 437 I promised to go to Holly Lodge on Thursday but I think I shall write on the Wednesday saying what we propose. . . .
ever yours affectionately
John Blackwood.
MS: National Library of Scotland. Endorsed: Mill on the Floss. Hitherto unpublished.
Bonchurch | December 12/59.
My Dear Bill . . .
I have just finished reading the volume and half of George Eliot's new story. I should think 600 pages print. It is wonderfully clever and shows an almost incredible wealth of fun and illustrations and power of painting character. It is impossible to read it quickly. This arises doubtless from the number of good things in every other page and partly also I fear from the want of the hurrying on interest of a taking narrative. This want is the defect of the book as far as I have gone; when at the middle of second volume the hero and heroine are not above 16.
Still the genius of the writer is so manifest throughout that I think almost no one could fail to feel it and go on and there are symptoms of the interest piling up. The mother and three aunts of the hero and heroine 436 are beyond price. The heroine a child as yet is very good and quaint and the hero is a wonderful picture of a boy and lifelike contrast to the sort of Tom Brown ideals of what boys are. I would not advise serial publication unsupported by the prestige of the Magazine and shall make such an offer as you propose.
If they accept it I do not think we can lose; if not good and well. I would have no objection to showing them all our calculations; let me know what you think of this.
Send me also a memo of the exact numbers printed of Adam Bede I think they have an over estimate of this. They think there was an edition of 5000 but I do not. 437 I promised to go to Holly Lodge on Thursday but I think I shall write on the Wednesday saying what we propose. . . .
ever yours affectionately
John Blackwood.
Signature
John Blackwood.
Citation
John Blackwood, John Blackwood to William Blackwood, Bonchurch, 12 December 1859, 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/95461