William Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 18 March 1859
Title
William Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 18 March 1859
Title
William Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 18 March 1859
Sender
William Blackwood
Recipient
George Henry Lewes
Date(s)
- 1859-03-18
Place
Edinburgh
Letter Content
William Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 18 March 1859
Text: Copy in Blackwood Letter Book, National Library of Scotland.
Edinburgh 18 March 1859.
My dear Lewes
We have printed off No. 4 without Digestion and Indigestion. We are not sure however that the public may not grumble at such a thin 6d worth.
Try and keep the parts as near to forty eight (48) pages as possible. There are numerous practical inconveniences, and expense too, attending the variation in size of the numbers, and at the same time I see the unsatisfactoriness to the author in particular of issuing the subjects in so disjointed a form as the taking in of 8 introductory pages of a new subject at the end of an old one merely to make the part of the required number of pages. Still purchasers look so much to quantity as well as quality that Mr. Simpson thinks they won't be satisfied with 40 pp. for their sixpences one month although they get 60 the next. The stupidity of the public in this way is hopeless.
With the original issue of Johnston's Chemistry we looked only to the completeness of the parts and in consequence had to vary the price of each. This we found very troublesome and hurtful to some extent to the sales as the dealers said their subscribers grumbled at the variation in price. It would be a considerable convenience to us if you could keep us well ahead in the printing office with copy. It would also leave time for considering any difficulty about extent of a number.
Yours faithfully
(signed) W. Blackwood.
G. H. Lewes Esq.
Inclosed is a letter from Williams and Norgate. We do not concur in Mr. Tauchnitz's opinion that he cannot expect such a success for A.B. in Germany as a less English novel would have and think he ought to give a good deal more than he gave for Clerical Scenes. Let us know what G.E. thinks he ought to have.
Text: Copy in Blackwood Letter Book, National Library of Scotland.
Edinburgh 18 March 1859.
My dear Lewes
We have printed off No. 4 without Digestion and Indigestion. We are not sure however that the public may not grumble at such a thin 6d worth.
Try and keep the parts as near to forty eight (48) pages as possible. There are numerous practical inconveniences, and expense too, attending the variation in size of the numbers, and at the same time I see the unsatisfactoriness to the author in particular of issuing the subjects in so disjointed a form as the taking in of 8 introductory pages of a new subject at the end of an old one merely to make the part of the required number of pages. Still purchasers look so much to quantity as well as quality that Mr. Simpson thinks they won't be satisfied with 40 pp. for their sixpences one month although they get 60 the next. The stupidity of the public in this way is hopeless.
With the original issue of Johnston's Chemistry we looked only to the completeness of the parts and in consequence had to vary the price of each. This we found very troublesome and hurtful to some extent to the sales as the dealers said their subscribers grumbled at the variation in price. It would be a considerable convenience to us if you could keep us well ahead in the printing office with copy. It would also leave time for considering any difficulty about extent of a number.
Yours faithfully
(signed) W. Blackwood.
G. H. Lewes Esq.
Inclosed is a letter from Williams and Norgate. We do not concur in Mr. Tauchnitz's opinion that he cannot expect such a success for A.B. in Germany as a less English novel would have and think he ought to give a good deal more than he gave for Clerical Scenes. Let us know what G.E. thinks he ought to have.
Signature
(signed) W. Blackwood.
Citation
William Blackwood, William Blackwood to GHL, Edinburgh, 18 March 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/95661