"I see we must speak by the card when we write to Miss Wont-understand.
"This then, is what I wished to say in my last clear and felicitous
epistle.
"Of course your book cannot be published till the articles I propose
to print in the A. M. have appeared there. This is what I meant by
postponing the issue of the volume. I wished to say that, B. & H.
would print your book, certainly, but the time when must at present
be unsettled for the reason above given. I have read the articles now
and like them hugely. They are capital stuff for a book, full of all
readable qualities....
"I will not eat you if you call in here when you come to town, but you
must have your own way."
All the confidence, and all the respect for the house of Brummell &
Hunt, which these letters indicate, I not only admit, but I introduced
my case by avowing that I thought them the head and front of all
publishing houses.
With regard to the exemption of fifteen hundred as the first edition of
"City Lights," Mr. Parry said that the word edition meant nothing as
to number. It meant simply a single issue. In reply to a question, he
said he did not know what was the usage of publishers in this regard.
They had sometimes exempted as many as two thousand, and had known
cases in which five thousand had been exempted, and, I understood
him to say, had done it themselves. One thousand, he said, was the
usual number. Being asked what would be his own understanding of an
edition, if nothing were specified, he said he would frankly admit that
he should suppose it meant one thousand; that when any larger number
than a thousand was exempted, it was their custom always to specify
the number; that he did not know why it was not done now, and presumed
this was the only time they had exempted more than a thousand without
specifying the number. The reason of this large exemption was that
there was so much risk in publishing a new book, and that this book was
published in a style that was unusually expensive. It cost a great deal
more than any other on their list; that there was no prescribed usage
in such matters, and they could have exempted more, but had no desire
to do so. I had said that if it were to cost more, they should have
told me.[11] They had letters of mine showing that I did know it cost
more, but that I was so desirous to have it printed in this way, that,
in my own language, which Mr. Markman read and Mr. Hunt repeated with
an air which showed that whatever literature had gained, the stage lost
its chief ornament when Mr. Hunt went into the book trade, "I went
down on my knees to you to have it like Sir Thomas Browne."
In my original statement I had said, "When the first book was to be
published, Mr. Hunt asked me what style I should like, and suggested
that of the 'City Curate.' I preferred 'Sir Thomas Browne.' He made no
objection, nor even hinted that it was more expensive than the other.
[Then came the quotations.] "I do not recollect that anything was said
about it afterwards. The following books were simply published in
uniform style with the first." This is my recollection of the matter,
which is simple and commonplace enough.
From my letters at the time, however, the firm of Brummell & Hunt infer
a thrilling dramatic scene in which Mr. Hunt was the obdurate autocrat,
or the wise and thrifty guardian, as the case may be, who, like Mrs.
John Gilpin, though on publishing bent, had a frugal mind; but was at
length moved by me,
"Languendo, gemendo
Et genuflectendo,"
to lay aside prudence and launch out into a style of publication
which could be met only by some extraordinary sacrifice on my part, I
professing to be until this late disclosure ignorant both of style and
sacrifice.
I give the correspondence, inserting Mr. Hunt's letters to throw light
on mine--the latter only appearing in Mr. Parry's defense.
Let it be remembered that the book was published September 18, 1762.