In compliance with a very generally expressed wish that the Letters of
Edward FitzGerald should be separated from his Literary Remains, they are
now issued with some additions to their number which have not before
appeared. It was no part of my plan to form a complete collection of his
letters, but rather to let the story of his life be told in such of them
as gave an indication of his character and pursuits. It would have been
easy to increase the number considerably had I printed all that I
possess, but it seemed better to create the desire for more than to incur
the reproach of having given more than enough.
Since these volumes were completed a large number of letters, addressed
by FitzGerald to his life-long friend Mrs. Kemble, have come into the
possession of Messrs. Richard Bentley and Son, and will shortly make
their appearance. By the desire of Mr. George Bentley I have undertaken
to see them through the press.