25 March 1876 • Hartford, Conn. (MS, in pencil: NNC, UCCL 01317)
Got your telegram this today: “London Saturday picture electroes Conway.”
I take it that it means that you want electrotypes from our pictures but not from the letter-press likewise.1explanatory note All right. We shall try to issue here the middle of April but I think we shall be delayed till the first of May. I think you had better at once get a cheap edition (without pictures) printed & bound & be ready to issue with that the moment I telegraph you our positive date of preparati of publication.
If you want our letter-press as well as picture-electrotypes for the costly edition, telegraph me the word “Yes” when you get this letter. If you want only the picture-leelectros, telegraph the word “No” & I’ll act accordingly. But get the cheap edition all printed & ready now, to cover accidents. Better put in our title-pages, “ Only Authorized English Edition .Ⓐemendation—or something to that effect. 2explanatory note
Glad you are home safe. The both of us send warm regards to you both.
Electrotypes (“electros” for short) were copper plates that reproduced illustrations (“picture-electros”), or pages of type into which the illustrations had been inserted (“letter-press” electros), allowing them to be printed. Electros were made by placing an object—such as a wood engraving—covered with finely ground lead into a bath of copper salts and applying an electric current, which caused the copper to adhere to it. The process allowed illustrations, or entire pages, to be easily duplicated. Chatto and Windus planned to use the electros to print the illustrations for their edition of Tom Sawyer, but had no need for electros of the complete pages of the American edition. In his letter of 24 March (transcribed in 9 Apr 1876 to Conway, n. 1), Conway elaborated on this now-lost telegram.
Clemens was anxious to ensure that the English edition of the book preceded the American, in order to secure his English copyright. Conway did not, however, agree with his plan for a cheap edition (see 9 Apr 1876 to Conwayclick to open link and 16 Apr 1876 to Conwayclick to open link). The words “Only Authorized English Edition” were not in fact added to the title page.
MS, in pencil, Conway Papers, NNC.
MicroPUL, reel 1.
The Conway Papers were acquired by NNC sometime after Conway’s death in 1907.
More information on provenance may be found in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.