Explanatory Notes        Apparatus Notes (Ⓐ)

Source: Columbia University, New York ([NNC])

Cue: "Just as I"

Source format: "MS"

Letter type: "[standard letter]"

Notes:

Last modified:

Revision History: AB

Published on MTPO: 2022

Print Publication:

This edited text supersedes the previously published text
MTPDocEd
To Moncure D. Conway
16 April 1876 • Hartford, Conn. (MS: NNC, UCCL 01323)
Hartford, Apl. 16.
My Dear Conway:

Just as I feared, Tom Sawyer is not yet ready to issue. Would not be ready for 2 weeks or longer, yet. Therefore the spring trade is lost beyond redemption. Consequently I have told Bliss to issue in the autumn & make a Boy’s Holiday Book of it. Another thing that has moved me to this course is the fact that whereas the Sketch Book sold 20,000 copies the first 3 months, it has only sold 3,700 the second 3 (ending March 30.) This distinctly means that this is no time to adventure a new book. I am determined that Tom shall outsellⒶemendation any previous book of mine, & so I mean that he shall have every possible advantage.1explanatory note

First publication in England cannot impair my American copyright (have telegraphed Spofford & made sure on that point;) therefore I have just wired cabled you: “Hickson, Smithfield, London: We delay publication till fall, but you may publish as soon as you choose.”2explanatory note

Now as to electros: Bliss will furnish full set of plates, (pictures, letter press & all,) at $2 per page. Ⓐemendation—say total of about $600. Or, he will furnish the pictures alone, at 25 cents per inch square. inch. Total, for picture-electros alone, $150 to $200. Write or telegraph me which you want & I will send them. It is possible that Chatto may see his best market in waiting till fall & issuing as a holiday book. But he may do as he prefers.3explanatory note

Get the May Atlantic when it reaches London. You may be able to utilize Howells’s notice of Tom.4explanatory note

In haste
Ys Ever
Samℓ. L. Clemens
Textual Commentary
Source text(s):

MS, Conway Papers, NNC.

Previous Publication:

MTLP , 98.

Provenance:

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.

Explanatory Notes
1 

The delay suited Conway. He had requested a postponement in a letter that had not yet reached Clemens (CU-MARK):

UCLC32317
2 pembroke gardens, kensington. w.
April 11, 1876.
Dear Clemens,

I take it that my letter made that clear which my telegram did not—namely that we needed the pictures only & not letter press; and so am living in the hope that the plates of the pictures will have started about last Friday or Sat. & be here by the 20th. We all consider here that the cheap edition coming first would ruin the costly one, & the latter must come out first. But as the pictures cannot (unless you came to a different conclusion from your letter of 25th Marchclick to open link) reach us before the 20th, we cannot get the book out here in time for you to publish it May 1st. So please delay, and I will telegraph you a date thus: “sixth” or “seventh” &c which will mean the date in May of publication here. You shd issue at least 24 hours later (a difference for which there may be technical reasons).

With warm remembrances to Mrs Clemens & no time to say more

Ever yours
M D Conway

Nothing could be gained by using your type plates over here

For Conway’s telegram and previous letter, see 25 Mar 1876 to Conwayclick to open link and 9 Apr 1876 to Conwayclick to open link, n. 1.

2 

Clemens’s cables as received by Conway and by Ainsworth R. Spofford, the librarian of Congress, have not been recovered. He did not receive Spofford’s definitive answer until 17 April (CU-MARK):

UCLC32323
blank no. 1. the western union telegraph company. the rules of this company require that all messages received for transmission, shall be written on the message blanks of the company, under and subject to the conditions printed thereon, which conditions have been agreed to by the sender of the following message. william orton, pres’t, new york a. r. brewer, sec’y dated     Washington DC                1876 received at                             April 17 to Samuel. L. Clemens No the first publication in England is essential to Copyright there but previous entry here will secure you in the United States A R Spofford Librarian Congress

24 Over

Since the American copyright on Tom Sawyer had been entered on 21 July 1875, it was secure even though English publication (on 9 June 1876) preceded American publication (on 8 December). The American copyright was not perfected until 2 January 1877, when the required two copies of Tom Sawyer were received in Spofford’s office (Merle Johnson 1935, 29; Lehr 1982, 1).

3 

The edition of Tom Sawyer that Chatto and Windus published on 9 June was unillustrated, the result of a delay in the transmission of the picture plates. For information on their later illustrated edition, see 1 Aug 1876 to Conwayclick to open link, n. 2.

4 

See the Appendix "Reviews of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. click to open link"

Emendations and Textual Notes
Ⓐ  outsell ●  out- | sell
Ⓐ  page.  ●  deletion implied
Top