Child, Lydia Maria Francis. Letter to Harriet Brent Jacobs.

Title

Child, Lydia Maria Francis. Letter to Harriet Brent Jacobs.

Creator

Child, Lydia Maria Francis

Contributor

Harriet Brent Jacobs

Date

1860-09-27

Description

Handwritten letter from Lydia Maria Francis Child to Harriet Brent Jacobs. Child writes to Jacobs about the benefits of publishing her slave narrative with Thayer & Eldridge Publishing Company.

Subject

Child, Lydia Maria, 1802-1880

Is Part Of

Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Rights

The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Identifier

1338

Location

Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Transcription

(Page 1)

              Wayland, Sep 27^th, 1860

Dear Mrs. Jacobs,

                                    I have signed and
sealed the contract with Thayer & Eldridge,
in my name, and told them to take out the
copyright in my name. Under the circumstances
your name could not be used, you know.
I inquired of other booksellers, and could find
none that were willing to undertake it, except
Thayer & Eldridge. I have never heard a word
to the disparagement of either of them, and I do
not think you could do better than to let them
have it. They ought to have the monopoly of
it for some time, if they stereotype it, because
that process involves considerable expense,
and if you changed publishers, their plates
would be worth nothing to them. When I spoke
of limiting them to an edition of 2000, I did
not suppose they intended to stereotype it.
They have agreed to pay you ten per cent

[Text aligned vertically along left margin of Page 1]

Mr. Child desire [sic] a very friendly remembrance.

(Page 2)

on the retail price of all sold, and to
let you have as many as you want, or
the lowest wholesale price. On your part,
I have agreed that they may publish it
for five years on those terms, and that you
will not print any abridgement, or altered
copy, meanwhile.
        I have no reason whatever to think that
Thayer & Eldridge are likely to fail.
I merely made the suggestion because they
were beginners.          However, several of the
oldest bookselling firms have failed
within the last three years; mine among the
rest. We must run for luck in these matters.
      I have promised to correct the proof sheets,
and I don’t think it would be of any use to
the book to have you here at this time. They
say they shall get it out by the 1’st of Nov.
    You had better let me know beforehand
if you want to come to Wayland; because
when I leave home, I generally stay over night [sic],
and in that case you would lose your time
and your money. I saw your daughter a
few minutes, and found her very prepossessing.

(Page 3)

    Write to me whenever you want to; and
    when I have time, I will answer.
     I want you to sign the following paper,
and send it back to me. It will make Thayer
and Eldridge safe about the contract in my
name, and in case of my death, will prove that
the book is your property, not mine.
Cordially your friend,
                                      L. Maria Child.

[Text written vertically along left side of Page 1]

*Mr. Child desires a very friendly remembrance

Annotations

Lydia Maria Child, an author, abolitionist and woman's rights activist, is writing from Wayland, Massachusetts to Harriet Brent Jacobs.

Tags

Business; Enslaved people

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Child, Lydia Maria Francis, “Child, Lydia Maria Francis. Letter to Harriet Brent Jacobs.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 21, 2024, https://rbscpexhibits.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/3625.

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