"Going with me to England, think it all over carefully" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Findlay Family A1199/B Documents: Box 7/4 |
| Archive | William Cullen Library, Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrand |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 10 October 1900 |
| Address From | Hanover, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Hudson Findlay |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the William Cullen Library, University of Johannesburg, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Historical Papers. The date of this letter has been derived from Schreiner's '10 / 00' and also its position in the archival sequence.
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Hanover 10 / 00
2
3 Dear Hudson
4
5 Thank you very much for your letter I enclose the one you sent signed.
6I did not write before as I'm too unfit to think of any things.
7
8 //Yes perhaps I had best leave Peter Halket. The great thing I want is
9to get their promise statement in writing that that they have no claim
10to Stray Thoughts. If necessary I will find the ^£^40 & it out of their
11hands. But no firm in America will touch any book that another firm
12has any connection with unless I ^you^ could show in writing that with
13his consent my ^your^ relation with a firm had terminated. This, not so
14much as ^at all as a matter^ of business in the ordinary sense, but of
15business etiquet! You can have no conception what a close ring the
16publishers form, & not the publishers & book-sellers! When for years
17Chapman & Hall had given me nothing for an African Farm I went to
18firms in London about them taking the book over they were quite cle
19willing to do so if I could show them in writing that by mutual
20consent my relation with C & Hall had terminated by mutual consent.
21They all agreed that C & H would have no legal ground against them if
22they took it, but all stated that professional etiquet would not allow
23it. I don't know what other capitalist rings are, but publishing &
24book selling sig ring is something fearful & wonderful.
25
26 I am quite willing to wait wait six months or a year before bring out
27Stray Thoughts.
28
29 Thank you so much for all the trouble you have taken. I am so grateful.
30 When I'm a blooming millionaire I'll remember you in my will!
31Seriously I've no faith in my ever getting anything by my writing. If
32I were to tell you how the publishers have done me all through you'd
33hardly believe it. It's the old capitalist story.
34
35 Much love to Bessie & the small ones
36 Your affectionate
37 Olive
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2
3 Dear Hudson
4
5 Thank you very much for your letter I enclose the one you sent signed.
6I did not write before as I'm too unfit to think of any things.
7
8 //Yes perhaps I had best leave Peter Halket. The great thing I want is
9to get their promise statement in writing that that they have no claim
10to Stray Thoughts. If necessary I will find the ^£^40 & it out of their
11hands. But no firm in America will touch any book that another firm
12has any connection with unless I ^you^ could show in writing that with
13his consent my ^your^ relation with a firm had terminated. This, not so
14much as ^at all as a matter^ of business in the ordinary sense, but of
15business etiquet! You can have no conception what a close ring the
16publishers form, & not the publishers & book-sellers! When for years
17Chapman & Hall had given me nothing for an African Farm I went to
18firms in London about them taking the book over they were quite cle
19willing to do so if I could show them in writing that by mutual
20consent my relation with C & Hall had terminated by mutual consent.
21They all agreed that C & H would have no legal ground against them if
22they took it, but all stated that professional etiquet would not allow
23it. I don't know what other capitalist rings are, but publishing &
24book selling sig ring is something fearful & wonderful.
25
26 I am quite willing to wait wait six months or a year before bring out
27Stray Thoughts.
28
29 Thank you so much for all the trouble you have taken. I am so grateful.
30 When I'm a blooming millionaire I'll remember you in my will!
31Seriously I've no faith in my ever getting anything by my writing. If
32I were to tell you how the publishers have done me all through you'd
33hardly believe it. It's the old capitalist story.
34
35 Much love to Bessie & the small ones
36 Your affectionate
37 Olive
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