"Heart dying up last 5 or 6 years, 'Soul of a People' like rain falling on dry parched soil" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | HRC/OliveSchreinerUncatLetters/OS-TFisherUnwin/60 |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 22 July 1897 |
| Address From | Eastbourne, East Sussex |
| Address To | |
| Who To | T. Fisher Unwin |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. This letter is by and from Olive Schreiner and signed by her, with Cronwright-Schreiner acting as her amanuensis or secretary.
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1Eastbourne
222nd July. 97
3
4Dear Mr Unwin,
5
6I have received both your letters. I am very glad to hear that you are
7bringing out a cheap edition of “Peter Halket”, but should be glad
8if it were a shilling edition instead of 3/6; & I believe the
9increased sale would pay you. With regard to the new Edition of
10“Peter Halket”, I should think publishing it on thinner & cheaper
11paper would be all the alterations r re-quired. I cannot write a
12preface for it. Of course there could not possibly be the alteration,
13^omission,^ or addition of a single word or stop in the book, except
14such as I have already made. [papertorn] d I cannot write a preface
15 [papertorn] ow. At some future day, when things have gone on further at
16the Cape, I may wish to add a preface.
17
18With regard to the photograph, it was against my wish and order that
19that photograph was ever sold or given to any one. I ordered the proof
20to be destroyed. I will, on no account, have it appear ‘in any
21work’ of mine. It ^“Dreams”^ must either be [papertorn] blished
22without any photograph at all, or with the original photograph, which,
23being the one taken at the time I wrote the book, should always appear
24in it. If I ^If, however, I should^ have a suitable one taken before the
25book appears, & you should write & tell me you want it for
26“Dreams”, I might send you a copy, but I should very much prefer
27the original photograph. Why do you object to it?
28
29Yours sincerely,
30^Olive Schreiner^
31
222nd July. 97
3
4Dear Mr Unwin,
5
6I have received both your letters. I am very glad to hear that you are
7bringing out a cheap edition of “Peter Halket”, but should be glad
8if it were a shilling edition instead of 3/6; & I believe the
9increased sale would pay you. With regard to the new Edition of
10“Peter Halket”, I should think publishing it on thinner & cheaper
11paper would be all the alterations r re-quired. I cannot write a
12preface for it. Of course there could not possibly be the alteration,
13^omission,^ or addition of a single word or stop in the book, except
14such as I have already made. [papertorn] d I cannot write a preface
15 [papertorn] ow. At some future day, when things have gone on further at
16the Cape, I may wish to add a preface.
17
18With regard to the photograph, it was against my wish and order that
19that photograph was ever sold or given to any one. I ordered the proof
20to be destroyed. I will, on no account, have it appear ‘in any
21work’ of mine. It ^“Dreams”^ must either be [papertorn] blished
22without any photograph at all, or with the original photograph, which,
23being the one taken at the time I wrote the book, should always appear
24in it. If I ^If, however, I should^ have a suitable one taken before the
25book appears, & you should write & tell me you want it for
26“Dreams”, I might send you a copy, but I should very much prefer
27the original photograph. Why do you object to it?
28
29Yours sincerely,
30^Olive Schreiner^
31
Notation
The photograph referred to was intended as the frontispiece to an edition of Dreams.
The photograph referred to was intended as the frontispiece to an edition of Dreams.