BYRON'S LETTERS TO DOUGLAS KINNAIRD ... - Get a Free Blog

(Source: text from NLS Ms.43454; not in 1922 II; BLJ X 58-9)
Enclosed with Don Juan XII (in Mary Shelley’s fair copy).
Genoa. 10b re . 14 o
1822.
My dear Douglas /
Enclosed is the 12 th Canto of D. J. – the 6. 7. 8 th . will make one volume – the 9 th . 10 th .
11 th . 12 th . – another – both of about the same size with the two former published by Murray. –
“What is to be done?” you say – I do not know – at the worst we are but where we are as far as regards
these things – and luckily are in no violent hurry. – –
Murray long after the “piracies” offered me a thousand pounds – (guineas) a canto for as many as I
chose to write – you know how he has since shuffled out (not of that proposal – for it was too much –
and I would not take advantage of it) and this not from fears about the sale – but bullied by the priests
and the Government.
1:2
He is a dirty fellow as you will one day find out. – – You recollect how he kept back the 4. 5. 6 th . 97 and
published them at last in a slovenly manner. – And yet they succeeded and are as good as the former –
and as for these latter – I am clear that they are in no respect inferior. – Take care in showing them
about that copies are not taken before publication – or we shall have some underhanded doings of the
kind. – –
With regard to Hunt – he has no Capital – and what {are} his bills worth without a guarantee? – As to
accounting – it never yet answered that ever I heard of. – There is a mystery in the craft of which these
publishers only know the key. –
You can try and obtain a fair proposal
1:3
from some of the trade – if none is offered – it is but not publishing – or publishing on the half and half
account at last. – – That Murray will intrigue and do all the mischief {he can} from hatred to the Hunts
– and pique at me – is certain – & has been already seen – but I’ll weave him a web before I have done
with him. –
You can keep the M.S.S. by you and be careful not to lose or mislay any part of them. – If anything is
agreed upon I must revise and correct the proofs myself – they can be sent by the post as usual. –
I am confident that you will like this as well as the others.
y rs . ever
N. B.
1:4
P.S. I should be glad to know how H. proposes to counteract the effect of the piracies – and as to
accounting – the difficulty is that no one can understand a bookseller’s accounts – when Crabbe
published with M. – M. showed Moore an account proving that he had lost two thousand
pounds by Crabbe – now – I fancy it is pretty well understood that in fact he cleared a good deal by
Crabbe. – –
You call use y r . own Judgement and let me know what you think – presuming always (what may be but
a presumption) that the 7 new Cantos are on the whole equal to the 5 former. – – – –
Suppose he (H. or somebody else) was to publish one Canto a week – of the same size and paper to
correspond with {the various} former editions; but this is merely a vision – and may be foolish enough
for aught that I know. – – –
[“Please to wafer ...” placed here by BLJ, is in fact at the end of Byron to Kinnaird, December 23rd.]
Byron to Douglas Kinnaird, from Genoa, December 16th 1822:
(Source: text from NLS Ms.43454; not in 1922 II; BLJ X 59-61)
Byron answers Kinnaird’s of December 5th.
My dear Douglas,
Yours of y e . 5 th . 10b re . – –
97: B.means “3rd, 4th, and 5th.”
49
Genoa. Dec r . 16 o 1822. – –