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Boston
Oct 15, 1860
Dear Walt,
Your favor is at hand. We1 cannot let you have the amount you name or any amount for the present2. This is our final answer for the time being.
Yours Truly
Thayer & Eldridge
Notes
- 1. Thayer and Eldridge was
the Boston publishing firm responsible for the third edition of Walt Whitman's
Leaves of Grass (1860). For more on Whitman's
relationship with Thayer and Eldridge see "Thayer, William Wilde (1829–1896) and Charles W. Eldridge
(1837–1903)," Walt Whitman: An
Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings [New York:
Garland Publishing, 1998]). [back]
- 2. Whitman had requested an
advance check for his proposed volume of poetry The Banner At
Day-Break, but Thayer and Eldridge's dire financial situation prevented
them from honoring Whitman's request. [back]