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Horace Wentworth to Walt Whitman, 27 November 1866

About This Item

  • Title: Horace Wentworth to Walt Whitman, 27 November 1866
  • Date: November 27, 1866
  • Creator(s): Horace Wentworth
  • Whitman Archive ID: loc.00877
  • Source: The Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Contributors to digital file: Elizabeth Lorang Brett Barney Vanessa Steinroetter Heidi Bean
  • Cite this page: Wentworth, Horace. "Horace Wentworth to Walt Whitman, 27 November 1866." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 04 December 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: loc.00877.xml (TEI)
 loc.00877.001.jpg Boston Nov 27th 1866 Mr. Walt Whitman Dear Sir.

I own the stereotype plates of the work, "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman with portrait of the author, and also the right to publish, which I bought of the assignees of Thayer and Eldridge, & in which I am protected by the assignees, the master in Chancery, and by the laws of the Country, if I understand them.

I shall unqualifiedly protest against the printing or publication of any work, bearing the title or containing in any way the same matter as the "Leaves of Grass." The plates and loc.00877.002.jpg engraving are in the market at a nominal price, tho' I intend to republish if they are not soon disposed of. Also the stereotype plates of the pamphlets notices which we should be pleased to sell with the plates.

We have a very few of the "Imprints" which we wish to keep, in case we publish and need them.

Yours Resptly, H. Wentworth1

Notes

  • 1. On April 19, 1861, Thayer & Eldridge informed Whitman that the plates of Leaves of Grass were now in the possession of Horace Wentworth, a Boston publisher, whom Thayer characterized as "My bitter and relentless enemy" and "an illiterate man." [back]
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