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Walt Whitman to Trübner & Company, 1 October 1878

About This Item

  • Title: Walt Whitman to Trübner & Company, 1 October 1878
  • Date: October 1, 1878
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: duk.00749
  • Source: The Trent Collection of Walt Whitman Manuscripts, Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. The transcription presented here is derived from Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller (New York: New York University Press, 1964), 137–138. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Contributors to digital file: Alicia Bones Grace Thomas Anthony Dreesen Kevin McMullen
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Walt Whitman to Trübner & Company, 1 October 1878." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 18 April 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: duk.00749.xml (TEI)
431 Stevens Street Camden New Jersey U S America Oct 1 '78— Dear Sirs

Yours of Sept 14 with $14 for Two Sets (4 Vols) of my books has come safely to hand1—Thank you sincerely—

I to-day forward to Wiley & Sons, New York, Twelve Sets (24 Vols) of my books, to be sent you—which please acknowledge as soon as received—Two of the Twelve Sets being paid for, there are Ten Sets, for which you are to acc't​ to me at $7 the set—& you are not to furnish them to purchasers at less than $10 the set, or $5 the Vol.

Walt Whitman

Notes

  • 1.

    Whitman's dealings with Trübner & Co. were handled through Josiah Child. See the letter from Whitman to Child of August 9, 1878. On May 31, 1877, Trübner sent Whitman $7.57 in payment for copies of Democratic Vistas, and noted that 61 copies of that work were still on hand (Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.). On November 8 Whitman recorded that Trübner owed him $70 for ten sets and "also something due me for Dem: Vistas." On December 6 he received $47.55 from Trübner in payment for six sets and for fifteen (twelve according to the letter from Whitman to Anne Gilchrist of December 12, 1878) copies of Democratic Vistas; the balance due was $28 for four sets and $17.02 for forty-six copies of Democratic Vistas.

    Whitman received a payment from Trübner through Josiah Child on June 9, 1879, and an order for books. See the letter from Whitman to Child of June 9, 1879. Probably the payment amounted to $24.50, since in making a tally of the books in Trübner's possession as of June 27, he noted thirty-seven volumes (including thirty-six sent on June 25 or 27) and forty-six copies of Democratic Vistas. On March 4, 1880, he received in payment $37.22; on July 22, 1880, $80.50, at which time he sent thirty-four volumes; on March 4, 1881, $105.37, at which time he sent an additional twenty volumes; and on December 8, 1881, he received $80.50. At that time the balance due was $14.43 for thirty-nine copies of Democratic Vistas. At a later date Whitman added to this entry, "all paid in full" (Commonplace Book, Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.).

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