Life & Letters

Correspondence

About this Item

Title: Abraham Simpson to Walt Whitman, 20 October 1865

Date: October 20, 1865

Whitman Archive ID: loc.03777

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.

Editorial note: The annotation, "Bradstreet Receipt Oct.," is in an unknown hand.

Contributors to digital file: Alex Kinnaman, Jonathan Y. Cheng, Elizabeth Lorang, Nima Najafi Kianfar, Noelle Bates, Paige Wilkinson, and Stephanie Blalock



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Oct 20th 1865

Received from Walt Whitman the sum of Fifty dollars on a/c of binding 300 books

$50 00


Abr Simpson


Correspondent:
Abraham Simpson, while working for J. M. Bradstreet & Son, had supervised the binding of Drum-Taps (see Whitman's May 2, 1865, letter to Peter Eckler). Simpson wrote on May 10, 1867, that he was going into business for himself and was interested in publishing Whitman's next book: "Hearing you are writing another book [I] would like to print and publish it for you and will give you better advantages than any other publishing house . . . One of my reasons for securing your friendship is my appreciation for you as a man, well knowing your life has been devoted to help along those most in need of your assistance." On May 31, 1867, Simpson informed Whitman that "we have established a Ptng & Publishing House." But, in his July 3, 1867, letter, he advised Whitman that after consultation "with several eminent literary men . . . though we are favorably impressed, . . . we deem it injudicious to commit ourselves to its publication at the present time."


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