The Walt Whitman Archive
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
 image 1 |  image 2 |
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."