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Walt Whitman to Francis B. Felt, 17 April 1873

About This Item

  • Title: Walt Whitman to Francis B. Felt, 17 April 1873
  • Date: April 17, 1873
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: loc.01714
  • 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.

    Notes for this letter were created by Whitman Archive staff and/or were derived from Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller, 6 vols. (New York: New York University Press, 1961–1977), and supplemented or updated by Whitman Archive staff.
  • Contributors to digital file: Alex Kinnaman Elizabeth Lorang Kathryn Kruger Zachary King Eric Conrad Nicole Gray
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Walt Whitman to Francis B. Felt, 17 April 1873." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 29 October 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: loc.01714.xml (TEI)
 loc.01714.001_large.jpg Department of Justice,  
  Office of the Solicitor of the Treasury, 
  Washington, D.C.,.............................., 187 . April 17, '731 Dear Sir,

Your letter of Feb. 8, '73, remitting my acc't​ , and sales up to 1st of June, '72, (with check of $12:60) was duly acknowledged at time. If convenient, could you advise me, or get Messrs. Lee, Shephard, & Dillingham2 to advise me, of sales by them since that time, and to remit me the amount? Also how many books are now on hand.

Also please return me, if convenient, the printed slip I forwarded you of my last acc't.​ with you, marked in blue pencil "return this."

I would also like to inquire of Messrs. Lee, Shephard & Dillingham whether they would not take my books, (the new editions) & job them. Redfield sent me word that Mr. Dillingham declined, thinking there was no inducement, but I am in hopes he will still take them.

 loc.01714.002_large.jpg

I am in a bad way at present from paralysis—and am sick, & unable to get to New York, or any where—but expect soon to be better.3

There is beginning to be a steady, though moderate demand for my books, & if there were a good & permanent place of publication, I should advertise sufficiently.

Correspondent:
Francis B. Felt & Co., booksellers, were located at 91 Mercer Street, New York.

Notes

  • 1. This draft letter is endorsed: "letter to F. B. Felt | April 17, 1873." [back]
  • 2. Lee, Shepard, & Dillingham, publishers and booksellers, had offices at 47–49 Green Street, New York. In 1867 John T. Trowbridge attempted to interest this firm in the fourth edition of Leaves of Grass; see Trowbridge's letter to William D. O'Connor of March 24, 1867, reprinted in American Literature, 23 (1951), 326. [back]
  • 3. Whitman bracketed this entire paragraph and included the proofreader's mark "tr." to indicate its transposition with the paragraph immediately following it. [back]
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