5532. Edward Moxon & Co. to RB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 31, 208.
44. Dover Street. Piccadilly.
London. W.
Jan 23. 1865
Dear Sir, with this we have the pleasure to present you with a copy of the first volume of our “Miniature Poets.” [1] When we had the pleasure of seeing you in the autumn, we begged that you would be so kind as to allow us to include in the series a selection from your own works. You were so good as to reply, that as an old client of ours, you would gladly undertake that task, provided your present publishers made no objection, & you also remarked that such was the voluminous character of your poetical works, that such a Selection could not hurt the Sale of the former. Indeed, as we have found in the case of the Laureate, such a book would do the sale of your general works infinite good, by introducing them to a very wide circle of readers. We are about, we may here say, to make overtures to the owners of the copyrights of Byron, Moore, Scott, & Southey, for permission to include Selections from the works of these Poets in this Series, & we should indeed be very sorry if we do not obtain from you the general consent we anticipate from other quarters[.] [2]
In the hope of an early and affirmative reply,
We are, Dear Sir,
Yours very faithfully
Edw: Moxon & Co
Robert Browning Esq
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Michael Meredith.
1. A Selection from the Works of Alfred Tennyson. D.C.L. (1865) was published by Edward Moxon & Co. just before Christmas 1864 as part of Moxon’s Miniature Poets series. A copy, inscribed by RB and dated 28 January 1865, sold as lot 1147 in Browning Collections; see Reconstruction A2287.
2. A Selection from the Works of Robert Browning, the second volume in Moxon’s Miniature Poets series was issued in eight parts at sixpence each, starting in April 1865. The parts were issued as a single volume in October 1865. RB’s preface is dated 21 March 1865.
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