3673. RB to Edward Chapman
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 21, 341–343.
Paris, 102 Rue de Grenelle
Faubourg St Germain
Oct. 31. ’55.
My dear Chapman,
Many thanks for your note accompanying the American letter: I have written at once to that miraculous Mr Fields who seems in a fair way of canonization (i.e. Boston may be bombarded, not impossibly)—unluckily my letter was posted a day too late for last week’s post—won’t leave till next Thursday, they tell me: I bade Fields pay you your money at once—telling him how it had come to be yours.
I am anxious to know how our affair goes on—if the trade subscribes, & all that. I observe your advertisements in the weekly papers—all prominent & eye-catching. [1] In looking over the book, I find a few errors, and a passage or two susceptible of improvement—but I avoid calling attention to them by making a list of errata—still, should there be a demand, by any strange chance, for more copies than are struck off—I will send the corrections to you.
Have the goodness to send copies to the following persons–
John Kenyon Esq– 39 Devonshire Place, Regent’s Park.
Miss Barrett, 50 Wimpole St
Mrs. Surtees Cook, Wilton, Taunton.
Miss Blagden, 43 Grosvenor Place.
Mrs. Paine, Farnham.
Bryan Waller Procter Esq. 32 Weymouth St (Portland Place)
Edward Moxon Esq. Dover St
Capt Pritchard, 5 Oak Terrace, Battersea.
Coventry Patmore Esq, British Museum.
P.J. Bailey Esq.
W.J. Fox Esq M.P. 3 Sussex Place, Regts Park
Mrs Jago, Trejago, Hammersmith.
David Ogilvy Esq. Lower Sydenham.
Alfred Tennyson Esq. (Care of Moxon)
Dante Rossetti Esq, 14 Chatham Place, Blackfriars’ Bridge.
John Ruskin Esq. Denmark Hill, Camberwell.
Reuben Browning Esq. 9 Victoria Road, Old Charlton. [2]
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My wife is not of my opinion about the undesirableness of appending the errata. Of course, I would prefer by a great deal that they were adopted. What do you say? I attach importance to the mere stops—but there are a few blunders that affect the sense, and not all of them my fault, neither. I subjoin the list—do what you think best, and believe me, dear Chapman, with much esteem
yours very faithfully,
Robert Browning.
No—I won’t send the list of minor blunders, [3] for if one is altered, all should be, but just mention two that affect the sense and are the printer’s. Vol. II. Page 9. Line 8. You painting—read, I painting. [4] Page 47. line 12 altaltissimo—read alt to altissimo. [5]
Address: Angleterre. / E. Chapman Esq. / 193 Piccadilly, / London.
Publication: NL, pp. 81–84.
Manuscript: Pierpont Morgan Library.
1. The Athenæum of 27 October 1855 ran the following Chapman and Hall advertisement: “new poems by robert browning / In 2 vols. fcap. 8vo. / Men and Women / by robert browning / 10th November” (no. 1461, p. 1228). The advertisement appeared at the top of the first column of a three-column full-page listing of Chapman and Hall publications. Similarly displayed, it ran the same day in The Examiner (p. 688).
2. In only a few cases have we been able to trace the whereabouts of the presentation copies indicated here. They are as follows: to Arabella, as “Miss Barrett” (see Reconstruction, C399, now at Eton); to Henrietta, as “Mrs. Surtees Cook” (see C391), and Tennyson (see C410).
3. For the full list, see letter 3665.
5. “High to extremely high”; see letter 3665, note 27.
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