Volume II: _2 ll., 348, vii, 311 pp. Seven portraits. Six plates.

JAMES FENIMORE COOPER

(1789-1851)

76. The Last | Of | The Mohicans; | A Narrative Of | 1757. | By The Author Of "The Pioneers." [Quotation] In Two Volumes. | Vol. I. | Philadelphia: | H. C. Carey & I. Lea--Chestnut-Street. | 1826.

_The Pioneers_ was the first of _The Leather Stocking Tales_. It appeared in 1823, and was an immediate success; more than 3500 copies are said to have been sold before noon of the day of publication. This was reason enough for following the custom of the English novelists of putting on the title-page, not the name of the author, but the name of his first success. _The Last of the Mohicans_ appeared February 4, 1826, and was also a prodigious success.

The surprising meagerness of bibliographical facts concerning Cooper's works is, Professor Lounsbury says in his life of the novelist, characteristic of a reticence and dislike of publicity which extended to all his dealings. "The size of the editions has never been given to the public. The sale of 'The Pioneers' on the morning of its publication has already been noticed, and there are contemporary newspaper statements to the effect that the first edition of 'The Red Rover' consisted of five thousand copies, and that this was exhausted in a few days. But it was only from incidental references of this kind, which can rarely be relied upon absolutely, that we, at this late day, are able to give any specific information whatever.

"He was unquestionably helped in the end, however, by what in the beginning threatened to be a serious if not insuperable obstacle. He was unable to get any one concerned in the book trade to assume the risk of bringing out 'The Spy.' That had to be taken by the author himself. In the case of this novel, we know positively that Cooper was not only the owner of the copyright, but of all the edition; that he gave directions as to the terms on which the work was to be furnished to the booksellers, while the publishers, Wiley & Halsted, had no direct interest in it, and received their reward by a commission. It is evident that under this arrangement his profits on the sale were far larger than would usually be the case. Whether he followed the same method in any of his later productions, there seems to be no method of ascertaining. Wiley, however, until his death, continued to be his publisher. 'The Last of the Mohicans' went into the hands of Carey & Lea of Philadelphia, and this firm, under various changes of name, continued to bring out the American edition of his novels until the year 1844."

Henry Charles Carey, son of Matthew Carey, was as celebrated for his writings on political economy as for his connection with this publishing house, which was one of the largest in the country.

Duodecimo.

COLLATION: _Two volumes._ Volume I: _262 pp._ Volume II: _260 pp._

WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR

(1775-1864)

77. Pericles And Aspasia | By | Walter Savage Landor, Esq. | In Two Volumes. | Vol. I. | London | Saunders and Otley, Conduit Street. | 1836.

These volumes were issued in three or more styles of binding: paper-covered boards, straight-grain dull green cloth, and half roan with brown glazed paper boards all with paper labels. The publishers' advertisements, two leaves at the end of Vol. II. are the same with each style of binding.

This work was written by Landor during his residence at Fiesole, but it was published after his return to England. His own choleric temperament and irascible manner unfitted him for personal dealings with publishers, as he had found from past experiences, and so the arrangements for this publication were intrusted to his friend Mr. G. P. R. James, the novelist, who sold the manuscript to Saunders and Otley for £100.

The following unpublished letter of Landor's, belonging to a member of the Grolier Club, is interesting as referring to this transaction.

"MY DEAR SIR:

"When I offered my Pericles to MM. Saunders & Otley I did not suppose there was more than enough for one volume, the size of the Examination of Shakspeare. They told you it would form two volumes of that size. Knowing that I had material for thirty pages more, I said that if they would make the first vol: 300 pp. I would take care that the second should not fall short of it more than a dozen pages. Now I have sent them not thirty but a hundred--and they tell me to-day that there is not remaining, for the second volume, more than 175 pp. I have, you perceive, already sent above one third more than what I calculated the whole at, when you had the kindness to make the agreement for me.

"In reply to their letter I have said that, if they will give me fifty pounds more, I will send one hundred more pages, 50 within three weeks, 50 more in the three following; and if this does not appear equitable to them I leave it entirely to you. I shall then have given them 200 pp. for fifty pounds, when I offered them only 285 for a hundred. It will be my business to take care that the remainder shall fall as little short as possible of the preceding. I have furthermore stipulated for twenty copies. Many of these will take nothing from the profits, as more than a dozen will be given to people who certainly would not have bought them, and who are not likely to lend them.

"A friend has offered me some pheasants, which I have desired to be sent to you. I hope they will please the young lion with their plumage. The first of Feb. I set out for Clifton: an old favorite of mine for winter and spring. I have requested MM Saunders to favour me with two (I should be glad of three) copies of the first volume as my friend Ablett's birthday is on the 31 of this month, and mine on the 30, and I have three friends to whom it would delight me to give them before I leave Wales. With best compliments to Mrs. James, believe me ever,

"Yrs very sincerely

"W. S. LANDOR

"LLAMBEDR, Jan. 18 [1836]

"I have seen the last sheet of Vol. I, but not the short Preface sent from London.

"How can you complain of your English. There is hardly a fault to be found in the 3 volumes. I have read them a second time.

"G. P. R. James, Esq.

"1 Lloyds Buildings

"Blackheath

"London"

The work appeared during the early part of 1836, and though it was received with much praise by his friends, and had many favorable reviews, the sale dragged. In October of the same year, Landor, in one of his letters to Forster, refers to an unfavorable review which appeared in _Blackwood_: "... I am not informed how long this Scotchman has been at work about me, but my publisher has advised me, that he loses £150. by my _Pericles_. So that it is probable the Edinburgh Areopagites have condemned me to a fine in my absence; for I never can allow any man to be a loser by me, and am trying to economise to the amount of this indemnity to Saunders and Otley...." The money was in fact paid back, and yet, curiously enough, as Forster relates, Landor not only forgot, three years later, that he had received a payment for the copyright, but even that he himself had sent back the money, and was making further remittances to satisfy the supposed loss. This was stopped by a statement from Mr. Saunders, to which Landor refers in a letter to Forster: "Never, in the course of my life, was I so surprised as at the _verification_ of my account with Saunders; for such it is. Certain I am that no part of the money was ever spent by me, nor can I possibly bring to mind either the receiving or the returning of it...."

The first American edition of _Pericles and Aspasia_, in two volumes, was published by Carey, Philadelphia, 1839, the second English edition in 1849, and there have been frequent editions since, both in England and in America.

Duodecimo.

COLLATION: _Two Volumes._ Volume I: _viii, 299 pp._