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VICTORY
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1915
A. First American edition.
(1) First printing
VICTORY | AN ISLAND TALE | BY | JOSEPH CONRAD | [publisher’s device] | Calling
shapes and beckoning shadows dire | And airy tongues that syllable men’s names | On sands and
shores and desert wildernesses | - COMUS. | GARDEN CITY NEW YORK | DOUBLEDAY,
PAGE & COMPANY | 1915
Collation: [1–25]8 [26]4 [27–30]8; pp. [i-vi] [1–2] 3–462 [463–464] [2]; 187 x 126 mm.; printed on
wove paper.
Contents: p. i, half-title ‘VICTORY | [circular ship device] | p. ii, list of seventeen works by
Conrad plus the two collaborations with Ford; p. iii, title; p. iv, ‘Copyright, 1915,
by | DOUBLEDAY PAGE & COMPANY | All rights reserved, including that of | translation into
foreign languages, | including the Scandinavian | COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY THE FRANK A.
MUNSEY COMPANY’; p. v, dedication to Perceval and Maisie Gibbon, p. vi, blank, p. 1,
sectional title, ‘PART I’; p. 2, blank; pp. 3–462, text; p. 463, ‘[printer’s device] | THE COUNTRY
LIFE PRESS | GARDEN CITY, N. Y.’; p. 464 and the last two pages, blank.
Binding: (a) Dark blue linen finish cloth. Front cover stamped in gold ‘[within a frame of two rules
terminating at the base in a circular ship device, a gold panel with lettering in cover cloth]
VICTORY | [rule] | JOSEPH CONRAD’; spine stamped in gold
‘VICTORY | [rule] | JOSEPH | CONRAD | DOUBLEDAY | PAGE & CO.’ All edges trimmed.
White wove end-papers; front end-paper printed in brown and red with a map keyed to Conrad’s
works. Dust jacket of light blue wove paper printed in gold and dark blue.
(b) In the ‘Deep Sea’ format. As above except in blue limp leather. Spine stamped in gold ‘[ship
device] | VICTORY | CONRAD | DOUBLEDAY | PAGE & CO.’
Copies examined: TXL (Deep Sea)
Notes
First printings: In September 1913 Conrad completed his latest revisions in the typescript of
Victory, still untitled and referred to in his correspondence as either the “D” novel or the Island
Story, and sent it to Pinker. Serial rights were sold to Munsey’s Magazine, here it eventually
appeared in their February 1915 issue (published January 20th). But before it went to press Conrad
insisted on still further revision. He wrote to Pinker, November 1914, “Even for serial purposes I
can’t do a mere fake. I am too big a person to allow anything of mine to go out even to Munsey’s
which is obviously not fit for intelligent readers.” However, in spite of Conrad’s efforts to get the
novel right for the magazine, Munsey’s editors took enormous liberties with his text. “Pray let
Doubleday know by cable if necessary,” he wrote to Pinker 18 January 1915, “that he must not set
up Victory from the magazine text. It won’t do. I have received the slips on Sat. and I see that they
have cut, transposed and altered the paragraphing more than I can stand. If Doubleday have got the
typed copy from Munsey they may set from that disregarding all corrections except those that are
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obviously made by me. See? If not then they must have a rough typed Copy here which I would
correct on purpose.
“I look upon the matter as of considerable importance. We must have the same text for bookform
in Eng and the U.S. – and that text cannot be the Munsey magazine text.”
A comparison of the text in Munsey’s and that in the Doubleday edition shows numerous
changes ranging from altered punctuation to additions or deletions in the text of from a few words
to several sentences. It would appear, therefore, the copy-text for the Doubleday edition was the
“rough typed Copy”, with still further revisions added by Conrad before sending it, which Conrad
had by him when he wrote to Pinker January 18th rather than the typescript earlier sent to
Munsey’s.
Doubleday’s copyright application states printing, from electrotype plates, was completed 13
March 1915. Presumably, this has reference to the copies for the standard cloth bound format for,
while no copy of the ‘Deep Sea’ printing has been located, and order of printing cannot be
established on grounds of typewear, collateral evidence indicates the cloth bound copies were
printed first. The dust jacket of the first printing does not include Victory among the Conrad books
also available in leather, and the publisher’s flyer announcing Victory lists it only as available in
cloth. This same flyer contains an advertisement for the ‘Deep Sea Edition of the Works of Joseph
Conrad’ in eleven volumes, bound in sea blue limp leather at $1.50 per volume or $16.50 for the
set. Victory is not included in the eleven volumes. A month after publication in cloth, Publishers’
Weekly for 24 April 1915 carried the note, ‘Doubleday, Page announce the immediate publication
of Joseph Conrad’s Victory in the Regular Deep Sea Leather edition’ and then on June 12th
advertised it as ‘now ready.’
Publication: 26 March 1915 at $1.35. Copyright was provisionally entered 20 January 1915 and
assigned to Conrad. A copy of Munsey’s Magazine for February 1915 was deposited and the
certificate was sent to Munsey’s. Final copyright was entered by Doubleday, Page at which time
two copies of the book were deposited at the Library of Congress.
Subsequent printings: In the absence of publisher’s records only those later printings which have
been seen can be noted. ‘These are surprisingly few in view of the book’s later popularity. After
the initial two printings mentioned above, Victory was reprinted from the first American edition
plates in 1918 and again in 1921. No other printings from this original setting have been located.
After 1921 the book was reprinted numerous times from the ‘Sun-Dial Edition’ setting.
B. First English edition.
(1) First printing, domestic issue, first state
VICTORY | AN ISLAND TALE | BY | JOSEPH CONRAD | Calling shapes and beckoning
shadows dire | And airy tongues that syllable men’s names | On sands and shores and desert
wildernesses. | COMUS | METHUEN & CO. LTD. | 36 ESSEX STREET, W.C. | LONDON
Note: During the course of printing the comma in the second line of the imprint was dropped. In
these copies the line reads ‘36 ESSEX STREET W.C.’
Collation: π4 1–268; pp. [i-iv] v [vi] vii-viii [1–2] 3–415 [416]; 189 x 124 mm.; printed on wove
paper.
Contents: p. i, half-title ‘VICTORY’; p. ii, list of sixteen works by Conrad plus the two
collaborations with Ford; p. iii, title; p. iv, ‘First Published in 1915; p. v, dedication to Perceval
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and Maisie Gibbon; p. vi, blank; pp. vii-viii, ‘AUTHOR’S NOTE’ signed ‘J. C.’; p. 1, sectional
title ‘PART I’; p. 2, blank; pp. 3–415, text; p. 416, ‘Printed by | MORRISON & GIBB
LIMITED | Edinburgh’.
Binding: Red linen finish cloth. Spine stamped in gold ‘[shell and coral
design] | VICTORY | JOSEPH CONRAD | [shell and coral design] | METHVEN’. Top and fore
edge trimmed, bottom edge untrimmed. White wove end-papers. Bound in at the end are four
pages of advertisements for ‘METHUEN’S POPULAR NOVELS’ dated autumn 1915 followed
by a 32 page publisher’s catalogue dated on p. 31 ‘8 / 5 / 15’. Dust jacket of sized white paper with
letterpress printed in blue and a coloured illustration on the front.
Copies examined:
(2) First printing, domestic issue, second state (transferred to the colonial market)
[no copy located] 2,530 copies from the first printing, domestic issue, were sold to Edwards,
Dunlop for sale in the colonial market. These were bound in the colonial cloth binding (described
below under the colonial issue) and, presumably, were rubber stamped ‘Colonial Library’ on the
title page, below the imprint.
(3) First printing, Canadian issue
VICTORY | AN ISLAND TALE | BY | JOSEPH CONRAD | Calling shapes and beckoning
shadows dire | And airy tongues that syllable men’s names | On sands and shores and desert
wildernesses. | COMUS | TORONTO | THE COPP CLARK COMPANY, LIMITED | 1915
Collation: π4 1–268; pp. [i-iv] v [vi] vii-viii [1–2] 3–415 [416]; 189 x 124 mm.; printed on wove
paper.
Contents: Same as in the first English edition, first printing, domestic issue, above, except pages ii
and iv are blank.
Binding: Red linen finish cloth. Spine stamped in gold ‘[shell and coral
design | VICTORY | JOSEPH.CONRAD | [shell and coral design] | THE | COPP CLARK
CO. | LIMITED.’ Top and fore edge trimmed, bottom edge untrimmed. White wove end-papers.
[No specimen of the dust jacket has been seen, but Methuen’s ledger shows they were printed at
the same time as were those for the domestic and colonial issues of the book.]
Copies examined:
(4) First printing, colonial issue, first state
VICTORY | AN ISLAND TALE | BY | JOSEPH CONRAD | Calling shapes and beckoning
shadows dire | And airy tongues that syllable men’s names | On sands and shores and desert
wildernesses. | COMUS | METHUEN & CO. LTD. | 36 ESSEX STREET
W.C. | LONDON | Colonial Library
Collation: π4 1–26;8 pp. [i-iv] v [vi] vii-viii [1–2] 3–415 [416]; 189 x 124 mm., printed on wove
paper.
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Contents: Same as in the first English edition, first printing, domestic issue, above, except page i:
half-title ‘{bl}Methuen’s Colonial Library{/bl} | [short rule] | VICTORY’.
Binding: a. Blue linen finish cloth. Spine printed in black ‘[leaf
design] | [rule] | VICTORY | . | JOSEPH CONRAD | [rule] | [leaf design] | [within a single rule
frame] METHUEN’; back cover blind stamped ‘METHUEN’S COLONIAL LIBRARY’. Top and
fore edge trimmed, bottom edge untrimmed. White wove end-papers printed with advertisements
for Methuen’s Colonial Library. Bound in at the end is a 32 page publisher’s catalogue dated on
p. 31 ‘8 / 5 / 15’. [No specimen of the dust jacket has been seen, but Methuen’s ledger shows they
were printed at the same time as were those for the domestic and Canadian issues of the book.]
b. Paper wrappers. No copy located.
Copies examined:
(5) First printing, colonial issue, second state (transferred to the domestic market)
VICTORY | AN ISLAND TALE | BY | JOSEPH CONRAD | Calling shapes and beckoning
shadows dire | And airy tongues that syllable men’s names | On sands and shores and desert
wildernesses. | COMUS | METHUEN & CO. LTD. | 36 ESSEX STREET, W.C | LONDON
Note: During the course of printing the above cancel title pages, the second full stop in the second
line of the imprint was dropped. Only one copy examined (in the Berg Collection, New York
Public Library) has the cancel title with the fully punctuated line, ‘36 ESSEX STREET, W.C.’ In
all others, it is in the second state as in the transcription above.
Collation: π4(-π1,2; +π1.2) 1–268; pp. [i-iv] v [vi] vii-viii [1–2] 3–415 [416]; 189 x 124 mm.;
printed on wove paper.
Contents: As in the first English edition, first printing, domestic issue, above.
Binding: As in the first English edition, first printing, domestic issue, above.
Copies examined:
Notes
First printings: As has been noted under the first American edition, the text of Victory published
in Munsey’s was not a satisfactory copy-text for either the American or English bookform editions
so a corrected type copy was prepared for Doubleday. By this time the English edition had been
rescheduled for publication in August so it was decided Methuen should set up from a set of
Doubleday galleys onto which Conrad’s corrections had been transcribed.45 These were sent out in
late February and by March Conrad was reading proof on the English edition and, as usual, finding
fault with Methuen. On March 30 he wrote to Pinker:
“I ask you not so much as my agent but as a friend caring for the chances of my work to
remonstrate with Methuen about the type and the setting up of Victory. The print and the close
lines are too impossible. People have been speaking to me with indignation of the typography of
Chance – and this is as bad. It tires and confuses even me a very practical reader. It isn’t fair to
handicap a book in such a fashion. And this horrid mean type, that crowded page are only for the
purpose of giving room to bind their catalogue into the vol – as they did for Chance.
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“Those people have no decency. But I expect you to stop that abomination for which there is no
excuse from any point of view.
“I can’t expect them to give me the type like Doubleday’s (I am sending you a few pages for
comparison) but pray do let them understand that there must be a change in the way of letter type
and fewer lines on a page. Just look at the dedications. Have you ever seen anything of such ugly
and mean appearance?”
He followed this letter with another in April in which he wrote: “I am holding here all the proofs
of Victory till I hear from you in the matter of the book’s get-up to which I attach the greatest
importance.
“I am resolved to write to Colvin (Methuen’s friend) and to Lucas, if necessary, and to make all
the fuss I can if my request is not complied with.”
The fact is, Conrad had it well fixed in his mind that Methuen was not giving his book front
billing in his advertisements and so had a grudge against him which no re-setting of Victory in any
type whatever would have solved. Somehow, Pinker soothed the troubled waters, retrieved the
proofs and convinced the grumbling author the book would have to go forward without being
completely reset. It was Conrad’s last book with Methuen and one wonders who was more relieved
at that, the author, the publisher or the agent. The proofs which Pinker retrieved had further
changes, those final polishing touches which Conrad could never resist adding in proof, and which
appear in the English but not the American edition.46 Conrad also wrote the Author’s Note which
first appears in this edition.
On 5 May 1915 Methuen ordered 8,000 copies of Victory printed by Morrison and Gibb. Of
these, 520 were to have the imprint of the Toronto publisher, Copp Clark, and another 1500 were
to have the Methuen Colonial Library title and half-title. The entire printing, plus ten overs, was
delivered between May 26th and 29th. Meanwhile, the firm of Edwards, Dunlop and Co., book and
paper exporters, placed an unexpectedly large order for 2,530 copies. The first two binding orders
placed, both on May 26th, were for the Canadian and the Edwards, Dunlop copies47 and all copies
from both orders were in hand by June 11th. Presumably, they were shipped overseas immediately.
On June 24th, 900 of the colonial issue copies were ordered bound, 450 in cloth and 450 in paper
wrappers. These were received, bound, between August 6th and 16th. There were then left in the
unbound stock 3,460 domestic and 600 colonial issue copies. Because the large Edwards, Dunlop
order had left Methuen short of domestic issue copies, the 600 colonial copies were supplied with
cancel domestic conjugate title / half-titles and transferred to the domestic stock. The 4,060
unbound copies from the first printing were ordered bound July 28th and received back from the
binder between August 19th and September 23rd.
A second printing of 2,000 copies, required to replace those supplied to Edwards, Dunlop, had
been ordered May 26th and was received, with fifteen overs, June 19th. All the second printing
copies contained domestic issue preliminaries48 with the statement ‘SECOND EDITION’ on the
title page. A third printing of 1500 copies was ordered August 19th but before delivery it became
evident, with publication still a month away, that initial orders for the book were going to exceed
the number of “first” and “second edition” copies in stock. Not wanting to place “third edition”
copies on sale the day of publication, on September 8th Methuen ordered Morrison and Gibb to
print 1750 cancel titles, 500 as first edition and 1250 as second edition, to be used in copies of the
third printing.49 The third printing was received with 122 overs September 10th and ordered bound
for domestic issue September 14th. To compensate for the lost “third edition”, the fourth printing,
ordered September 7th, was for 2,000 copies, “All Eng[lish]. 1000 as 3rd [edition] 1000 as 4th
[edition]”.
From the fact that copies with the ‘SECOND EDITION’ cancel title pages have a conjugate
half-title, it would appear that the printer, having in his memory the double cancels ordered five
weeks earlier, printed these cancels with conjugate half-titles also. This combination of cancels
and mis-labeled printings makes it necessary to check more than the statements on the title page
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and its verso to know whether any given copy is a first or later printing. The following points will
help identify the thirteen issues and states of the first four printings of Victory:
(1) First printing, domestic issue, first state
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). Domestic binding. 3,460 copies.
(2) First printing, domestic issue, second state (transferred to the colonial market)
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). Colonial binding. No copy
located, but presumably rubber stamped ‘Colonial Library’ below the imprint on the title page.
2,530 copies.
(3) First printing, Canadian issue
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). Copp Clark imprint. Canadian
binding. 520 copies.
(4) First printing, colonial issue, first state
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). ‘Colonial Library’ printed on
the title page beneath the imprint. Colonial binding (450 cloth; 450 paper wrappers). 900 copies.
(5) First printing, colonial issue, second state (transferred to the domestic market)
Preliminaries π4(-π1,2; +π1.2) with cancel conjugate domestic title and half-title replacing the
disjunct colonial title and half-title. Domestic binding. 600 copies.
(6) Second printing, domestic issue
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). ‘SECOND EDITION’ on title
page. Domestic binding. 1765 copies.
(7) Second printing, colonial issue
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). ‘SECOND EDITION’ on title
page. Rubber stamped ‘Colonial Library’ beneath the imprint on the title page. Colonial binding
(150 cloth; 100 paper wrappers). 250 copies.
(8) Third printing, pre-publication state
[no copy located, but, hypothetically, as follows]
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). ‘THIRD EDITION’ on the title
page. Presumably, no copies were bound in the pre-publication state.
(9) Third printing, published state, with the first printing title page
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Preliminaries π4 ({s5}π2) with cancel title page with no edition statement replacing the ‘THIRD
EDITION’ title page. Domestic binding. 500 copies. Copies which appear to be from this printing
also have been seen with the four leaves disjunct. The explanation for this would appear to be a
shop error at the binder at the time of cancellation.
(10) Third printing, published state, with the ‘SECOND EDITION’ title page
Preliminaries -π4(-π1,2;+2) with ‘SECOND EDITION’ cancel title page replacing the ‘THIRD
EDITION’ title page. Domestic binding. 1122 copies. The reason for conjugate half-titles and title
cancels is a matter of conjecture, possibly due to a binder’s error.
11) Fourth printing, domestic issue, with the ‘THIRD EDITION’ title page
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). ‘THIRD EDITION’ on the title
page. Domestic binding, 1000 copies.
(12) Fourth printing, domestic issue, with the ‘FOURTH EDITION’ title page
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). ‘FOURTH EDITION’ on the
title page. Domestic binding. 817 copies.
(13) Fourth printing, colonial issue, with ‘FOURTH EDITION’ title page
Preliminaries π4 (normal gathering for a signature of four leaves). ‘FOURTH EDITION’ on title
page. Rubber stamped ‘Colonial Library’ below the imprint on the title page. Colonial binding
(Paper wrappers), 200 copies.
It may also be noted that there are three variant forms of the second line in the imprint: (1) ‘36
ESSEX STREET, W.C.’: (2) ‘36 ESSEX STREET W.C.’ [dropping the comma]; (3) ‘36 ESSEX
STREET, W.C’ [comma replaced and final full stop dropped]. An insufficient number of copies of
the second, third, and fourth printings and of the cancel titles have been sent to allow more than
speculation. On the basis of very slight information, it appears printing began with the fully
punctuated line, then dropped the comma before the first printing was completed (May 26th). The
state of the line in the genuine (not the cancel) second printing title is unknown (second printing
completed June 19th). In the cancel title / half-title (printed July 29th) the line exists both with the
fully punctuated line (the missing comma having been replaced) and with the comma present but
without the final full stop. No copy of the genuine third printing title has been located. In the fourth
printing, ordered September 7th and received September 24th, the final full stop is missing. In the
single cancel titles ordered September 8th the line is fully punctuated. As these cancels were
ordered the day after the fourth printing, the original type may have been in use and, hence, a
duplicate setting may have been made to print the cancels, in which case they are not related to the
variations in the original setting.
If this hypothesis is correct, there are four states of the line: (1) fully punctuated; (2) comma
dropped, (3) fully punctuated, the comma replaced; (4) final full stop dropped. Copies from the
first printing have the line in states 1 and 2; second printing unknown; cancel title / half-titles used
on the colonial issue copies from the first printing transferred to the domestic market have the line
in states 3 and 4; third printing unknown; copies from the fourth printing with either the ‘THIRD
EDITION’ or ‘FOURTH EDITION’ title page have the line in the fourth state.
Publication: Colonial issue, 10 August 1915; domestic issue 24 September 1915 at 6s. No
official publication date is available for the Canadian issue. However, as the American edition had
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been published in March, it is probable the Canadian copies went on sale as soon as they reached
Copp Clark, very likely around mid-July 1915. The British Museum depository copy was received
September 22nd and Jessie Conrad’s copy (in the Beinecke Library) was inscribed to her
September 1915; both are first printing, domestic issue, first state.
Subsequent printings: The first four printings noted above total 13,644 copies, of which 9,264
were issued in England at 6s. On 21 September 1915, only a few days before publication, a fifth 6s.
printing of 3,024 copies was ordered. Of these 1,661 were issued in England at full price, 488 were
transferred to the colonial market, and the remaining 875 copies were supplied with cancel titles
and cheap, inked bindings, and put on sale in April 1917 at 2s.6d. Further printings from the first
English typesetting were as follows: 6th printing, January 1919, 1000 (6s.); 7th printing, June
1920, 10,000 (2s. 6d., ‘cheap edition’); 8th printing, September 1920, 1000 (6s., 250 copies
ordered bound November 1920, 100 in January 1930, and 100 in January 1940 for publication at
4s; the remaining 550 unbound copies were destroyed by enemy action, April 1941); 9th printing,
August 1923, 7,500 (2s. 6d.)
In August 1924 the book was reset in a smaller format. The first printing from this new setting,
the third English edition, was styled by the publishers the “tenth edition” – i.e. their tenth printing
of the book regardless of typesetting. The actual tenth printing of the first English edition, styled
“eleventh edition” by the publishers, was ordered August 1924 in 5,400 2s. 6d. copies. Then
followed the 11th printing, styled “twelfth edition”, August 1924, 1500 copies at 3s. 6d. which
continued in print through 1939. The last printings from the first edition setting were the 12th,
styled “fourteenth edition”, February 1926, 4,900 (2s. 6d.), and the 13th, styled “eighteenth
edition”, March 1930, 4,865 (2s. 6d.). In all something over 52,850 copies of Victory were printed
from the first English edition setting before the moulds were finally destroyed 21 November 1941.
Copies from the third English edition were printed as follows: 1st printing, styled “tenth edition”,
August 1924, 1500 (3s. 6d.); 2nd printing, styled “eleventh edition” (there were printings of both
the first and third English editions styled “eleventh edition”), May 1925, 2,000 (3s. 6d.); 3rd
printing, styled “thirteenth edition”, not located in the Methuen stock ledger but noted on the verso
of titles in later printings as published October 1925; 4th printing, styled “fifteenth edition”, May
1926, 3,000 (3s. 6d.); 5th printing, styled “sixteenth edition”, August 1927, 2,000 (3s. 6d.); 6th
printing, styled “seventeenth edition”, September 1925 , 5,000 (3s. 6d.).
C. Second American edition.
(1) First American printing
Published as volume XV of the Doubleday, Page ‘Sun-Dial Edition’ of Conrad’s works (see B1a,
below).
(2) First English Printing
Published in the Dent ‘Uniform Edition’ of Conrad’s works (see B1b, Vol. XV, below).
D. Second English edition.
Published as volume XV of the Heinemann edition of Conrad’s works (see B2, below).
GENERAL NOTE ON THE CLEMENT SHORTER CONRAD PAMPHLETS Clement
Shorter, journalist and editor of The Illustrated London News (1891–1900) and then of Sphere, a
literary journal he founded in 1900, issued a number of privately printed pamphlets containing
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works by various authors, most of which had previously appeared only in periodicals. Six of these
contained pieces by Joseph Conrad:
One Day More (1917)
First News (1918)
Well Done! (1918)
The Polish Question (1919)
The Tale (1919)
London River (1919)
Each of these, according to its statement of limitation, was printed in an edition of twenty-five
copies. However, because some of the copies are numbered and signed by Shorter and others are
not, some collectors have questioned whether or not the limitation was strictly adhered to.
Richard Curle was among these and when he was assisting in the preparation of the auction
catalogue for the sale of his Conrad collection by the American Art Association he wrote to Swann
expressing his doubts and suggesting a note to that effect in the catalogue. Swann, not wishing to
depreciate the potential value of the pamphlets, wrote to T.J. Wise (Shorter had died the year
before) asking if he could support the authenticity of the limitation. Wise, evidently disturbed at
having such questions raised, contacted Curle and there followed a brief exchange of letters in
which Wise takes a very righteous but, nevertheless, defensive stand stating at one time that “with
a small private edition, ‘20 copies only printed’ means what is says, & to silently increase the
number is fraud” and at another attempting to explain away author’s bound proofs, trial copies and
other similar devices for extending the limits of the limited edition. Curle’s letters have not
survived, but Wise’s have and, as they are of some interest, we print them here:
7.3.27 My dear Curle,
Many thanks for your very frank letter. It is just what I had anticipated receiving from you. I shall
now not post the letter I had written to Mr. Swann.
There was a very good reason why the whole of the pamphlets were not numbered and signed.
This was largely the result of my expostulation. Shorter had intended to number & sign them all. I
hate to have books scribbled in by persons other than their authors, and asked him not to spoil the
copies he gave to me.50 Hence he afterwards only signed his pamphlets when requested to do so.
But when you suggest to Mr. Swann’s cataloguer to insert that note, you forgot that you were
making a serious charge not only against a dead man, but against a firm of the highest standing,
who would certainly not allow it to pass without taking action against you. If the firm you mention
are rogues,51 as you assert to my amazement, it does not follow that another firm is equally
dishonest.
And I cannot for the life of me imagine why you wish to spoil the whole series of pmnphlets by
casting doubt upon the certificates they carry.
I would much rather you deleted the note altogether; because even as it stands I shall be
compelled, when it appears, to write and explain [“Challenge” was written first and struck out in
favor of “explain”] it. I have ventured to suggest one or two trifling changes in the text of your
note.52
–––––––––
I was sorry to learn from your secretary this afternoon that you were not well, and were confined
to your room. I do hope that it is nothing more than the morning after a late night!
We shall look for the pleasure of seeing you on Saturday evening at 7.30. We shall be quite
alone, so by no means trouble to change your rig.
Affectionately yours
Thos. J. Wise P.S.
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I have re-read your note. I don’t think I can after all object to it – provided you add the words
“upon the assurance of the printers”. What I “assert” is valueless without this official support.
11.3.27 My dear Curle,
I am sorry you wrote again, as after your previous letter the matter might quite -well have been
dropped so far as we are concerned. But the last letter contains so much that is inaccurate, we shall
be compelled to have a few minutes’ friendly talk over it tomorrow evening. On Monday you fired
the charge into me, giving me notice, that your revise was going to N. York Wednesday. I could not
gain access with you, & the prospect was that no communication could be held between us until
too late. The only possible thing for me to do was what you ought to have done in the first place –
go direct to Eyre & Spottiswoode & ascertain the facts, instead of indulging in supposition & fancy
& possibilities.
Besides this: you raised the same question 3 years ago. I made the matter quite clear to you then
that, after pressing Shorter closely, I was satisfied that all was in order.
The whole thing has made me quite ill this week, & I cannot write more.
Believe me to have no personal or unfriendly feeling whatever, so far as you & I are concerned.
Alys O’ng (?) yrs
Thos. J. Wise
14.3.27 My dear Curle,
Many thanks for your letter with its contents. I return you the checque which belongs to you, for
under no condition could I possibly allow you to vary our very proper arrangement. In the first
place, if you decline to accept it, it will look to me as though you desired to end our friendship, –
an event which I should very keenly regret. In the second place an engagement is an engagement,
& must not be broken. You have done extremely well all round, & I am very much indebted to you.
Had you not dealt with those odds & ends on my behalf I should some time or other have turned
them over to Maggs, who would certainly not have given so much for them - for when it comes to
turning out books of my own I simply cannot chaffer over them!
So “Finis” to that!
– – – – – – – – We are engaged on the next two Saturday evenings, and the two Sundays as well.
Would it meet your convenience to come to lunch one morning? Say on Monday next?
––––––––
As to that wretched C.K.S. discussion let it be dropped: only, I must again disagree with you on
one point. I never had the faintest or remotest doubt of your motives. I know you too well to have
the smallest notion that you were in the least unfair, or anything the reverse of upright. What did
upset me was that you should charge – or probably appear to me to charge – Shorter & Messrs E. &
S. with having issued books bearing mistrustful imprints. I now appreciate your point of view (that
extra copies may lawfully be printed, an act which I regard as dishonest):53 & I think you
appreciate mine. So once more “Finis”!
––––––––
Now as to Mr. Swann’s letter. It’s a great pity we could not have discussed the matter before I
replied to it yesterday. But after all there was not a very great difference in our answers, – simply
this: you climbed down: I upheld you all I could.54
The attitude I adopted was this.
The books are “proofs” from the printers & ‘publishers’ point of view, because they were
produced with the object of receiving the latest corrections of the author. But that from a purely
Bibliographical point of view they were something more than this. The printers supplied (1) galley
proofs, and (2) page proofs. Then, after all was presumably finished, the author wanted 3 or 4 pulls
of the completed book in bound state, and these were of the nature of the “Trial Books” of
Tennyson, Rossetti, & Shaw. That “The Rose by any other name, &c.,” and whether one chose to
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call them “proofs” or “privately printed trial books” they remained the same; i.e. the first printed
copies of the work, of which there was a small edition of 3 copies. –
Your affectionate friend
Thos. J. Wise
March 17th 1927 My dear Curle,
I’m sorry you are unable to come to lunch just now: we must look for the pleasure of seeing you
later on. Now that you explain, I can fully understand your attitude of mind. It shows once more
the shortcomings of the phone.
Your secretary did not quite accurately report what I said; – or, more probably, did not fully
appreciate the meaning of the words I used. I remember these words distinctly, & they were:
“I know that Mr. Curle and Mr. Shorter entertained feelings of mutual dislike, but that is no
occasion why Mr. Curle should. . . . . “ This may appear to be but slightly different, but is in reality
greatly different, from saying that Mr. Curle’s actions were actuated by his dislike. The latter
suggestion would have been absurd.
As to the certificates. One must not regard the certificate appended to the large published edition
as identical with that attached to a small private issue. When a publisher advertises so many copies
only for sale, the thing is carried out carefully, & the number is at once attached on each. The
publisher is in that instance doing no wrong in printing the needful additional author’s copies, &c.,
leaving them unsigned, or marking them in some manner. But even this I do not like: the whole
number ought to be recorded in the original certificate. But with a small private edition, “20 copies
only printed” means what is says, & to silently increase the number is fraud. Try a jury, & hear
their verdict!
Alys yours
Thos. J. Wise
20.4.27 My dear Curle,
Yours is just to hand. I had already recd a copy of the Catalogue. This I am now sending on to a
friend who will, I think, cable some bids.55 Yours I shall keep.
By all means come to dinner (?), Friday: Louise says she will manage. I have a man coming in
the afternoon, but I will get him off in time. So please come at 7.30.
As catalogues go, this of yours is well above the average. Of course it has faults, but these are
less than the average. The sale ought certainly to produce you £5000. I’m sorry if you have found
fault with Swann. He was free to write me, & I was glad to reply (honestly) in such a way as to
promote your best interest. Regarding the points you raise, we can discuss them when we meet.
Your comments upon Shorter’s signing his pamphlets are quite in order. It was partly his own lack
of order, & partly at my instigation, that all the pamphlets were not signed. I hate the addition to a
pamphlet of any name other than that of the author himself, & asked for my copies to be left
clean. J.C. told me at Margate distinctly that he had asked for those copies of “S.R.”56 I was most
careful how I phrased my letter.
Ever affectly yours
Thos Wise
Evidently Curle was suspicious of the accuracy of Shorter’s limitation statements, while Wise
was nervously defensive for reasons of his own. There is no evidence, however, that Shorter
extended his editions by causing to be printed “author’s proofs” or “trial copies” to be laid down
for later private sale to wealthy collectors as did Wise. A few “out of series” copies may have been
printed – the depository copies in the British Museum are so indicated – but there is no indication
of fraudulent over-printing. No two copies of the same pamphlet have turned up with the same
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number and in no case is any of the pamphlets bound in a large enough number of copies to suggest
printing of more copies than the limitation statement claims.