How Emma Travels: By Letters, Hands and Libraries

How Emma Travels: By Letters, Hands and Libraries

Letters Found Inside First Volume of 1816 Philadelphia Emma

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Letter 1
17.6cm tall x 13cm wide, grayish blue stationary with “Heytesbury House, Wiltshire” printed on top, dated “12a.3.41,” hand written in script, black ink.
“Dear Muir,
‘Emma’ returns to you in a twitter of excitement about ‘going to California.’ She is sure that Mr. F. Hogan is a very nice man though she intends to be a bit sharp with him until she has got to know him.
Seriously- I am greatly obliged to you and — agree to your 15% etc, and my wish you are making a bit more out of it. (G. Keynes will be livid with me, as he would say, he —- collate it as he wants to write something about it for the —– which his — on your —, isn’t it?) ….
Yours, SS (written on top of each other)

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 Siegfried Sassoon’s letter to Percy Muir, antiquarian book dealer, regarding Sassoon’s sale of the American first edition of Emma (Philadelphia: M. Carey; for sale by Wells & Lilly, Boston, 1816) to Frank J. Hogan (dated December 3, 1941). The letter was discovered inside the front cover of the Burke Collection copy.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 Letter 2
“Antiquarian Booksellers Association” stamp on top left, written March 18, 1941 and received April 17, 1941 (received date written in pencil on top right corner,) stationary is of “Elkin Mathews LTD. Directors: Greville Worthington, Ian L. Fleming, and P.H. Muir,” underneath is typed “Rare Books, Manuscripts, Literary Portraits, Music.”
“Dear Mr. Hogan,
This is just a brief note formally to announce the fact that “Emma” left here today on her long journey to California. I think it only right and proper that you should have with the book the letter that Sassoon sent me when sending the book to me. My own feeling is that one cannot have too much of this kind of thing in association with books. I think Siegfried Sassoon a great writer and I would be glad to have this letter myself were I buying one of his books, and I have the feeling that you may think that way, too, so I enclose the letter. He was a great friend and admirer of Charlotte Mew’s, by the way, which may help to endear him to you.
With every good wish and kind regards,
Yours very sincerely,
P. H. MuirHand
written note (in same green ink as Muir’s signature) written below signature of “P.H Muir”:
“Note the date on SS’s letter, evidently written on 131h”

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 Letter 3
Yellow paper, green “Elkin Mathews Ltd,” dated May 22, 1945, typed in faded black ink.
“Dear Mrs. Burke,
Thank you very much indeed for your letter of May 6th. I congratulate you on getting the “Emma” so cheaply. It is exceedingly rare and Mr. Hogan as very glad to pay 300 dollars for it. I mention the price in dollars because at the time he bought it the 1-pound was below par and fluctuating, so that the price was actually quoted in dollars. I say that the price was set by Mr. Sassoon and not by me, but I saw no reason at the time to take exception to it.
I always have you in mind for any interesting Jane Austen items, which turn up.
Yours very sincerely,
P.H. Muir (signed in green ink)

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