PRICES OF MEREDITH'S NOVELS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1085, 25 March 1911, Page 9

PRICES OF MEREDITH'S NOVELS.

A sale of some interest was adyertised to take place in a New York auction room last month. There was to bo disposed of the library of Judge Jacob Klein, of St. Louis, Mo., which contains a number of items relating to George Meredith, A. C. Swinburne, and other British writers. Several of Meredith's contracts with Messrs. Chapman and Hall ai;e included, and give a glimpse of the business side of the novelist. One date June 2, 1835, is as follows: The right is given to reprint five novels, "Richard Fevercl," "Emilia in England," "Vittona," "Rhocla Fleming, aqd "Beauchamp's Career," for seven years, for £500. "George Meredith undertakes to provido a copy, of each of the above-named books, and to revise the same preparatory to reprinting .as herein proposed,, to rend in the first work by June 30, 1885, and to complete the revision of one of each of the remaining bo'oks ati intervals of not longer than ono month," etc. A second refers to "Diana of tho Crossways." It is dated July 21, 18S4, and reads: "The said company (Chapman . and Hall) shall purchase -from , the ' said; George Meredith' for the space of, fivoyears from the date, of publication' thei copyright of a novel written by him called "Diana of' the Crossways" for tho. sum of five hundred pounds . . and shall also include the right to publish the said book in America," etc. For "One of Our Conquerors" he received £1000 for its appearance, first in the "Fortnightly Review" and later in three-volume form. Thero are also first editions of several of his works as well as first editions of Swinburne's noems and his original manuscripts of "Two Dreams," from "Boccaccio," of "Ex Veto," written by Swinburne in memory of his father. Tho MS. is on the blue paper used by Swinburne and marked "Proof and copy" at top of page 1, and at the end, "March 11, pp. 3, 4, down to last four lines." The original MS. of "To William Morris," dedication "To Astrophel and Other Poems," tho MS. of "A Chinnel Passage," and'of "Lccli Torridon," are also in the collection. Tho manuscript of the last named poem is accompanied by the excerpt from the "Magazine of Art," January, 1890, in which it first appeared (reprinted in "Astrophel and Other Poems"). The verbal changes are of the greatest interest, showing Swinburne's search for the right word. The first word of the line "Vague miles of moorland road behind us lay" he first wrote "dense," and then "10r.e." In the same way_ "Wide wavelets that shuddered with joy" was first "Wide waters," and then "Wido ■ waves."