
24 Warwick Lane,London. From
ERNEST RHYS. Sq Cheyne Walk,
Chelsea. 24th May 1887
To Walt Whitman Camden, U.S.A. Dear Walt Whitman,
I have this morning received your card of the 11th rec'd. Spec. Days in America makes its appearance in the London book-shops to-morrow, & before you get this I expect you will have a preliminary batch of six copies of the volume. I am writing to the publishers to-day to instruct them about sending the 50 more you want. The publishers seem to have made some mistake about the Preface & Addl note printed slips. I gave them distinct instructions about sending them, & I must just make them pay for their mistake by sending you further copies of the book to supply the omission. I enclose two cut-out leaves which they sent to me last week, with some vague idea of atonement, I suppose.
Yesterday afternoon J. Addington Symonds called here
unexpectedly when I had a pile of the Spec Days Vols. on the table, & he was delighted with the appearance, &c. of the
book. I took him a copy on going to dine with him & Roden Noel in Eaton Square last night. I sent copies off to many other
folk yesterday,—Mrs. Costelloe among the rest. She wrote
me a nice little note about it, which arrived this morning. Gabriel Sarrazin, the
young French critic, who is writing a study of L. of G., which he is tremendously
taken with, shall have one to-day or to-morrow.
I feel quite
proud at being the agent & deputy of the book in this way. It gives me quite a
new conception of my own importance in the world. I do hope you will like the
general get-up of the book, & so on. If we have made any slips in this respect
in the book, we can profit by them in the Democratic
Vistas
vol. the addl papers for which I look forward to receiving.
I was glad to hear & read in the papers you sent of the brilliant success of the Lincoln Lecture. How I wish you could come over here & deliver it too; but I suppose that may not be. The gathering of the literarati in the audience was very significant. It shows a new departure, I think, on the scholastic literary side.
By this time I expect Herbert Gilchrist is with you & has given you a general account of things over here. (Give him my hearty greetings!) By him I sent a batch of birthday wishes for the 31st, which I follow now with all imaginable devout orisons. In your coming year I earnestly hope you will have the great gratification of seeing a deeper & wider application of Leaves of Grass, pointing to a nearer consummation of their great idea than we have hitherto deemed possible! And, so, with deep love, I am
Ernest RhysTell Gilchrist not to forget about writing to me.