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  Dear Walt,

Your favor came duly to hand. We send you by Express to-day prepaid care of Mr. Clapp of Spruce St—12 copies of the Leaves. We have had none bound in dark cloths yet his shall have in the next edition. The first edition is nearly all gone, and the second is all printed and ready for binding.

We do not think that this Summer is the time to commence a rigorous and systematic course of advertising. As soon as cooler weather comes and people are crowding the great cities we intend to advertise largely both by circular, porters, and the press.  We shall however do considerable advertising this summer. We have concocted a plan by which we hope to give the Imprints a very wide and telling circulation, and which we shall put into action immediately. If you will look in the next number of Frank Leslie, an advertisement headed "a Good Book given away" will explain what we mean. This we intend to have go in as an Editorial Advertisement to nearly every paper in the Country, and keep it certainly in. This ought to give us a very large lot of mail orders, and we think that the mail will be a larger customer than all the Trade put together at least for the present.

There is considerable opposition among the trade to the book. Brown & Taggard the largest jobbers in Boston to Country booksellers, refuse to supply the orders for it and will not buy a copy. C. N. Lee tho still hold out, and sell all they can.  The rest of the trade sell what they are obliged to, but cannot be induced to urge it any—of course we intend to conquer this opposition partly born of prejudices and partly of cowardice, by creating an overwhelming demand among the main public, which shall sweep them and their petty fears, on its resistless torrent.

I have sent such an advertisement as you hear of to the N.Y. Tribune—for a standing notice.

We shall shortly come out with an advertisement to touch the pleasure travellers in all the principal cities—

Meanwhile the Papers are noticing it pretty well—the Scottish American has a very fair notice, and we get some almost every day. We received the N.Y. Mercury with the allusion of Ada Isaacs Menken Heenan, and think it a good indication that the book is reaching the lower strata—

In regard to the contract, we desire  that it should be fixed as early as possible. We don't know what accidents may happen in this life, and a matter of that kind should not go without being determined.

We sent the books to England a long while ago.—a day or two after you left Boston. Shall we send your oil portrait back?

Should like to hear from you soon. Our shop fellows all send their best remembrances to you—Mrs. Thayer desires to be remembered also.

Yours Truly Thayer & Eldridge