Letter from John Cumming

Pages

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Page 1


line 1: 7 Montague Place
line 2: Russell Square
line 3: London
line 4:
line 5: My dear Sir
line 6:
line 7: It is singular
line 8: that during the last
line 9: two or three years I
line 10: had been collecting En-
line 11: cyclopaedias of the sort
line 12: you have sent me.
line 13: 1 This one is very able
line 14: & very full
line 15: 2 But it requires correction
line 16: occasionally in verbal des
line 17: cription and almost al

Page 2


line 1: ways in its Greek quo
line 2: tations. American pub
line 3: lications mispell &
line 4: misquote Greek invar
line 5: iably.
line 6: This work is above the
line 7: level of the multitude.
line 8: It wouldd sell among scholars
line 9: & clergymen only.
line 10: But if I were spared I
line 11: could in the course of

Page 3


line 1: a year or two make
line 2: a first rate thing thus -
line 3: By assuming this work
line 4: as the basis & sup-
line 5: plementary from other
line 6: wise older & similar
line 7: work in my possession.
line 8: I once spoke to Mr
line 9: Virtue Senior (not Hall & Virtue)
line 10: on this subject who
line 11: has machinery for push-
line 12: ing the circulation of books

Page 4


line 1: printed in numbers & also
line 2: a vast amount of illus-
line 3: trative plates.
line 4: If you & he could
line 5: in any way unite your
line 6: resources & issue it
line 7: in monthly numbers
line 8: with the supplemental
line 9: matter & engravings
line 10: I have alluded to, it
line 11: would give me pleasure
line 12: to edit & compile it.
line 13: It would not be desirable
line 14: to reprint it as it is

Page 5


line 1: 5
line 2: either as a marketable
line 3: or a complete Protes-
line 4: tant work.
line 5: But if you can
line 6: entertain the idea of
line 7: enlargement to the
line 8: extent of 1/3 by com-
line 9: piliation & correction
line 10: & if you could add
line 11: illustrative plates &
line 12: woodcuts & push its

Page 6


line 1: circulation in NosNumbers
line 2: it would I think be
line 3: a very popular &
line 4: in its complete state
line 5: a lasting & standard
line 6: work
line 7: Yours very truly
line 8: John Cummings
line 9: The work is a compilation-
line 10: Dr Hook's dictionary is often quoted.

Page 7


line 1: P.S. Be so kind
line 2: and order the numbers
line 3: for me as they come
line 4: out.
line 5: JC