WCP3368

[1]

The Dell, Grays, Essex

Feb[ruar]^y. 2nd, 1876

Dear Mr. Craik,

Your excuse for Mess^r. Clay is a very bad one, or rather it is no excuse at all. It would be good, if the kind of work had come upon them unawares,—but, on the contrary, I showed the Mss.[Manuscript] of this very part (the Birds) to Mr. Clay in Ms. Macmillan's presence early in August, and called his special attentions to the headings,— telling him how many of them there would be, and asking whether it would [2] not save time to have stereo-forms made instead of setting them up separately. He said he would consider it when they came to it—It was after this full information, that he undertook to print the book through, at the rate of 4 sheets a week!

I had these forms headings set up & corrected a month before we came to them so that they might make every arrangement to prevent delay; and now, they come down to one sheet a week, & complain of the difficulty of [3] the work!

Either then, Mr. Clay was, in August last, ignorant of his business and gave an estimate he could not possibly carry out,—or he wilfully deceived us in order that we might not go elsewhere. They cannot get out of this dilemma by now pleading the difficulty of the work.

As you were evidently not acquainted with these facts—which form the very essence of my complaint—I thought it well to let you know [4] what the complaint really is.

Had Mr. Clay told me in August that he could not undertake to finish till March or April, I should certainly never have begun with him at all.

Taylor & Francis¹ or Newman, who are well up in all Natural History work, would have printed the book I am sure for cheaper (owing of diminished corrections) and they would not have been longer if so long.

Believe me | Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]