Ɛpsilon

WCP3380

Letter (WCP3380.3348)

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

March 8th. 1897

Messrs Macmillan & Co.1

Dear Sirs

I see by the copies of my books sent to my son2 some months back, that you have not put the fly-leaf with "Works by the same Author" in any of them except in "Darwinism".3 I think you promised me to have it put in all.

"Bad Times"4 however may be omitted.

Land Nationalisation5 is now published by Kegan Paul Swan Sonnenschein & Co.

[2] Miracles & Modern Spiritualism6 by George Redway, — but I think you had an amended list as put into "Land Nationalisation."

Will you also be so good as to give me information on a point as to our Agreements. I find they state no limit of time. I presume therefore that so long as my books sell you will continue to pay the Royalty to me or to my heirs; but will you continue to do so after the Copyright [3] expires?

Also, does the period of copyright last from date of publication of the new editions, in 1891, or from the date of 1st. Edition?

I think of leaving my interest in my books to my daughter7 — who would in case of necessity be able to correct for a new issue from my notes — and I should like to know how long some income is likely to accrue from them.

I am writing a small [4] book on Progress8 during the Nineteenth Century, but am not sure you would care about publishing it.

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

1
Macmillan, Frederick Orridge (1851-1936). Eldest son of Daniel Macmillan, a founding partner in the bookselling and publishing firm of Macmillan & Co.
2
Wallace, William Greenell (1871-1951). Son of ARW.
3
Wallace, A. R. 1889. Darwinism: an exposition of the theory of natural selection with some of its applications. London & New York: Macmillan & Co.
4
Wallace, A. R. 1885. Bad times: an essay on the present depression of trade, tracing it to its sources in enormous foreign loans, excessive war expenditure, the increase of speculation and of millionaires, and the depopulation of the rural districts; with suggested remedies. London & New York: Macmillan & Co.
5
Wallace, A. R. 1892. Land nationalisation; its necessity and its aims; being a comparison of the system of landlord and tenant with that of occupying ownership in their influence on the well-being of the people. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co.
6
Wallace, A. R. 1896. Miracles and modern spiritualism. Revised edition, with chapters on apparitions and phantasms. London: George Redway.
7
Wallace, Violet Isabel (1869-1945). Daughter of ARW; teacher.
8
Wallace, A. R. 1913. Social environment and moral progress. London, New York, Toronto & Melbourne: Cassell & Co., Ltd.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3380.3348)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Shariff, Bashira [2013-07-01] Transcription checked by Smith, Sam [2013-08-16] Transcription checked by Catchpole, Caroline [2013-08-16] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP3380,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3380