WCP3383

[1]¹

P<ar>kstone, Dorset.

Oct^[obe]r. 26th. 1899

Messrs Macmillan & Co

Dear Sirs

I am glad to hear that are willing to publish my Collected Essays &c.

I very much regret to hear that the cheaper reprints of my 3 books have not yet covered your expenses, and under those circumstances I must of course to a great extent be guided by you as to the price most suitable for my "Studies".

As however all my other books have been published in the old way at a discount, I do not much [2] like the idea of this one being on a different basis. I am afraid it will lead to errors & disappointment, & since buyers not getting discount will not buy at all. I am therefore willing to have my Royalty reduced to 2^d in the shilling or 16 2/3 per cent, and have the books issued at 7/- if possible, if not at 7/6 ^{or even 8/-} subject to usual discounts.

Having now given my views I leave you to decide.

I now wish to consult you about illustrations.

For the Chapter on Monkeys I can get only about three cuts from the [3] Zoological Society², but there are a dozen suitable woodcuts in Flower & Lydekker's Mammalia³ published by Black. Do you think these can be got for a moderate payment, as if so they would well illustrate the Chapter. If these could be got, do you know of any other containing a good series of woodcuts that would be available.

There is one ^whole page cut of two monkeys in Bates' Naturalist on the Amazon⁴, that I should like to have.

For the Chapters on New Guinea and Polynesia I can have the use of any of the Photographs in the Collection of the Anthropological Institute⁵, & I [4] must go to town some day soon to choose them. I suppose you can have the necessary Process plates made without Injury to them.

There are some good cuts of boulders and perched blocks in Falsan's⁶ "La Periode Glaciaire"⁷ Germer Bailliere et C^ie, 108 Boulevard St. Germain. Could you get clichés of Fig. 11 and Fig. 16?

I also enclose a number of sketches I made in America to illustrate the Chap.[ter] on American Museums. Can they be redrawn by a good draughtsman on the wood, so as to keep the character while giving them a more artistic effect. ^{Smoother curves &c.} I have put blue marks around the groups to show which may be kept together, but rearranged to have the best effect.

[5] (5)

I should like to have all these matters of illustrations settled as soon as possible so as to make the needful references and descriptions in the MSS ^{& proofs} before going to press.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]