WCP5052

[1]¹

27^th Sept[ember] [1]899

D[octo]^r. Alfred R. Wallace.

Dear Sir,

In reply to your letter of 25^th inst[ant]. re[garding]. account.²

(1.) Our original intention was to publish an edition of 2000 copies, of which we expected to sell 500 to America.³ The American publisher preferred to print the book himself, and thus secure himself against American piracy, and the printing order was reduced to 1500.

We enclose the printer’s invoice herewith (which please return). We are sorry that you should have been misled in your calculations.

(2.) The Colonial sales are included in the Regular sales, as none have been sold[.]⁴

[2]⁵

(3.) The 175 copies sold at a reduced price in the United Kingdom are copies sold to Mess[ieur]s. Simpkin, Hamilton & Co[mpany].⁶ at "Special Order" terms, but we do not think that these ought to have been entered as special sales in your a/c. [account] and we have credited you with the difference £9.9.6 [9 pounds 9 shillings & 6 pence], for which we beg to enclose our cheque.

(4.) There is no provision in the Agreement for a Royalty on 'Rights of Reproduction' sold to America, and from a strictly legal point of view, as the 'Right of translation’ is reserved to you, the "Right of Reproduction" would, in the principle of Expressio unius exclusio alterius⁷ [sic] be exclusively ours. The £75 received from America was for a complete set of Diagrams, Binder's blocks &c. together with a licence to print from early proofs.

As this licence was a substitute [3]⁸ for the edition of 500 copies @ 2/6 [2 shillings & 6 pence] per copy in sheets, (an order for which we expected to obtain from America) we thought it fair that you should have a 10% Royalty on the price obtained, as you would have had on the copies sold.

We are sorry you have not made any of the anticipated profits on the sale of foreign translations,

Your faithful servants | FRS⁸ [signature in initials]