Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Cornhill Magazine: Vol. 9, November to December, 1900; Vol. 10, January to March, 1901
My next publishing venture brought me into relations with Leigh Hunt, and did so in rather a strange way. I went to Peckham to dine with Thomas Powell, who, as well as being a confidential clerk in the counting-house of two brothers who were wealthy merchants in the City, dabbled in literature. The merchants were supposed to have suggested to Charles Dickens the Cheeryble Brothers in Nicholas Nickleby.' Powell afterwards went to the United States and contributed articles of a very personal character to the New York newspapers about English men of letters. While I waited in Powell's little drawing-room for a few minutes before dinner, I took up a neatly written manu script which was lying on the table, and was reading it when my host entered the room. 'ah, ' he said, that doesn't look worth 40l., does it? I advanced 40l. To Leigh Hunt on the security of that manuscript, and I shall never see my money again.' When I was leaving I asked Powell to let me take the manuscript with me. I finish'ed reading it before I went to sleep that night, and next day I asked Powell if he would let me have the manu script if I paid him the 40l. He readily assented, and having got from him Leigh Hunt's address, I went off to him in Edwardes Square, Kensington, explained the circumstances under which the manuscript had come into my possession, and asked whether, if I paid him an additional 60l., I might have the copyright. You young prince! Cried Leigh Hunt, in a tone of something like rapture, and the transaction was promptly con cluded. The work was 'imagination and Fancy.' It was suc ceeded by Wit and Humour and other books, all of which were successful, and the introduction was the foundation of a friendship with Leigh Hunt and the members of his family which was very delightful to me. Leigh Hunt was of tall stature, with sallow not to Say yellow complexion. His mouth lacked refinement and firmness, but hei had large expressive eyes. His manner, however, had such fas cination that, after he had spoken for five minutes, one forgot how he looked. He wrote the most charming letters, perfect alike in both form and spirit. I particularly enjoyed the simple old-fashioned suppers to which he frequently invited me. His daughter played and' sang to 'us, and Leigh Hunt told us the most delightful stories of his Italian travels, and of Shelley and Byron (whom he always called 'birron I lived on the north side of the park, and I remember I used to get over the palings to cross Ken sington Gardens, and thus shorten the distance home the palings of those days were easily negotiated by an active young man. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
