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Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library© 1997 By the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. All rights reserved.
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Joel Chandler Harris Collection, Accession 6322-b, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library
Deposit, 1964 Oct 20
Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
[Songs; manuscript of two Afro-American songs with a one page introduction on the remarkable range of a hog-caller's voice.]
[Song]
[Poem]
[Sending something for The Critic ; asks her to return it with a "literary note" if she cannot use it; praises a sketch of Uncle Remus.]
[Says that The Century has first refusal; can be published in book form after the serial rights have been exercised.]
[Writes him about a new short book; could have "A Plot for a Play" finished in a week; wants Blue Dave sent to Scotland for copyright; asks for the opinion of the firm's reader on Blue Dave . Signed "Uncle Remus."]
[Discusses the ownership of a song sent by Carey; believes that the song underwent changes as it was passed down from one generation to the next.]
[Reluctant to send in poems; feels that Nights with Uncle Remus and Mingo [and other Sketches in Black and White] were failures; believes poems will fail as well; is willing to release the firm from its agreement to print three books. Signed "Uncle Remus."]
[Says Ticknor unwell and acting strangely: requests an account of sales of unnamed Remus story and Mingo [and other Sketches in Black and White] which he had already requested from Ticknor; chides him for refusing to publish J[ames] W[hitcomb] Riley 's book.]
[Says that the ballad Mr. Smith referred to was an Afro-American song he published in The Critic some years ago; will send a copy; asks him to intervene in a dispute between Stoddard and Edgar Farwell in the Author's Club ; claims that Mr. Buell is a womanizer.]
[Feels that Kemble is a suitable illustrator; urges Kemble to maintain the dignity of the Afro-American and to remember the differences of various Afro-American types.]
[Comments on a lost list of names of people supporting a congressional bill; will send another list; suggests getting support for the bill from other less southern newspapers.]
[Sends extracts from The Atlanta Constitution ; also hopes to get a statement in writing from his congressman.]
[Sends autograph; hopes the recipient and his boys will outgrow their bad habits.]
[Requests scope and length desired for articles; lost the original letter that contains the terms for the new work; the articles will highlight the condition of the Afro-American in the South since the war.]
[Accepts his proposition to publish a book in installments; declares that the illustration will be done to his own satisfaction; will create illustration in partnership with [Arthur Burdett] Frost ; would like to get this matter settled soon.]
[Requests further details from him for a short story because he had been busy.]
[Discusses slavery in the South and his writings about the Afro-American; defends the relationship of the southern whites to the blacks.]
[Discusses the theme and characters of the book Aaron in the Wildwoods . ]
[Discusses the illustrations for a Remus book by [Fred Stuart] Church and [Elmer Boyd] Smith ; sends illustration of a fence designed to keep animals out of the garden.]
[Has outlines for ten to fifteen Uncle Remus stories; asks for contact with the party who wanted two stories; mentions Mr. Shepard, the London artist.] (w/electrostatic copy
[Has a series of Remus stories in contemplation; will send them through McClure; asks Reynolds to return "A Romantic Tragedy" so he can make the necessary corrections.]
[Asks him if he could sell six or eight more Remus stories to Collier's Weekly . ]
[Inquires about the status of the ten Remus stories that he had sent for Collier's ; has another place for them if Collier's doesn't want them.]
[Will send a story concerning a Union scout when finished; discusses requests for a book and some Uncle Remus stories.]
[Asks him to secure English copyright on whatever work he receives from Harris; can furnish six stories to Reynolds if he wants them.]
[Suggests that he should not wait for Russell to agree on a price for stories; might offer them to St. Nicholas Magazine . ]
[Believes that Reynolds got a good offer from Mr. Russell; should complete the deal at once.]
[Denies that British readers could not comprehend the Remus stories because they have been very popular in England ; believes [Arthur Burdett] Frost is better than Verbeek at illustrating his stories.]
[Mailing two stories; says the sixth and last story will be slightly delayed; reports that the New York Herald is undecided about asking him to write a story on Southern life.]
[Received the check; comments on photo of a Mr. Russell taken with Anthony Hope . ]
[Will contribute a series of articles and sketches for The Independent under the title "At the Sign of the Wren's Nest."]
[Will finish a story by the 15th; reexamining photographs and will send them in a few days.]
[Thanks him for letter and compliments; says Major LaRose is his wife's first cousin; autograph quotation of stanza of "At the Sign of the Wren's Nest" on verso.]
[Gives some details of the recent riots in Atlanta ; complains that most newspapers sensationalized these events; gives information on Uncle Remus's Magazine ; will control the editorial department and give a balanced view of life in the South.]
[Will be unable to fulfill his engagement this evening with Graves; compliments him on his career as an editorial writer; wishes him continued success in New York . ] (w/autograph corrections)
[Recommends that lobbyists should be hired to promote the Congressional bill rather than sending literary men.]
[Believes that the sale of serial rights includes all the available serial rights; asks that Collier's to arrange for simultaneous serial publication in England which would secure the English copyright for him.] (w/electrostatic copy)
[Authorizes him to secure serial publication and book rights to a series of Remus stories if possible.]
[Terms made with Russell are satisfactory; AN at bottom says that he is enclosing "Brer Rabbit and the Gizzard Eater" which he has just published.]
[Sending him the last of the Uncle Remus material.]
[Inquires about his remittance for October.]
[Has sent the manuscript for Aaron ; will have some additional stories in January.] (w/photograph of Harris attached)
[Discusses the publication of his latest book and critics' comments; will send a copy to Hayne when available; states preference for serialized publication of Remus stories in newspapers to their publication in book form.] (w/typescript copy.)
[Requests payment for royalty on sales of a Remus story and Mingo [and Other Sketches in Black and White] to July 1. Signed "Uncle Remus."] (w/typescript copy.)
[Requests an extra proof of "Baalam and his Master"; sends a recent Constitution editorial for [Robert Underwood] Johnson ; comments on the uselessness of sending literary men to Washington to push the copyright bill through Congress.]
[Thanks him for his kind words about "Uncle Remus."]
[Writes that he is just finishing fifteen installments of Uncle Remus fables and asks what McClure will pay for the serial rights.] 1 p. (w/printed sketch of Harris)
[Feels that he no longer wants to write "these legends."] (fragment)