PREFACE - The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 5 - Charles Lamb - 其他小说 - 30读书

PREFACE

preface

thiseditionofthecorrespondenceofcharlesandmarylambcontains618letters,ofwhich45arebymarylambalone.itistheonlyeditiontocontainallmarylamb'slettersandalsoareferenceto,orabstractof,everyletterofcharleslamb'sthatcannot,forreasonsofcopyright,beincluded.canonainger'slasteditioncontains467lettersandtheevery-man'slibraryeditioncontains572.in1905thebostonbibliophilesociety,awealthyassociationofamericancollectors,issuedprivately—sinceprivatelyonecandoanything—aneditioninsixvolumes(limitedto453sets)ofthecorrespondenceofcharlesandmarylamb,containingeverythingthatwasavailable,whichmeanspracticallyeverythingthatwasknown:thenumberreachingatotalof762letters;butitwillbemanyyearsbeforesuchacollectioncanbeissuedinengland,sinceeachoftheeditionsherehascopyrightmatterpeculiartoitself.myattempttoinducetheamericanownerofthelargestnumberofnewletterstoallowmetocopythemfromthebostonbibliophileeditionhasprovedfruitless.

andhereawordastocopyrightinsuchdocumentsinengland,thelawasmostrecentlylaiddownbeingestablisheduponasetofsixteenoflamb'sletterswhichunhappilyarenot(exceptinverybriefabstract)inthepresentedition.theseletters,chieflytorobertlloyd,werefirstpublishedincharleslambandthelloyds,undermyeditorship,in1900,therighttomakecopiesandpublishthemhavingbeenacquiredbymessrs.smith,elder&co.frommrs.steeds,adescendantofcharleslloyd.theoriginalswerethenpurchasedbymr.j.m.dent,whoincludedcopiesinhiseditionoflamb'sletters,undermr.macdonald'seditorship,in1903.meanwhilemessrs.smith,elder&co.hadsoldtheirrightsintheletterstomessrs.macmillanforcanonainger'sedition,andwhenmr.dent'seditionwasissuedmessrs.macmillanwithmessrs.smith,elder&co.broughtanaction.mr.dentthereuponacquiredfrommr.a.h.moxon,thesonofemmaisola,lamb'sresiduarylegatee,allhisrightsasrepresentingtheoriginalauthor.thecasewasheardbeforemr.justicekekewichearlyin1906.thejudgeheldthat"theproprietoroftheauthor'smanuscriptinthecaseofletters,asinthecaseofanyothermanuscript,meanttheowneroftheactualpaperonwhichthematterwaswritten,andthatinthecaseofletterstherecipientwastheowner.nodoubtthewritercouldrestraintherecipientfrompublishing,andsocouldthewriter'srepresentativesafterdeath;butalthoughtheyhadtherighttorestrainothersfrompublishing,itdidnotfollowthattheyhadtherighttopublishandacquirecopyright.thisrightwasgiventotheproprietorofthemanuscript,who,althoughhecouldberestrainedfrompublishingbythewriter'spersonalrepresentatives,yet,ifnotsorestrained,couldpublishandacquirecopyright."

mr.dentappealedagainstthisverdictandhisappealwasheardonoctober31andnovember7,1906,whenthedecisionofmr.justicekekewichwasupheldwithaclearerdefinitionoftherightofrestraint.thecourt,indeciding(i"eagainfrommr.macgillivray'ssummary)that"theproprietorsofmanuscriptletterswere,afterthewriter'sdeath,entitledtothecopyrightinthemwhenpublished,werecarefultomakeitclearthattheydidnotintendtooverruletheauthorityofthosecaseswhereadeceasedman'srepresentativeshavebeenheldentitledtorestrainthepublicationofhisprivatelettersbytherecipientsorpersonsclaimingthroughthem.thecourtexpresslyaffirmedthecommonlawrightofthewriterandhisrepresentativesinunpublishedletters.itdidnotfollowthatbecausethecopyright,iftherewaspublication,wouldbeinthepersonwho,beingproprietoroftheauthor'smanuscript,firstpublished,thatthatpersonwouldbeentitledtopublish.thecommonlawrightwouldbeavailabletoenablethelegalpersonalrepresentatives,underpropercircumstances,torestrainpublication."thatishowthecopyrightlawasregardslettersstandsto-day(1912).

thepresenteditionhasbeenrevisedthroughoutandinitwillbefoundmuchnewmaterial.ihaveretainedfromthelargeeditiononlysuchnotesasbearuponthelambsandtheplaceofthelettersintheirlife,togetherwithsuchexplanatoryreferencesasseemedindispensable.forthesourcesof"ationsandsoforththereadermustconsulttheoldedition.

forpermissiontoincludecertainnewlettersihavetothankthemasterofmagdalene,mr.ernestbetham,majorbutterworth,mr.bertramdobell,mr.g.dunlop,andmr.e.d.northofnewyork.

asanexampleofotherdifficultiesofediting,atanygiventime,thecorrespondenceofcharlesandmarylamb,imaysaythatwhilethesevolumesweregoingthroughthepress,messrs.sothebyofferedforsalenewlettersbybothhands,theexistenceofwhichwasunknownequallytoenglisheditorsandtobostonbibliophiles.themostremarkableofthemisajointletterfromsisterandbrothertolouisamartin,theirchild-friend(towhomlambwrotetheverses"theape"),datedmarch28,1809.marybegins,andcharlesthentakesthepenandbecomesmischievous.thus,"hazlitt'schilddiedofswallowingabagofwhitepaint,whichthepoorlittleinnocentthingmistookforsugarcandy.ittolditsmotherjustbeforeitdied,thatitdidnotlikesoftsugarcandy,andsoitcameout,whichwasnotbeforesuspected.whenitwasopenedseveralotherthingswerefoundinit,particularlyasmallhearthbrush,twogoldenpippins,andaletterwhichihadwrittentohazlittfrombath.theletterhadnothingremarkableinit."…theothersarefrombrotherandsistertomisskelly,theactress,whomlamb,in1819,wishedtomarry.thefirst,march27,1820,isfrommarylambsayingthatshehastakentofrenchasarecreationandhasbeenreadingracine.thesecondisfromlamb,datedjuly6,1825,thankingmisskellyforticketsatarnold'stheatre,thelyceum,andpredictingtheessofhisfarce"thepawnbroker'sdaughter."howmanymorenewlettersarestilltocometolight,whoshallsay?

inmr.bedford'sdesignforthecoverofthiseditioncertaineliansymbolismwillbefound.theuppercoatofarmsisthatofchrist'shospital,wherelambwasatschool;theloweristhatoftheinnertemple,wherehewasbornandspentmanyyears.thefiguresatthebellsarethosewhichoncestoodoutfromthefaçadeofst.dunstan'schurchinfleetstreet,andarenowinlordlondesborough'sgardeninregent'spark.lambshedtearswhentheywereremoved.thetricksyspriteandthecandles(broughtbybetty)neednoexplanatorywordsofmine.

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