told Putnam, fist in face that he would more read-
ily send six publishers out o the world than damage
the toes of one author. This set Picton talking.
Stories of Herbert (Frank Forrester.) How he, in
an interview with Putnam had produced a four
inch bowie knife, gravely laying it on the table, at
the commencement. How he had awfully alarmed
Stringer the publisher by chopping up a drawing on
wood with said bowie-knife, (drawing having been con-
demned by the little publisher,) and then demanding
payment for the same. More stories of all sorts
credible & incredible. North is a queer mortal.
Clever, most decidedly, good natured, hath read &
written to a wondrous amount and on every conceivable
topic, tremendously egotistic and impulsive. He
took the M S of a big book to the Harpers (they
had published or rather plagiarised divers of his brain-
boutlings from English copies.) Called again in a
day or so. MS Book not read. How s this!
quoth he, You re not business men don t understand
your business. If you did you d have published it
immediately! They were perfectly aghast. The
book would have taken a week or so to read!
| Page |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Five: page one hundred and ten |
| Description: | Describes stories told while having a drink with William North, Thomas Picton, and others. |
| Date: | 1852-12-21 |
| Subject: | Gunn, Thomas Butler; Harper and Brothers (New York, N.Y.); Herbert, Henry William; North, William; Picton, Thomas; Publishers and publishing; Putnam; Stringer |
| Coverage (City/State): | [New York, New York] |
| Scan Date: | 2011-02-07 |
| Volume |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Five |
| Description: | Includes descriptions of Gunn looking for drawing and writing work among New York publishers, witnessing a fire at a chocolate factory, attending a religious camp meeting, his friendship with Lotty Whytal, the 1852 presidential election, a visit to Niagara Falls in the winter, a visit to Toronto, Canada, and the Crystal Palace in New York. |
| Subject: | Gunn, Thomas Butler; Railroad; Publishers and publishing; Religion; Travel; Women |
| Coverage (City/State): | New York, New York; Niagara, New York; Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Note: | Thomas Butler Gunn was born February 15, 1826, in Banbury, England, and came to New York in 1849. During the Civil War he worked as a correspondent for the New York Tribune and the New York Evening Post. He returned to England in 1863, and died in Birmingham in April 1903. The collection includes twenty-one volumes of his diaries, including newspaper clippings, letters, photographs, sketches, and various other items inserted by Gunn. Diary entries date from July 7, 1849, to April 7, 1863, and include his experiences with the New York publishing and literary world, his descriptions of boarding houses, his travels throughout the United States, and his experiences traveling with the Federal army as a Civil War correspondent. |
| Publisher: | Missouri History Museum |
| Rights: | Copyright 2011 Missouri History Museum. |
| Source: | Page images, transcriptions, and metadata of the Thomas Butler Gunn diaries have been provided by the Missouri History Museum. |
