New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-29
UORE THiChERtYtNi.

4 CORRESPONDENT or "iLTII,NrrRE' ON TIE
HoyfrLsrs EXPERIENCE A%p METHODS.
since the arbitration ~ the new edition OK
VANITY Fair IL has been stated over ana over
again in tho press that tn Work was "fF'h'y
declined 10y half tn" publishers III lInH"h p't.Ie
il was accepted Dos bradbury y Evans mrs
Eiichir Was "a chNd At tn" PERIOD f'l' ff'H I"
and So far a I know. IA" only PERSONS HF.nE
who could possibly reveal mo NN'h arr M.
George Smith ana Sir Theodore Martin. IN" WAS
FOR many wears one 0f Thack"rAt most lhtl-
mate and trusted friends. and hey met d''iy
during the long period when they were near
neirhhors in Onslpw Square. Thack"ray. As
matter II fact could not possibly hav" "H"r"l
tho book as a whole 20 any publisher. Tor wh"i
the first monthly number aIic'i"i ne ha' h"'
completed the third number 1hack"rhy va AZ
WAYS dilaiorv with work Of this knd. ana ne
rarely commenced 4 monthly instalinrn' ~ any
story until the last p1ssii" moment. In MS
"Cornhill" days he did great deal ~ writing
at the Athcnarum. and terrible VAS the cnmm".
,inn one day when he discovered that the Ms "i
"A chapter Of 'Philip." for which the printers
were eagerly waiting. had been lefi by nm III
a lavatory with the result that II had been
swept away az rubbish by a houseUhid How
ever the precious sheets were ultimately rescued
from dust heap. 70 which the hai hc.n com
signed believe the real truth about VANITY
FAR" Is that the first two numbers we're "lcfrd
10y Thackcray only t. bradbury Evans VII"
accented them wi,h delight. FOR the author rep
riaiion had been greatly raised 10y "a" success %
his "Snoh Papers" in "Punch" Tho payment
was ~ euincts for each monthly part "hich
included a couple ~ ctCNIHSS anu ll' IiIllit' ~
the beginning II each chapter. VANITY Falr
had no great popular success in its carry days
bt, from the first the book attracted IN" attch-
ton and excited tho interest ~ all readers "h"s"
Judgment carried weight. There are numerous
allusions (alI laudatoryD to VANITY Fair In Mrs.
Carlvles CORES Oadcncc. and she had an lntI-
rnatc acquaintance with the original OF BECKY
Sharp IL whom she has given an amusing
sketch in her letters. The SupcrlatlVr cNc"ilchc"
az the writing IN vanity Fair is the more re
rnarkahlc inasmuch as the greater part OF the
hook was dashed off under extreme pressure
from the printers and Thackcray often pcnncd
the latter part Of his copy" for the monthly
number with a printers boy waiting Tor IL IN the
hall the boy having received stringent orders
not 10 return to his employer without the MS.
However Sir Walter Scott has recorded That ne
"loyes to have the press humping, gathering
and banging In my rear; 1t creates the neccs.
stv which almost always makes me work pest
T1,ckeray made his money by his lectures, ana
his American tour was particularly proiitable
For Desmond" he received E1,TD. few weeks
hefore his death Thackcray WAS speaking at the
Athcnaeum to Wilkie Collins about publishers
and authors and he said that he had never re-
ceiveo 81 900 for book, but his great works
came out before the days OF high prices THIS re-
mark was elected by the fact OF Mr.: George
smith having just paid Wilkic Collins t3.2iS for
the DOWNRIGHT Of "Armadae." This was Collinss
heat hook in his own opinion. but from the tradc
nolnt of view it was failure.