Hartford, Oct. 12.
My Dear Howells:
I see where the trouble lies. The various author’s dislike trotting in procession behind me. I vaguely thought of that in the beginning, but did not give it its just importance. We must have a new deal. The Blindfold Novelettes must be suggested anonymously. Warner says, let this anonymous person say his uncle has died & left him all his property—this property consisting of nothing in the world but the skeleton of a novel; he does not like to waste it, yet cannot utilize it himself because he can’t write novels; he therefore begs writers to fill up the skeleton for him—in which way he hopes to get 6 or 6 8 novels in place of one, & thus become wealthy.
Now I would suggest that Aldrich devise the skeleton-plan, for it needs an ingenious head to contrive a plot which shall be prettily complicated & yet well fitted for lucid & interesting development in the brief compass of 10 Atlantic pages. My plot was awkward & overloaded with tough requirements.
Warner will fill up the skeleton—for one. No doubt Harte will; will ask him. Won’t Mr. Holmes? Won’t Henry James? Won’t Mr. Lowell, & some more of the big literary fish? If we could ring in one or two towering names beside your own, we wouldn’t have to beg the lesser fry very hard. Holmes, Howells, Harte, James, Aldrich, Warner, Twain Trobridge, Twain—now there’s a good & godly gang—team, I mean—everything’s a team, [now.
If] we fail to connect, here, I’ll start it anonymously in Temple Bar & see if I can’t ‸get‸ the English Authors to do it up handsomely.1 It would make a stunning book to sell on railway trains. But I believe we can make it go, here, with the proposition to come ano[n]ymously & Aldrich to construct the plot.
Yrs Ever
Mark.
Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary
Copy-text:Previous publication:
MTHL, 1:160.
Provenance:See Howells Letters in Description of Provenance.
Emendations and textual notes:
now. [¶] If • now.—|[¶] If
