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Document : 208

Title: Letter from Smiles to Murray, 3 Jan 1860

Author(s): Smiles, Samuel

6, Granville Park Terrace
Blackheath S.E.
3 Jany 1860

My Dear Sir


Mr Cooke writes me that
you will not object to my including
your “forbears”, as the Scotch call
them , among my list of self made
men. I have this morning received
materials from Mr Walter
of Bearwood for a capital memoïr
of his father , and I have no
doubt you can supply me with
quite as good respecting yours ;—
and by the way , as there have
been 3 Walters , so have there
been 3 Murrays , contemporaries
in the publishing world , each steadily





advancing & going right to the
head of his own branch of business.
There must be a great deal of
curious & interesting facts you can
supply me with respecting successful
& unsuccessful books — the detection , by
the quick sighted publisher , of the merits
of books — in short a large amount
of literary anecdotes of an entirely
original character. Any facts
relating to small beginnings are always
interesting. I have some very good ones
respecting Clowes & Walter (the first)
and you may be able to supply
me with quite as good respecting
Murray the First. As I have said
to Mr Cooke , I have been surprized




to find how extensive a field of
unworked biography has been opened
up to me by the publication of this last
little book ; and it is more than
ever clear to me that the men
of industry , who have made this county
what it is , have been too much neglected.
I shall be glad if I can
do some what to rescue from forgetfulness
a few of the more distinguished
of these honourable men . When
you are at leisure , I must spend
an evening with you , entirely by
yourself , and this matter can be
talked over. In the mean time you
will oblige me by noting down the
[heads] of any interesting recollections
that may occur to you .

Yours vy faithfully

S Smiles

J. Murray Esq




Jan 3 1860

Smiles. S.