April 17 Tuesday – In Hartford, Sam wrote to James R. Osgood. A dispute had arisen between Charles Webster, Sam and Osgood. Sam held to the belief as almost a maxim, that the big sale took place before issue, not after. Though once true for subscription books, it no longer was certain. Webster wrote on Apr. 9 that his inspection of American Publishing Co.’s statements revealed that the reverse had been the case. H.N. Hinckley confirmed this idea, due to agents being unable to canvass without the book in hand. Still, Sam stuck to his guns.

“Nevertheless I am right. The big sale is always before issue—after issue, the agents immediately load up the bookstores and canvassing ceases….The orders that come in after the ISSUE of a subscription book don’t amount to a damn—just write that up amongst your moral maxims; for it is truer than nearly anything in the Bible” [MTLTP 162-3]. Note: Osgood replied on Apr. 18.