November 17 Wednesday – In Hartford in the morning, Sam received a letter from Richard Watson Gilder, which led him to write two letters to Charles Webster. In the first letter, Sam begins by referring to Henry Clews, prominent New York banker, who was shopping a book Twenty-Eight Years in Wall Street. Sam had not forgotten being caught short of funds while in Europe during the panic of Sept. 1873. Sam rarely forgot an injury, whether real or imagined. He told Webster:

…make perfectly conscienceless terms with him — terms which will absorb all the profits — & take his book. He choused me out of a good deal of money, 13 years ago as coolly as ever any other crime was committed in the world [MTLTP 208].

Note: see Sept. 24, 1873 entry and MTL 5: 441n3, which cites the NY Times that all of Clews’ obligations were paid in full.

Though Webster & Co. Was well stocked with up-coming books, Sam was high on publishing a book by George Washburn Smalley (1833-1916). At this time Smalley was the European correspondent for the New York Tribune, which, for Sam, meant dealing with Whitelaw Reid. Smalley would sail back to England the next day, and in 1891 would publish London Letters and Some Other Things, 2 volumes, New York: Harper & Bros [Gribben 647]. Sam wrote:

I should think a book on England from Smalley would sell. It would be exceedingly interesting — that I know. We couldn’t pay more than ¼ profits, or 7½ or 8 per cent royalty. [¶] It may be that we have already enough books. But anyway, I wish you would do Smalley & Reid the courtesy to call on Smalley at once & talk about the book….I am tied up at home with an equinoctial precession of guests, complicated with engagements, but can come presently if desirable [MTP].

Note: Sam felt that a book by Smalley would be valuable but not as valuable as Gen. Adam Badeau’s book on Grant.