October 5 Thursday – At the Queen Anne Residential Mansions & hotel London, Sam finished his Oct. 4 letter to H.H. Rogers.

P.S. Oct 4. ’99 [Sam misdated here]. As I said yesterday (and also in my letter to Harper) I don’t want Harper to hamper Bliss in adding the new short-story book to the Uniform. I think, also, that Harper should have no ownership in the plates made for the new book for the Uniform, and receive no royalty from Bliss on the book….Ain’t that your judgment?

What unspeakable sharks those Harpers are! Bliss intimates that they will expect me to pay them a royalty on the English sets of my Uniform. When they charge Bliss a royalty it is merely robbery; but when they charge me, it is robbery and fornication combined [MTHHR 413].

Note: since the Uniform Editions provided by Bliss to Chatto & Windus were done so at cost, Harpers acknowledged on Oct. 17 they would claim no royalty [n5]. Welland: “The indefatigable Rogers reassured Bliss and dissuaded Harpers” [199].