Audubon, John James | Audubon negotiates the copyright of his "little work"

Audubon, John James
Autograph letter, twice signed ("John J. Audubon") to Lemuel Goddard, offering the exclusive rights to sell the octavo edition of Birds of America in Great Britain

4 pages, 4to (254 x 201 mm), integral address panel, "New York 6 July 1840"; remains of a red wax seal, horizontal and vertical folds, just separating in a few spots, two unobtrusive linen remnants along the vertical fold where previously mounted.

Audubon writes to an English subscriber regarding a business proposal

In this substantive letter, Audubon engages an agent to negotiate the copyright and exclusive English rights to sell the octavo edition of his masterpiece, Birds of America, which he refers to here as "my little work". The recipient, Lemuel Goddard, was one of the original subscribers listed in volume one of first octavo edition (Philadelphia: J.B. Chevalier, 1840).

Writing to Goddard on 6 July, 1840, Audubon begins: "Our excellent friend ... will deliver you this letter, and offer several numbers of my Little Work... I wish you would call on the Mssrs Longman, the great book sellers, I believe in 'Paternoster' Row, and then show the Nos you have on hand, and ask whether they would like to order 500 or 1000 copies of the same, granting to them the sole sale of this edition for Great Britain."

He goes on to discuss more jovial matters, including the Independence Day holiday and its attendant celebrations: "The 'Independence Day' week off glorious as usual... The hardest of hard cider was drunk on the occasion. We are all becoming moderate drinkers... and some pretend to be quite shocked at the quantity of port, sherry, maderia, whisky, brandy, [and] gin..."

Returning to the business at hand, Audubon adds a final note on the address panel of the letter on the matter of his proposal: "Please inform Mssrs. Longmans that we have a few copies of the Large work yet for sale, and will allow them 10 percent if they advertise + sell for us – they may if they wish clap on 10 or 20 percent advance also, for their own benefit if they sell either the large, or the small work for us, as we will guarantee none other shall complete with them. In case they want the copyright, we would take two thousand pounds for it – including the letterpress + the copyright to the plates – as published in the "Birds of America."

PROVENANCE:
Christie's New York, May 26, 1977, lot 59

Condition Report:
Condition as described in catalogue entry.