THE CORRESPONDENCE OF THOMAS CARLYLE AND RALPH WALDO EMERSON
1834-1872
VOLUME I.
"To my friend I write a letter, and from him I receive a letter.It is a spiritual gift, worthy of him to give, and of me toreceive."—Emerson
"What the writer did actually mean, the thing he then thought of,the thing he then was."—Carlyle
EDITORIAL NOTE
The trust of editing the following Correspondence, committed tome several years since by the writers, has been of easyfulfilment. The whole Correspondence, so far as it is known toexist, is here printed, with the exception of a few notes ofintroduction, and one or two essentially duplicate letters. Icannot but hope that some of the letters now missing mayhereafter come to light.
In printing, a dash has been substituted here and there for aproper name, and some passages, mostly relating to details ofbusiness transactions, have been omitted. These omissions aredistinctly designated. The punctuation and orthography of theoriginal letters have been in the main exactly followed. I havethought best to print much concerning dealings with publishers,as illustrative of the material conditions of literature duringthe middle of the century, as well as of the relations of thetwo friends. The notes in the two volumes are mine.
My best thanks and those of the readers of this Correspondenceare due to Mr. Moncure D. Conway, for his energetic andsuccessful effort to recover some of Emerson's early letterswhich had fallen into strange hands. —Charles Eliot Norton
Cambridge, Massachusetts
January 29, 1883
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NOTE TO REVISED EDITION
The hope that some of the letters missing from it when thiscorrespondence was first published might come to light, has beenfulfilled by the recovery of thirteen letters of Carlyle, and offour of Emerson. Besides these, the rough drafts of one or twoof Emerson's letters, of which the copies sent have gone astray,have been found. Comparatively few gaps in the Correspondenceremain to be filled.
The letters and drafts of letters now first printed are thosenumbered as follows:—
Vol. I.
XXXVI. Carlyle
XLI. Emerson
XLII. Carlyle
XLVI. "
XLVII. "
LXVIII. "
Vol. II.
C. Emerson
CIV. Carlyle
CV. "
CVI. "
CVII. "
CVIII. "
CIX. "
CXII. "
CXVI. "
CXLIX. Emerson
CLII. "
CLXV. "
CLXXXVI. "
Emerson's letter of 1 May, 1859 (CLXIV.), of which only fragmentswere printed in the former edition, is now printed complete, andthe extract from his Diary accompanying it appears in the form inwhich it seems to have been sent to Carlyle.
—C.E.N.
December 31, 1884
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CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.
Introduction. Emerson's early recognition of Carlyle's genius.
—His visit at Craigenputtock, in 1833.—Extracts concerning it
from letter of Carlyle, from letter of Emerson, and from English
Traits.
I. Emerson. Boston, 14 May, 1834. First acquaintance with
Carlyle's writings.—Visit to Craigenputtock.—Sartor Resartus,
its contents, its dictio