Tavistock Books

San Francisco: 1871. Single sheet folded once. Body of text to first page only; brief note to last page. 8-7/8" x 5-1/2". Light blue wove paper. Now housed in a clear archival mylar sleeve. Modest wear to edges; two fold lines. Text written in a hasty and somewhat careless hand, affecting overall legibility somewhat. Withal, a VG example. Item #41562

An MS letter from a Warren & Co. representative (signed only "Warren & Co.") to "Mes[r]s Merriam" detailing advertising rates, etc., with a brief explanatory note at rear: "Warren the Cal Farmer M[rc?] 4, 1871"; the date heading the letter has been corrected from March to April 4. We find an advertisement for Webster's Unabridged Dictionary in the May 18, 1871 issue of the California Farmer, and speculate that the Merriam gentlemen in question were George and Charles Merriam, the dictionary's publishers at that time.

The letter writer attempts to persuade Merriam to "advertise with us permanently as our paper Circulates to all the Colleges, Seminaries, &c" and offers terms for an extended three-month plan at $30 for a quarter-column ad, with extra leeway in terms of payment "if you give in to us steadily." Additional, the price is in "Gold -- That is California Currency." The pitch doesn't seem to have worked, as we find no further advertisements for Webster's or any other Merriam in the issues of the Farmer immediately following the May ad.

Price: $75.00