[‘He as good as called me a liar: Sir Walter Newman Flower, proprietor of London publishers Cassell’s.] Autograph Letter Signed and two Typed Letters Signed to Sir James Marchant, complaining of treatment by Thomas B. Wells of New York firm Harpers.

Publishing history does not get more vivid than this. See Flower’s obituary in The Times, and Wells’s in the New York Times. The three items in good condition, lightly aged. All three folded once and signed ‘Newman Flower’. First TLS (3 January 1928): 1p, 12mo. He writes that although ‘a very apologetic letter from Mr. Wells of Harpers’ has ‘cleared the air entirely’, ‘a reply from Holt’ received at the same time is not very satisfactory’, and ‘in view of the fact that Cassell’s and Harpers will be coming together again, it would, perhaps, be as well not to do anything at present’. Second TLS (11 December 1928): Headed ‘CONFIDENTIAL’. He regrets to inform Marchant, that he ‘had a very aggressive interview with Mr. Wells, of Harper’s, in my Club this afternoon [...] he as good as called me a liar, and was so abominably rude that I have decided that I will have no further dealings whatever with Harper’s’. Deleted sentence follows: ‘I have, to-day written and cancelled the arrangement with them over “The Real Hell”’. There are no books ‘coming along in which Harper’s and ourselves are sharing, but, if so, I want to make it clear that I am not prepared to proceed with them’. He does not think this will ‘hamper’ Marchant, but asks him not to bring Cassell’s ‘any books in which we must be associated with Harper’s, and that you will not offer Harper’s any book of Cassell’s’. He concludes: ‘It takes a great deal really to put me out of temper, but I will not be subjected again to such rudeness as I had to put up with from Mr. Wells this afternoon, in my own Club.’ ALS (18 December 1928): Begins: ‘Dear Sir James / Have sent you a brace of birds from the chase. Shot on Saturday.’ He wishes the Marchants ‘better health in 1929’, hoping that it will be one of Marchant’s ‘Years of good fortune’. He ends by stating that he appreciates ‘more than I can say all you have done to help things along this year’.