Brown, Marie A.–ZT 11.12.1882

Marie A. Brown till Zacharias Topelius 11.12.1882

1 “The Surgeon’s Stories”.

2 Sworn statement of Marie A. Brown regarding them.

 

3 When I went to Chicago, in the spring of 1880, I submitted “The Surgeon’s Stories”, by Prof. Z. Topelius, to Jansen, McClurg & Co, for consideration. After waiting some weeks, without any decision, I withdrew the enterprize, feeling sure that the firm would not offer terms that I would be willing to accept. Some months afterwards Gen. McClurg begged permission, in case I had no arrangement with any other publisher, to reconsider it. This I granted, and the negotiation was pending two years in all. Mr. F. F. Browne, the reader of the firm, read the printed copy of the 1st vol. “Gustaf Adolf” (now published by J. McC. & Co. under the changed title: “In the Time of Gustav Adolf”), and the 3rd vol.: “Carl XII” in mss.manuscripts His verdict was favorable. The only obstacle in the way of the publication of “The Surgeon’s Stories” was the fact of the 1:st vol. having been published before, first by G. W. Carleton, in New York, then transferred to Porter & Coates, in Philade., and the great fear on the part of the firm that Selma Borg, whose name, unfortunately, in mere compliment, for she cannot translate, had been placed on the title-page of the 1:st vol., might put in a coläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindninglaim for money. Porter & Coates charged $ 250 for the stereotype plates of “Gustaf Adolf”, and this J. McC. & Co. were not willing to pay. Finally, as the only condition upon which I could get the series published, I offered to purchase these plates. For ten years I had been making vigorous efforts to get these valuable historical novels published, the difficulty, nay, failure being invariably due to Porter & Coates' possession of the 1:st vol., for they would neither continue the series nor relinquish, and Selma Borg’s connection with the enterprize, passive and merely nomioläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindningnal as it was. In despair of obtaining a publisher, I resolved to publish the books myself, and announced the publication simultaneously with that of Runeberg’s poem “Nadeschda”, in 1878. My experience with that poem, although a literary success, to quote “The Literary World” of March 29th, 1879: “Miss Marie A. Brown’s translation of Runeberg’s poem “Nadeschda”, of which she is also the publisher, is meeting with a very cordial reception from the best critics, “− proving coläsligt p.g.a. konservering/inbindningonclusively that the book-trade would not handle a book by “a self-publishing author”, the soläsligt p.g.a. skadatereotyping was suspended, after half of the 1st vol. was done. Jansen McClurg & Co forced me to the expense of those plates also, refusing to use them, although they were a perfect piece of work, from new types, done by Mr. Frank Wood in Boston. When the decisive hour came, Mr. Browne asoläsligt p.g.a. skadaked me: “What is the least price that you will take foroläsligt p.g.a. skada the enterprize; set your figures as low as you can; else [----]oläsligt p.g.a. skada is no prospect of having the series accepted.oläsligt p.g.a. skada [----]oläsligt p.g.a. skada and I together made the sum the lowest possible [---- ---- ---- ----]oläsligt p.g.a. skada for [----]oläsligt p.g.a. skada volumesoläsligt p.g.a. skada [---- ---- ----]oläsligt p.g.a. skada in all.

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4 All From this sufficiently small amount the firm insisted upon deducting the cost of the two sets of stereotype plates: $ 400, so the amount they paid me in cash was $ 500.

5 The agreement with me was made verbally, on March 1st, 1882, in presence of Mr. F. F. Browne, with the understanding that my name, as translator, should be on every title-page. Prior to that the firm had written to both Porter & Coates and Mr. Frank Wood, to learn their lowest price for the plates. Knowing that I was going to Sweden, the firm requested me to finish the translation before I left. The 4:th and 5:th vols. remained to be translated; the 4:th, being very large, was to be divided into two vols. in the American edition. I placed the whole series complete in their hands on the 20:th of April, 1882, making 23 books that I had translated, of which 13 were published, besides “The Lays of Sweden and Finland”, and sailed on the 29:th. Gen. McClurg himself had read the 1st and 3:rd vols. and expressed great admiration of the author. Mr. Thorkild A. Schovelin, a Dane, in the employ of J. McC. & Co., compared parts of my translation with the original and vouched for its accuracy and the good quality of my work. I repeat his words to me, which may, or may not have been his words to Gen. McClurg – I can only swear to what he said to me: “I have assured the firm, Miss Brown, of the excellence of your translation, of its perfect faithfulness, and that you stand first among translators from the Swedish in the U. S. On the strength of his testimony, apparently, the enterprize was accepted, and I departed bearing with me the earnest desire of the firm that I should see Prof. Topelius and, if possible, induce him to visit the U. S., that his personal presence might do for the series what Björnson’s did for his works, and that I should send them all the press-notices I could about “The Surgeon’s Stories”. That I had the author’s favor, they knew, for they had seen his letters to me, in English. On Sept. 11:th I mailed to Mr. Browne a number of press-notices, including a long biography of Prof. Topelius, which I had translated for them. My surprise can be imagined, when I received from Mr. Browne, on Nov. 6th, the first letter of any kind from the firm, in which he writes: “The translation proved to be very unsatisfactory, so much so that the firm were unwilling to use the one of “Gustaf Adolf” made by you and Miss Borg, and have caused another to be made, which is being put in type as rapidly as possible. I do not know how the translation of the subsequent vols. compares with that of the first, but if no better, a translation de novospråk: latin of the whole series will undoubtedly be made”.

6 I at once wrote to Jansen, McClurg & Co, and threatened them with exposure, unless they returoläsligt p.g.a. skadaned to me my worthless (?) manuscripts. Their reply is characteristic:

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7 Chicago, Dec. 11:th 1882.

8 “Dear madam. We have your letter of Nov. 8th, containing among other things, a request that we return to you the mss.manuscripts of a translation of “The Surgeon’s Stories” which we recently purchased of you. We would say in reply that we are quite willing to return the mss.manuscripts for the same sum which we paid you for them, and on receipt of the amount (nine hundred dollars) or some satisfactory guarantee of its payment, we will promptly forward the mss.manuscripts to you. We are willing to leave this offer open for a reasonable time − say two months from date.

9 Very respectfully

10 Jansen, McClurg & Co.”

 

11 The author, Prof. Topelius, now his excellency, writes me: “Their proceedings against you is shameful. An action would probably be expensive and unwise; but it would be well if you could meet them with an illustrated edition, published in Sweden. I have, according to your wish, written on the subject to Mr. Albert Bonnier, and have advised that your English translation with illustrations should be brought out at the same time as the new Swedish edition.”

12 Had there been an international copyright law, such an unscrupulous procedure as this would have been impossible. It is not creditable to the U. S. that an author of such high rank as Prof. Topelius, whose “Surgeon’s Stories”, styled “a masterpiece” by Edmund W. Gosse, after being published in an authorized edition in Denmark and in Germany, the author always receiving his share of the profits, these about to be published in an illustrated Swedish edition of 15,000 copies, should be brought out in the U. S. in a base, anonymous edition, for the reason that the American publishers had paid the translator a pittance and were determined not to pay the author anything. And now I must respectfully beg all who have ever enjoyed the perusal of my many translations from the Swedish, to wait for the publication of this authentic, authorized, splendidly illustrated edition of “The Surgeon’s Stories”, which I will ere long place before them.

Marie A. Brown.