The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb, vol 5 | Page 2

not intend to overrule the authority of those cases where a deceased man's representatives have been held entitled to restrain the publication of his private letters by the recipients or persons claiming through them. The Court expressly affirmed the common law right of the writer and his representatives in unpublished letters. It did not follow that because the copyright, if there was publication, would be in the person who, being proprietor of the author's manuscript, first published, that that person would be entitled to publish. The common law right would be available to enable the legal personal representatives, under proper circumstances, to restrain publication." That is how the copyright law as regards letters stands to-day (1912).
The present edition has been revised throughout and in it will be found much new material. I have retained from the large edition only such notes as bear upon the Lambs and the place of the letters in their life, together with such explanatory references as seemed indispensable. For the sources of quotations and so forth the reader must consult the old edition.
For permission to include certain new letters I have to thank the Master of Magdalene, Mr. Ernest Betham, Major Butterworth, Mr. Bertram Dobell, Mr. G. Dunlop, and Mr. E. D. North of New York.
As an example of other difficulties of editing, at any given time, the correspondence of Charles and Mary Lamb, I may say that while these volumes were going through the press, Messrs. Sotheby offered for sale new letters by both hands, the existence of which was unknown equally to English editors and to Boston Bibliophiles. The most remarkable of them is a joint letter from sister and brother to Louisa Martin, their child-friend (to whom Lamb wrote the verses "The Ape"), dated March 28, 1809. Mary begins, and Charles then takes the pen and becomes mischievous. Thus, "Hazlitt's child died of swallowing a bag of white paint, which the poor little innocent thing mistook for sugar candy. It told its mother just before it died, that it did not like soft sugar candy, and so it came out, which was not before suspected. When it was opened several other things were found in it, particularly a small hearth brush, two golden pippins, and a letter which I had written to Hazlitt from Bath. The letter had nothing remarkable in it." ... The others are from brother and sister to Miss Kelly, the actress, whom Lamb, in 1819, wished to marry. The first, March 27, 1820, is from Mary Lamb saying that she has taken to French as a recreation and has been reading Racine. The second is from Lamb, dated July 6, 1825, thanking Miss Kelly for tickets at Arnold's theatre, the Lyceum, and predicting the success of his farce "The Pawnbroker's Daughter." How many more new letters are still to come to light, who shall say?
In Mr. Bedford's design for the cover of this edition certain Elian symbolism will be found. The upper coat of arms is that of Christ's Hospital, where Lamb was at school; the lower is that of the Inner Temple, where he was born and spent many years. The figures at the bells are those which once stood out from the fa?ade of St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet Street, and are now in Lord Londesborough's garden in Regent's Park. Lamb shed tears when they were removed. The tricksy sprite and the candles (brought by Betty) need no explanatory words of mine.
E. V. L.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME V
LETTERS BY NUMBER
1796.
1 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge May 27 From the original in the possession of Mrs. Alfred Morrison.
2 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge End of May? From the original (Morrison Collection).
3 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge June 10 From the original (Morrison Collection).
4 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge June 13 Mr. Hazlitt's text (Bohn's edition).
5 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge July 1 From the original (Morrison Collection).
6 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge July 5 From the facsimile of the original (Mr. E. H. Coleridge).
7 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge July 6 From the original (Morrison Collection).
8 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge Sept. 27 From the original (Morrison Collection).
9 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge Oct. 3 From the original (Morrison Collection).
10 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge Oct. 17 From the original (Morrison Collection).
11 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge Oct. 24 Mr. Hazlitt's text (Bohn).
12 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge Oct. 28 Mr. Hazlitt's text (Bohn).
13 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge Nov. 8 Mr. Hazlitt's text (Bohn).
14 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge Nov. 14 Mr. Hazlitt's text (Bohn) with alterations.
15 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge Dec. 2 From the original (Morrison Collection).
16 Charles Lamb to S. T. Coleridge Dec. 5 From the original (Morrison Collection).
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