Letter from Elizabeth Appleton to Henry Colburn, undated, 1814-1816

By: Tara Solem

Introduction 

The letter sent by Elizabeth Appleton is dated August 11, year unknown, from the address “Half Moon St.”. The recipient of the letter is Henry Colburn, a British publisher. In the letter, Appleton is reminding Colburn of her visit to London. Appleton attempts to arrange a meeting with Colburn to discuss work. She indicates that if Colburn happens to decline “the work”, then she will “apply to Longman,” another leading British publisher. Appleton then reveals that the work she wishes to discuss involves “a book”, that of which she is awaiting Colburn to either “reject or desire”.

Description

The letter is written on two sheets of paper and folded into an envelope that appears to have been sealed with wax. Because the letter does not appear to have a postal stamp, and both the writer’s and recipient’s addresses are located in London, it is very likely that this letter was hand-delivered. The letter is written with consistent brown ink and the writer leaves plenty of blank spaces. The text is separated into two paragraphs. The writer also uses plenty of line spacing to divide the address and date from the greeting, as well as three-line spaces to close the letter.

Notable Features

The letter contains at least one error in the first line of the second paragraph where Appleton omits the word “to” before the word repeat.

Analysis

In the letter, it appears that Appleton is requesting that Henry Colburn consider her book for publication. In the opening of the letter, Appleton politely reminds Colburn of her stay in London. Therefore, it is likely that prior communication occurred between Appleton and Colburn. In the first line, Appleton indicates that she does “not wish to hurry” Colburn, but as the letter progresses, she slowly reveals her eagerness to “settle the matter”. As well, the omission of the word “to” may suggest that Appleton was rushing to write the letter, perhaps signifying her eagerness to have her book published.

Since Elizabeth Appleton signs off the letter by her maiden name, Appleton, then it is likely that this letter would have been written prior to her marriage in 1825 when her surname changed to Lachlan. Two of Elizabeth Appleton’s books were published by Henry Colburn – Private education; or, A practical plan for the studies of young ladies, published in 1815, and Edgar: a national tale, published in 1816. It is possible that Appleton was writing this letter as a request to Colburn regarding the publication of either one of these books. Therefore, it appears that the letter was written on August 11 sometime between 1814-1816.

Various aspects of this letter signify that the communication between Appleton and Colburn is for business purposes. Since the letter appears to have been sealed, then it is likely that Appleton wished to keep the communication between herself and Colburn a professional and private matter. Appleton mentions that she thinks these sorts of arrangements made by letter” are “very tedious and un-satisfactory”, perhaps suggesting that she would prefer to meet in person to discuss the matter.

Appleton may also reveal a sense of confidence in her work, as she suggests that if Colburn does not wish to publish her book, then she will “have equal pleasure in subscribing” herself. Based on the address used in the letter, “Half Moon St.”, we can gather that Appleton lived in a wealthy neighborhood in London. Half Moon Street is located in the city of Westminster, which was, and continues to be considered a high-end area in London. The address perhaps indicates that Elizabeth Appleton came from a rather affluent family. Therefore, the likelihood of Appleton’s high-class status and education may suggest that she is rather self-assured and believes her work is worthy of publication.