1358
May 25th 1920
Dear Mr. Joyce
A copy of your novel was sent last week to the Leipzig firm, the
publishers of the Tauchnitz editions.[1] I gave directions that it should go
by
express registered post and so hope that it will arrive without much delay.
I do not think that The Egoist has any continental rights over
the book, but in any case, of course, we would not exercise them under
present conditions when the rate of exchange makes the price of English
books prohibitive to continental buyers. Many thanks for sending me the
first act of Esuli.[2] I
hope
that the complete book will be published later in volume form in Milan.
The two copies of Mr. Benco's article on Tarr which you
were
so kind as to send off have not yet reached me though I have written to my
assistant for them. Perhaps they have been delayed in the post.
Mr. Pinker sent me the agreement he had drawn up for
Ulysses. Perhaps you will allow the question of the price to
be
discussed later. English readers do not now expect to obtain a new novel
for 6/—: indeed the mind of the British public appears to be such
that the
higher the price of an article the greater the value attached to it. There
could perhaps be a Tauchnitz edition of this book also afterwards so that
your desire for a low priced book for the continent could be met.
I am sorry that Mr. Pound had to leave Venice hastily for the Lake
of Garda without seeing you. He had told me that he intended to go to
Trieste. I suppose that the Oxen of the Sun episode, now
being
typed you say, concludes the second part of Ulysses (the
Odyssy
[sic]) for I remember that you told me that the book would contain
seventeen episodes in all, three in the last part.[3]
I leave this address (my brother-in-law's) this week and go to my
aunts in Frodsham where I shall probably remain till I am able to get back
to London, about June 21st. Many thanks for your kind inquiries about my
aunt. The operation was successful; but in her case there were no
complications and it was therefore not so difficult as in yours — nor
was
the ordeal so dreadful, though bad enough. | With kind regards | yours
sincerely
