Charles W. Chesnutt to Herbert Small, 6 November 1899
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Chesnutt
64 Brenton St.,
Cleveland, O.,
Nov. 6, 1899
My dear Mr. Small,
Replying to yours of October 18th, which the I had to read have prevented me from answering sooner, I am glad you liked the photograph,1 and am pleased with what you say about the sale of the Beacon Biographies; I hope my number will not lag very far behind the rest.2
I note with much interest what you say about essays on various points in the life and literature of the colored people, and I accept the suggestion in the spirit in which it is offered, as a personal
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and friendly one, though it certainly is none the less valuable coming from a publisher. I have often thought of the matter and may take it up in the future, when my books get well started.
I see my name prominently displayed in your advertisements, which is very gratifying. Mr. Howe has paid me some compliment on the Douglass, which I hope the reading public may ratify.3
I think that with writing and platform reading I can occupy my time pleasantly and profitably, and thank you for your
confidence and good wishes in that behalf.
Correspondent: Herbert Small (1869–1903) worked as a reporter for the Boston Herald, for Curtis and Cameron preparing handbooks for the Boston Library and the Library of Congress, and in 1897 founded with Laurens Maynard the Boston publishing firm Small, Maynard & Co. One of the firm's earliest publications was Calamus: A Series of Letters Written Duing the Years 1868–1880 by Walt Whitman to a Young Friend. In 1900, Small stepped down from the business.
1. This is almost certainly a photograph of Frederick Douglass. With help from Douglass's son Lewis, Chesnutt procured the photo used for a frontispiece in the biography from Kent Photographer, State Street, Rochester, New York.[back]
2. Chesnutt's biography of Douglass, titled Frederick Douglass, appeared in the Beacon Series of Biographies of Eminent Americans (Boston: Small, Maynard, 1899). It was the first biography of Douglass after Douglass's death, and the first written by an African American.[back]
3. M. A. (Mark Antony) De Wolfe Howe (1864–1960) was a biographer, editor, historian, and poet. He held editorial positions on the Youth's Companion (1888-1893, 1899-1913), Atlantic Monthly (1893-1895), Harvard Alumni Bulletin (1913-1919), and Harvard Graduates' Magazine (1917-1918). Chesnutt's Life of Frederick Douglass was published in the series of Beacon Biographies of Eminent Americans, edited by Howe.[back]
