Letters of Edward FitzGerald, in Two Volumes. Vol. 1FitzGerald, Edward
General
Letters of Edward FitzGerald, in Two Volumes. Vol. 1
FitzGerald, Edward
Authors, English -- 19th century -- Correspondence; FitzGerald, Edward, 1809-1883 -- Correspondence
If ever you live in England you must live here at Bath. It really is a
splendid City in a lovely, even a noble, Country. Did you ever see it?
One beautiful feature in the place is the quantity of Garden and Orchard
it is all through embroidered with. Then the Streets, when you go into
them, are as handsome and gay as London, gayer and handsomer because
cleaner and in a clearer Atmosphere; and if you want the Country you get
into it (and a very fine Country) on all sides and directly. Then there
is such Choice of Houses, Cheap as well as Dear, of all sizes, with good
Markets, Railways, etc. I am not sure I shall not come here for part of
the Winter. It is a place you would like, I am sure: though I do not say
but you are better in Florence. Then on the top of the hill is old
Vathek's Tower, which he used to sit and read in daily, and from which he
could see his own Fonthill, while it stood. Old Landor quoted to me
'Nullus in orbe locus, etc.,' apropos of Bath: he, you may know, has
lived here for years, and I should think would die here, though not yet.
He seems so strong that he may rival old Rogers; of whom indeed one
Newspaper gave what is called an 'Alarming Report of Mr. Rogers' Health'
the other day, but another contradicted it directly and indignantly, and
declared the Venerable Poet never was better. Landor has some hundred
and fifty Pictures; each of which he thinks the finest specimen of the
finest Master, and has a long story about, how he got it, when, etc. I
dare say some are very good: but also some very bad. He appeared to me
to judge of them as he does of Books and Men; with a most uncompromising
perversity which the Phrenologists must explain to us after his Death.
By the bye, about your Book, which of course you wish me to say something
about. Parker sent me down a copy 'from the Author' for which I hereby
thank you. If you believe my word, you already know my Estimation of so
much that is in it: you have already guessed that I should have made a
different selection from the great Volume which is now in Tatters. As I
differ in Taste from the world, however, quite as much as from you, I do
not know but you have done very much better in choosing as you have; the
few people I have seen are very much pleased with it, the Cowells at
Oxford delighted. A Bookseller there sold all his Copies the first day
they came down: and even in Bath a Bookseller (and not one of the
Principal) told me a fortnight ago he had sold some twenty Copies. I
have not been in Town since it came out: and have now so little
correspondence with literati I can't tell you about them. There was a
very unfair Review in the Athenaeum; which is the only Literary Paper I
see: but I am told there are laudatory ones in Examiner and Spectator.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Letters of Edward FitzGerald, in Two Volumes. Vol. 1 — John Shaqi
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