Correspondence, Journals, and Memoirs:

Letter from Longman & Co to Allison & Sidney.
30 Dec 1820.
We wish you had sent us a copy of Ruling Passion. If we are not mistaken it is a translation either from the French or Italian. We have no objection to publish the work for you on the usual terms we do such matters—to account for the books we may sell at the Trade Sale price & charge a commission of 10 P Cent on the sales, you paying all the expenses of Advertising, freight, &c. // Have you not been too sanguine of its sale having printed 2000 copies?
Source: Longman Archives, Longman I, 101, no. 70.
Notes: Philip Francis Sidney is the acknowledged author or editor of The Ruling Passion; it is likely that Allison & Sidney are ‘the Proprietors of the Hull Packet’, for whom the novel is printed.

Ledger Entries:

Commission Ledger Entry, Longman & Co.
8 Jan 1821. Longman & Co took 250 copies.
8 Jan 1821. To freight: 1. 0. 10.
[May] 1821. To advertising: 4. 13. 6.
June 1824. By this date, the 250 copies had been sold as follows: 228 sold to T Mason on 9 June 1824, at 0. 1. 0 each, for a total of 11. 8. 0; 19 sold at 0. 14. 9 each, for a total of 14. 0. 3; 3 sold at 0. 1. 0 each, for a total of 0. 3. 0. Total sum from the sale of these 250 copies: 25. 11. 3.
11 Oct 1824. To acceptance [of bill] at 3 mos from 1 Sept: 15. 14. 3.
Source: Commission Ledger Entry 3C, p. 116.
Notes: Written on top right corner of ledger entry: ‘Allanson & Sidney Hull any balance to be paid only to Mr Allanson’. Name is given as ‘Allison’ in letter of 30 Dec 1820 (see above). A commission and duty were deducted from revenues from trade sales.

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