"the isle of palms." 113 



After sundry delays from want of paper or other causes, the vol- 

 ume duly appeared on the 20th of February, 1812, entitled, TJie 

 Isle of Palms, and other Poems, by John Wilson. The potent 

 name of Longman, whose catalogue could work such wonders, 

 came first, followed by those of Ballantyne and Co., Edinburgh, 

 and John Smith and Son, Glasgow. It was affectionately dedi- 

 cated to the author's old teachers, Professors Jardine and Young. 

 How the work was received may be gathered from his own letters. 

 Poets are seldom entirely satisfied with the reception of their 

 woi-ks. The author of the . Isle of Palms had no great reason to 

 complain, and he did not do so. At any rate, any dissatisfaction 

 he felt, as will be seen, took the very practical form of urging all 

 legitimate means for promoting the sale of the work. 



TO MR. SMITH. 



"53 Queen Street, 1st April, 1812. 

 A day consecrated to Poets. 



" My long-delayed visit to Glasgow has been entirely put a stop 

 to by the miserable weather and other causes, till I find that it will 

 not be in my power to make it out at all for nearly two months to 

 come. Mrs. Wilson is in that ^tate now that I could not comfort- 

 ably leave her, and therefore it will not be in my power to see you 

 till the time I mention. 



" From your last letter it would appear that the Isle of Palms 

 has hitherto been tolerably successful. In Edinburgh it is much 

 read, praised, etc., but I question if the sale of it has been very 

 great. A less enterprising set of men than Edinburgh booksellers 

 I never had the misfortune to meet with. 



" From what you told me, I doubt not that Longman will adver- 

 tise it properly. I have certainly seen it occasionally in several 

 papers, but not so often as many other volumes of far less moment 

 (poetical) ; and almost all the booksellers I have spoken to here 

 agree in stating, that the London advertising is very dull and insuf- 

 ficient. I mention this as I hear it, without supposing for an instant 

 that any thing will be wanting on your part to forward the sale of 

 the volume. It seems evident to me that some steps should be 

 taken to make the volume known better than it is, and first of all 

 by inserting occasional extracts in newspapers. I shall take care 

 to do something in the Edinburgh and London papers. But what 



