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HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY 4 PARK STREET BOSTON May 14, 1909. John Muir, Esq., Martinez, California. Dear Mr. Muir:
We have heard indirectly that when you saw for the first time, the other day in San Francisco, a copy of the volume which
we have recently published under the title In American Fields and Forests , and which contains two selections from your Our
National Parks , you were surprised that we had said nothing to you about it, and we wish to explain why we did not communicate
with you in advance. The book was put together very hastily in the hope of securing an order for it from one of the Western
reading circles, and it was very doubtful at the time whether anything would come of it. Pending the result of our campaign
in that direction, we issued a small edition through the trade, but did not look for much sale in that channel, and we thought
it better, therefore, not to write you about the undertaking until we could say something at once definite and pleasing with
regard to it. We are happy now to say that we have succeeded in securing the adoption by the reading circle aforesaid, and
that the trade edition has also received a more friendly reception than we had anticipated, and when we render you our next
semi-annual royalty account for Our National Parks , we shall include also an accounting for the use of your two chapters
in this new volume; for we have proposed from the start to pay you and the other writers from whom we have taken excerpts
a proper price for the use of your and their material. This is one of those cases, which occur from time to time, where we
are able to get a by-product, 04570