Dear Mr Murray: Letters to a Gentleman Publisher

Attractively arranged, given ample context, and a diverting read
An entertaining picture of the day-to-day dealings between author and publisher over 250 years
Few if any names in publishing are as revered as John Murray . . . This book, compiled to celebrate the company's 250th anniversary is just a small sampling of that treasure trove . . . Whether angry, apologetic, wheedling or rude, the fondness and regard in which the Murrays were held by their correspondents shines through
Writers writing about books has always made for compelling reading. Writers writing about their own books in private correspondence to their publisher tends to produce a particular kind of letter. There is passion, conviction, fluency, doubt, deference, sometimes frustration and anger, maybe even gratitude. The letters in Dear Mr Murray . . . show these qualities and more . . . this collection brings [Murray's] salad days inexorably to life
As well as allowing us glimpses behind the public faces of some exalted authors, McClay has paid tribute here to a remarkable line whose shared name became synonymous with a sense of responsibility to their company, their authors and literature itself