Frontmatter
Introduction
Chapter One: The Man of Business
(In which an assessment of Thackeray's views on Writing and Business is attempted)
Chapter Two: The Literary Tradesman
(In which is traced Thackeray's descent from literary dilettante to literary hack and his ascent to literary tradesman)
- Breaking into Print
- Odious Magazinery
- Book Work
- Capitalizing on Apparent Success
- A Man of Experience
- The Climb to the Top
- Moonlighting
Chapter Three: The Writer as a Literary Property
(In which the tradesman extends his market and his wares)
- Chapman and Hall
- Bradbury and Evans
- An Interlude with Smith, Elder and Company
- Return to Bouverie Street
- The Final Move to Cornhill
Chapter Four: Working the Copyrights
(In which old wine is put into new wineskins)
- Copyrights and Contracts
- Reaping a Second Harvest: The English Reprints
- From Pirates to Partners: American Publishers
- The European Reprints and Translations
- The Works under George Smith
Chapter Five: Book Production
(In which the curtain rises upon the accountants and back shop)
- The Production House
- Vanity Fair: Production and Accounting
- The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond
- Pendennis
- Esmond in Three Volumes
- Esmond in One Volume
Chapter Six: The Artist and the Marketplace
(In which is debated whether the artist rules the market or the market rules the artist)
Chapter Seven: An Epilogue on Prefaces
(In which the speaker of, and the audiences for, the preface and the work are distinguished)
Last modified 25 November 2021