Identity area
Reference code
ALL/11/211
Title
Letter from William Blackwood to Herbert Allingham
Date(s)
- 20-Apr-22 (Creation)
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Item
Extent and medium
2 pieces, Typescript document
Context area
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(1867-1936)
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Scope and content
Headed notepaper: Answers, The Amalgamated Press Ltd., The Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London EC4. Signed.
'Many thanks for your long letter. I do not suppose that anything I can say will convince you that every word of Mr. Gowing’s new story is his own, and that every idea in it comes from his own brain, but the fact remains. Mr Sidney Gowing started to write this story fully a year ago, and he has never had one word from me in the way of suggestion as to plot, character or anything else.
Your suggestion that 'You fished out my plot and passed it over to Mr Gowing' is perfectly absurd. Now let me be absolutely candid with you; when I first wrote to you I could not for the life of me recall what your story was, nor one single character or feature in it. Your letter this morning, however, brings your plot to my mind, and I certainly recollect that one of your central characters became an imposter and impersonated the heir of a great estate who had been drowned at sea. This, of course, is not an original brain-wave of yours; it has been made the theme of innumerable stories, and Mr Victor Bridges, many years ago, produced a remarkable story almost on these lines.
I must say I agree with you that the curtains of your opening instalment and of Mr Gowing's first instalment in ANSWERS are very alike: this, of course, is a pure coincidence as it is the natural curtain to which any author would lead up when dealing with such a plot.
I am very much amused with your further suggetsion that I used an idea of yours in a poster 'The Man who Knew'. As a matter of fact, the suggestion for this poster came from Sir George Sutton himself, and I had practically nothing to do with it at all, so that again, you see, the theory you have built up falls to the ground.
I am sending the correspondence on to Mr Gowing, and if it will be of any interest to you I will send you copies of his replies; I expect, however, that his letteres will be as direct and pointed as yours have been to me.'
'Many thanks for your long letter. I do not suppose that anything I can say will convince you that every word of Mr. Gowing’s new story is his own, and that every idea in it comes from his own brain, but the fact remains. Mr Sidney Gowing started to write this story fully a year ago, and he has never had one word from me in the way of suggestion as to plot, character or anything else.
Your suggestion that 'You fished out my plot and passed it over to Mr Gowing' is perfectly absurd. Now let me be absolutely candid with you; when I first wrote to you I could not for the life of me recall what your story was, nor one single character or feature in it. Your letter this morning, however, brings your plot to my mind, and I certainly recollect that one of your central characters became an imposter and impersonated the heir of a great estate who had been drowned at sea. This, of course, is not an original brain-wave of yours; it has been made the theme of innumerable stories, and Mr Victor Bridges, many years ago, produced a remarkable story almost on these lines.
I must say I agree with you that the curtains of your opening instalment and of Mr Gowing's first instalment in ANSWERS are very alike: this, of course, is a pure coincidence as it is the natural curtain to which any author would lead up when dealing with such a plot.
I am very much amused with your further suggetsion that I used an idea of yours in a poster 'The Man who Knew'. As a matter of fact, the suggestion for this poster came from Sir George Sutton himself, and I had practically nothing to do with it at all, so that again, you see, the theory you have built up falls to the ground.
I am sending the correspondence on to Mr Gowing, and if it will be of any interest to you I will send you copies of his replies; I expect, however, that his letteres will be as direct and pointed as yours have been to me.'
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Status: Open