The Project Gutenberg EBook of Better Dead, by J. M. Barrie

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Title: Better Dead

Author: J. M. Barrie

Release Date: March 13, 2007 [EBook #20807]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTER DEAD ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: Photograph of J. M. Barrie]

THE NOVELS, TALES AND SKETCHES OF J. M. BARRIE

BETTER DEAD

[Transcriber's note: This volume from which this e-book was created
contained originally the two books, "Auld Licht Idylls" and "Better
Dead." The Introduction (below) discusses both books.]

PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK BY

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

1896

AUTHOR'S EDITION

Copyright, 1896, by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS.

TO

FREDERICK GREENWOOD

INTRODUCTION

This is the only American edition of my books produced with my
sanction, and I have special reasons for thanking Messrs. Scribner for
its publication; they let it be seen, by this edition, what are my
books, for I know not how many volumes purporting to be by me, are in
circulation in America which are no books of mine. I have seen several
of these, bearing such titles as "Two of Them," "An Auld Licht Manse,"
"A Tillyloss Scandal," and some of them announce themselves as author's
editions, or published by arrangement with the author. They consist of
scraps collected and published without my knowledge, and I entirely
disown them. I have written no books save those that appear in this
edition.

I am asked to write a few lines on the front page of each of these
volumes, to say something, as I take it, about how they came into
being. Well, they were written mainly to please one woman who is now
dead, but as I am writing a little book about my mother I shall say no
more of her here.

Many of the chapters in "Auld Licht Idylls" first appeared in a
different form in the _St. James's Gazette_, and there is little doubt
that they would never have appeared anywhere but for the encouragement
given to me by the editor of that paper. It was pressure from him that
induced me to write a second "Idyll" and a third after I thought the
first completed the picture, h