, immediately in front of the pew in which Burke and
his family always sat.
POEMS BY S. G. GOODRICH[8]
For the last twenty years the name of Mr. Goodrich has been very
constantly associated with American literature. He commenced as a
publisher, in Boston, and was among the first to encourage by liberal
copyrights, and to make attractive by elegant editions, the works of
American authors. One of his earliest undertakings was a collection of
the novels of Charles Brockden Brown, with a memoir of that author, by
his widow, with whom he shared the profits. In 1828 he began "The
Token," an annual literary souvenir, which he edited and published
fourteen years. In this appeared the first fruits of the genius of
Cheney, who has long been acknowledged the master of American engravers;
and the first poems and prose writings of Longfellow, Willis, Mellen,
Mrs. Osgood, Mrs. Child, Mrs. Sigourney, and other eminent authors. In
"The Token" also were printed his own earlier lyrical pieces. The work
was of the first rank in its class, and in England as well as in this
country it was uniformly praised.
In 1831 an anonymous romance was published by Marsh & Capen, of Boston.
It was attributed by some to Willis, and by others to Mrs. Child, then
Miss Francis. It illustrated a fine and peculiar genius, but was soon
forgotten. Mr. Goodrich appreciated its merits, and applied to the
publishers for the name of the author, that he might engage him as a
contributor to "The Token." They declined to disclose his secret, but
offered to forward a letter to him. Mr. Goodrich wrote one, and received
an answer signed by NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, many of whose best productions,
as "Sights from a Steeple," "Sketches under an Umbrella," "The Prophetic
Pictures," "Canterbury Pilgrims," &c., appeared in this annual. In 1839,
Mr. Goodrich suggested to Mr. Hawthorne the publication of a collection
of his tales, surrendering his copyrights to several of them for this
purpose; but so little were the extraordinary qualities of this
admirable author then understood, that the publishers would not venture
upon such an experiment without an assurance against loss, which Mr.
Goodrich, as his friend, therefore gave. The public judgment will be
entitled to little respect, if the copyright of the works of Hawthorne
be not hereafter a most ample fortune.
Mr. Goodrich soon abandoned the business of publishing, and, though
still editing "The Token," devoted his
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