William Dean Howells to Scharmel Iris, January 24, 1914

My dear sir:

I am very full of work, but I should like to write an introduction to your poems if I like the poems on reading them, but <though> I should first have to get permission from Messrs. Harper and Brothers, who have the right to all my productions, and who are always very reluctant to grant the use of my name outside of their own publications. Under the circumstances, it seems to me that the best thing is for you to let your friendly Chicago publisher bring out your poems on the ten [percent] basis; then if you could send me an early copy of the sheets I might be able to give you a notice, which would be useful to you, but only of course, on condition that I liked your work.

Yours very truly,

W. D. Howells. [signed]