Mr Emerson has showed me your note to him and says that he thinks you must have misunderstood him. If you will inform me how large an edition you contemplated, and what will be the whole or outside of the expense—(The book is about the size of one vol of Emerson’s essays)—I will consider whether I will pay one half the same (or whatever of my part one half the profits has failed to pay)—at the end of six months after the day of publication, if that is agreeable to you. This arrangement to affect only one edition. The MSS is quite ready and is now in New York.

  Please answer this as soon as convenient.

Yours &c.
Henry D. Thoreau

PS. I should have said above—that I decline your proposition as it now stands.