MR. JAMES T. FIELDS
James Russell Lowell
MY DEAR FIELDS:
Dr. Johnson's sturdy self-respect led him to invent the Bookseller as a
substitute for the Patron. My relations with you have enabled me to
discover how pleasantly the Friend may replace the Bookseller. Let me
record my sense of many thoughtful services by associating your name
with a poem which owes its appearance in this form to your partiality.
Cordially yours,