Note 12 to Chapter 3 of the author's Pegasus in Harness: Victorian Publishing and W. M. Thackeray, which University Press of Virginia published in 1992. It has been included in the Victorian Web with the kind permission of the author, who of course retains copyright.
Four-sevenths is slightly less than three-fifths, but the original agreement for The Virginians had been for £50 per number more. If that were extrapolated for twenty-four months, it would have meant a total of £7,200, which would have been a 5-to-8 ratio. In any case, the precedent set with the Miscellanies seems to have helped increase Thackeray's share for The Virginians over what it had been for earlier parts-issued books.
Last modified: 4 April 2001