Letter from William Creech, Edinburgh, to Thomas Cadell, 1784 November 9 : autograph manuscript signed.

Concerning Dr. Blair's most recent publication and Murray's abridgement of it; saying "I have since spoken to Dr. Blair respecting the octavo Edition and he is still partial to the 3 Vols. - I shall yield my opinion to yours and Mr. Strahans. Dr. Blair is to write you himself. - It must not be made too dear on account of Murrays scandalous abridgement. - By the way cannot he be prosecuted for this. - If such things are allowed what is literary property? There is no Book almost but what may be abridged, and how can Booksellers afford to give money to Authors?;" discussing the price to be set for a book on mathematics, a letter from Dr. Ferguson demanding £500 and a new edition he had just printed of Ferguson's "Institutes of Moral Philosophy"; asking his opinion of printing a one volume edition of Dr. Beattie's Dissertation on Language [part of "Dissertations : Moral and Critical, 1783] as a school book.