Autograph letter signed by illustrator Richard Doyle publishing letter

DOYLE, Richard (1824-1883). Autograph letter signed concerning the illustration and design of a book for Messrs Smith, Elder & Co. 17 Cambridge Terrace, Hyde Park, Monday, 5 o'clock, ND.
 
Single sheet, written on the first side only, 180 x 115 mm. Old folds, light mounting residue and an area of surface residue to the reverse; otherwise very good.
 
Doyle writes with detailed instructions concerning the preparation of an illustrated book for the publishers Messrs Smith, Elder & Co. He advises that a drawing referred to as "Jack", originally intended as the frontispiece, should instead be inserted at page 53, adding that he will prepare "a very small tailpiece in its stead for the end of the Book", requiring so little work that it could be engraved "in an hour or two." He also recommends moving another illustration to the following page and comments critically on the typography, observing that unexplained "gaps" in the letterpress "do not look well." 
 
An excellent working letter illustrating Doyle's close involvement with the layout of the book. Rather than merely supplying drawings, he discusses the positioning of illustrations within the text, the preparation of decorative tailpieces, the practicalities of wood engraving and even the appearance of the printed page itself. 
 
Smith, Elder & Co. were among Doyle's most important publishers, issuing several works illustrated by him, including John Ruskin's The King of the Golden River (1851), William Makepeace Thackeray's The Newcomes (1853-55), and Leigh Hunt's A Jar of Honey from Mount Hybla (1848). Although the precise publication discussed here has not been identified.