ALS in pencil and red ink, signed twice “Edison” (once in ink, once in pencil) and “E” in pencil, one page both sides, 8.5 x 11, Edison Laboratory, Orange, New Jersey letterhead, no date [1898?]. Edison’s working draft of a letter relating to foreign royalties on the phonograph, written as three separate messages on the same sheet. In full: “Under my contract with Gouraud [George Gouraud, Edison’s agent in Britain] I get 15 pct. royalty on instrument and 15 pct. on supplies and as the 1000 machines require about $10 worth of supplies per year during the 14 years the patents run—I demand the 15 pct. on the instrument & 15 pct. on the supplies over this period—this will even things up. Edison.” The second portion continues: “In addition I find that I have expended for things relating to exhibition of pharogh [sic] in Europe at Exposition & experts travelling only chargable [sic] to phonograph solely sixteen thousand dollars. I want this returned to me if Gouraud is to have the 1000 machines. Edison.” As a final thought, Edison adds: “How about profits on exhibition of machine—E.” Edison received the initial patent for his epochal “talking machine” in 1878. As the invention spread around the world like wildfire, Edison was forced to undertake what would snowball into decades of complex litigation, much of it involving issues of patent infringement (including the manufacture of records) and royalties. Edison’s allusion to “exhibition ... in Europe at Exposition” evidently relates to the Paris Exposition of 1889, the same venue where Edison had won the Grand Prize a decade earlier, and where the phonograph was again on prominent display—this time, with the inventor himself in attendance. Partial separations to mailing folds (touching a few words), losses to blank corners, a few edge tears, scattered stray ink marks, and blots to a few words, otherwise good condition. The text is fully legible throughout. Auction LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
