[1]September 18, 1902,My dear Mr. Muir,By the request of Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin and Company I take pleasure in sending you by express today the advance sheets of Volumes XIII. and XIV. of Sargent\u27s Silva of North America. I am under the strong impression that you were good enough to promise some years ago to review this work for the Atlantic whenever it should be completed. As the thirteenth volume, and the Supplement and Index, making Volume XIV., are now so nearly ready for publication, we wish to express the earnest hope that you may find time within the next few weeks to write a review of the Silva for the magazine. I need not say that no one could do it so acceptably to[03054][2]the readers of the Atlantic. Professor Sargent, as you may be interested to know, called at the office the other day, and expressed, as he has repeatedly on former occasions, his strong desire that you might undertake this task. Will you not do so ? I should like to take advantage of this opportunity to suggest another matter, which I must ask you to treat for the present as a matter of confidence. We are thinking of issuing during 1903 a California number of the Atlantic Monthly in which every article shall be written by a Californian. It is really surprising to see what a strong list of Atlantic writers we have upon the Pacific coast, and I feel sure that such a number will be of interest to our readers throughout the Union as indicating the literary activity of a single section pf the country. But it goes without saying that a California number of the Atlantic which did not contain a contribution [3]from you would be very unsatisfactory to us and to all of our readers. Have you not something in mind in addition to the review of the Silva which you can place in our hands during the coming winter ? Pray do your best to oblige us in this matter out of state pride as well as your old willingness to be of service to the magazine.It is a matter of constant regret to me that during a very brief visit to San-Francisco last spring I could not avail myself of that opportunity to call upon you. I hope to be in California again sometime and shall look forward to the pleasure of making your acquaintance if I may be allowed to do so.Very truly yours, [illegible]John Muir, Esq. [03054
