The Black Letters (book)

The Black Letters is the title of a book published in January 1817 by Titus Watkins. The volume supposedly contained Strange's Venetian letters, which were written from Jonathan Strange to Henry Woodhope in December of 1816 [58]. Woodhope, greatly concerned by the content of the letters, had taken them to Mr Norrell and discussed them with Norrell and Mr Lascelles at Norrell's home in Hanover-square [58].

The circumstances of the book's publication were highly controversial. It was rumoured that Mr Norrell, who was in conflict with Strange at the time, had paid the book's expenses [58]. Furthermore, Strange never gave permission for the publication of his letters, and their recipient Woodhope claimed that he likewise did not. Woodhope also maintained that the letters published in this book had been "altered and added to" in such a way as to cast a pall on Mr Strange's character [57].