Contract between Thomas Bluck and William Hone, 31 January, 1814

An Agreement made this Thirty first of January One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fourteen Between Thomas Bluck of No. 2 Paternoster Row Printer and William Hone of No. 15 Hatfield Street, Blackfriars Road as follows—²

Thomas Bluck having become the Proprietor of the Critical Review agrees to pay William Hone Seventy five Pounds Twelve Shillings per Annum for editing or managing the Literary Concerns of the said Work, and further agrees that when the Review shall arrive to a Sale of One Thousand Copies of a Number per Month that the said William Hone shall then be a Partner in the said Review and receive a portion of the profits thereof to the amount of One Twelfth of the whole Proprietorship Copyright and Profits in the said Review and shall from thenceforward be and remain a Partner with a Twelfth Share and Interest therein accordingly — And in consideration of such Sum of £75..12..0 per Annum to be paid by Monthly payments of Six Guineas the first day of every Month and also of being entitled to such Twelfth Share in the Critical Review as soon as its Sale shall be One Thousand Copies of a Number the said William Hone agrees to become the Editor of the said Critical Review accordingly.

And it is agreed that the Editorship shall be and remain as follows—

That the said William Hone shall have the sole and entire management of the Literary Department of the Review without any controul on the part of the said Thomas Bluck ^{as far as regarding the Literary Department} or any interference in the conduct of the Work — That the said William Hone shall determine upon the proper Works to be reviewed every Month, select the Writers or Authors to review the same, examine & correct the Manuscripts for Press on or before the Eighteenth day of each Month, except only the Critical Catalogue or short Review of Works of Minor Importance which shall be ready by the Twenty second of the Month — That he shall correct the Proofs of each Sheet to be sent to him for that purpose by the said Thomas Bluck and that the Proofs so sent for correction shall be clean Proofs & that the same shall be fetched from the said William Hone after a reasonable time has been allowed for correction thereof consistent with the other duties of the Editor — That the siad William Hone shall communicate with & write Notices of Correspondents, and furnish the sub-heads for the headline and that all communications with Authors or Correspondents whall be through the said William Hone only And these it is conceived & agreed on between the Parties to be the duties of the said William Hone as the Editor —

And it is further agreed that such articles as the said William Hone may write or review for the said Critical Review shall be paid for by the said Thomas Bluck to the said William Hone (independent of the said sum of £5..6..0 per Month for Editorship) in the same way as other articles of the same Class to other Writers in the said Review — And it is agreed that the siad William Hone shall make all bargains or agreements with the writers for the said Review and that the said Thomas Bluck shall cause all articles to be paid for at the rate or price agreed for by the said William Hone on the first day of the Month or day of publication of the Number wherein the articles appear and as it may happen that some Authors may choose to conceal their names a Writers in the Review, ^{it is agreed that} the production of an order of Authority to the said William Hone, in the hand writing of the article reviewed, for the said William Hone to receive the sum to be paid for such Review or Article, shall be a sufficient Voucher and Authority to the said Thomas Bluck for the payment of such Sum to the said William Hone, for the purpose of his paying the same over to the Author or Writer accordingly And which the said Thomas Bluck agrees and undertakes to pay to the said William Hone on his giving him his Receipt for the same an account of the Article received. And the said Thomas Bluck also agrees to furnish the said William Hone with such books for the purpose of the same being reviewed as he may require of the said Thomas Bluck within Forty Eight hours after the same shall be required by the said William Hone of the said Thomas Bluck and that such books as may be sent ^{by Authors or Publishers} for Review, or given shall be the Property or Perquisite of the said William Hone — And it is agreed between the Parties that if and when the said William Hone shall be entitled to a twelfth Share of Interest of and in the Copyright and Profits of the said Review he shall not be entitled to any Share or Interest in the back stack or previously published Numbers thereof but only in the future or thereafter to be published Numbers And further that if the said William Hone shall previous to such Work arriving at the Sale of One Thousand Numbers ^{of if he should after the same shall arrive at the Sale of One thousand Numbers} withdraw himself from or decline the Editorship or management thereof without the consent of the said Thomas Bluck then that the said William Hone shall not be entitled to such Twelfth Share or Interest or any other Share therein whatever.