MANUSCRIPT: Barrett. Ink. Unpublished.

This is the only letter ED is known to have written Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, whose editorial association with the Springfield Republican would account of the acquaintance, however slight. She may have written him to inquire about some new book in which she was interested. As correspondent for the paper, Sanborn wrote one column dealing with literary topics, another dealing with national politics.

The last sentence may be an allusion to her own writing.