Wilson, Douglas L., ed.; Davis, Rodney O., ed.; Ellis, Abner Y. 'Abner Y. Ellis to William H. Herndon' in 'Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements About Abraham Lincoln' . Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998. [format: book], [genre: letter]. Permission: University of Illinois Press
Persistent link to this document: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/file.php?file=herndon513.html

402. Abner Y. Ellis to William H. Herndon ^[1].

Moro, Ill 11th Decr 1866

Yours o[f ] Yestarday is recvd an[d] Conten[ts] Noticed

It is allmost [**/***] remember the [**/***] Lincoln — Bu[?] they [were?] Plays Mostly

Viz
Lady of Lyons by Bullyer
Mob Caps by Mrs C. L. Henty
Vilage Stranger a Play
Illustrious Stranger also a play
The Wept of the Wish Ton Wish ^[2]
Not Know Whether he read them Though I Think he May has done

as to his own Books [I never?] Knew of his having any Excep [*?] Law Books

And as to What he [*?] read I Cant say for Certin [*?] I think He Said he had r[ead] George Balcom ^[3] (a Novel) I [*/**] and He & I was Taking about s[ome] passages in it.

And I am almost ce[rtin] He read Tom Pains. Common Sen[se] and Volneys Ruins ^[4]

I Never Knew of h[is] Borrowing any Books & I do not th[ink] He Card Much for those he had of Mine. He Had also read Some Poetry [per]haps conciderable of Burns Poem[s] [I]s their Such a Book as Gilblass, ^[5] I think he Used to quote Some from it I Never Saw it