The title, it seemed, was not explicit enough, and after debate they substituted "Modern Painters: their Superiority in the Art of Landscape Painting to all the Ancient Masters proved by Examples of the True, the Beautiful, and the Intellectual, from the Works of Modern Artists, especially from those of J.M.W.Turner, Esq., R.A." And as the severe tone of many remarks was felt to be hardly supported by the age and standing of so young an author, he was content to sign himself "A Graduate of Oxford." The book was spoken of, but no part of the copy shown, to John Murray, who said he would prefer something about German art.

It found immediate acceptance with Messrs.

Smith and Elder.

Young Ruskin had been doing business for seven years past with that firm; he was well known to them as one of the most "rising" youths of the time, and their own literary editor, Mr.Harrison, was his private Mentor, who revised his proofs and inserted the punctuation, which he usually indicated only by dashes.

His dealings with the publishers were generally conducted through his father, who made very fair terms for him, as things went then.
In May, 1843, "Modern Painters," vol.i., was published, and it was soon the talk of the art-world.