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 | MENCKEN ARCHIVE 1932-46550. H. L. MENCKEN Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956). American journalist, critic and essayist best remembered for his acerbic wit and sarcastic style; one of the most influential critics of the 20's and 30's. Superb collection of 21 letters, 22pp, consisting of four rare ALsS, 1930-35, and 17 TLsS "HLM," two as "H L Mencken," 1932-46, many with excellent content. Mencken's wit is evident even in his routine letters. On his embossed personal letterhead, 81/2"x51/2", to Mr. J. Edwin Murphy, a colleague at the Evening Sun, or his wife Julia. Most are accompanied with their original transmittal envelopes, five addressed in his holograph. ALsS sampling: Aug 4, 1930, Mencken refers to his wedding to Sara Haardt, who taught English at Goucher College and was a budding writer herself. Although Sara was already suffering with tuberculosis, their marriage happily endured until her death in 1935. He writes to Julia, "My very best thanks! I tremble a bit, but hope to make an heroic showing on the great day. You must come to see the bride as soon as we return. She is a grand gal - and an optimist!..." Aug 5, to Eddie, "My best thanks. Two truck-loads of the cellar are already moved, and I hope to get the rest off in a few days. We must christen it together!... " Mencken moved to his new home on Cathedral Street with his bride. It was the only other address he had during his years in Baltimore other than Hollins Street. Jun 1 & 5, 1935, he again writes to Julia. "I fear it is all hopeless. Poor Sara has made an extraordinarily gallant fight, but now it seems to be near the end. You were so kind to write to me. You must let me see you soon...Thanks for the lovely flowers. I am so rocky that I can't work, so I am thinking of going abroad for a few weeks. August, who is lately out of hospital, is going with me. It seems unendurable, but I suppose I must endure it..."
TLsS sampling: Aug 5, 1932, to Eddie. "How are you getting on? I hear about you at the office, but it would be pleasant to receive some direct news. I surely hope that the chiropractors are continuing humane, and that you are finding potable refreshments in Atlantic City. The last time I was there I had a dreadful time unearthing any, but after long struggles I finally discovered an eating house kept by an Irishman, and he had pretty good stuff. I am sweating here in this inferno trying to get some work done on a book. It is unfortunately making very heavy weather. Meanwhile, Knopf [publisher] is doing a small volume made up of my Chicago convention stuff and a few other such things..." Aug 12, 1932, to Eddie. "It is excellent news that you are getting on so well. Eat, sleep and loaf, and you'll come back as vigorous as a young convict...Sara and I hope to drop down to North Carolina next week" and then he goes on to NY for the annual meeting, which "is not likely to give me any noticeable pleasure. Perlman is giving me my choice between a box of Uncle Willie cigars and 2000 shares of the common stock of the United Railways. I think I'll take the cigars..." Sep 14, referring to the presidential election, the only time he backed FDR - not because he believed in the New Deal, but to rid the country of Prohibition. "...The Maine elections give me a great kick. I begin to believe seriously that it will be possible to beat Hoover. If so, it will be the first time that a sitting Republican has ever been knocked off without the aid of a civil a civil war in his own party. In brief, Herbert will be disgraced forever, which is certainly nothing to complain of..." Dec 22, 1933, "...Sara and I are planning to follow your footsteps in February, and hope to reach Jerusalem in time for the next battle between Arabs and Jews...." Apr 17, 1934. "...Sara and I returned in pretty good shape, though both of us lost weight. It took me a week to clear off my accumulated mail, but I have now done so and begin to contemplate another book. The trouble with authors is that they are incurable. They should be shot in infancy...H L Mencken." Following Sara's death, still at their home on Cathedral Street, the saddened Mencken writes, "Thanks very much for our card. Christmas was a horrible festival in this house, and I am glad that it is over. I had dinner with Gertrude and August, and then came back to my desk and tried to work. Rather curiously, I got something done, though not much..." Dec 22, 1937 to Mr. Earnest, "I enclose the press card properly signed. I find that during 1937 I used my card only twice; once it got me into the Bachelors' Cotillion, and the other time I went to a hanging in the State of West Virginia. Here's hoping that you are lucky in 1938. H. L. Mencken." He adds in his holograph an asterisk beside "Cotillion" and writes, "*I mean the colored one." Dec 24 to Julia, "...Christmas has become so dismal in this house that I pull down the blinds and cut off the telephone. The youngest child in the whole Mencken family is 23 years old. She ceased to believe in Santa Claus four or five years ago..." Dec 28, 1938. "...Maybe I'll be dropping down to see you before the Winter is over. My usual round of colds has not yet beset me, but I suppose it will be coming on soon. In all such matters I am an incurable pessimist..." Feb 5, 1943, in a lengthy letter to Eddie, Mencken writes in part, "I am distressed indeed to hear that you have been seedy. I can only add that I have been a low state myself all Winter...I assume that the flight of the years is mainly to blame. The chiropractors tell me that for an old dodo I am in relatively fair condition, but warn me that I must take things a bit easily..." He discusses a mutual friend and colleague John Owens, who has made a remarkable comeback from what was thought a fatal illness. "...He is smoking again and eating heartily and he told me that on the day before my visit he actually got somewhat tight." Regarding the newspaper union organization he writes, "The Guild...seems to be in a low state in Baltimore, but I judge by the Guild Reporter that it is in full blast elsewhere. It is now trying hard to organize the New York Sun, after which, according to the head men, it will tackle Chicago. I assume that it will be back in Baltimore...and that it will once more carry an election. The Labor Relations Board has taken to including all sorts of petty functionaries in the ranks of newspaper people. Thus the Guild gets enough votes to win and is assured of a solid bloc to support its bosses..." Apr 6, "...I only hope that Maxson's pills gave you a really sound sleep, and that you are now rested...My brother August and I have had a rocky time of it this Winter. He only lately came out of the hospital and is still somewhat weak, and I am suffering from the lingering fragments of a severe head infection. If only the wind would cease and the sun would come out in earnest we'd be cured...." Oct 25, "...Life moves slowly here in Baltimore. I am at work on a new book that will keep me jumping for at least a year..." Jan 22, 1945, to Julia, "That letter is curious indeed. Obviously, our Richmond friend is fishing for confidential information. I'd suggest telling him that you know nothing about such matters, and that he must apply to Paul Patterson, president of the A.S Abell Company [corporate owners of the Sun newspapers]...I have been plugging away all Winter at my book, and it is now approaching an end..." Oct 15, 1945, on pink letterhead, he writes to Julia referencing a benefit auction that will include his autograph, among a host of other items, "My best thanks. I had missed that advertisement [present]. I only hope the book brought as much as the roller skates and the brass incense holder. This stationery was made by a neighborhood printer, and he thinks it is swell. So do I..." Finally, on Jan 26, 1946, he writes, "God knows I envy you the sunshine of those Louisiana swamps. Here in Baltimore the weather has been dreadful since before Christmas. I had to go to New York early in the week, and while waiting for a train in the Union Station catacombs I almost froze to death...When are you returning to the Free State?..." All boldly signed. Fine.
A most revealing insight into the mind of the "Sage of Baltimore." Mencken suffered a debilitating stroke two years later in 1948 that left him unable to read or write, a tragic event that the prolific libertarian writer considered his premature death. A printed biography is included. MB: $2100
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 | 551. H. L. MENCKEN ISP [Ilse Hoffman], b/w, 73/4"x91/2" three-quarter-length seated portrait. Boldly signed and inscribed in brown ink, adding "with best regards..." Some brushing of ink; occasional minor bumps and wrinkles; else VG/Fine. MB: $150
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 | NERUDA ASSISTS NOTED SOCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER IN HIS SEARCH FOR "THE TRUTH"552. PABLO NERUDA (1904-1973). Chilean poet, diplomat, and politician who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. His literary tone of despair in earlier works evolved into one reflecting the socialist commitment of the government of Salvador Allende. TMsS in Spanish, 2pp, 81/2"x103/4", 1967. On tangerine stationery imprinted "Isla Negra Chile." Plus three contemporary copies of TLsS in type, 1p each, 1967. All on his imprinted stationery regarding American social photographic journalist Milton Rogovin (b. 1909). With translations. The TMsS begins, "I didn't know Milton Rogovin. His letter asked me for an odd piece of advice. He wanted to photograph the truth. I advised him to come to our far-off frontiers, to the archipelago, to Quemchi, to Chonchi, to the lethargic shores of the South of the Americas. He arrived quickly, busy, efficient: American...But he brought along something more than his paraphernalia. Patient and penetrating eyes. A heart open to light, to rain, to shadow..." Rogovin returned to America taking "along a bouquet of splendid images: the portrait of truth...Eyes static and dark, with buried sparks, with forgotten braziers, with a deep burning. Rogovin photographed silence. He left, intact, in their mystery, those insular interiors that reveal to us in simple objects, a transparent poetry...a photographer of poor blacks, of dark liturgy, of the humbled sons of the North, so that he might uncover the South for us, and go away with the South's truth, with the dark eyes that looked at us and we did not see, with the poor, pathetic and poetic purity of the country that we love and do not know..." The large signature is boldly signed in green felt tip at conclusion. The remaining correspondence are letters of introduction for the photographer, requesting assistance for him and suggesting locations and people that might be suitable for him to photograph. "Dear Rodrigo, Let me introduce Milton Rogovin to you. He is a very fine American photographer who is traveling to Chile in order to take photos of the South. The book will include some text of mine...Mr. Rogovin's trip is very important...I appeal to you to help him in any way possible...Milton Rogovin needs to have someone speak to people so that they won't be mistrustful of him and so that they might allow themselves to be photographed naturally..." A Fine archive. MB: $1700
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 | 553. JACK KEROUAC (1922-1969). American writer and leading figure of the "beat generation," a term he first coined to describe his contemporaries' rejection of mainstream society philosophy and lifestyle. His primarily autobiographical books include On the Road (1957) and The Big Sur (1962). Partly printed DS, a personal imprinted bank check drawn on the Security National Bank, Northport, NY, Jun 4, 1958. Made payable to "Macy's" for $26.31. Darkly signed and completed in his hand. Show-through of purple stamp on verso touching first letter of last name; penciled annotation at bottom margin; else VG. MB: $1000
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 | 554. [16TH CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE] A 71/2"x11" leaf from Holinshed's Chronicles of England, 1577. Set forth by Raphael Holinshed, London, Folio, Black Letter imprinted for George Bishop. Page titled "Queene Elizabeth" with text on laid paper in "Olde English," the leaf also displays a large woodblock engraved print, 51/4"x3", of Castle Hamilton burning with walled city and people fleeing over river bridge in superb detail. Choice. Copy of book's title page included. MB: $60
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 | 555. ANTON CHEKHOV (1860-1904). Russian playwright and writer known for his short stories that offered unromantic, unflinching glimpses into the day-to-day struggles of contemporary life in Russia. These themes carried over to the theater in such plays as Uncle Vanya (1897) and Three Sisters (1901). Intriguing ANS "A. Chekhov" in Russian, 1 p, 31/2"x33/4", n.p., n.d. Translated. Most likely left for the unknown recipient at his lodging, Chekov writes in full, "I have left on important business; I'll return by half past 10 or at the very latest quarter past 11. Wait for me, please, I beg of you; Don't rush back to Vagankovo..." Beneath his signature he adds, "After a quarter past 11, until 7 o'clock, I am at your service." Penned in his typically small script. Light general toning; folds reinforced on verso with archival tape; else VG. Chekov began writing short stories to support his family when he started medical studies. By the time his studies were completed he had achieved such acclaim that he decided to make writing his career. He moved to Yalta in Crimea in 1899 for health reasons, succumbing to tuberculosis at age 44. A rare autograph. MB: $3000
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 | 556. EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS (1875-1950). American writer, known chiefly as the creator of "Tarzan" which first appeared in Tarzan of the Apes (1914) and in more than 20 succeeding novels. Partly printed DS "E. R. Burroughs," his personal check drawn on the Citizens National Bank, Los Angeles, Jun 25, 1938. Boldly signed. Clerking stamp lightly touches first initial; minor wrinkling; else Fine. MB: $150
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 | 557. JAMES FENIMORE COOPER (1789-1851). Regarded as the first great American novelist and a noted social critic. Among his many notable works are The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, and The Deerslayer. Partly printed DS, a bank check drawn on Otsego County Bank, Cooperstown, Jun 7, 1845. Made payable to "Peter Gile in full for board of men & hay and to self" in the amount of $32.89. Darkly signed with paraph and completed in his hand. Circular red "Paid" stamp at center barely touches top of two letters in signature; else Fine example. MB: $120
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 | 558. CHARLES DICKENS (1812-1870). Prolific English novelist, one of the most popular writers in literary history; author of A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield (1849-50). ANS in third person, 1p, 41/2"x4", "1 Devonshire Terrace, Yorkgate Duponts Park," Jun 9, 1841. On blue stationery, in full, "From Mr. Charles Dickens in payment of his subscription to Mr Prince's Poems. With every friendly wish that can encourage and cheer him in his onward path..." Darkly penned. Mounted. Show-through of mounting glue at bottom corner tip; else VG/Fine. Attractively double matted between a fine lithograph seated portrait with facsimile signature, 71/2"x10" and the Dec 5, 1874 issue of Dickens' "Weekly Journal," All The Year Round. Contained under glass within wood frame. Overall 301/2"x19". A wonderful Dickens collection. MB: $250
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 | 559. [FICTION LIBRARY I] Nice collection of 16 works by popular contemporary novelists. Signed on bookplates or on the dust jacket, most in excellent condition. Bookplate signed books include First Edition of A Tidewater Morning by WILLIAM STYRON, 1993; If You Really Loved Me by ANN RULE, based on a true story; 1991; Crimson Joy by ROBERT B. PARKER, 1988; The Minotaur by STEPHEN COONTS, 1989; Lady Boss by JACKIE COLLINS; 1990, 1/2" tear on spine edge of dust jacket; minor stain; The Most Wanted by JACQUELYN MITCHARD, 1998, signed on title page; Day of Atonement by FAYE KELLERMAN, 1991, minor wear to jacket; Pretend You Don't See Her by MARY HIGGINS CLARK, 1997; The Blooding by JOSEPH WAMBAUGH, 1989; Accordion Crimes by E. ANNIE PROULX, 1996; Monster by JONATHAN KELLERMAN, First Edition, 1999; We Were the Mulvaneys by JOYCE CAROL OATES; 1997; Pretty Boy Floyd by LARRY MCMURTRY & DIANA OSSANA, 1994; Rogue Warrior II Red Cell by RICHARD MARCINKO, 1994, back cover lightly soiled; Floating Dragon by PETER STRAUB, 1982, jacket evidences some wear and occasional edge nicks; and finally Rum Punch by ELMORE LEONARD, 1992, first several pages evidence some wrinkling to lower portions and staining. MB: $150
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 | 560. [FICTION LIBRARY II] Assortment of eleven autographs penned on the dust jackets include First Edition of Uh-Oh by ROBERT FULGHUM [nonfiction], 1991; Contagion, 1995; Chromosome 6, 1997, light scuffing on back jacket cover; and Toxin, 1998, all by ROBIN COOK; Tripwire by LEE CHILD, 1999; Hemlock Bay by CATHERINE COULTER, 2001; Hideaway, 1992; and Strange Highways, 1995, both by DEAN KOONTZ,; White Shark by PETER BENCHLEY, 1994; First Edition of Another City, Not My Own by DOMINICK DUNNE, 1997. Lastly, Debt of Honor by TOM CLANCY, 1994, some scuffing touching signature; light soiling; 1/2" tear at corner tip of jacket with small paper loss. MB: $100
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 | 561. VICTOR HUGO (1802-1885). French man of letters who greatly influenced the Romantic Movement and authored the popular novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831). ALS in French, 2pp on 1st & 3rd leaves, 51/4"x81/4", Hauteville House, Oct 29, 1860. Untranslated. A letter of introduction to his friend Mr. Pigott of a distinguished English officer Mr. Butler, who desires to write some articles for Mr. Pigott's popular newspaper, the Daily News. As he is assured of Mr. Butler's great talent and discreet intelligence, Hugo requests if Mr. Pigott would be so kind as to include his articles. In a few days, Mr. Butler will go on to Lourdes where he will post this cordial letter and an article, etc. Darkly penned and signed in full. Light general toning; verso of integral leaf laid to album leaf; light brushing of ink on date; 1" tear on integral leaf extending from small ink erosion in single word of very minor affect; else VG. MB: $500
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 | 562. FANNIE HURST (1889-1968). American writer of sentimental novels, plays and screenplays. Her works include Back Street (1931) and Imitation of Life (1933). SP, b/w, 33/4"x41/2" quarter-length portrait. Boldly signed in red ink beneath sentiment, "All best wishes from..." Appears to be removed from larger photograph; ink only a little uneven; soiling at bottom left corner tip touching first initial; two light wrinkles; else Good/VG. MB: $60
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 | 563. [LITERATI] Fine collection of three noted turn-of-the-century authors. Sir ANTHONY HOPE HAWKINS (1863-1933). English novelist and playwright; author of The Prisoner of Zenda (1894). ANS, 1p, 41/4"x7", London, Oct 27, 1896. "With thanks for your kind letter, Yours very truly..." Boldly signed in full. S. R. CROCKETT (1860-1914). Scottish author of The Lilac Sunbonnet (1895) and many others. Signature on full page with sentiment, 43/4"x8", "With greetings, faithfully yours..." Lastly, HARRIET PRESCOTT SPOFFORD (1835-1921), American writer of Gothic romances and poetry. AMsS, 1p, 43/4"x71/4", Newburyport, n.d. Poem in eight lines, signed in full at conclusion; adding on 3rd leaf a brief ALS, also signed in full, that she is "happy to send you the autograph you request..." Very nice. MB: $100
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 | 564. JACK LONDON (1876-1916). American novelist and short-story writer best remembered for his masterpiece The Call of the Wild (1903). He authored over 50 books translated into many languages reflecting his colorful life during the Alaska gold rush and his experience as a war correspondent. Partly printed DS, a bank check drawn on Central Bank, Oakland, CA, Oct 20, 1903. Payable to "The Worker" in the amount of 55 cents. Boldly signed and completed in his hand. Fine example. Quite nice. Double matted beneath superb reproduced b/w quarter-length portrait of the young author, 71/2"x91/2". Contained under glass and attractively framed. Overall 191/4"x203/4". MB: $250
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 | 565. HENRY MILLER (1891-1980). American writer whose novels Tropic of Cancer (1934) and Tropic of Capricorn (1939) were banned in the United States because of their sexual content. DS on onionskin, 1p, 81/2"x13", Jan 11, 1977. Contract for the Italian rights for publication of his work Interview With the Mother. Boldly signed at conclusion. Signed also by representative of publisher Edizioni Il Formichiere in Milan. Edge wear; occasional tiny tears at edges; else VG/Fine. Ex Henry Miller Estate. MB: $50
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 | 566. HARRIET MONROE (1860-1936). American poet who founded (1912) and edited the influential magazine Poetry. SP, b/w gelatin print, 73/4"x91/2" quarter-length portrait. Boldly signed across her image with good contrast, adding "Chicago: Dec. 16th, 1932" beneath. Moderate silvering; three small right edge tears extending to photographic image repaired with tape on verso; 11/2" light crease at bottom right edge; two corner tips evidence small creases. With all faults, a striking image of this important 20th-century poet. MB: $80
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 | 567. CHRISTOPHER MORLEY (1890-1957). Prolific American writer and editor; founder and editor (1924-1941) of Saturday Review; author of Kitty Foyle (1939). ISP with sentiment, b/w, 43/4"x73/4" three-quarter-length seated portrait with pipe. Darkly signed and inscribed beneath in black ink, "For S. Jay Kaufman - Greetings from..." Little ink skipping in sentiment; else Fine. Attractively matted and contained under glass within simple wood frame. MB: $100
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 | 568. MALCOLM MUGGERIDGE (1903-1990). British author, journalist and media personality known for his iconoclastic views; leading Christian apologist of latter 20th century. SP, b/w matte, overall 6"x101/4" three-quarter length standing portrait. Boldly signed at bottom border, adding date, "15/3/83." Slight brushing of ink; creasing at top image and bottom border; else Good. MB: $80
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 | 569. SEAN O'CASEY (1880-1964). Irish playwright active in the Irish movement whose plays such as Juno and the Paycock (1924) and The Plough and the Stars (1926) reflect his passionate concern for political and religious issues. ALS, 1p, St. Marychurch, Torquay, Devon, Mar 8, 1958. To collector Ken Browne thanking him for a press clipping and commenting on the blustery winter he had endured in England..."I don't go nowheres [sic] now - too old. At 78 one becomes content to merely look out of a window. Just recovering from influenza...However, here is a photo for you and Mrs. Ken..." Accompanied by ISP [W. Suschitzky], b/w, 73/4"x7" quarter-length profile portrait with lengthy sentiment. Both are boldly penned and signed in blue fountain pen. Beneath the inscription on photograph to Brown and his wife, O'Casey writes an Irish sentiment which he translates beneath, "with a good prayer to the pair of ye..." Letter evidences some minor abrasion and wrinkling; general light toning; else VG/Fine. A wonderfully charming combination. MB: $200
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 | 570. J. K. ROWLING (b. 1965). Creator of the magical, mystical world of Harry Potter, a series of children's novels. The first three installments of the Harry Potter series took over the top three slots in the New York Times bestsellers list. Wonderful collection of Harry Potter collectibles including a scrapbook of ten colorful postcards, each 61/4"x43/4", featuring various scenes from the films and each signed by the author in silver felt tip. Also a Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Postcard Book; a Harry Potter journal; and two Poster Books featuring Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, all unsigned. All in mint condition. A "must have" for the genuine Harry Potter fan. MB: $150
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 | 571. BERTRAND RUSSELL 3rd Earl Russell (1872-1970). British pacifist philosopher, mathematician and Nobel laureate. He was especially known for his work in mathematical logic. SP, b/w, 43/4"x61/2" seated portrait in his library. Boldly signed beneath image. Fine example. MB: $150
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 | "IT SURPASSES DOSTOEVSKI'S CRIME AND PUNISHMENT"572. CARL SANDBURG (1878-1967). Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of Lincoln and impressionist poet who won his second Pulitzer in 1951 for his Complete Poems. Superb TLS, 1p, 51/2"x81/2", [Flat Rock, NC], Jun 20, 1961. On George Stevens Productions letterhead to Curtis Bok regarding his book Star Wormwood. Excellent literary content. In part, "...I have to say it is one of the great books of our time and a wonderful piece of biographical writing. Being so relentlessly true to facts, there is a sense in which it surpasses Dostoevski's Crime and Punishment. In a certain sense you have had a very rich life because of the depth of your registration to such diversities of human conduct. I am reminded now of a couple of days at the Stateville Prison with Warden Joseph Ragen, a great human spirit you would enjoy. Mrs. Ragen remarked to me, 'Our children were raised by murderers.' The thirty-nine-year-old barber who shaved the warden every morning gave me a shave. Twenty years earlier we he had shot and killed a Chicago policeman, and I can never forget the calm and slightly smiling face of him as he said, 'I was a wild boy then.'..." Boldly signed. Negligible soiling and slight brushing of ink; else Fine. In the referenced book, Curtis Bok, a Pennsylvania jurist, relates the story of two men in a friendly discussion while on a train. MB: $100
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 | 573. MARGARET E. SANGSTER JR. (1894-1981). Prolific American writer, novelist and poet whose prominent grandmother, an inspirational writer and poet, had much influence on her life. AMsS, 1p, 61/4"x91/2", New York, Jan 7, 1916. On Bible House letterhead. Poem in six extended lines. In full, "If I may leave up on the wall of life / A message, may it have no note of strife, / But may it be as gentle as a kiss, / A sentence brief, perhaps as brief as this: / 'She lived, she loved her friends, she died.' That's all! / God grant this be my writing on life's wall!" Darkly penned and signed. Tipped to album leaf together with two printed poems, one by her grandmother. A small newspaper photograph is tipped to top right margin; a brief newspaper clipping laid to bottom right margin indicates the poet was married to Carroll McCoy Sheridan. Light wrinkling; light toning at top edge; else VG/Fine. MB: $100
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| | 574. PULLED
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 | "A HIGH-CLASS TRANSLATION OF CYRANO DE BERGERAC"575. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (1856-1950). Leading British playwright of Major Barbara and Pygmalion awarded Nobel Prize for literature in 1925; founding member of Fabian Society, a socialist educational organization later affiliated with the Labour party. TLS "G. Bernard Shaw," 1p, 8"x10", London, Dec 3, 1909. Excellent literary content. To his friend Gilbert Murray, the eminent classical scholar. Shaw inquires if Murray would be willing to undertake a translation of Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac on short notice. "I write to you on the spur of the moment, having just had a violent shock through the telephone...caused by the voice of Lewis Waller asking me to make him a high-class translation of Cyrano de Bergerac for performance in the spring. Now from Euripides to Rostand is a long jump; but in a certain way the mere feat of translation is of the same character. There is a genuine vein of phantasy and grace of expression to be preserved -- and more poetry, after all, than there is in Aristophanes. Would you be disposed to take on the job? If so, although Waller has an unspeakable terror of you as the terrible translator of Euripides, and probably believes you to be personally exactly like Doctor Johnson, the thing might be managed. There may even be money in it..." Murray, who was becoming well known as a translator of Greek drama and particularly Euripides, was encouraged in this work by Shaw who held him in very high regard. Fine example. MB: $400
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 | 576. UPTON SINCLAIR (1878-1968). American writer and economic reformer; Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Dragon's Teeth and The Jungle. Very nice SP, silver print, 7"x93/4" image of bust sculpture. Boldly signed across image. Mounting stains and residue on verso; else Fine. MB: $80
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 | 577. CORNELIUS VANDERBILT, JR. (1898-1974). Grandson of the younger Cornelius Vanderbilt, he became a well-known writer, newspaper publisher, and movie producer. SP [Seawell] with sentiment, b/w, 8"x12" quarter-length portrait. Signed across lower image, adding "Nov 1950." Ink somewhat uneven, though remaining legible; 1/4" tear with no paper loss at left edge with creasing at left border; occasional minor bumps; else VG. MB: $60
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 | 578. P. G. WODEHOUSE Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975). English-born American novelist, playwright and humorist best known for his fictional creations, the hapless young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his butler Jeeves. ALS, 1p, 61/4"x8", "Low Wood, Le Touquet, France," Dec 19, 1938. On his embossed address letterhead, which he has crossed out, to Mr. [D. Kilham] Roberts. In full, "Thank you for your letter. Of course, I should be most honoured to become a member of the Society's Council..." Boldly signed. Ex James H. Heinemann collection. Fine. MB: $120
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