Dear Genius
To Laura Ingalls Wilder
September 9, 1937
My dear Mrs. Wilder:
Miss Raymond received your letter last Friday afternoon and she planned to answer it at once. Unfortunately, however, she is not well and is out of the office for about a week.
I know she would want me to write you and try to apologize for that inexcusably stupid mistake in the dummy for On the Banks of Plum Creek4. She was extremely sorry that the error wasn't caught but I'm glad to be able to write you that it appeared only in the synopsis for the dummy. It certainly won't appear again! Miss Raymond, and all of us, were upset about it because, very frankly, every single bit of copy written for your lovely book has been worked over with enthusiasm and affection.
Plans for the poster are being worked out now, but doubtless Miss Raymond will write you herself as soon as she is back at her desk.
Sincerely yours,
Department of Books for Boys and Girls
Assistant to Miss Raymond
To Georges Duplaix (CoU)
July 17, 1941
Dear Sir:
I am at a loss to understand your leaping to the conclusion that because your book (of which I have only heard vague rumors) is on the first page of our catalogue, we are short of really good books. I am not so naive as to think that your comment denotes modesty. No, it is disagreeable, unfriendly, vicious, and--how do they say--lousy.
Kindly do not feel concerned for the House of Harperbecause your book, or rather your alleged book, appears on the first page of our Tot Catalogue. An excess of good nature on my part should not indicate that there is cause to worry about this house. (As a matter of fact, Mr. Gergely's barge was what swung the first page for the book.)
Fortunately I am too proud to be vindictive, as the poet hath said. I therefore remain, honored sir,
Yours cordially,
Ursula (Anne Carroll) Nordstrom
To Margaret Wise Brown
October 28, 1941
Dear Margaret:
It was good to see you this morning and I think the text of The Runaway Bunny is now perfect. Will you please sign the enclosed contract, and then send it on to Mr. Hurd? As soon as it comes back to us from him our signed copy will go to you, and your half of the advance of $400.00. His advance will be paid on delivery of completed, acceptable illustrations.
I enclose the text of Night and Day3. I'm glad you think it is "too loose," as you said this morning. You're right that it shouldn't be a real story but it does need pulling together and polishing.* I'm eager to see what you do to it.
Yours sincerely,
*"More matter with less art"--as the bard said.
To Georges Duplaix (CoU)
October 10, 1942
Dear Georges:
Your gracious invitation and the beautiful drawing have brightened up a whole gloomy Saturday morning. I look forward with pleasure to luncheon on Wednesday.
I hope you are pleased by Mr. MacGregor's desire to bring a goose, and a photographer, and get the book some publicity. I wish it would make you once and for all infatuated with the enterprise and general sprightliness of this distinguished organization. (I desperately hope that you will not feel instead that we are acting out of turn in trying to arrange to have a goose at your luncheon...)
Mr. MacGregor’s telephone call to Variety about the goose, and in fact the whole situation, has made me a little light-headed and rather hysterical. Unaccustomed as I am to having a vice-president busy himself with details connected with this department, I think I surely must have died and gone to Heaven. Now I long to persuade Arthur (Dimples) Rushmore to come as Little Boy Blue. Mr. Burger4, the old thing, could come as Georgie Porgie; Mr. MacGregor could be Pretty Bobby Shaftoe; Mr. Hoyns could be Jack Sprat; I could be the cow with the crumpled horn. The possibilities are endless.... But, as I say, I am a bit hysterical.
Have you decided what to do about Miss Barksdale and Mrs. Becker?
I must tell you again that we are proud and happy to have The Tall Book of Mother Goose on our list. I’m so glad you are going to see more of Harpers on Wednesday. Everyone here thinks the book is brilliant and now they will tell you so themselves. They also think you are brilliant. As for me, I love you with all my heart.
Yours,
Department of The Tall Book of Mother Goose
To Crockett Johnson
November 2, 1944
Dear Mr. Johnson:
We loved the pictures for The Carrot Seed2. Thanks a lot for a beautiful job. It's going to be a beautiful book. We’re having the type set now and proofs will be sent to you as soon as possible.
You're awfully busy, I know, and so we hesitate to raise even a small point about the pictures. But here it is. The little boy is perfect in most of the pictures but we are hoping that you will feel, as we do, that he shouldn’t look surprised or doubtful in any of them. One of the most charming and touching things in the original little dummy was the feeling that from start to finish the child was absolutely confident. But it seemed to us that in a few of the finished drawings that sense of sublime assurance was lacking. He looked dubious. What do you think? We're hoping that you will agree and that you will have time to put back that very splendid certainty. Will you?
Best wishes to you and our author.
Sincerely,
To Katharine S. White