Three Typed Letters Signed ("Ed"), to Shakespeare scholar Maurice Charney.
Irvine, California & New York: 4 November 1966-7 May 1970.
Price: $350.00
About the item
4 pp. total on various stationery and letterhead. 4to. Some light creasing.
Item #310209
A series of three letters from E.L. Doctorow, in his capacity as editor at Dial Press, to Maurice Charney on the editing of his book How to Read Shakespeare (1971). The first letter, dated 4 November 1966, presents the contract for Charney's book: "Here is the contract for How to Read Shakespeare. When you sign it, I will give you one for a book called 'How to Read a Contract.'" The second letter, dated 15 December 1969, forwards a check and gives some general advice on pacing and tone and praises Charney's work, "You should be well pleased with the volume, which is now lucid, entertaining, instructive and authoritative. Don't worry about the competition — we'll sweep the field." The final letter, dated 7 May 1970, opens with a bit of political commentary: "Things look dangerously bad to me right now: the revolution of our young won't be permitted, and even if it were it would be holocaustic and subject to the pain and tragedy and inevitable self betrayal of all revolutions; and on the other hand the alternative extreme, repression, fascism, whatever, is obviously intolerable. I am hoping for the corrective synthesis — peace, fresh air, reasonable dialogue, legislative progress toward universal justice, enlightenment, the withering away of fear and hatred, birth control — as you see, just cataloguing these things shows how ridiculous it is to expect them." Doctorow then gives his detailed suggestions for the final editing of the book, before closing on a positive note, "I think if you do these [edits], Maurice, you will become rich and famous, loved by all who know you, and a devil with the women …."
