E.B. White
[North Brooklin, ME], August 7, 1965
E.B. White Self-Deprecating TLS Describing a Front Cover Portrait
TLS

A 1p typed letter signed by American writer Evelyn Brooks White (1899-1985) as "E B White" at center right. August 7, 1965. [North Brooklin, Maine.] On a leaf of watermarked paper with "E.B. White / North Brooklin, Maine" letterhead. Expected wear including flattened paper folds. Staple holes and a partially rusted paper clip impression are located at upper left. Else near fine. 8.5" x 11."

White wrote to Harper & Row editor Christopher Jennison, in part:

"Thanks for letting me see the sketch for the cover. It fulfills a lifetime dream of mine: to hold a pencil behind my ear. I've never been able to do it, as my ear sticks out too far. Quite aside from making a dream come true, the design seems to me perfectly acceptable. The artist has somehow or other made me look as though I had hair on my lower lip as well as on my upper lip. Perhaps his lines should be lightened a bit to correct this false impression. I have a moustache, in the usual place, but have no growth of hair on the chin?"

The front cover sketch which White is describing in this letter remains unidentified. Evidently, White approved of the illustrator's portrayal of him as productive and bookish (pencil behind the ear) but did not sign off on the phantom chin hair.

In addition to writing such anthropomorphic children's classics like "Stuart Little" (1945) and "Charlotte's Web" (1952), E.B. White was a prolific contributor to "The New Yorker" and other magazines.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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8.5" x 11"