He exhausted the English language books in the prison library and subsequently taught himself French when the library received a donation of French books. He was a respected authority on ornithology, thus his nickname, and his learning and erudition are evident in this letter. In 1955 Thomas Gaddis' biography brought Stroud's story to the attention of the general public and resulted in the film about his life starring Burt Lancaster. Stroud's activities, as one might imagine, were very tightly restricted, and he was only allowed to correspond with a few people at any one time. His letters are very rare on the market.
Light wear to the wrappers, still about fine.
Very uncommon signed. A couple of tiny spots to the front board and some light wear, still just about fine, lacking the fragile tissue dustwrapper. A nice copy of this attractively produced satirical novel. In the year of Deliverance. Wharton was tireless in her activities in support of the Allied cause during World War One.