Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

January 13th, 1950

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Mr. Cole gave us your message concerning the Swedish edition of NOT WITHOUT LAUGHTER. We wrote to the publisher's agent last October, as per our note to you, but we still haven't received the information requested, neither have we received finished copies of your book. I've written to the agent again today, telling him you had seen a copy of the Swedish edition on the market and he should certainly have an answer for you shortly.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127 Street
New York City 35

mf

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

Alfred · A · Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

February 8, 1950

Dear Mr. Hughes:

We have executed a form of assignment whereby
the Northern Music Corp. returns to you poems for
which arrangements were made with them for musical
settings by Herbert Kingsley. This was apparently
done at your request and I wonder if you would let
me know what plans, if any, you have for further
musical settings of these poems.

I took the liberty of giving Miss Carriebelle
Cook who is doing some research on books by and about
Negroes. I don't know whether or not she has been
able to reach you, but this is merely to confirm the
fact.

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N. Y.

:am

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

CATHEDRAL
STATION

September 12

1950

Mr. William Cole
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York, New York

Dear Bill:

My musical drama, THE BARRIER, starring Lawrence Tibbett and Muriel Rahn, is opening on September 26 at The Gayety Theater in Washington, D. C., for two weeks. Since my story, FATHER AND SON in our book, THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS, is the fiction version of THE BARRIER (or rather of the play, MULATTO, from which THE BARRIER is taken), and since this show is opening in Washington where I was "discovered," by Vachel Lindsay --- as described in my autobiography, THE BIG SEA, and since my new book, ONE-WAY TICKET, deals with many problems related to the theme of THE BARRIER, maybe some Washington bookshop might like to feature my books during the run of THE BARRIER. So perhaps you might pass this note on to the salesman who handles the Washington area. Or maybe the above information would be useful to you for release to the Washington papers.

Al Duckett, who is doing a piece about me and my work for TOMORROW magazine, told me that he saw a couple of short stories of mine in your files that did not appear in the WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS. If you have some old stories of mine around the office, I would appreciate it very much if you would let me know what their titles are, and in case I do not have copies myself I will come down and pick them up.

My continued good wishes to you, as ever.

LH: HHS

September 18, 1950

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York 21, New York

Dear Mr. Levin:

My show, THE BARRIER, starring Lawrence Tibbett and Muriel Rahn
opens on September 26th at the Gaiety Theatre in Washington, D.C.
I'll be going out there for the opening, so I might as well have
a few books with me while I'm there.

Kindly send, billing to me at the usual author's discount, the
following order of my books to me at:

Mr. Langston Hughes
Hotel Statler
Washington, D. C.

Please have them mark the package as follows: HOLD PENDING ARRIVAL.

Here is the order:

4 THE DREAM KEEPER
4 WEARY BLUES
2 ONE WAY TICKET
2 SHAKESPEARE IN HARLEM
2 FIELDS OF WONDER
2 THE BIG SEA
4 THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS

Here's hoping that all goes well with you and, as always, best wishes,
and thanks.

LH/nvw

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

Cables: KNOPF NEW YORK
Phone: MURRAY HILL 8-0600

BORZOI BOOKS

December 8th, 1950

Dear Langston Hughes:

Blanche's letter of December 1st was sent you on the
basis of incomplete information supplied her by our Accounting Depart-
ment. I should like to clear your mind on the subject particularly in
so far as the P.S. in your letter of December 5th is concerned. Our
contract for NOT WITHOUT LAUGHTER provides for the payment of royalty
at the rate of 10% retail until 10,000 copies have been sold. Up to
October 31, 1950 the sale of the book amounted to 8,973 copies. Hence
the 10% rate remains in effect until the total of 10,000 has been
exceeded. In any event, we are both of us on record that in order to
keep the book in print, we will have to raise the price to $3.00 and
maintain the 10% retail royalty.

Blanche, of course, has the matter of the *Selected Poems* under
consideration herself and you will be hearing from her about this in due
course.

With all kind regards.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127 Street
New York 35, N.Y.

wak/f

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

Cables: KNOPF NEW YORK
Telephones: PLAZA 3-4761

BORZOI BOOKS

December 19, 1950

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Because Blanche is leaving shortly on a trip, and will be gone for some weeks, I am writing to you in reply to your letter of December 16.

You asked for a list of the number of copies of your books in stock. The important quantities are of _Fields of Wonder_ (1,260), _One-Way Ticket_ (1057), and _The Weary Blues_ (630). At the present rate of sale it would take some years to clean out this stock, and I think that your suggestion to feature them in your lectures is a good one.

Like Blanche, I am in a quandary about the size of _Prelude to Our Age_. It looks to me as though, under present high manufacturing conditions and costs, we might have to price such a book at $4.00 or $5.00 and sell somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 copies to cover plant costs, royalty, and overhead. I am not at all sure that we could sensibly undertake such a volume now or in the near future. It seems to me that you might try estimating how many poems you could remove and still leave the hard core of your very best work.

Blanche has not discussed the question of a Preface with me. Of the names you yourself mentioned, I am inclined to think best for this purpose of Sandburg or Bunche.

Herbert W einstock

:lw

December 26, 1950

Mr. Herbert Weinstock,
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York 22, New York.

Dear Mr. Weinstock,

Thank you for your letter of December 19th, and for letting me know the
numbers in stock of my books of poems. I have been featuring THE DREAM
KEEPER at lectures, both because of its $2.00 price and because it con-
tains the most rounded selection of my various poems that students and
others most often request. But I shall try now to sell out the others,
and hold back on the DREAM KEEPER for awhile.

Regarding the Selected Poems, PRELUDE TO OUR AGE, in looking through
the manuscript, I feel that I could easily reduce it by a third and
still keep all the better known poems and the new ones that I feel
should go in it. In fact, if necessary, it could be cut to half its
present length, but certainly a third.

I, too, would be happy to keep the price as low as possible in these
days of high production costs. But, for the colleges and libraries,
it should at the same time be as representative a collection as
possible.

Whenever you have any further ideas about it, let me know.

Best wishes to you for a Happy New Year,

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

January 11, 1951

Dear Langston Hughes:

You will remember that the problem raised by the manuscript of *Prelude to Our Age* -- which, as Blanche has indicated to you, we certainly want to publish -- had to do with the size of the manuscript itself and with our current stock of *Fields of Wonder*, *One-Way Ticket*, *Shakespeare in Harlem*, and *The Weary Blues*. You have indicated your willingness to cut the length of *Prelude to Our Age*, and the remaining problem is therefore that of the stock on hand.

After exploring the question of the stock with our business manager, I am able
to make two suggestions to you. If either of these suggestions could be carried out,
it seems to me likely that we could then settle the other small problems connected
with *Prelude to Our Age* very quickly and get the book into production, either for
the fall season of 1951 or the spring season of 1952.

(1) You could yourself arrange to buy such numbers of each of the four titles
as would leave us with a stock of no more than a five-year supply at the current
rate of sale. We should be willing to sell the books at the exact unit cost per
volume of each in its latest printing (exclusive of plate cost). Specifically, under
this suggestion, we could sell you 1,000 copies of *Fields of Wonder* at $.433, 800
copies of *One-Way Ticket* at $.36, 300 copies of *Shakespeare in Harlem* at $.652, and
500 copies of *The Weary Blues* at $.371. You would, of course, be free to give the
books away or to sell them at whatever price you chose.

-2-

January 11, 1951

(2) We could reduce the price of each of the four books in question: <u>Fields of Wonder, One-Way Ticket, and The Weary Blues</u> to $1.00, <u>Shakespeare in Harlem</u> to $1.50. We could then continue to sell them at our regular discount (40% to you, varying amounts to book sellers) and we could pay you a 10% wholesale royalty -- that is, 10% of our net income from sales. We could only do this if you felt that such a drastic reduction in price would enable you to sell in the neighborhood of 900 copies of <u>Fields of Wonder</u>, 700 of <u>One-Way Ticket</u>, 250 of <u>Shakespeare in Harlem</u>, and 400 of <u>The Weary Blues</u>.

You will understand, I feel sure, that we cannot face the other possible alternative ways of disposing of the stock. We simply could not afford to destroy the books. Remaindering them would sour the market. Either one of the suggestions above would work out well without a total loss to us or a bad effect on the market.

Let me know how these ideas strike you.

| | | **RETAIL VALUE** | **HERBERT WEINSTOCK** | | **PRICE OFFERED ME** | **PRICE PER COPY** |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **1000** | **FIELDS OF WONDER** | **$2500.00** | **WHOLESALE at 40% off** | **1500.00** | **433.00** | **at** | **.433** |
| **800** | **ONE WAY TICKET** | **2200.00** | **1320.00** | | **288.00** | **"** | **.36** |
| **300** | **SHAKESPEARE IN HARLEM** | **1956.00** | **1173.60** | | **195.60** | **"** | **.652** |
| **500** | **Langston Hughes, Esq.** | **1500.00** | **900.00** | | **185.50** | **"** | **.371** |
| **2600** | **THE WEARY BLUES** | **8156.00** | **4893.60** | | **1102.10** | | |
| | **20 East 127 Street** | | | | | | |
| | **New York 25, New York** | | | | | | |

NUMBER OF COPIES IN STOCK, JANUARY L, 1951:

:lw

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **FIELDS OF WONDER** | **1260** | **(Knopf keeps 260)** |
| **ONE WAY TICKET** | **1057** | **(" " 257)** |
| **THE WEARY BLUES** | **630** | **(" " 130)** |

EXCERPT OF LETTER FROM: ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc., January 11, 1951

(1) You could arrange to buy such numbers of each of the four
titles as would leave us with a stock of no more than a five-year
supply at the current rate of sale. We should be willing to sell the
books at the exact unit cost per volume of each in its latest printing
(exclusive of plate cost). Specifically, under this suggestion, we
could sell you 1,000 copies of *Fields of Wonder* at $.433; 800 copies
of *One-Way Ticket* at $.36; 300 copies of *Shakespeare in Harlem* at
$.652; and 500 copies of *The Weary Blues* at $.371. You would, of
course, be free to give the books away or to sell them at whatever
price you chose.

COPY

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

January 23, 1951

Dear Dr. Baldwin:

Mr. Alfred A. Knopf asked me to reply to your letter of January 19 extending an invitation to Mr. Langston Hughes to give a reading of his poems at the University on February 22, 1951. I have been in touch with Mr. Hughes who answered most regretfully that he is booked up solidly for the month of February with a lecture tour through the South. He said that he would be very happy to come to Ann Arbor at almost any other time or to plan to come there next year, but that his present commitments make it impossible for him to accept this particular invitation.

Should you wish to get directly in touch with Mr. Hughes at any time his address is 20 East 127 Street, New York City.

Herbert Weinstock

Dr. DeWitt Baldwin
Lane Hall
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan

;lw

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

June 15, 1951

Dear Mr. Hughes:

The National Production Authority, U. S. Department of Commerce, has just issued conservation Order #M-65 which requires book publishers to melt "obsolete" plates. The Order defines as "obsolete" those plates which on April 1, 1951, or on the first day of any calendar quarter thereafter, had been in existence for a period of four years and had not been used for a reprinting during such period. The Order requires the publisher to notify every person who has a contractual right to purchase these plates that he/she must within 30 days after the date of this letter indicate in writing that he/she has a specific and assured use for the plates and what such use is. If, however, no such answer is received then we are ordered to have the plates melted in accordance with the provisions of the order.

THE BIG SEA

was last reprinted

April, 1945

If you do not indicate to us a specific and assured use as defined above, will you kindly execute and date the attached release in order that our records may be complete.

We are enclosing herewith a stamped self-addressed envelope for the convenience of your reply which will, we trust, be prompt.

Langston O. Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N. Y.

JCL:b
encl.

ALFRED·A·KNOPF·Inc.

BORZOI BOOKS
for Young People
PLAZA 3-4761

501 Madison Ave. N. Y. 22

June 13, 1951

Dear Mr. Hughes:

You recently submitted to us
a manuscript by Bessie Fermen called HATTIE
MAE. It so happens that we had considered
this book previously and found it not quite
up to snuff for our list. Many thanks for
letting us see it again, however - and I
am wondering when you are going to let us
have something on the Ice Cream book ?

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th St.
New York 35, N.Y.

ml
Encl.

P.S.: Manuscript enclosed herewith.

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

September 25, 1951

Dear Langston,

Thanks very much for your good letter of the
22nd, with its tear sheet of the TI-COYO review.
I'm delighted that you enjoyed the book, and your
review will undoubtedly help its continuing sale.

al

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127 Street
New York 35, N.Y.

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

January 28, 1952

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Under separate cover, I am
sending you a copy of the Czech edition of THE
WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS which has come in from
Prague. The arrangement for this was made
quite some time ago and as you doubtless
remember, your share of the advance received
has previously been reported and paid to you.
As always with these foreign sales, I'll be
very much surprised should we get further
statements and payments.

wak/f

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

May 8, 1952

Dear Mr. Hughes:

FIELDS OF WONDER was last reprinted March, 1948. If you do not indicate to us a specific and assured use as defined above, will you kindly execute and date the attached release in order that our records may be complete.

Yours faithfully,
for ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.

JCL;b
encl.

September 3, 1952

Herbert Weinstock,
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York, New York,

Dear Herberts,

Here is the book of which I spoke to you on the phone yesterday's
MACEO, HERRERA Y CARACTER by Leopoldo Horrego Estuch, called in
the somewhat condensed manuscript version also being sent you,
EL TITAN DE BRONCE, in which details he feels would not interest
non-Cubans have been removed. But he suggests that editors read
both versions and make a choice between them.

A good Cuban friend of the author's will take charge of business
details, should this book interest you. He is: Dr. Rogelio
Galindo, 175 East 123rd Street, Apt. 24, New York City. If you
should wish to reach the author direct address him: Dr. Leopoldo
Horrego Estuch, 5a No. 606, Vedado, Havana, Cuba.

If the book does not interest you, kindly return both copies to me
and I will try it elsewhere. I'd appreciate any suggestions you
might have on its possible publication, also any comments on the
nature of the work, since I have not read it myself.

Sincerely yours,

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

501 Madison Ave., N. Y. 22

We acknowledge the receipt of your manuscript entitled
MACEO by Leopoldo H. Estuch (ms & bk)

We will report to you as soon as previous engagements
permit. We take every care of all manuscripts
submitted to us but assume no responsibility whatever
for accidental loss through fire, in transit, or from
any other cause.

For and on behalf of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Editorial Department

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

October 1, 1952

Dear Mr. Hughes:

We tried to reach you immediately
after you telephoned our office, to advise
you that the manuscript entitled MACEO was
still at our office, and we shall hold this
here, so that you may call for same if you
wish. We called the number which you gave
us over the telephone EI 4-2952, but evidently
we had the wrong number.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N Y

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

February 4, 1953

Dear Langston:

I've sent you an advance reading copy of
GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN by James Baldwin,
which we are publishing on May 11th.

Mr. Baldwin is the best young writer we
have come across in years, and we are going to
try everything we know to get a hearing for him.
I hope you will read his book, and that you will
want to send us a few words about it which we
can use in advertising and promotion.

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York City, N.Y.

WC:kt

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

February 7, 1953

Order Department.

Dear Mr. Levin,

Kindly send, billing to me, and addressed to me
at the above address:

4 SHAKESPEARE IN HARLEM

Also please send for me the following books:

1. THE DREAM KEEPER

3. FIELDS OF WONDER

with my compliments to:

Dr. Heiner Gautschy,
Swiss Broadcasting Corporation,
410 West 24th Street,
New York 11, New York.

GRAND CENTRAL

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, New York

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

November 2, 1953

Dear Langston,

We have been approached regarding the
musical setting of a poem of yours called DRUM
which unfortunately rings no familiar bell either
here or at Holt. Can you be of help? The first
line reads as follows: Bear in mind that death
is a drum.

Thanks.

:b

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

November 3, 1953

Mr. William A. Koshland
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, New York

Dear Bill: Would you be so kind as to send me the address of: Czechoslovak Theatrical and Literary Agency, or their New York representative, that you said were interested in some of my books? I would like to inquire of them if they would be interested in my opera, THE BARRIOR, which has just been given a beautiful radio production in Holland, and may be performed shortly in a couple of European opera houses.

With best wishes to you, I am

LH
HS

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

November 9, 1953

Dear Langston:

The address of the Czechoslovak Theatrical and
Literary Agency is as follows:

Czechoslovak Theatrical and Literary Agency
Jecna 6
Prague 11, Czechoslovakia

We have, as you know, been in correspondence with
them over the years regarding your books and something
is - as I recall it - brewing at the present time.

Thanks for letting me know about the musical setting
of "Drum" and I'll pass this information on to composer.

WAK:ih

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

November 18, 1953

Dear Langston,

There's been some correspondence back and forth over several weeks with a gentlement named Chandra Sekhar Mukherjee of West Bengal in India, who wants to translate NOT WITHOUT LAUGHTER into the Bengali dialect. I pointed out to him that agreements have to be made between publisher and publisher, and that some nominal form of payment should be made for the use of copyrighted material. The correspondence, I might add, has been held in the most polite English. Be that as it may, his final letter now bows out on the basis of the impossibility of paying anything for an edition to consist of no more than 500 copies. If you want me to grant the right free of charge, I'll reopen the matter; otherwise it stands closed. Please do let me know.

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York 25, N. Y.

WAK:ih

November 20, 1953

Dear Bill: Thank you very much for your letter of
November 18. Since I think it would be
rather amusing to see NOT WITHOUT LAUGHTER
published in Bengali, I would be happy to permit its
publication without fee, but demanding assurance that
the book would be copyrighted so that the material
would not be thrown into open domain. I appreciate
your writing me about this. If you do grant Mr.
Mukherjee the right to publish this book, please re-
quest that he send us a dozen copies.

With continued good wishes to you, I am

lh-hs

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

January 4, 1954

Dear Mr. Hughes:

We are enclosing our royalty report on your
works for the six month period ended October
31, 1953.

You have purchased so many books, that your
purchases exceeded your royalty earnings by
$53.58. We are wondering whether you would
want to send us your check in the amount of
$53.58 to bring your account into balance.

We hope you will have a successful and a
prosperous year in 1954.

RM:ek
Enc.

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

January 15, 1954

Dear Langston;

A Miss Octavia H. Tenette, speech teacher in the Booker T. Washington High School in New Orleans, has written us regarding a weekly television program sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Association of that city under the title of "Teen-Age Book Review". It is a non-commercial educational program on which books are reviewed by high school students. They want to use NOT WITHOUT LAUGHTER and, in order to make the review interesting and appealing, would like to dramatize a few scenes. Under the terms of our contract dramatic rights do vest in us, but I wouldn't want to let them go ahead without your say-so. Do let me know how you feel about this.

WAK:ih

January 19, 1954

Miss Octavia H. Tenette,
Speech Department,
Booker T. Washington High School,
New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dear Miss Tenette,

I was delighted to learn from your publishers that your students plan a dramatization of parts of my "Not Without Laughter" for their Teen Age Book Review program, and I have authorized them to give you permission for it. I would be pleased if you'd send me a carbon of the scripts for my files. There is a young Negro writer now working as stage manager of the Dave Garoway Show at N.B.C. who is interested in making a commercial TV dramatization of the book, too.

Under separate cover I am sending you various materials, poems, etc., that may be useful to you in your classes.

I love that New Orleans city of yours, and always try to plan my lecture tours so as to be somewhere nearby around Mardi Gras time, which I've managed to catch two or three times. Right now I'm doing a book on jazz for children, so naturally am reading and writing about New Orleans. Marcus Christian is a good friend of mine there who knows a lot about the early history. A good poet he is, too.

With very best wishes to you and gratitude for your interest in my work, I am

February 4, 1954

Dear Blanche:

For sometime now my literary representative handling
my new contracts and the sales of my work has been:

Mr. Ivan Von Auw, Jr.
Harold Ober Associates
100 East 49th Street
New York 17, New York

I wanted to let you know this because he is advising
me on copyright renewals, etc., and neither of us
know just exactly what my rights are in relation to
my second Knopf book of poems, FINE CLOTHES TO THE
JEW, which, as you know, has long been out of print.
So Mr. Von Auw will probably contacting your office
concerning it.

I have been doing mostly juveniles lately, a new one,
Famous American Negroes, Dodd, Mead & Company, having
just been published this week. And in March, Franklin
Watts is bringing out my second book with them, THE
FIRST BOOK OF RHYTHMS. I am contracted to do two more
for them. SIMPLE TAKES A WIFE is coming out in England
next week, Gollancz. It is also being published in
Sweden this spring.

I had news of you lately from Bill Cola, whom I saw at
a P.E.N. Club meeting. He said you were looking very
beautiful that day, all in white.

Mrs. Blanche Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York, New York

1h-hs

February 19, 1954

Dear Bill:

While I was still a student at Lincoln University I assembled and edited for them
a collection of campus poetry called, FOUR LINCOLN UNIVERSITY POETS, which was pub-
lished by the University in 1930. At that time Knopf was kind enough to grant me
permission to use in this collection six poems of mine from the WEARY BLUES and
FINE CLOTHES TO THE JEW.

Now that Lincoln University is celebrating its Centennial (1854-1954), I have been
asked to assemble another such collection of the poetry of Lincoln University alumni.
Since my time there has been at least four other very good poets among this alumni—
including Melvin B. Tolson, whose recent book, LIBRETTO FOR THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA,
had a rave review in the New York Times a few Sundays ago. I have assembled a new
collection called, LINCOLN UNIVERSITY POETS: Centennial Anthology, which includes
Tolson, myself, Waring Cuney, and a representative sampling of other poets who
have attended Lincoln. This anthology is being published by the University through
The Fine Editions Press, as a part of its centennial celebration this spring. There
will be a limited edition of 2,000 copies, underwritten by the University, to be
sold to students, alumni, visitors at the centennial, etc., and not designed in any
sense to be a profit-making venture. Therefore, would you be so kind as to let me
know if Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., will grant to me the use of whatever poems of mine
have been in our books, for republication in this anthology without fee, as they
did in the previous volume of Lincoln University poets published in 1930. Also,
kindly let me know what form you would like the publishers to take, as, of course,
we intend to acknowledge this in the front of the book. I am enclosing a list
of my poems that I would like to use in the Lincoln University poets centennial
anthology, possibly cutting out a few if space necessitates doing so. I would
appreciate hearing from you as soon as convenient.

I understand there is to be a new edition of THE DREAM KEEPER soon. I will send
Bill Cole some new biographical data for this within a few days.

My continued good wishes to you.

Mr. William Koshland
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York, New York

lh-hs

Enclosure

POEMS BY LANGSTON HUGHES

LIN

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY POETS: CENTENNIAL ANTHOLOGY

Published by The Fine Editions Press for Lincoln University, 1954

<table>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>"Youth"</td>
      <td>THE DREAM KEEPER</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>"Mother to Son"</td>
      <td>THE WEARY BLUES<br>THE DREAM KEEPER</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"</td>
      <td>THE WEARY BLUES<br>THE DREAM KEEPER</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>"Trumpet Player: 52nd Street"</td>
      <td>FIELDS OF WONDER</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>"A House in Taos"</td>
      <td>" " "</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>"Oppression"</td>
      <td>" " "</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>"Heaven"</td>
      <td>" " "</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

POEMS BY LANGSTON HUGHES

IWN

<table><tr><td>"Youth"</td><td>THE DREAM KEEPER</td></tr><tr><td>"Mother to Son"</td><td>THE WEARY BLUES<br>THE DREAM KEEPER</td></tr><tr><td>"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"</td><td>THE WEARY BLUES<br>THE DREAM KEEPER</td></tr><tr><td>"Trumpet Player: 52nd Street"</td><td>FIELDS OF WONDER</td></tr><tr><td>"A House in Taos"</td><td>" " "</td></tr><tr><td>"Oppression"</td><td>" " "</td></tr><tr><td>"Heaven"</td><td>" " "</td></tr></table>

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

February 24, 1954

Dear Langston,

This is in answer to yours of the 19th regarding the Lincoln University Centennial volume and the collection you have assembled to be called LINCOLN UNIVERSITY POETS. Of course, you may quote as you choose from the volumes which we have published; however, as a matter of form and for full copyright protection, I think you should have full credit given to the original volumes with ourselves as publishers and the original copyright lines should be included as well. They are listed on the attached sheet that goes back to you herewith. Possibly all the credit lines and permissions, etc. could be lumped on the copyright page of the centennial volume.

I note that you'll be sending along new biographical data for the DREAM KEEPER and will advise Bill Cole that it is soon to be on its way.

With all best wishes to you,

WAK:ih/encl.

["POEMS BY LANGSTON HUGHES", "In", "LINCOLN UNIVERSITY POETS: CENTENNIAL ANTHOLOGY", "Published by The Fine Editions Press for Lincoln University, 1954", "```\n\"Youth\" .......................... THE DREAM KEEPER\n\"Mother to Son\".................. THE WEARY BLUES\n                             THE DREAM KEEPER\n\"The Negro Speaks of Rivers\".... THE WEARY BLUES\n                             THE DREAM KEEPER\n\"Trumpet Player: 52nd Street\".. FIELDS OF WONDER\n\"A House in Taos\"................. \"    \"\n\"Oppression\"..................... \"    \"\n\"Heaven\".......................... \"    \"\n```", "THE DREAM KEEPER -- copyright 1932 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.", "THE WEARY BLUES -- copyright 1926 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.", "FIELDS OF WONDER: -- copyright 1947 by Langston Hughes", "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

March 18, 1954

Dear Langston,

I don't know where this will catch up with you but it is a matter of some
urgency. I think you already know that we contracted quite some months ago to
publish Peter Abrahams on this side. The first title to be released is his
TELL FREEDOM. Abrahams quotes rather liberally from published verse during the
course of his narrative, and at one point he quotes you directly as follows:

"A man called Langston Hughes said:

I'm looking for a house
In the world
Where the white shadows
Will not fall.

Then he checked me with:

There is no such house,
Dark brother,
No such house
At all."

We have had no luck in tracking down these particular verses and I wonder
if you can be of some help. If they are not from a Knopf book, will you please
pass this on for quick permission to Holt if it is in one of their volumes, or
if it is something you can give us full permission, please let us have the
necessary word and all details as to copyright and credit line. Many thanks

March 27, 1954

Dear Bill:

I am sorry your letter of March 18 had to await my return from a Southern lecture tour in order to be answered, but I did not have any mail forwarded to me while on tour, traveling everyday from place to place.

The poem which Peter Abrahams uses in his TELL FREEDOM is called: "White Shadows." It was published many years ago in my fraternity magazine, The Oracle, but I do not have the issue or date available, and since they change editors every year, it would hardly be possible to trace that data down now. The poem has never been in any book of mine, or in any other publication that I know of. Certainly, I am happy to grant to Peter Abrahams and to Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., the right to use this poem in TELL FREEDOM, and I think the credit line need only state: "Used by permission of the author, Langston Hughes."

I am delighted that you are publishing Peter Abrahams' books in this country. With all good wishes, I am

LH
HS