PUBLISHERS' AGENCY

55 West 42nd Street
New York, N. Y.

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Claude McKay, Esquire,
214 West 63rd Street,
New York City.

Laurence Roberts
LITERARY AGENT

55 WEST 42nd STREET NEW YORK CITY
Telephone - - Chickering 4-6827

May 1

1935

Dear Mr. McKay,

DINNER IN DOUARNENEZ reached me safely and
I am giving it my immediate consideration.

I shall let you hear from me about its possi-
bilities in about a week.

I have not as yet heard from Esquire regard-
ing your story which I submitted to them, but
as soon as I do I shall get in touch with you.

I also want to assure you that I am taking
good care of your book of poems, "Harlem
Shadows", and it can be had whenever you call
at my office.

With kind wishes,

LR:ME

PUBLISHERS' AGENCY

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S

Claude Mc Kay, Esquire,
214 West 63rd Street,
New York City.

55 WEST 42nd STREET NEW YORK CITY
Telephone - Chickering 4-6827

May 3

1935

Dear Mr. McKay,

I think the enclosed note will be of interest
to you, for to some extent it represents my
own opinion of your story, CLANDESTINE AND
CONTRABAND.

The story has apparently been read by three
editors who seemed to be very much impressed
with it, and I was particularly interested
in the second comment "Could be more informa-
tive," which I interpret to mean the story
requires considerable more concrete detail
about the objectives of your characters.

I would be glad to turn over this story to
you on your next visit to my office.

LR: MES

Enc: 1

Jan. 4
1936

205 West 115th St
New York City

Dear Mr Roberts

Thanks for your letter and personal cheque
for $25 dollars advance on the Arman payment.

Perhaps it is better that things remain
as they are at present with Harper's. I am putting
every ounce of my best in this book and as Arman has
made an offer, he ought to have it, especially as the
firm that once made so much money out of me, turned me
down. If it is a success, we can have a better weapon
to deal with Harper's than if their firm had taken it.

I made some rough changes in that second part. But I have decided to go straight ahead with the main writing and after I have finished, I shall revise. I think that is a much better plan than stopping to revise, for I want to have the book finished at least in the rough by the end of March.

I think the quicker the book gets into
its formal shape, the better it will be for me.

June 9

19 36

Dear Mr. McKay,

In the New York World-Telegram "Book Marks" for June 8, 1936, I see the following notice:

"Max Eastman will spend the summer at Martha's Vineyard, where he will begin work on a new book of his memoirs."

I know you are very close to Eastman, and I am exceedingly anxious to know whether it is possible for me to arrange for the handling of this book through my office.

I would appreciate it very much if you would write to Eastman, and if possible obtain this book for me, providing of course, he has no previous commitments with other agents.

Would you please be good enough to get in touch with him immediately, as a personal favor to me?

With kindest personal regards,

Claude McKay, Esquire,
205 West 115th Street,
New York City.

LR:ms

55 WEST 42nd STREET

NEW YORK CITY

June 15

1936

Dear Mr. McKay,

I am enclosing herewith an announcement on your manu-
script that has already gone forward to the trade.

I am sure you will realize that Furman is on the job,
and as a matter of fact I have already had a visit
from one of the motion picture producers requesting
submission of the galley proofs of the manuscript as
early as possible.

It is therefore up to you to finish up your work as
early as possible in order to get the book under way.

Mrs. Blankenhorn has also phoned, advising me that she
is making up a list of recommendations to be used when
you start revising the material. As soon as I receive
them I shall get them to you.

At the same time you will notice that the original title
of the book has been used in the advance publicity, and
while I have suggested your new title, KEEP GOING, they
still feel that something else would be necessary. But
you need not worry about the title of the book for I
have been giving it some thought and I think we will
have some suggestions at a little later time.

I also want to thank you for answering me on the Eastman
book, and I shall write him as you suggested.

With kindest regards,

LR:ms

July 9

19 36

Dear Mr. McKay,

I quite appreciate how hard you have been at
work on your manuscript, and the telegram was
merely the message given to me by Furman.

Now, if I were you I would not take the thing
too seriously, although I hope you will have
some regard for the exigencies of publication
and the desire of the publishers to get the book
out as they have promised in their announcements.

You must remember, Mr. McKay, that I sent you one
message asking you to get in touch with me, for
I did not want to mention the rejection angle.
And it was because of your failure to communi-
cate with me that I thought you ought to know
the real situation. As a rule, three months
are required to put a book through the presses,
and here we have only about six or seven weeks
left.

If we could arrange to get together, your work
could be finished in the time necessary to bring
it out in September as scheduled.

Please let me hear from you at once, at the of-
fice, if possible, or at my home this evening.

Claude McKay, Esquire
55 West 129th Street
New York City

LR:br

VIA SPECIAL DELIVERY

LAURENCE ROBERTS

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Claude McKay, Esquire,
55 West 129th Street,
New York City.

JUN 4 - 1937

Letterhead

NEW TIMES
and
ETHIOPIA NEWS

Editor: E. SYLVIA PANKHURST

"West Dene,"
3 Charteris Road,
Woodford Green,
Essex, England

Telephone: BUCKhurst 2463.

22nd May 1937.

Lee Furman Esq.,
386 Fourth Avenue,
NEW YORK CITY.

Dear Mr. Furman,

I thank you for your courtesy in having sent me the book of Mr. Claude McKay, and I am sorry to have to tell you that I take very strong exception to many statements therein, and particularly the last four lines on page 78 and the first ten lines on page 79. All the matter contained in those lines is absolutely untrue and a serious libel on myself.

I, therefore, ask you immediately to withdraw the book from circulation and delete those passages.

I regret to have to write this, but you as publishers should have been aware that these statements are libellous, and I repeat they are absolutely untrue.

It is a pity that Claude McKay should have chosen to libel one who has treated him with consideration and kindness.

PUBLISHERS' AGENCY

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Claude McKay, Esquire

408 Manhattan Avenue

New York City

LAURENCE ROBERTS

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Claude McKay, Esquire

Apt. 5 C

32 Morningside Avenue

New York City

Cable Address:
Lauroberts, New York

Telephone:
Chickering 4-6827

55 WEST 42nd STREET

NEW YORK CITY

December 29

1938

Dear Mr. McKay,

With the holidays intervening, I shall be able to let you hear from me about the manuscript the early part of next week.

I have also been in touch with Mr. Elder, and I should like very much to do business with Doubleday, Doran on this book. As you know, however, I am still waiting for the manuscript of poems which we may submit to Furman, so that arrangements may be made to do business with other firms on your novel.

I hope you will get the poems to me as soon as possible, and in the meantime both Mrs. Roberts and I want to extend our most sincere wishes for the coming year, and we do hope that it will be a highly successful one so far as your work is concerned.

Claude McKay, Esquire
32 Morningside Avenue
New York City

LR:ms

LAURENCE ROBERTS
55 West 42nd Street
New York, N. Y.

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LAURENCE ROBERTS

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Telephone:
Chickering 4-6827

55 WEST 42nd STREET

NEW YORK CITY

February 8

1939

Dear Mr. McKay,

I appreciate your letter of the 7th, and am sure that if you gave some thought to the circumstances under which an agent has to work, you would have an entirely different picture of the way your manuscript is being handled.

You must remember that I like nothing better than to get a contract for you, and as quickly as possible, so that we can realize some commissions for all the time and work we put in with an author. When we must be careful about the possibilities of legal reverberations, however, it is essential to go a bit slower, as I am sure you will realize.

Furman has not given me a definite decision as yet, so it is difficult for me to proceed as freely as I would like. But at your insistence, your new work, HARLEM GLORY, has been submitted at once. In this connection I must advise you that I cannot assume any responsibility should any difficulties arise as a result of Furman's option.

Now as to the Doubleday Doran submission. When you first mentioned Elder to me you were so insistent on my getting in touch with him that I did so, but with a good deal of reluctance, writing him that I would show Doubleday Doran the material. And I usually keep promises I make to publishers. Contrary to your impression, Elder is on the editorial board of Doubleday. When you changed your mind about him and wrote to Saxton giving him a promise about the material - a promise which I knew nothing about until after you had written your letter - you can see, Mr. McKay, how confusion tends to arise.

After speaking with you Tuesday morning, however, the manuscript was recalled from Doubleday, and Saxton has it already. But this was done in a way that will not prejudice further submission to Doubleday. And if you will permit me to handle the matter in my own way you need have no fear about prejudicing the publishers regarding your work.

With kind personal regards,

LAURENCE ROBERTS

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