The Countryman Press, Inc.

Publishers. Weston, Vermont.

VREST ORTON President; CURTIS SMITH Vice President; LOWELL PRATT Treasurer.

May 25, 1938

67 West 44 St.
New York, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Benet,

Just received a note from Charles Child who says he will be at your house on the 31st to sign the sheets. You will sign on page 3 where the limitation notice appears. This page precedes the title page. The sheets of the first 16 pages will be delivered to you folded with the page slit where you are to sign. You should receive them by Friday the 27th. I will call you late Tuesday afternoon the 31st to see if they are finished as I would like to pick them up on June 1st.

Thanking you for your cooperation and I do hope that sometime I may have the pleasure of seeing you personally. Our acquaintance ship to date seems to have been confined to the telephone and letter.

Stephen Vincent Benet
220 East 69 St.
New York, N.Y.

The Countryman Press, Inc.

Publishers. Weston, Vermont.

June 13, 1938

670 West 44th St.
New York, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Benet,

I was in Brentano's the other day selling JOHNNY PYE and Mr. Murray there said a woman came in awhile ago and asked for a book by you entitled GOD AND DANIEL BOONE and it turned out that the book she wanted was THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER. As I remember my history I believe that Daniel Boone was a religious man. It may be that there is a story in there for you and I thought I would pass this on to you for what it was worth.

Hope you liked JOHNNY PYE. The bookstores whom I have seen so far all like it very much. Does the plastic slip case appeal?

THE COUNTRYMAN PRESS

NOW HAS THE PLEASURE OF ANNOUNCING

JOHNNY PYE
AND THE
FOOL-KILLER

By Stephen Vincent Benet

WITH DRAWINGS BY CHARLES CHILD

LIMITED Edition, SIGNED by AUTHOR & ARTIST

THE FOOL-KILLER by Charles Child

## A Statement

The greatest . . . most remarkable . . . thrilling . . . superb . . .
brilliant . . . grand masterpiece; a swell book . . . a most important . . .
astounding . . . exceptional . . . moving . . . captivating book; a most
memorable . . . most significant . . . most charming . . . most sweeping
. . . most this and most that book!!!

These are just a few of the *catch*-words the editors of *The Countryman Press* are sick and tired of seeing applied to books. One gets the impression reading the literary journals that great literary masterpieces are spawned twice a day and that weekly there is issued the Book of the Century!

We publish good books and we pledge ourselves to tell you about them in plain language without the use of ridiculous superlatives.

## And now

let's talk about JOHNNY PYE AND THE FOOL-KILLER. "You don't hear much about the Fool-Killer these days, but when Johnny Pye was a boy there was a good deal of talk about him. Some said he was one kind of a person, and some said another, but most people agreed that he came around fairly regular."

Thus Stephen Vincent Benet, author of *The Devil and Daniel Webster*, and a man who can tell an American yarn about as well, they say, as any man in America, starts off his new tale of Johnny Pye, the boy from Martinsville. The Pye boy worked for the miller on the creek, and lay awake nights forming in his spinning mind a picture of the Fool-Killer he'd heard so much about. He'd heard all sorts of wild yarns about how, everytime anybody died, it was the Fool-Killer who had something to do with it. But Johnny Pye didn't know just why.

Johnny Pye had heard tell the Fool-Killer was a big man in a checked shirt and corduroy trousers and he went walking the ways of the world with a hickory club that had a lump of lead in the end of it . . . but even though he'd asked a lot of people, Johnny Pye didn't rightly know what kind of a looking fellow the Fool-Killer was. But he did a powerful lot of thinking about it, lying

The Countryman Press, Inc.

On the Common, Weston, Ut.

awake there in his room over the mill . . . listening in the still
of the night for the thud, thud, thud of the steps that might be
coming up the road . . .

Every time a bough rustled or the mill wheel creaked it seemed
to Johnny Pye that the Fool-Killer was coming . . .

And he couldn't stand it any longer and besides he'd done some-
thing the miller didn't like, so he left. He tied up his duds in a
bandana handkerchief and he ran away. Johnny Pye didn't really
expect to get far away from the Fool-Killer very long . . . as
far as he knew the Fool-Killer got you wherever you went. But he
thought he'd give the Fool-Killer a run for his money, at least.

And that . . . the way Johnny Pye did give the Fool-Killer a
run for his money, is the story Mr. Benet tells in his new book.
Johnny Pye grew up and became a man and had adventures a
plenty out in the wide world . . . and he gave the Fool-Killer a
real run for his money, all right.

But we'll let Mr. Benet go on and tell it . . .

JOHNNY PYE AND THE FOOL-KILLER is published by *The Countryman Press* in a limited edition, illustrated by CHARLES CHILD, the well known artist who has illustrated other Benet books. This Limited Edition is designed by Vrest Orton, printed in Janson on rag paper, and bound in cloth, stamped in gold, enclosed in a slip-case and strictly limited to 700 copies. Every copy is signed by Mr. Benet and Mr. Child and sells for only $3.50 a copy.

The Countryman Press, Inc.

WESTON, VERMONT

Founded last year by three men as a country publishing house, The Countryman Press intends to remain one. By that I mean we shan't move to New York and hire a corps of salesmen. Therefore, I hope you will accept in place of salesmen my occasional letters in which I shall write you complete and concise information about the books we are bringing out.

Our modest but intensive publishing plans are to issue from six to ten books a year; limited, signed editions, carefully printed in attractive format, well illustrated and selling for reasonable prices. (Being in the country, our saving in overhead and sales expense makes this possible.)

Some books will be by notable American authors (our first by Masters and our second by Benét; cases in point) and others will be by new and promising American writers we discover and believe will be the men of the future. All our books, we hope, will be genuine contributions to literature or to Americana. The illustrations will be by outstanding American artists, preferably new men well known in the art world but whose work has not been seen in books...thus perhaps we shall make a real contribution to the art of the book.

Fortunately, our first Spring book, *The Devil and Daniel Webster* by Stephen Vincent Benét fits all these specifications. It is an engaging and moving story by an eminent literary figure; the result of literary art applied to an old New England folk-tale, it is good Americana; it is illustrated by Harold Denison, distinguished American artist in the New England genre whose work, esteemed by collectors, is in permanent collections in this country and England and is often included in the annual "100 Prints of the Year." It is printed on worthy paper; it is signed by Mr. Benét; it is limited to 700 copies...and it sells for only $3.50!

This is typical of the values the Countryman Press plans to offer the trade...books you can sell with pride and profit. I want to emphasize also that this book will, of course, appeal to the first edition collectors. Probably by a few phone calls you could sell half a dozen copies...it's such an excellent value!

The Benet book will be published April 25. Many orders have already come in even before this formal announcement. We expect the book will be sold out before publication. I earnestly advise sending your order at once.

P. S. We have a limited number of the enclosed announcement available for distribution and will be pleased to supply them as long as they last.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A legend 400 years old has been brought up to date by Stephen Vincent Benet
in his new book, The Devil and Daniel Webster, scheduled for publication April 25th
by The Countryman Press of Weston, Vermont. The Faust legend first reared its head
in Germany in 1539 but of course was made immortal in literature by Chris Marlowe
and later in 1808 by Goethe. Mr. Benet, finding it still with us in a New
Hampshire folk-tale, nobody knows how old, has given the legend a new lease of life
in his engaging story of a poor New Hampshire farmer, the devil in new guise, and
New Hampshire's famous native son, Daniel Webster. Bent to earth by the weight of
toll and misfortune, the farmer sells his soul to the devil. He then prospers.
But only for so long. The devil must be paid. Only for the great power of Daniel
Webster's name in the land and even into the reaches of hell, the devil might
have---but it wouldn't be fair to give the plot away.

The Devil and Daniel Webster is being issued by The Countryman Press in the
hill village of Weston, Vermont, a new house founded last year by Vrest Orton,
Lowell Pratt and Curtis Smith. The Benet book, the second of the Limited Edition
Series of the Press (the first being the Golden Fleece of California, an epic poem
of the days of '49 by Edgar Lee Masters) will be illustrated from drawings by the
distinguished American artist, Harold Denison, whose work is esteemed by collectors
(also included in "100 Prints of the Year" as well as in American and English
private collections). The book is designed by Vrest Orton and printed on Worthy
Coronet; signed by Mr. Benet; and limited to 700 copies. The publishers report
that advance interest makes it evident that the edition will be completely sub-
scribed to by the publication date.

["The Countryman Press, Inc.", "Weston, Vt.", "DIRECTORS", "VREST ORTON LOWELL PRATT CURTIS SMITH", "Important news to New Hampshire Libraries and Booksellers", "Every library and bookshop in the state will want copies of *The Devil and Daniel Webster* by Stephen Vincent Benet, for this book is the most fascinating story of a New Hampshire farmer, the devil, and New Hampshire's famous son, Daniel Webster. It is illustrated by Harold Denison, well known artist whose prints are esteemed by collectors.", "It is the result of what happens when an eminent American writer like Mr. Benet takes as subject matter an old New Hampshire folk-tale and makes it come alive in literary art.", "Everyone interested in New Hampshire history and folk-lore, in stories of Daniel Webster, or in simply a rousing good yarn will be asking for *The Devil and Daniel Webster*.", "You should have at least one copy on your shelves. Send your order today. (The book, limited to 700 copies, will probably be sold out before publication on April 25th.) Each book will be signed by the author and the price will be $3.50.", {"bbox": (493, 984, 688, 1007], "category": "Text", "text": "Faithfully yours,", "Vrest Orton"]