University of Kansas City
Kansas City, Mo.

April 15th 1941

Dear Mr Brooks,

Thanks for your letter of Feb. 14th. Please excuse
my delay. But the essay on Croce, when your answer reached me,
had just been accepted by the Journal of Aesthetics; then I
thought of sending you another essay, on Svevo, but it has
meanwhile turned out that the Kenyon Review is publishing it.
So I am enclosing now a gloomy and dogmatic little piece,
rather as a sample of my work than because I feel that you
will be compelled to rush it to press; and because it may
suggest to you some subject on which I might write for you.

The enclosed essay is more or less a preface to
my other recent and future essays, including the one on Croce;
I somehow hope to publish them all in a volume in a year or
two. There would then also be some essays on Maritain, Benda,
Valéry, Rilke and perhaps Dilthey, all of which are now only
fragmentary; and the essay on Maritain may turn out to be one
on Brémond and the neo-platonistic theories of poetry and
mysticism and magic, or of poetry and prayer and incantation,
which I briefly discussed, about two years ago, in a longish
review in Poetry Magazine.

I think, however, that the enclosed may be able to
give you an idea of the type of dialectical critical scheme
which I generally use.

Charles Edward Smith
35 Stuyvesant Street
New York, N.Y.

March 20, 1941

Mr. Charles W. Pipkin
Editor
Southern Review
Louisiana State University
University, La.

Dear Mr. Pipkin:

I am enclosing two poems in which I thought
you might be interested.

I have wondered if you would be interested in
an article on jazz background. As you may know, I am
co-editor of Jazzmen, - the first book to go thoroughly
into the New Orleans environment of early jazz, from
the 90's until the decade from 1910-20, as it shifted
northward. We covered, as well, the Chicago, New York,
and other periods. I have helped prepare special albums.
I did the booklet for Decca's album of New Orleans jazz.
I helped Jelly Roll Morton plan his album of New Orleans
Memories, and wrote the booklet for it. I write regularly
for Victor Record Review. I've done articles on jazz and
American folk music for The New Republic, Esquire, New
York Times, Christian Science Monitor, etc. etc. The St.
Louis Post-Dispatch recently asked me to do an article on
the old ragtime pianists of that city -- a subject on
which I've done much research.

My idea in preparing an article on background would
be to show a little both of the colorful background itself,
describe briefly and in a general way the music growing out
of this background...show more recent big band jazz and in-
dicate its environment. I prepared an article along such
lines for Boletin Latino-Americano de Musica (edited by Dr.
Francisco Curt Lange of Uruguay) and I believe it would be
an interesting contribution for American readers, written
freshly, of course, for this audience. If you are interested in
this, or any other aspect of jazz, please indicate what
length article you prefer.

stamp encl.

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE

Dec. 14, 1941

Dear Mr. Warren:

I'm enclosing four poems I've written somewhat recently. I'd appreciate it very much if you would take a few minutes to read them and jot down on the margin any criticisms and suggestions you have concerning them. I find myself narrowing down in ambition -- when I get to writing verse at all. I fret under it and feel about to burst sometimes. But the world unravels very darkly.

Have you had a chance to look at the thesis again?

Wynn has asked me to become poetry editor for THE NEW MEXICO QUARTERLY REVIEW. It will print all that MODERN VERSE did, all that I find that I want to print, and it will save time at the press for other projects a partner and I now have; so I'll let MODERN VERSE go for a time after a modest but, I think, worthwhile year.

I hope all goes well with your writing. Going through POETRY for the year I saw your two poems there; they were very fine indeed. I still look for that volume of your poetry to be announced sometime. Warmest regards to you and Mrs. Warren from both of us.

SAGE

BOOKS

SWALLOW & CRITCHLOW

BOX 4002
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

April 14, 1942

Dear Mr. Brooks and Mr. Warren:

I have a proposal to make which I hope will interest you. It is to start a
new publication, which we will publish here but which will try to carry on
with the work of the So. Rev. and, if it has to quit, of the Ken. Rev.
I'll try to outline my plan as carefully and clearly as possible.

1. Editorial: I should like to ask you two to become editors and, if Ken. Rev. quits, Mr. Ransom. I should be on the editorial board to coordinate, handle technical problems, etc. I realize that there would be difficulties, since we are all separated so. (Kitty Hough wrote that she understood that Mr. Warren was leaving for Minnesota and that Mr. Brooks was leaving, too.) But these difficulties seem to attach themselves to every kind of project these days, and cooperation is essential if something good is to be done. I think we should have no great problem. We could keep in touch with each other by mail regarding what each was trying to secure for the magazine, etc. If necessary, we could more or less arbitrarily divide up space in the magazine and let each editor provide material for that. I don't know precisely how that would be worked out, for you would have as much say as I. I should propose that all go in at equal rank on the editorial staff.

2. Production: I should print the magazine here, putting in my labor for the printing. That cuts cost of production greatly. Of course composition would have to be bought, but we can do it here locally and conveniently, and, what is most important, quite cheaply. Now I have long felt that a periodical might well return in one respect to the old Tatler and Spectator tradition, that is, in having more issues and having them small and variable in size to adapt to the matter at hand to publish. My idea would be to publish the magazine (this would be easier for me at the production end and would save some costs and troubles, also) with periodic commitments, once every two weeks. The size could vary from 16 to 32 pages per issue by four page gaps.-- either 16, 20, 24, 28, or 32 pages. A good substantial and attractive cover would be used, not merely the text paper as I used on my little Modern Verse magazine. Now each issue, according to this plan, would generally contain one main item -- say one good critical essay. In addition, it might carry one review of moderate proportions, perhaps a short space for letters, then exchange and other ads. These latter items would be the variables issue by issue to fill out the four pages. Now of course a great deal of material runs too short for one issue, say a comparatively short short story -- then such an issue would use two such items. Poets would be encouraged to do what you tried to encourage, that is, build up good sized groups which could be published as one poet to an issue if enough of his could be had, or two or three good-sized groups per issue.

2.

16

I think the issues would average over 24 pages, so that during a year more than 600 pages would be published. These pages would be considerably smaller than those of the So. Rev. They would run 5" by 7$\frac{1}{2}$", a little larger than the pages for Modern Verse, if you happened to see a copy. They would contain very nearly the wordage, however, of the So. Rev. page, since the type would be smaller; but as it would be in shorter lines, less margins, it would not be at the sacrifice of readability. I can turn out a good looking thing of this sort, I assure you; in fact, one advantage of this sort of publication, as I see it, would be that one could move toward the fine press tradition with each publication, encouraging buying of individual issues as little pamphlets in themselves.

Finance: This is, of course, the ticklish problem always. I'll be quite specific about my figuring of costs (remember that there would be no cost for presswork or printing). I first figured on the basis of 500 copies per issue as a starter, the most difficult period to get over. $\$fx$ This figured 400 subscriptions. If it ran over that, particularly doubled, there would be no financial problem, as I shall demonstrate. There would also be no secretarial charge.

On basis of 500 copies per issue:

Paper, including covers $130
Composition, $10 issue $250
Copyright, $2 issue 50
Mailing cost per year $185
Contributors, $10 per issue $250
Advertising circulars 50
---
$915

For leeway, once could count $1000 per year at this rate. I had figured the issues would sell for 25 cents each, $3.00 per year of 25 issues. If there were 400 subscriptions or regular sales, the income would approach $1200 per year. Now of course the trouble here is that I haven't showed much for payment to contributors. $10¢ per issue isn't much, I'll admit. And if the magazine could not go beyond that amount after the first year, it wouldn't be worth keeping. But it is something, at that, especially when the market for such material is dwindling so rapidly. Of course, also, the first year might be difficult for the reason that one has to build subscriptions. But to get the thing started, I am confident that I, plus a person I have in mind for business end, can get $500 to sustain the magazine the first year, so that we would need only 200 subscriptions the first year. That seems conservative enough.

Now let me figure on the basis of 1000 copies, 900 of them subscription copies:

Paper, double above $260
Composition, same $250
Copyright, same 50
Mailing, double $370
Contributors, $50 issue $1250
Advertising, same 50
---
$2230

The income here would be close to $2700, so that the magazine would be self-sustaining and make a payment which would be, I believe, quite satisfactory. I can vouch for these figures within 10 to 20 percent; paper is rising, of course, but it would seem that it will be available very nearly at the figure I have mentioned; in fact, I figured it higher than we paid last time we bought, and I have enough on hand for a year's issues of 500 each.

3.

I do not offer this suggestion as a substitute for the So. Rev. I offer it under
the assumption that the So. Rev. is essentially out of the question for the time
being. If not, I'll gladly withdraw and be glad to see the other continue. But
It will provide a way, I am sure, for something that is a fairly adequate substitute
to continue. And it seems to me quite imperative that something, even though
an inferior thing, should continue during this time. I hope that you would be
interested, for its success would depend upon getting your tried editorial experience
at work with it. I think over a period of years it could reach a point at which
it could be doing almost as much as the So. Rev. did do. But I should not want to
consider it without your support in a considerable degree. Of course there would
be no salary in it for you such as you had in the So. Rev. for editorial work.
It is a sacrifice that I do not know I should ask you to make. But the work, since
it would be more split up and since some of the details of it would be handled here,
would not be so arduous. And it would provide an opportunity for you to "keep your
hand in" on something which, I take it, is very important to both of you.

I should propose that the new publication start about the first of September.
That would provide time to line up the first eight or ten issues at least with
good things, so that the advertising circulars would be effective. (I forgot to
say, as an aside here, that if something quite long, such as a good novelette,
came in, a double number could be issued.) The point of the whole set-up as far
as size goes is flexibility and adaptability to the requirements of the matter
which we felt needed to be published; I don't see why there should be any
bars of any kind so far as length or type of material was concerned.) I should
also depend, if I could, upon your circular lists, as mine, built up over a year
or so, are entirely inadequate for the purpose.

I want to commend you both for your reviews in the new Ken. Rev. Mr. Brooks'
I thought a very fine handling of the recent Auden problem. And Mr. Warren's
would undoubtedly a sort of final say, very brilliantly done, and properly done,
to this recent fanfare caused by Brooks.

I did not get from you, though I did get from each author, permission to reprint
the material from the So. Rev. -- that is, the permission of the magazine itself
for the complete group.

With warmest regards to all of you there from Mae and me,

PS: I am not writing to Mr. Ransom until I hear from you with regard to the
matter and until I hear your opinion of that step. I would appreciate, however,
a prompt answer so that the necessary steps can be taken if we think the whole
plan advisable.