"Springwood"
West Joppa Road
RIDERWOOD, Md.,

November 26

Dear Bill Williams,

Forgive my silence. I came back from New York and was struck down by a horrible flu germ - which explains why I've not answered your very welcome letter sooner.

Thank you for all that you say about my book. I couldn't be happier - but I don't see why you depreciate yourself by emphasizing that you had to "hold yourself down". I thought your book gave just the opposite impression - that of someone who, whatever the obstacles, managed to do a great deal of what he wanted to do. I mean, of course, in the realm that can be called important. For this reason the sentence I love the most in the whole book is the very perfect one with which you close your foreword : ". . . the fates of ideas living against the grain in a nonfiction world have always held me breathless". Heavens, I should like to have written that sentence!

With many thanks and all good wishes,

September 18, 1951

Dear Billy Williams,

If I remember correctly, this
is what we used to call you. I've just got a
copy of your book and am reading it with the
most absorbing interest. (More about it when
I've finished). This note is just to tell you
that you mustn't kill off Jane Heap as you've
done. She's in London where she has lived
for the last eighteen years or so; she's
very well except for the diabetes which she
has had for ages, and she has two important
Gurdjieff groups - interesting beyond de-
scription.

As for me, I came back to America in
1942 and have been here ever since, except for
yearly trips to France. Hermitage House is
bringing out a book of mine in November -
"The Fiery Fountains" - which tells about all
the xx years since <u>Little Review</u> days. I'll
ask Munson to send you a copy. Hope you'll
like it as much as I like yours.

All best <u>souvenirs</u> and wishes,

As always,