2.

autumn an announcement will be made by the Press that Williams has become so interested in the idea of a short history of American literature that he has withdrawn from the Anthology and will devote his entire time to that. That is the story for the public. The outline of the true one, I have given you; and when I see you next personally, I can add flesh and blood--and venom!-- to the skeleton you now know. So now it is up to us, and I hope you will not be too displeased. Williams' name on the title-page would have helped enormously on the sales, but the Press seem to feel that in time the sale of the book will depend on the book itself. I can't tell you how sorry I am myself that Williams has had to drop out. His advice and friendship I have always treasured enormously, and it was a source of pride to me to work with him on the book. Only the fact that I shall be continuing with you helps in any way to mollify my regret.

Thanks for sending along the life of Crane. It seemed to me that Horton did a first-rate job with what must have been a hellishly awkward subject. Got a lot of good pointers from it.

Now for a long list of results, so far, from your letters. They have been coming in steadily, and my plan now is to have all possible dope ready for us to go over on your return. Some of the prices will make us bleed through the nose, and may make us recast our decisions slightly. I hope, however, not too much, for I think we can give a section of modern stuff that's better in quality than Untermeyer's.

William Carlos Williams has sent along copies of his poems, plus the request that we include two poems not previously on our list. They are both good. I will show you them. Also a short autobiographical sketch. He says that the copyrights have expired on all save The Yachts and this new one, but I do not believe him, and think we ought to go carefully on that matter.

Edgar Lee Masters sends a bill for $400.00, a demand for payment by July 15th, and a series of substitutions for the Spoon River Group. All new ones being from New Spoon River. The whole thing was so complicated that I wrote him that I could not pay him the money now, would have to consult you, and would reopen the matter later in the summer. To which he gave a sulky consent. He's a tough baby, and we'll have to plan some sort of an attack to bring him around.

Gregory suggested either $30.00 or $60.00 for his; and I suggested $45.00.

3.

Wallace Stevens sent a new version of Sombre Figuration, as it is to be republished this fall; plus a brief statement of his approach to poetry. Knopf sets $120.00 as his price.

Marianne Moore sent a grand statement to preface her work. Macmillan sets $110.00.

MacLeish wrote that he had written Houghton Mifflin, and asked me to see him about notes etc. so that he could give us what we wanted.

Your brother wrote Brandt & Brandt, who wrote me; but there was some confusion about price.

Don Brace et cie. will not give permission to use Thw Waste Land, The Hollow Men, Ash Wednesday, or anything from Murder in the Cathedral. Their bill for the rest is $250.00. Brace is in Europe now, but I have made arrangements with him to reopen the matter on my return. I'd like to play for a bit more.

Fletcher has crashed through beautifully. He has agreed to do an entirely fresh study of polyphonic prose, and I judge will give us some notes. He wants me to see him in town--which I hope to do in a week or so.

The bill for Robinson is $400.00, but not including For a Dead Lady, Miniver Cheevy, Cliff Klingenhagen, The Master, Richard Cory, How Annandale Went Out--which are from Scribner's. Nor the Tristram selection.

Vachel Lindsay's selections come to $205.00, but with one bad hitch. Macmillan writes: "Because of an agreement that we had with Vachel Lindsay before his death, we are prevented by his instructions from granting permission for the reprinting of more than two-thirds of The Congo." Their price is on that basis. I can't see our printing it this way, and I wish you would write to Mrs Vachel Lindsay 603 South Fifth Street Springfield Illinois and ask if this rule can't be waived. It would sound more fraternal if coming from you. Hint at the immortal quality of the Oxford name (Vachel was always proud that Oxford asked him to speak there once), and stress the total impression necessary for The Congo and for her dear husband's genius. Christ! it's one of the few first rate things he did. We must have it!

Sazh-Teasdale's bill is for $60.00.

Knopf hit, and hit hard. Their comment: "You wish to use so much of our material that we cannot make our fees very low." Steven Crane: $55.00; Tuckerman: $35.00; Wytter Bynner: $80.00; Elinor Wylie: $400.00. Baby! The comparative rates are right, but oh my! how it hurrs.

Frost is $400.00.

Sandburh is $180.00 from Henry Holt, and Harcourt

4.

Brace want $345.00 for the fewer poems under their control.
They will not give permission for I am the People, the Mob.

Scribner's want $20.00 for the Snatayana poems
and $100.00 for Aiken's.

Farrar & Rinehart want $26.00 for Lizette Reese's;
but on an incomplete list.

MORAL: Read 'em and weep!

As you will see the account so far comes to about
$3,500.00 with a good many expensive poets not yet in. And
without any of the prose permissions.

I asked Miss Silver to send on a couple of letters
to you to write, figuring on their greater effectiveness on
coming directly from you. Hope you will have time. I find also
that the Miller permissions come from his widow; but since
some of your selections, at least, are out of copyright I shall
delay asking you to write her until I am sure on that point.

To repeat: My plan is to have all this financial
dope, and as much as possible of the annotation ready for you
on your return. Lowry is anxious to have the copy by the first
of October, and I should think we ought to have it together by
then. I hope that will mean that we will have a little time
together. Starting next week I am getting a secretary to work
with me on some of the details, and I hope that will speed things
along. The plan is to publish on the first of next March. That
seems to me a month too late, but we may be glad enough of the
time--particularly when it comes to proof-reading.

Business being concluded for the nonce, I think
you were unbelievably selfish to hold back on such a daughter
at Sarah Lawrence. Being a scholarly sort of a person I
checked up on your description of her as "about the most
beautiful thing I ever saw", and found perfect agreement from
a faculty friend of mine there. No doubt you were anxious for
me to keep my mind on the anthology, but I am still slightly
resentful. Though envious!

Not much of excitement has happened. I did drop
in on the first night of the Writers' Congress to see some
really impressive films of the war in Spain, histrionics by
Muriel Dryaper, drunken idealism by Walter Duranty, a weak-kneed
speech (I thought) by Donald Ogden Stewart, and really good
and strong ones by MacLeish and Hemingway. Was amused by an
acquaintance of mine whom I saw for the first time in a couple
of years, who--having been born too late for the Left Bank in
its prime--has grown a goat's beard and gone Trotskyite.

Was interested to see that you chose the Susan
poem of Dud Fitts to parse in your review. He thinks it's
his best. Dudley has a remarkably sensitive ear, and their

5.

are any number of really lovely lines and effects in his
poetry. I think however that he needs to find himself
emotionally (spiritually, politically, what you will) if
he is going to get any farther. Not because, it seems, to
me, a poet must have these things in every case--as for
example a purely lyrical poet, or one with feeling like
Helen Hoyt's--but one does need it when one writes intellect-
ually as Fitts does. He indicates direction, and the direction
wanders and weaves around, and really proves to be no direction
at all.

In reading around in Poetry, and looking
for material for annotation, I have gotten a great admiration
for Helen Hoyt's work. Not elaborate, but rather perfect
in its way--as Mrs Roberts poems for children, which you
introduced me to--are in theirs. Don't think we ought to
put her in ours, but in any exclusively contemporary anthology
she ought to be. Have also seen several of your sister, Laura's
that I liked. Fragile, but often exquisite. Always very
sensitive.

In re Leonie Adams, by all means include her
if you want. I agree that she has done some excellent work.
I can't be sure it's better than Marianne's, but we can de
gustibus that, certainly.

God! how I envy you the California sun. I'm
so pale now that I've been a couple of years out of the sun
that I've hardly any tan on my neck, let alone my navel. I've
always thought the perfect life was that of Byron's uncle who
lay in the sun and watched beetles race down his belly.

All best,

147 Cottage Street
New Haven, Connecticut.