May 14, 1959

Dear Sirs,

Please send 6 copies of the DREAM KEEPER
to me at the usual author's discount and bill me
for the amount due.

Thank you much.

Order Dept.
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, New York

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

Cables: KNOPF NEW YORK
Phone: MURRAY HILL 8-0600

BORZOI BOOKS

501 Madison Avenue
NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

December 14, 1959

Dear Langston:

At the time of the Howard Player's presentation of SIMPLY HEAVENLY in Washington, D. C., I sent the photograph of you in your bus boy days, and the photostat of the interview which the _Washington Star_ ran in 1926 to Mr. Hudson Grunewald, the present book reviewer at the _Star_. In the accompanying letter to him, I asked that he return both items to us as soon as possible, but it seems upon checking the files that he neglected to do so. Therefore, when I received your message I wrote another letter asking him to return photo and interview directly to you. You should get them within a day or two.

May I say that my wife and I watched the television production of your play last week with great enjoyment.

With best wishes.

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, New York

HL: swm

C O P Y

ALFRED A KNOPF Incorporated
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, N.Y.

February 11, 1960

Dear Langston:

What is this I read in the papers about SHAKESPEARE IN HARLEM?
Congratulations are certainly in order. I remember that special
afternoon matinee that took place down at the Theatre de Lys and
didn't give it a further thought, on the assumption that this was
a one-time affair. But, now that production has become a commer-
cial reality, I think we have to call attention to the fact that
we are entitled to our 25% share in the net proceeds that apply
to SHAKESPEARE IN HARLEM as provided in the contract made so
many years ago. You might at your convenience let us know what
arrangements are as to payment of royalties, advances, etc., so
our records may be adjusted accordingly. We hope the production
will have every success.

WAK/lk

February 23, 1960

Dear Anne Louise:

As each Knopf book of poems went out of print, the rights
were reassigned to me. But, in looking at the contract for SELECTED POEMS,
it seems Knopf reacquired the rights to all poems in that book---which in
cludes those from which the play, SHAKESPEARE IN HARLEM is made. So I suppose
the above claim is valid. Please check the contract and see, and phone Mr.
Koshland about it, or whatever......Regards,

C O P Y

February 11, 1960

Dear Langston:

WAK/lk

February 24, 1960

Mr. William A. Koshland,
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York 22, New York.

Dear Bill:

I am just back recently from a three week lecture of
the cold old Middlewest---Kentucky State College, Hanover,
Defiance, University of Buffalo, etc.---to find your note
re SHAKESPEARE IN HARLEM awaiting me. I have sent it on
to my representatives: Harold Ober Associates. Anne
Louise Davis there, who handles my theatre affairs, is out
of the office with the flu, but I am sure as soon as she
returns, things will be taken care of.

If memory serves me correctly, as each of my books of
poems went out of print, Knopf reassigned the rights to me.
But in making the contract for SELECTED POEMS, I believe
you reacquired them. At any rate, some of the poems in the
current theatre production are from SHAKESPEARE IN HARLEM,
others from ONE WAY TICKET, and the rest from a Henry Holt
book, MONTAGE OF A DREAM DEFERRED. But I think all of them
are now in SELECTED POEMS. So far, there are no royalties
anyhow, so nothing is due you-all yet. But I judge statements
will be forthcoming soon. The show had wonderful reviews,
but is not doing much business. (If you'd like to see it,
better RUN---not walk). The production is really charming.

Perhaps you might post the enclosed bill on the office
board in case some of the Knopf personelle might like to see
it.

Also, maybe the sales department might NM arrange to
have SELECTED POEMS sold at the theatre---maybe send over a
dozen or so copies---as there is a vendor-man in the lobby.
And perhaps the publicity department would send out a little
press release on the fact that the script is derived from
our SELECTED POEMS.

Langston Hughes

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

February 29, 1960

Dear Langston:

Many thanks for yours of the 24th. I did try to call you back
several times and we just had rotten luck all round. I know Anne Louise
Davis and the pesky business side of the matter can be looked into when
she's well enough again to take over. I hadn't realized that she was out.

All facts noted as to the makeup of the play, that is the poems that
have gone into it, and I'll certainly see to it that our salespeople do
whatever is possible in getting SELECTED POEMS over to the vendor in the
lobby of the theatre. I am hoping to get to the play sometime this week
and will start running now. Incidentally I tried to catch your eye at the
opening of COOL WORLD but in all that crowd it was impossible.

All the best to you.

WAK: kb

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

10 March 1960

Dear Langston:

A letter written on Crown stationary dated January 31st was received here on March 8th and there must be a reason other than the New York postal service. I would like to have some information from you in further detail or at least with somebody at Crown as to the form in which the book is to be published, that is paper back or hard bound. We note that you have already gotten the necessary permission from Abrahams for the proposed selection from MINE BOY and I'm afraid we are a bit far a part when it comes to fee. We have for sometime now set a policy of $50 as a minimum fee for a given prose selection, a single poem or as a group of poems by a given author as the only reasonable one. It has become very clear that the cost of processing request for permission to reprint does not begin to be compensated for by the fees ordinarily charged and we are always ready to understand if budgetary reasons result in the omission of a given selection. I rather suspect you will appreciate our position in this. I do hope you will be able to meet a $50 fee and enclose our own permission forms for completion and return to us for the addition of the necessary credit lines. We'll be able to let you have United States and open market only. British Commonwealth and Canada are controlled by the British Publisher, Faber and Faber, Limited.

Langston O. Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, New York

WAK:rcw

March 21, 1960

Mr. William Koshland,
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York 22, New York.

Dear Bill:

Thank you for your letter of March 10 relative to MINE BOY. It came while I was away on lecture tour in Georgia, so these belated answers to your questions

My anthology of writing by Africans of color, AN AFRICAN TREASURY, includes 36 writers indigenous to Africa---articles, essays, stories, and poetry. It will be a hard cover book of, I think, about 250 pages, priced at $3.00, to come out probably in June, as it is now ready to go to press. The best of the African writers now writing in English are included. About half of the material came to me in manuscript---including two very amusing stories from Tutuola in long hand. Other selections are from THE NEW STATEMAN, HOLIDAY, DRUM, AFRICA SOUTH, AFRICA, etc.

So far, in returning their permissions slips, contributors have accepted a $25.00 fee for prose, $5.00 per poem. (Permissions fees are deductible from my royalties). But Curtis Brown is asking $50.00 for the use of an Abrahams magazine piece. And certainly I am willing to pay $50.00 for the excerpt (Chapter 6) from MINE BOY.

Your letter seemed to indicate that Knopf permission forms were being enclosed, but none were in it. However, if you will send them to me, I'll fill out and sign---or whatever the formality is. And should you require more information about the book, please phone Arthur Fields at Crown Mu. 5-8550.

Thanks a lot for your attention to this matter. And cordial regards ever,

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

March 24, 1960

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Mr. Koshland has asked me, in his behalf, to send you the enclosed
permission forms, as I gladly do. By way of apology for having neglected
to enclose them with our last letter, we have filled out the request form
and have given our approval. The only thing remaining, then, is for you
to sign the request form on both copies, and return to us the carbon copy
for our files. The original copy, and the usual accompanying invoice are,
of course, for your own records.

That, I think, should take care of the matter, but if you have any
questions, do feel free to write or phone.

1k
enclosures

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

April 14, 1960

Dear Langston,

This is written to welcome you back from your
southern lecture tour which I hope was, as always,
a successful one for you.

I note you indicate that nobody's in a hurry,
and I think at this time we ought to say, "neither
are we." I don't think our volume of your SELECTED
POEMS ~~has~~ been out long enough for us to think about
letting part of it go into a paper-back edition that
would, in effect, supplant ours. There can be plenty
of arguments, I know, on both sides, but for the time
being I think we should just sit. Let's talk about
this some time on the phone when you have a moment.

All the best to you.

Yours always,

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

WAK/1k

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

August 23, 1960

Dear Langston:

I have had a request from Jan Orth editor of *Response*, and am enclosing a copy of that publication, with respect to correspondence he has had with you regarding a reprint of "Color At Chapel Hill", an essay which was first published in "I Wonder As I Wander" by Rinehart. Mr. Orth says that you indicated that we would have to handle the reprint rights for this one. The essay doesn't ring a bell at all with us and I'm wondering if there isn't some mix-up here and that perhaps Mr. Orth should be writing us about something else and writing you and/or Rinehart or Ivan von Auw, Jr. about the selection in question. Would you let me know or perhaps write Mr. Orth at the *Response* address; 1626 East Boulevard, Charlotte, North Carolina. I suppose in order that there be no confusion you had better let me have a copy of whatever letter you do write.

WAK:psb

September 12, 1960

Mr. Jan Orth,
Editor of RESPONSE,
1626 East Boulevard,
Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dear Mr. Orth:

I am afraid I gave you the wrong information about
"Color At Chapel Hill" if I ascribed it to a Knopf book.
It is a chapter on page 44, Section 2: POETRY TO THE PEOPLE,
in my second autobiographical volume, "I WONDER AS I WANDER"
published in 1956 by Rinehart & Company, 232 Madison Avenue,
New York 16, New York, from whom permission to reprint
should be gotten. I hereby give my personal permission,
but suggest that a note be added to the effect that in the
Spring of 1960 I appeared at Chapel Hill without incident,
and that the color line in areas adjacent to the campus has
just about disappeared, that I dined not only at the Carolina
Inn, but in public restaurants on the main street as well.

For the past few months I have been so involved with
my play, TAMBOURINES TO GLORY, that correspondance has been
neglected. I am sorry to be so long giving you this informa-
tion.

With cordial regards,

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

Cables: KNOPF NEW YORK
Telephone: PLAZA 1-2600

BORZOI BOOKS

501 Madison Avenue
New York (22), N.Y.

October 19, 1961

Dear Langston:

Bill Koshland is away, and needless to say it gives me great personal pleasure to write you in his stead. As you no doubt know, two thirds of accrued royalties on that wonderful book, ASK YOUR MAMA, were due on publication date, which was October 16. This statement and the check of course were sent to your agent, but I am happy to send you herewith another copy of the statement, for your information.

All my best,

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127 Street
New York 35, New York

HS:sw

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

October 27, 1960

Dear Langston:

I never had a call from you on Tuesday about the paperback
project. We do feel that it would be much too soon and inadvisable
to have your SELECTED POEMS or any part of them appear in paper. After
all we only published ourselves about eighteen months ago, and while
there's a good, steady sale we obviously have a tidy stock in hand,
having printed for a foreseeable future. As for a group of new poems
for paperback publication, I have no idea what your obligations may be
to any other publisher when it comes to options. Have you discussed this
with Ivan von Auw?

Thanks a great deal for sending me the reprint of "Sorrow for
a Midget" -- it's a perfectly lovely piece.

WAK:kb

November 7, 1960

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York 22, N. Y.

Order Department

Dear Mr. Levin:

Kindly send, compliments of the author
and billing to me, one (1) copy of my
SELECTED POEMS to each of the following
persons:

Miss Abbey Lincoln,
788 Columbus Avenue, Apt. 17E,
New York City.

Miss Ruth Reese,
Post Box 1721,
Oslo, NORWAY.

Thanks a lot! And please send to me at
the address above on letter head:

6 SELECTED POEMS

December 6, 1960

Order Department
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, New York

Dear Sir:

Please send to Mr. Langston Hughes at
regular author's discount, six (6)
copies of his book of poems, THE DREAM
KEEPER. Post the order and bill Mr.
Hughes for the order at his above
New York address.

Thank you for your service.

778

Sinnamary ( Guyane Française ) le 26 Avril 1961

VERDEROSA CONSTANTIN
Instituteur honoraire
Sinnamary
Guyane Française
Amérique du Sud

à

Monsieur ALFRED .A. KNOPF
501 Madison Avenue 501
NEW YORK

Cher Monsieur,

Je suis un admirateur de Monsieur LANGSTON HUGHES, étant un lecteur de "" INFORMATIONS ET DOCUMENTS "" .

C'est dans un de ses numéros que j'ai vu
la photo de ce grand poète noir et ce qu'il a écrit.

J'ai écrit un roman intitulé "" LES CHAINES DU Passé "" qui se rapporte à l' esclavage en Gu yane . Je serais heureux qu'il le lise .

Il a été édité à PARIS par Monsieur LOUIS SOULANGES - 20 Rue de l' ODEON -

Pouvez - vous , je vous prie demander à Monsieur LANGSTON Hughes si cela lui ferait plaisir que mon éditeur le lui envoie .

C'est le Centre culturel Américain de Paris
qui m'a dit de m'adresser à vous et que certaine
ment, par avotre intermédiaire , je pourrais arriver
à contacter Mr Langston .

Je vous remercie de votre prochaine réponse
et vous prie de me croire votre très reconnaissant .

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

May 22, 1961

Dear Mr. Hughes:

As I told you, I have not yet prepared jacket copy for ASK YOUR MAMA, and I would like to have a few things from you for it: first, a photograph, possibly one of you reading the poems to jazz accompaniment in some night spot, and two, anything you can give me to add to the biographical note which might have some bearing on this particular book. I am enclosing the editorial fact sheet which we give to our salesmen, and I would like you to have a look at what I have written here, as I will probably follow the general lines of it in writing jacket copy. Any ideas you may have will be welcome. Or any criticism, too.

I'll be back in New York on Thursday, June 1st, and I hope you can have this material for me then. Also, I'll be looking forward to seeing some of the stories you mentioned to me--by Lindsay Patterson, wasn't it? And I hope, too, that we can show you /ideas for the production of ASK YOUR MAMA. I think we should, finally, get together.

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N.Y.

JBJ:jc
enc

May 27, 1961

Mr. Marcy H. Cowan,
Public School 270,
Brooklyn 5, New York.

Dear Mr. Cowan:

Alfred A. Knopf has forwarded to me
your kind note of May 22 inviting me to
be an assembly speaker at your school. I
very much appreciate you and Mrs. Schaffer
thinking of me.

Unfortunately, I cannot accept in the
near future as I am hoping to leave soon
for an extended stay in California, taking
my typewriter with me to complete there a
long overdue book I have promised a pub-
lisher, so I cannot put any more engage-
ments on my calendar. But I do enjoy
reading my poems to young people, and I
wish I could come to P. S. 270.

June 27, 1961

Dear Mrs. Jones: The galley proofs of ASK YOUR MAMA, herewith returned, look fine. I am delighted with the type. And pleased that we are so well ahead of time, before the printers and everybody go on vacation. Sometime soon I'd like a half hour or so with Mr. Lemay (and perhaps yourself) to talk over publicity and promotion ideas to launch the opus.

So far three publications have accepted portions of the poem---for
printing before October. An ACKNOWLEDGEMENT page to be included in
the book is enclosed. If there additional publications using the
poem, I will let you know by the time we get to page proofs, so we
can list them, and notify your copyright department.

To note concerning the proofs:

Galley 1-page 2----Center GHANA GUINEA

Galley 2-page 3----Note revised 3 lines at bottom of page

Galley 4-page 7----MELTS is gramatically wrong, isn't it?

Galley 5 & 6--------In HORN OF PLENTY, could not all the $ signs
be as close to the end of the poetic line as the first
set are after the 5th line of the poem? If not, leave
as they are now.

Galley 6-page 11---On margin, why not bring 8 bars. in closer to
the word Blues" since it looks kind of lonesome?

Galley 10-page 20---6th line from bottom---Is Pingcher spelled
correctly? Does it have an _g_ in it? I can't find it in
any dictionary I have.

Galley 11-page 21---There are a couple of spaces between lines
in both text and margin that shouldn't be. In margin
space I've inserted the word _eerie_. If music notes run
slightly lower than text after we close up that space,
it doesn't matter, since it is the end of the sequence.

Galley 12-page 23---A capital _T_ in the subtitle is, I should
think, O. K., as part of the title.

Galley 12-page 24---ODE TO DINAH. Would it be possible to add the
few lines as typed on proofs about Harriet Tubman? Some
folks who don't know their history, are unaware that the
woman "with two pistols" in the poem is Harriet. But if
this addition creates difficulties on pagination, just
cross them out, and leave section as is.

Will any use be made of the bars of music in the book---HESITATION
and FIGURINE? And could DeCarava supply you with a jazz photograph?

Did I tell you I had the biggest audience in my life at the Boston
Arts Festival's Blues Evening where I included a bit of poetry-to-
jazz in my narration? 20,000 folks, outdoors on the Common---a
wonderful friendly crowd.

With cordial regards,

Sincerely,

Sent: Bob Davis
Johnsons
Judith Jones
Adele Glasgow
Loften Mitchell

From NEW YORK POST, TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1961

NEGROES FIGHT TO KEEP THEIR WHITE NEIGHBORS

Negroes in Lakeview, L. I., fearful that their
integrated community will become a ghetto, have
launched a "Freedom Dwellers" campaign to halt
the influx of more Negro families.

Lincoln Lynch, 40, a West Indian and leader of
the campaign says: "We are making an honest
effort to see that Negroes do not knowingly segre-
gate themselves."

Negro families are putting up signs advising
prospective Negro home-buyers to look elsewhere.

Lynch, who moved to the 200-home middle class
community two years ago when it was almost all
white, said there will be a community-wide
meeting Friday at the local public school to try
and divert Negro-buyers to Long Island areas that
are still all-white.

At the same time, working with white families
in the area, Lynch's group is seeking to stem
what he says is an imminent wave of panic-selling.

50 HOMES ON MARKET

Lynch says that in the past 18 months about 30
homes have been sold to Negroes and now another
50 are on the market. ......

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

Cables: KNOPF NEW YORK

Phone: MURRAY HILL 8-0600

PLEASE NOTE NEW TELEPHONE NUMBER:
PLaza 1-2600

July 18, 1961

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Here is a set of page proofs for you to see. You will note that the accents are not on this set because the kind of type face used did not have the proper accents. But they have all been inked onto the setting copy, or rather the "repos" that we will shoot from, as this is an offset job.

You'll also notice that some folios are not listed but that is where the part title pages fall.

I think it looks splendid, don't you? It is going to be printed on a light terra-cotta using two different inks. I will send you a sample as soon as we get one.

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York, New York

JBJ:jmw
encl.

Alfred · A · Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

July 13, 1961

Dear Miss Means:

We are having difficulty locating the poem "Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes which you wish to reprint for use in high school poetry reading study classes and inter-school speech contests.

If you can give us the name and page of the volume in which you find this poem, we can then proceed to grant your permission.

Miss Edna Means
610 Harmon Street
Tama, Iowa

Dear Miss Vonckx: I found copy of the poem in POETRY OF THE NEGRO - I believe it was on page 106 (Do not have book at hand). Copyright 1949 by L. Hughes & Arna Bontemps-Pub. by Doubleday & Co., Inc.

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

July 27, 1961

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I am sending you some permission correspondence concerning a poem of yours entitled "Let America Be America Again." As you can see, Miss Means is anxious to reprint the poem and I am unable to find it any of your works which Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, has published. So, from my research and the information enclosed, I gather that the permission must come directly from you.

I am sorry to bother you with this and hope
you will be able to resolve the matter for Miss Means and
us.

Langston Hughes, Esq
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, New York

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

August 22, 1961

Dear Langston:

Thank you for getting ASK YOUR MAMA back to us so speedily. We have taken
care of the changes you suggest: The correction of the year of publication of
SELECTED POEMS (I don't know how that mistake crept in), the period missing on
page 30, and the rebalancing of the title page for the *Liner* notes. However,
if you had used a ruler I think you would have found that the prayer on page 52
is already indented to conform with the indentation on the preceding page and
is not on/same margin as the body of the poem. I'm afraid that it is simply an
optical illusion but it would not be a good idea to center it another half inch
because technically that would be indenting it even further - which you do not
intend. I think you will see what I mean when you see the finished book.

Best wishes.

JBJ:hb

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

Cables: KNOPF NEW YORK
Phone: MURRAY HILL 8-6000
PLAZA 1-2600

BORZOI BOOKS

August 31, 1961

Dear Langston:

I thought you might like to have this proof of the finished jacket. I don't know whether I mentioned it to you or not, but I found that it was too late to add the business about the publication of SIMPLE; the plates had been made. If we have another printing maybe I can correct it then.

JBJ:ss

Encl: 1 jacket proof

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

September 26, 1961

Dear Langston:

Judith is off on holiday and this is
merely to let you know that the copies of
ASK YOUR MAMA have come in from the bindery
and a batch are on their way to you if not
already in your hands. I do hope you are
going to be pleased with the way the book has
turned out and I certainly hope the next time
you are down this way I have a chance to say
hello to you.

WAK:eg

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

809

October 9, 1961

Mr. Harding Lemay,
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York 22, New York.

Dear Pete:

You did an absolutely wonderful job of covering my various lists. Thanks immensely. The two or three people on them that I'd still like to get a book (who didn't) I'll send myself. One is Inez Cavanaugh in Europe who has a little boite popular with American tourists, and she'll talk it up. (She sings some of my songs there-in). Also Bricktop in Rome, who's an old fan of mine, and will probably order copies for Christmas gifts, too. As will the cartoonist, E. Simms Campbell in Switzerland---who ordered 20 AFRICAN TREASURY last year for friends in Europe.

In sending out review copies, don't neglect the leftwing publications, as they are usually favorable to my work, and their readers buy books: MAINSTREAM, THE NATIONAL GUARDIAN, WORKERS WORLD, etc. And I'm sure you've covered THE NATION, NEW REPUBLIC (which bought two sections of MAMA), and THE VILLAGE VOICE which printed a section, too. Also the jazz magazines, METRONOME and DOWNBEAT. And VARIETY might at lease have a publicity note on the book for their LITERRATI column or music pages.

This columnist has given considerable space to my books in the past:

Milton Bass,
Berkshire EAGLE,
Pittsfield, Mass.

He's a jazz and folk fan, so should have a copy. Also this lady who has the ENJOYMENT OF POETRY program on the air on which I've been twice. She asked me again last Spring, and I told her to wait for our book:

Mrs. Florence Becker Lennon,
226 West 11th Street,
New York 14, N. Y.

And this magazine whose editor has recently written me he is planning a major feature on poetry in libraries for the December issue:

Mr. John Wakeman, Editor,
Wilson Library Bulletin,
950 University Avenue,
New York 52, New York.

And these two teachers at the New School---Pritchard teaches The Culture of the Black Peoples (including poetry) and the latter is an authority on jazz and the spoken word:

Mr. Robert Pritchard,
The New School,
66 West 12th Street,
New York 11, N. Y.

Mr. Alan Seeger,
Clark Center, YWCA,
51st & 8th Avenue,
New York 19, N. Y.

If these five names exceed your quota, please send the books anyhow and bill to me. I'm ordering a dozen or so copies sent personally to folks I think might be helpful---like Lawrence Lipton, the beatnik and poetry-jazz authority in California; key European journalists in New York who've written about me, etc. It all helps. (I hope.)

Sincerely,

BOOK ORDER FROM LANGSTON HUGHES TO ALFRED A. KNOPF, INC., OCT. 30, 1961
(To Europe and Latin America)

Please send one (1) copy of "ASK YOUR MAMA" by Langston Hughes
compliments of the author, billing to Langston Hughes,
with Christmas card in each book, to:

The Editor,
FOREIGN LITERATURE,
41 Piatnitzkaya Street,
Moscow 1-17, U. S. S. R.

Mr. Raoul Abdul,
c/o American Express,
Wien I, Vienna,
AUSTRIA.

Mme. Ada Bricktop DuConge,
155 Via Veneto,
Rome, ITALY.

Mr. Kamil Bednar,
W. Piecka 103,
Vinohrady,
Prague 3,
CZECHOSLOVAKIA.

Herr Jahnheinz Jahn,
Hospitalstrasse 8,
Offenbach Main,
GERMANY.

Herr Paridam von dem Knesebeck,
Schumannweg 11,
Lage bei Bielefeld (Lippe),
GERMANY.

Herr Joachim E. Berendt,
Sudwestfunk,
Hans-Bredow-Strasse,
Baden-Baden, GERMANY.

Miss Eva Hesse,
Franz-Josefstrasse 7/vi,
Munich 13, GERMANY.

Mr. Bloke Modisane,
27 Parkhill Road,
Hempstead,
London, N. W. 3, ENGLAND.

Mr. Paul Breman,
7 Wedderburn Road,
London, N. W. 3, ENGLAND.

Sr. Luis Beltran Guerrero,
Quinta Shangri-La,
3A, Transversal Mis Encantos,
Chacao, VENEZUELA.

Mme. Stefania Puccini Piccinato,
Piazza Stefania Agini 23,
Rome, ITALY.

Srita. Dorothy Peterson,
Asuncion, 16,
Los Remedios,
Seville, SPAIN.

Mr. E. Simms Campbell,
Seestrasse 35,
Herrliberg, SWITZERLAND.

M. Henri Cartier-Bresson,
MAGNUM Photos, Inc.,
125 Faubourg St. Honore,
Paris 8e, FRANCE.

Mme. Colette Lacroix,
1 Cour de Rohan,
Paris 6e, FRANCE.

M. Jimmy Davis,
33 bis Avenue Reille,
Paris 14e, FRANCE.

Mrs. Richard Wright,
4, rue Regis,
Paris 6e, FRANCE.

M. Alain Bosquet,
22 Avenue de l'Opeza,
Paris 1, FRANCE.

Sig. Antonio Ghirelli,
Via Sforza Pallavicini N. 1,
Rome, ITALY.

Miss Nancy Cunard,
c/o National Provincial,
95 Tottenham Court Road,
London, W. L, ENGLAND.

Mr. George Bijur,
65 Eaton Square,
London, S. W. 1, ENGLAND.

Mrs. Donald Odgen Stewart,
103 Frognal,
London, N. W. 3, ENGLAND.

Langston Hughes

(Germany)

October 30, 1961

Mr. Harding Lemay,
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York 22, N. Y.

Dear Pete:

I read portions of ASK YOUR MAMA on both the TV and radio
shows of Caspar Citron's this past week; and am to tape portions
of it on Thursday for WBAI; also will talk about the book on
the Randy White show, WLIB, I believe, on Tuesday.

I think you sent a book to Florence Becker Lennon's radio
show, ENJOYMENT OF POETRY, which should be a possibility for
us. Her new resident address is:

Florence Becker Lennon,
Hotel Chelsea,
222 West 23rd Street,
New York 11, N. Y.
(Ch. 3-3700)

Riverside Radio WRVR and (if its still on) the Warren Bower
program at NYU are also possibilities for discussing the book.

Have you had a chance to explore, at all, the possibility
of recording the poem? I notice in the enclosed clipping,
two other firms than CADENCE specializing in spoken LPs:

SPOKEN ARTS, INC.,
95 Valley Road,
New Rochelle, N. Y.
(NEW Rochelle 6-5482)

SPOKEN WORD, INC.,
10 East 39th Street,
New York 16, N. Y.
(MU. 3-1150)

Certainly the book should be called to their attention.

I hear tell the Market Place Gallery, a book and art
shop in Harlem, wishes to have an autographing party for MAMA
on Sunday, November 12. I'm to talk about them concerning it
tomorrow.

Cordial regards to you,

October 30, 1961

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
Order Department,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York 22, N. Y.

Gentlemen:

Kindly send to me at the above address,
billing to me at the usual author's dis-
count, the following order of my books:

20 ASK YOUR MAMA
by
Langston Hughes

Thanks!

November 9, 1961

Gentlemen:

Please send, billing to me at
the usual author's discount, to the above
address the following order of my books:

6 THE DREAM KEEPER

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

November 22, 1961

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Mr. LeMay has passed on word of your letter to him concerning the
possibility of recording your recent book, ASK YOUR MAMA.

It seems to me that there is no chance at all of getting such a
recording unless it is done with music. The subtitle, after all, the
dedication, the subject matter, and the verse itself pretty clearly bear
me out in this.

There are two things, I think, presently standing in the way of our
directly doing anything about such a recording with music. The first is
that your contract specifically reserves such recording rights to you,
and the second is that an agent is involved.

I myself feel that there is a pretty good chance of getting a record
company interested in such a recording, and would be happy to make some
inquiries on your behalf.

I think, however, that before I do, I should receive some word from
you that it is okay for me to go ahead in this. I think you also should
let me know that Harold Ober Associates would have no objections to my
doing this.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Langston Hughes, Esq.

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

November 29, 1961

Dear Langston:

In doing a fall housecleaning job on my desk the other day I came
across the Jacob Lawrence book that you let me borrow. I did not intend
to hang on to this and I am returning it herewith.

I also want to thank you for THE BEST OF SIMPLE with its lovely in-
scription. I have been having great fun with it.

I shall be looking forward to seeing you Monday at the *Tribune* luncheon.
Incidentally, did you see the excellent review in the Sunday Book Section of
the *Tribune*--so much better than the stuffy *Times*?

All the best to you,

JBJ:jw

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

January 26, 1962

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Our production department has advised me that
galleys and manuscript of your book ASK YOUR MAMA,
are still being held. We dislike destroying this
material until you let us know whether you would
like to retain all or part of it. Will you please
inform us if you wish to have it sent to you, or if
you would prefer that we dispose of it? A postcard
is enclosed for your convenience.

Langston O. Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th. Street
New York 35, New York

:ns

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

February 9, 1962

Mr. William Koshland,
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York 22, N. Y.

Dear Bill:

In my forthcoming FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, The
Story of the NAACP, which Norton is publishing
this Spring in hard cover, Berkely in paper,
I would like to reprint my poem YOUTH from
the Knopf, THE DREAM KEEPER. Would you kindly
grat me permission, and advise me as to how
the credit should read?

Also, in a proposed paperback edition of
various of my short stories which Hill and
Wang is considering at the moment, should the
idea be consumated, would it be possible to
use therein 3 or 4 stories from THE WAYS OF
WHITE FOLKS (H. & W., of course, to pay the
usual anthology fees)? If this is possible,
I think I would choose these four: CORA
UNASHAMED, GOOD JOB GONE, RED-HEADED BABY, and
LITTLE DOG.

With cordial regards,

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

February 13, 1962

Dear Langston:

Of course you may quote THE DREAM KEEPER, that is from THE DREAM KEEPER the poem used, in your Norton book, FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. In crediting us in the volume - and of course yourself, naturally - you should, I think, include the copyright line as well which reads "Copyright 1932 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.".

As for the inclusion of three or four stories from THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS in the anthology which Hill and Wang is considering, with the proper fee, I see no reason why we shouldn't go along with, say, a maximum of three stories from THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS. As a matter of fact, we are planning to bring that ~~and~~ *Not Without Laughter* back into print fairly soon. I'm sure this will please you.

Yours always,

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N. Y.

WAK:cp

P.S. Also, we'd be glad to have you include Witter Bynner's "Defeat" from TAKE AWAY THE DARKNESS in FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. That copyright line should read "Copyright 1944, 1947 by Witter Bynner."

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

February 20, 1962

Dear Langston:

A number of us have had a look now at Mason Jordan Mason's
little volumes, and I am afraid we don't see a strong enough
poet here to feel we could do a book successfully. They are
interesting verses, but somehow too colloquial, I think, to
communicate with most readers of poetry. He really has not
developed a sure enough style and sense of rhythm and many
of these seem tossed off with the thought and emotion behind
the poem too much a private thing.

I am returning the books to you, and I do thank you for
sending them along to me.

JBJ:jw

C O P Y

ALFRED A. KNOPF, Incorporated
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, N. Y.

February 20, 1962

Dear Langston:

JBJ: jw

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

February 23, 1962

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I enclose a letter to me from the country librarian of San Bernardino County, California, about "One More 'S' in the U.S.A.," a poem which she believes you wrote. I had intended to take care of this myself if possible, as Mr. Hatch at Franklin Watts did with "Goodbye, Christ," but I cannot find the poem in any of your books that we've done (although it is possible that we did do it and the book is out of our library). Pete suggested that I send the letter on to you since I can't do anything with it, and since he thought you might enjoy answering it--evidently some California Birchers are after this poor librarian.

I've written to her letting her know that I'm sending her letter to you, and that you or a representative of yours will answer as you see fit.

On a brighter subject, shortly after you left for Africa, Bob Cooper, who is the producer of Lee Graham's radio show, *People and Ideas*, on WNYC, asked if you would appear as a guest on the program. I told him I'd get in touch with you when you got back from Africa, which I've just been told you have. Let me know if you're interested in this, and I'll set something up with them--it is possible that they'd feel that it's now too long after publication date of ASK YOUR MAMA, but I don't think so. They like to be timely, of course, but true to the title of the program, Miss Graham is

DOROTHY TRAVER
County Librarian

COUNTY OF
SAN BERNARDINO

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA

SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTY FREE LIBRARY
364 Mountain View Ave.
Phone TUrner 9-0111

February 1, 1962

Miss Maggie Paley
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
457 Madison Avenue
New York 22, New York

Dear Miss Paley:

I received an answer from Franklin Watts concerning my inquiry about the circumstances under which Langston Hughes wrote "Goodbye, Christ". He suggested that I write to you to see whether Mr. Hughes was also the author of "One more 'S' in the U.S.A." I would appreciate it if you can give me any information on this. There has been some criticism made to schools in this area of Langston Hughes' books for children because of the views expressed in the two poems. We have taken the stand that books should be selected for the library on their contents, but school administrators are also interested in knowing as much as they can about the two poems.

DT:mk

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue
NEW YORK (22), N. Y.

GRAND CENTRAL
STATES

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

March 6, 1962

Dear Langston:

Ever so many thanks for yours of March 2. I'd previously
had a letter from Donald Dickinson which did not put his pro-
ject quite as clearly as you have. I indicated to him that
we'd do our best to cooperate, but I was afraid when it came
to correspondence, we'd not find too much available. As you
can well imagine much of our correspondence is boxed and stored
in warehouses, but I'll be prepared to do my best for Mr. Dic-
kinson and have asked him to let me have further details.

Sooner or later I'm sure he will turn up here, and promptly
we will then work this out. I'm delighted to know that he is
undertaking the particular project, and I can imagine how much
it must mean to you.

WAK: cp

Books Ordered- MBARI

(Paris office advised)

May 16, 1962

April 9, 1962

Alfred A. Knopf,
Order Department,
New York City.

Gentlemen:

Please send, billing to me at the usual
author's discount at the above address,
the following order of my books:

4 THE DREAM KEEPER
4 ASK YOUR MAMA
2 SELECTED POEMS (of
Langston Hughes)

addressed to me overseas at below:

Langston Hughes,
c/o MBARI Writers' Conference,
Makerere University College,
Kampala, UGANDA,
East Africa.

Please mark: **HOLD PENDING ARRIVAL.**

Very truly yours,

Langston Hughes

ALFRED • A • KNOPF • INCORPORATED

501 MADISON AVENUE • NEW YORK (22)

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

September 18, 1962

Dear Mr. Hughes,

Your letter of September 17th to Mrs. Knopf
has arrived in her absence on a trip. I have spoken
with Mr. Harding Lemay, our Publicity Director, who
tells me that he has also had a letter from you
concerning the first National Poetry Festival at
the Library of Congress on October 24th and your
appearance there. He has taken this up with our
sales department. I will bring your letter to Mrs.
Knopf's attention on her return.

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

September 24, 1962

Dear Mr. Hughes:

We are planning to publish this winter a new novel by
John Oliver Killens. I feel that it is a major novel, and
am sending out advance bound proofs to a selected list of
people whose opinions both Mr. Killens and his publisher
would value. I thought that you might possibly be good
enough to read the novel and perhaps, if you like it, to
give us your comment. In any case, I have a set of proofs
ready to send you and hope very much that you will write
or call to say that it is all right for me to send them to
you.

AC:eb

October 24, 1962

Miss Eleanor Carlucci
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, N. Y.

Dear Miss Carlucci:

I am just back from the National Poetry Festival in Washington where I read by poems and ha a very pleasant time.
Unfortunately, I will not be in New York on November 20th. I have to go to Cleveland on the Sunday preceding for an autographing party for my new book FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. Cleveland is my hometown and I therefore will remain there for about a week. I hope, however, that I might attend one of your meetings after the New Year.

With cordial regards,

November 23, 1962

Dear Mr. Cameron:

Mr. Hughes is in California and will be returning to rehearsals, conferences, etc. regarding TAMBOURINES TO GLORY about the first of December. His work schedule has been so heavy that he has not as yet been able to read AND THEN WE HEARD THE THUNDER. He is very anxious for the success of Mr. Killens' work and I am sure will do what is humanly possible for him to do, but I fear that he will not be able to read the book any time soon, as much as he would like to.

Mr. Angus Cameron
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, New York

Sept. 28, 1963

Alfred A. Knopf
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, New York

Gentlemen:

Would you please send Mr. Hughes
the following books billing him at the
usual author's discount:

Selected Poems (4 copies)

Thank you much for your early
attention to this request.

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

March 19, 1964

Dear Langston:

I tried to call you this afternoon without success. Have you changed your phone number in the last year or so without my knowing about it? Someone else seems to answer now to Lennox 4-2957.

I did want to talk to you a little bit about our feelings on your new
collection, WORDS LIKE FREEDOM, with the De Carava photographs. We had an
editorial session about it yesterday, I have gotten some rough production
estimates on it, and I have talked to our sales manager. The tricky thing is
that in order to produce a papercover volume at the price you would like, we
would have to sell close to 50,000. And our sales people don't seem to feel they
would be able to assure us of that. I think the basic difficulty is that we are
not equipped to market this kind of paperback book and to promote it in the
right places. Consequently, it wouldn't do either you or us any good to try
to take it on. I think, frankly, you would do much better to go directly to a
paperback publisher--one who knows all the sales points for this kind of book.

I do hope this works out because it is certainly a book that should be
produced inexpensively so that it is accessible to the kind of people who
would want so much to have it. I was delighted both to read the poems and to
have a chance to look at Roy de Carava's fine photographs. Will you tell him
of our decision so that he can stop by and pick up the pictures?

(Mrs.) Judith B. Jones
Editor

COPY OF A LETTER

ALFRED A. KNOPF Incorporated
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, N. Y.

March 19, 1964

Dear Langston:

I did want to talk to you a little bit about our feelings on
your new collection, WORDS LIKE FREEDOM, with the De Carava photo-
graphs. We had an editorial session about it yesterday, I have
gotten some rough production estimates on it, and I have talked to
our sales manager. The tricky thing is that in order to produce
a papercover volume at the price you would like, we would have to
sell close to 50,000. And our sales people don't seem to feel they
would be able to assure us of that. I think the basic difficulty
is that we are not equipped to market this kind of paperback book
and to promote it in the right places. Consequently, it wouldn't
do either you or us any good to try to take it on. I think, frankly,
you would do much better to go directly to a paperback publisher--
one who knows all the sales points for this kind of book.

All good wishes,

(Mrs.) Judith B. Jones
Editor

COPY OF A LETTER

March 19, 1964

Dear Lengston:

All good wishes,

(Mrs.) Judith B. Jones
Editor

April 11, 1964

Order Dept.
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York 122, New York

Gentlemen:

Would you please be so kind as to send
Mr. Hughes, billing him at the usual author's
discount, the following:

4 copies SELECTED POEMS

6 copies THE DREAM KEEPER

Many thanks.

RA:1

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

April 27, 1964

Dear Langston:

We brought NOT WITHOUT LAUGHTER back into print last December, increasing the price to $4.50, and I thought you'd like to know. I don't know why I didn't mention this earlier. Perhaps you need a copy or two to have on hand, and I hope you'll let me know if that's the case.

I was very disappointed that you did not turn up at Ivan's last Saturday afternoon. I was looking forward to seeing you after lo, these many months.

WAK:bh

Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

Dear Ivan:

I read the copy of the column which Langston Hughes did on Josephine Baker the same day I received it. It's interesting that with a good writer the impact of a real personality always comes through in a special way. Even in this column, a long time afterwards, one can feel the presence of that woman.

I'm sure Langston Hughes is the right person for the job. Let me know when you hear something more.

Best regards,

Ivan von Auw, Jr., Esq.
Harold Ober Associates
40 East 49th Street
New York, N. Y. 10017

AC:ab

PUBLISHER OF BORZOLI BOOKS

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

May 28, 1964

Dear Langston:

I enclose translation and original of a letter received from a
lady in Italy with regard to an inscribed copy of SELECTED POEMS which
she finds on her shelves. Will you please let the lady know one way or
another? I've merely acknowledged saying that the letter has been passed
on to you.

All the best to you,

enclosures
WAK:bh

Roma 20 Maggio 1964

Alfred A. Knopf Inc.

NEW YORK, N.Y.

USA

Signori,

casualmente è in mio possesso un volume pubblicato dalla vostra
Casa Editrice, ed esattamente " Selected Poems " by Langston Hughes.
Il suddetto volume si trova in mie mani, ma io non l'ho mai comprato
né l'ho ricevuto in regalo da amici. Probabilmente è arrivato nella
mia casa perché qualcuno l'ha perduto.

Nel frontespizio del libro vi è una dedica personale del signor
Langston Hughes. La trascrivo per maggiore esattezza:

Enscribed especially for CALVIN LOCKHART, with
delight at finding you in my S.I.H.

Sincerely
Langston Hughes

Rome, July 20 - 1962

Dal momento che vi è una dedica personale, vorrei restituire il vo-
lume al legittimo proprietario.

Sarei molto grata se voleste darmi l'indirizzo del signor Hughes, in
modo che a sua volta egli potrebbe indicarmi a chi e dove spedire il
volume.

Ringraziando per la cortese attenzione, invio i miei più cor-
diali saluti.

MARCELLA ALTIERI
Viale Rembrandt 8
ROMA = EUR
ITALIA

Translation of letter from Marcella Altieri to Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Dear Sirs:

By accident I have in my possession a volume published by your house, to be
specific SELECTED POEMS by Langston Hughes. The mentioned volume I find in my
hands, but I did not buy it, nor did I receive it as a present from friends.
Probably, it came to my house by some other means, perhaps, someone may have lost
it. On the first page of the book there is a personal inscription from Mr. Langston
Hughes. I transcribe it, as best I can, as follows:

Rome, July 20 - 1962

As this is a personal dedication, I would like very much to restore the volume
to its rightful owner.

Would you be good enough to give me the address of Mr. Hughes, so he would be
able to tell me to whom I should send the volume.

I thank you for your courteous attention, and send you my most cordial greetings.

Mafcella Altieri

July 25, 1964

Gentlemen:

Would you please be so kind as to take
care of the following matter: (1) Send 15
copies of THE DREAM KEEPER to Mrs. Catherine
Basie, 174-27 Adelaide Lane, St. Albans,
New York, for use at a book party featuring
Mr. Hughes for the benefit of Merrick Community
Center. (2) Please bill Mr. Hughes at the
usual author's discount.

Thank you very much.

Alfred A Knopf Incorporated

October 23, 1964

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Enclosed is a self-explanatory letter Mr. Knopf
received today. Please give it the necessary attention.
We have written Miss Krol telling her the letter has
been forwarded to you but did not, of course, give
her your address.

Enclosure

November 2, 1964

Miss Janice Krol
The Lourdes Light
Lourdes Academy
4105 Bridge Avenue
Cleveland 13, Ohio

Dear Miss Krol:

The publisher Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. has forwarded to Mr. Hughes your letter in which you request an interview with Mr. Hughes by November 20th. Because Mr. Hughes is in Europe and will not return until late in November, I am afraid that it won't be possible. I know that he will appreciate your interest in his work and will be glad to fulfill your request should you wish some other time.

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

February 25, 1965

Dear Langston:

I'm sorry I was not in the office when you
called last week. However, I have now checked
into the question you raised and find that THE
WAYS OF WHITE FOLK is not out of print. In fact,
we have 167 copies at the warehouse and 1202 at
the bindery, a total of 1369 on hand. So we are
not yet planning to go back to press with another
printing.

JBJ:kh

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

April 25, 1965

Gentlemen:

Please be so kind as to send Mr. Hughes,
charging him at the usual author's dis-
count, the following:

SELECTED POEMS - 4 copies

DREAM KEEPER - 6 copies

ASK YOUR MAMA - 6 copies

The above should be sent to his address as
on this letterhead.

Then, under separate cover, please send
the following:

ASK YOUR MAMA - 10 copies

And, please address this package to Mr.
Hughes at the following address:

Mr. Langston Hughes
c/o American Express Co.
11, rue Scribe
Paris
France

Thank you for your immediate attention.

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

501 Madison Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10022

June 10, 1965

Dear Mr. Patterson:

Mr. William Koshland suggested that I answer your letter of June 4th.
I'm doing so by saying that I've written John Killens, sent him a copy
of your letter of June 4th, and suggested that he get in touch with
you directly if he does have, as I hope he does, a short story, pub-
lished or unpublished, which might be suitable for Mr. Hughes' volume,
FIRST BOOK OF NEGRO SHORT STORIES.

Will you please give my respectful greetings to Mr. Hughes.

Lindsay Patterson, Esq.
c/o Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, New York

AC:dsz

KNOPF

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK, N. Y. 10022

FD.339723

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York, New York

ALFRED·A·KNOPF·Inc.

BORZOI BOOKS
for Young People
MURRAY HILL 8-0600

501 Madison Ave • N.Y. 22

June 18, 1965

Dear Mr. Hughes:

In the fall we are bringing out a book by Emma Gelders Sterne entitled I HAVE A DREAM, the stories of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Mrs. Sterne would like to quote your poem, the enclosed verse.

May we have permission from you, or could you
tell us who could give us permission for the poem?

Thank you for your prompt consideration.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, NY

July 12th 1965

Miss Jane Yolen
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10022

Dear Miss Yolen:

I am happy to grant permission to use
the section of my poem LET AMERICA BE
AMERICA AGAIN which you enclosed with
your letter of June 18th 1965, at your
customary permissions fee for short
excerpts.

The credit line should read:

From THE POETRY OF THE NEGRO
Edited by Langston Hughes and
Arna Bontemps, published by
Doubleday and Co. Reprinted
by permission of the author.

LH:R

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

Langston Hughes, Esq.
20 East 127th Street
New York, New York
10035

GRAND C
STATO

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

November 1, 1965

Dear Langston Hughes:

It was very nice reviewing our acquaintance again at the dinner Friday
night. I thought it was a warm and meaningful affair and I was very happy
that you could attend.

A copy of the new edition of DEATH IN VENICE is going to you separately.
I am sure it will give you much pleasure.

Mrs. Jacobs joins me in sending our warmest regards.

ALFRED·A·KNOPF·Inc·

BORZOI BOOKS
for Young People
PLAZA 1-2600

501 Madison Ave. N. Y. 22

November 11, 1965

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Thank you so much allowing us to
use your poem "Let America Be America
Again" from THE POETRY OF THE NEGRO in
Emma Gelders Sterne's new book I HAVE A
DREAM. A copy is enclosed which we thought
you might like to have.

A check for the customary amount will
be mailed to you later. With best wishes.

:mws
book enclosed

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

November 15, 1965

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I've been speaking with the people up at the Choate School, who have suggested the following arrangements for this Sunday's book fair. There is a train that leaves from Grand Central Station at 1:00 pm and arrives at Meridan at 2:59. There will be someone from the school to meet you at the station. Mr. Robert Atmore is the Head Librarian and Miss Pauline Anderson is his assistant. I suspect that one of them will head the welcoming party. The program that you are to participate in is scheduled to begin at 4:00 pm. Mr. Atmore and Miss Anderson have asked to have you as their dinner guest following the program.

The Hampshire Bookshop, which is running the commercial part of the book fair is making arrangements with our sales department to have your books there for the boys to buy. They are also going to contact Hill & Wang to get your other books from them.

You have also been invited to spend the night at the school. However, whatever time you decide to leave you will be accompanied to the train by someone from the school.

Would you let me know whether you'll be able to stay for dinner and the evening so I can tell Mr. Atmore? And I hope you enjoy yourself. It should be a very stimulating afternoon.

March 9, 1966

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York, N. Y. 10022.

ORDER DEPARTMENT

Gentlemen:

For use at the Dakar Festival of Negro Arts
being held in Senegal, April 1-24, for dis-
play purposes and seminars, kindly send,
billing to me at the usual author's discount,
and marked on the mailing label as indicated
below PERSONAL ATTENTION FOR DAKAR, the
following books of mine:

8 THE DREAM KEEPER

6 SELECTED POEMS by Langston Hughes

10 ASK YOUR MAMA

2 NOT WITHOUT LAUGHTER

2 WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS

addressed to the United States Information
Agency in New York as follows:

Miss Margaret Conlan,
Personal Attention for Dakar,
U. S. I. A., 2nd floor,
252 Seventh Avenue,
New York, N. Y. 10001.

This order should go as promptly as possible.

March 16, 1966

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York, N. Y. 10022.
Order Dept.

Gentlemen:

Please send to me at the above
address and billing to me at the usual
author's discount, 10 copies of my book
of poems, THE DREAM KEEPER.

March 26th 1966

Order Department
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10022

Gentlemen:

Would you please be so kind as to send Mr. Hughes, billing him at the usual author's discount, 4 copies of his SELECTED POEMS OF LANGSTON HUGHES.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

September 27, 1966

Gentlemen:

Would you please be so kind as to send
Mr. Hughes, billing him at the usual
author's discount, six (6) copies of his
book THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS.

Thank you,

Baoul Abdul
Assistant

November 26, 1966

Dear Judith!

Since I am inserting 5 additional poems into THE PANTHER AND THE LASH, AND HAVE revised and recopied a couple of others, as well as retying the revised ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and CONTENTS, rather than sending these new pages down to you, it would be simpler and easier for us both if you would return the manuscript you have to me for a couple of hours on Monday---today---BY MESSENGER; and I will return it to you by my errand boy before 5 P. M. with all the new material inserted. You would then have a complete and final correct copy.

Enclosed herewith is a fresh copy of the suggested description of the book typed on the blue sheet returned to you by post this weekend. Also some addition possible blurb or publicity material, and some quotes on my work from recent sources, that might be useful for the jacket or releases on the book.

Monday along with the new inserts, I will send you three photographs. See which one, if any, you like. And we can them have some glossies made from it. I think I like the Dar-es-Salaam one by John Taylor best---a young Negro photographer now in Ethiopia.

If we achieve a format for the book anywhere near as handsome as ASK YOUR MAMA, wouldn't that be wonderful?

I'll phone you on Monday.

Sincerely,

Notes for blurb
of
THE PANTHER AND THE LASH
by
Langston Hughes

The Panther and the Lash is a collection of poems by Langston Hughes in which is distilled the essence of the emotional undercurrents that have rocked America in our present decade of racial dilemmas, freedom marches, sit-ins, speeches, prayers, violence and non-violence, loud longings and silent hopes that now involve the entire nation. Possessing many varied aspects which only poetry can bring together in a single human cry, the seeking and the dreaming, the confusion and the wonder, the great heartache and heartbreak of our times are here gathered into this one brief book by the most famous of MNN poets of Negro blood in the world. His words are lyrical, lovely, intensely passionate, partisan and at the same time deeply revealing concerning the mutual problems that perturb millions of Americans trapped in the spotlight of our days on a stage where blacks and whites alike are inevitable actors and even the make-believe of their acting is real. Langston Hughes is a poet of communication. The clarity of these poems touch most readers as directly as if they had written them themselves.

A Note On Prejudices---2

police was shot a black and a half from where Hughes lives in Harlem. He saw the streets of his neighborhood lined by white police, armed and helmeted, for almost a month. He has had white friends, foreign writers and interviewers frightened and intimidated by both policemen and taxi drivers when they wished to visit Hughes' studio in Harlem, and questioned as to why they wished to go into the "nigger" section of New York.

There is no poem in THE PANTHER AND THE LASH with which Langston Hughes does not have some direct or indirect personal and emotional connection. They are not purely imaginary or contrived poems for the sake of form or word music. They are poems that come out of his own memories and his own life, and the lives of people he has known, loved, and cried for, and the continual pall of racial smog that envelopes America. As a contemporary creative writer living in Harlem, the world's largest Negro city within a city, it is impossible for him to be "above the struggle" or for his art to fail to reflect the vibrant circumstances of his life.

CRITICS' COMMENTS ON LANGSTON HUGHES: 1965-66

It would be well-nigh impossible for any Negro to write anything today without major allusion to the manipresent plight and plaint of the American Negro. That Langston Hughes can do so with gentle wit and philosophy, albeit searching commentary, is a tribute to the man's capacities as a story teller and as a man. . . .

Langston Hughes, a firebrand as a young poet and a leader in Negro literature. . . . a self-taught specialist on the life and times of black men, from his native Missouri to Harlem. . . .

Langston Hughes, author of thirty years worth of fine poems. . . . With a flair for the comic touch, Mr. Hughes won and sustained a devoted audience who read his poems, sketches, stories and newspaper columns for social commentary because they are 'not without laughter. . . .'

Langston Hughes. . . . remains the most impressive, durable, and prolific Negro writer in America. . . .

He is the one sure Negro classic.

Extracted from reviews of books by Langston Hughes from (in above order) The CLEVELAND PRESS, WASHINGTON STAR, NEGRO DIGEST, NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE, NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN, and BLACK ON WHITE, A Critical Survey of Writing by American Negroes by David Little John, during the past two years, 1965-1966.

LANGSTON HUGHES . . . remains the most impressive, durable, and prolific Negro writer in America. . . . He is the one sure Negro classic. . . . By moulding his verse always on the sounds of Negro talk, the rhythms of Negro music, by retaining his own keen honesty and directness, his poetic sense and ironic intelligence, he has maintained through four decades a readable newness distinctly his own.

From BLACK ON WHITE,
A Critical Survey by
David Littlejohn
Grossman Publishers
New York 1966

GRITINGS COMMENTS ON LANCSTON HUGHES: 1965-66

It would be well-nigh impossible for any Negro
to write anything today without major allusion to the
semipresent plight and plaint of the American Negro.
That Langston Hughes can do so with gentle wit and philo-
sophy, albeit searching commentary, is a tribute to the
man's capacities as a story teller and as a man. . . .
Langston Hughes, a firebrand as a young poet and a leader
in Negro literature. . . . a self-taught specialist on the
life and times of black men, from his native Missouri to
Harlem. . . . Langston Hughes, author of thirty years
worth of fine poems. . . . With a flair for the comic
touch, Mr. Hughes won and sustained a devoted audience
who read his poems, sketches, stories and newspaper columns
for social commentary because they are 'not without laugh-
ter. . . . Langston Hughes. . . . remains the most impres-
sive, durable, and prolific Negro writer in America. . . .
He is the one sure Negro classic.

For the Missouri Society's NEWSLETTER:

LANGSTON HUGHES has recently completed a transcontinental tour of Africa during which he read his poems at universities and secondary schools from Dakar in Senegal to Khartoum, Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam in East Africa. During the Liberation Day festivities in Ethiopia, he was presented with a gold medal for literary excellence by the Emperor Haile Selassie. Mr. Hughes also visited Nigeria, Zanzibar and Tunisia. En route to New York, he stopped in Paris to read the proofs of the forthcoming French edition of his *Simple* stories.

In New York in the Spring, Alfred A. Knopf will publish a new book of poems by Langston Hughes, *The Panther And The Lash*. A new production of his Christmas song-play, *Black Nativity*, is currently projected for the West Coast.

Some of these poems first appeared
in the following publications whose
editors the author wishes to thank
for permission to reprint: AMERICAN
DIALOGUE, BLACK ORPHEUS, COLORADO
REVIEW, COMMON GROUND, CONTEMPO,
CRISIS, DEN GULDEN WINCKEL, FREE
LANCE, HARPER'S MAGAZINE, LIBERATOR,
NEGRO DIGEST, OLIVANT QUARTERLY,
OPPORTUNITY, PHYLON, POETRY, PRESENCE
AFRICAINE, RENAISSANCE, THE SATURDAY
EVENING POST and VOICES.

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

November 18, 1966

Dear Langston:

I have just been talking to Ivan von Auw about the new collection, THE PANTHER AND THE LASH, and he has agreed to our offer of a $500.00 advance - January 1967 against straight 10% royalty. We find that the business of doing a simultaneous paperback edition is costly, but I agree with you that it is very important to have a lower priced book available; so we will definitely go ahead with this.

I know you are as anxious as I am to get the book out quickly, and we can get it on the Spring list for late Spring or early Summer publication if we move quickly. The first thing that must be done is for you to clear the permissions with the sixteen publications where many of the poems first appeared. In spite of the fact that I know you have done this many times, I am enclosing a sample form letter which may help you out. Do try to get them out as quickly as you can now, and the permissions may be returned directly to us.

One other thing I noted: Shouldn't "Coach-Rule Exchange" be listed among the poems that have been reprinted from previous books -- this one from ASK YOUR MAMA?

Any thoughts you may have about jacket copy would be much appreciated.--
blurbs or comments you may have received since the last book. Also, I am enclosing
our supplementary author's questionnaire so you can bring me up to date on recent
activities, as well as trying your own hand at a short description of the poems in
this book. And, finally, how about a new photograph?
(Roy-Subway)

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

December 8, 1966

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Herewith a copy of the letter from Prentiss Taylor, which is of a more
personal nature than the usual copyright assignments. We have received one
more permission to reprint -- from *Free Lance* -- since I spoke with you last
week; the other assignments we have are from *Harper's Magazine*, *Scottsboro*
*Limited*, *Braziller* and *American Dialog*. I will let you know as more assign-
ments are received. Seghers letter sent-12-12-66.

Regarding out-of-existence publications: these need be tracked down
only to ascertain whether or not they (and thus their copyrights) were bought
out by another firm. *Voices* and *Colorado Review* ceased publication and have
not merged with another company (so the Public Library informs me), so there
is nothing further that need be done about them. Please let us know any
further out-of-existence magazines.

I note that on your list of "copyrighted sources of publications" you
have omitted the status of the following (in addition to "Office Building:
Evening" and "Birmingham Sunday," which you mentioned should be considered as
previously unpublished unless you can find something to the contrary): "Black
Panther," "History," and "Stokely Malcolm Me." I would be most grateful if
you could let me know whether or not these have been published before.

December 8th 1966

Order Dept.
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10022

Gentlemen:

Please send Mr. Hughes, billing him at the usual author's discount, 6 copies of SELECTED POEMS OF LANGSTON HUGHES. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

December 10, 1966

Miss Katherine Hourigan,
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
501 Madison Avenue,
New York, N. Y. 10022.

Dear Miss Hourigan:

Concerning COPY ASSIGNMENTS for "The Panther and the Lash"---

thank you for letting me know which ones you have received. Herein
enclosed is another one: that of Pierre Seghers in Paris.

In checking my carbons of letters of request sent November 22,
four publications have not yet responded:

The LIBERATOR,
244 East 46th Street,
New York, N.Y. 10017
(YU. 6-5939)

Editor: Daniel Watts.

"JUNIOR ADDICT" Vol. 3, No. 4
"NORTHERN LIBERAL" 3, No. 7
"FREDERICK DOUGLASS" 6, No. 12
(Just appeared in current issue)

Following my note, Mr. Watts told me on the phone he would send the reassignments. If he has not done so, I suggest you phone him, please.

The NEGRO DIGEST,
1820 South Michigan,
Chicago, Ill. 60616

Editor: Hoyt W. Fuller

"MISSISSIPPI" Vol. 14, No. 11
"DINNER GUEST" 14, No. 11

I suggest you send Mr. Fuller a note to speed him up a bit. I will, too.

PHYLON,
Atlanth University,
Atlanta, Georgia.

"VARI-COLORED SONG" Winter, 1952
"LITTLE SONG ON HOUSING" Vol. 16,
No. 2, Second Quarter, 1955

Perhaps a note from you would jog them into action. I'll write again, too.

BLACK ORPHEUS,
Mbari Club,
Ibadan, Nigeria

"AFRICAN QUESTION MARK" May, 1959

As I think I wrote you, this magazine bears no copyright notice. They
probably have none in Nigeria. With the chaotic conditions there, perhaps
it is no longer being published. So I suggest we do not worry about it.

HISTORY was published in the magazine, OPPORTUNITY, November, 1934, which has long been out of existence, perhaps for twenty years, and was not bought by any other organization, it being published by the Urban League.

BLACK PANTHER, STOKELY MALCOLM ME, and any other poems not credited to publications, are unpublished; and OFFICE BUILDING and BIRMINGHAM SUNDAY may be so considered, too, since I find no record of having submitted them anywhere, and no source of publication. They are not listed, either, in the Bibliography of my published work which the Shoe String Press is publishing in the Spring. (Done on a foundation grant by Donald Dickinson, University of Missouri.)

Please send me any catalogue listings, advance notices, and blurb material on THE PANTHER AND THE LASH when available, if you'll be so kind.

December 12th 1966

Miss Katherine Hourigan
Secretary to Mrs. Jones
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10022

Dear Miss Hourigan:

I have just learned that the following
poems included in the PANTHER AND THE LASH
will be published in the forthcoming issue
of the official publication of the NAACP,
the CRISIS:

FREEDOM
QUESTION AND ANSWER
BLACK ECONOMICS

I have therefore requested the CRISIS to
send to Mrs. Jones a copyright reassign-
ment.

An advance copy of my forthcoming
LITTLE, BROWN anthology THE BEST SHORT
STORIES BY NEGRO WRITERS just arrived
from Boston. On the inner flap of the
jacket blurb, there is quite a serious
error of fact, in that a Ralph Ellison
story is credited to Richard Wright.
Therefore, I stress to you the importance
of sending me all jacket copy or blurb
material before it goes to press, so that
I might check it.

December 17, 1966

Dear Judith:

THE NATION has accepted the poem, Crowns and Garlands, for publication shortly, so I have requested reassignment of copyright, and have added THE NATION to the enclosed sheet which should be substituted for the one now in the manuscript, please.

The jacket material you've sent is O. K. However, if you like, you might add a phrase (or split phrase) to the last sentence of the first paragraph---perhaps something like this:

... Mr. Hughes has lived all over America and travelled most other countries of the world, but his home is in Harlem, ... etc.

And, since I am wearing the Tanzanian national garb in the photo chosen, a touch of international (African) interest might be added to the credit line if it reads:

Photo by John Taylor,
Dar es Salaam

Taylor, incidentally, has recently been engaged by the Ethiopian government and is currently living in Addis Ababa.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you,

December 16th, 1966

Mr. Michael Goldman
Poetry Editor
The Nation
333 Sixth Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10014

Dear Mr. Goldman:

I am delighted that THE NATION has accepted my poem CROWNS AND GARLANDS, and I would appreciated receiving a *marked copy* when it is published.

Also, since the poem is included in my forthcoming Knopf book for Spring, 1968 THE PANTHER AND THE LASH, kindly reassign the copyright to me, addressing the reassignment as follows:

Langston Hughes
c/o Mrs. Judith Jones
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10022

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

January 25, 1967

Dear Mr. Hughes:

We have now received all the copyright assignments except those from
<u>Crisis</u> and <u>Nation</u>, which will send the assignments after the poems have been
published.

I wonder if we might alter your Acknowledgments in order to offer the
reader more complete publication information. Because some of the poems were
written a number of years ago, we thought it would be a good idea to let the
reader know exactly when and where a certain poem was published. I have
attached copy for the suggested change. You will note that we have separated
the acknowledgments into (a) poems which were previously published but which
appear now for the first time in a book by you, and (b) those which were
previously published in a collection of your poetry. The former credit -- to
magazines, etc. -- would appear (as you originally indicated) on a separate
acknowledgments page, and the latter would be printed on the copyright page.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could let me know if this arrangement
is agreeable to you.

With all good wishes,

Att.

Acknowledgments page

The author wishes to thank the editors of the following publications
which first printed the poems specified:

**American Dialog:** "Final Call" (1964)

**Black Orpheus:** "Angola Question Mark" (1959)

**Colorado Review:** "Where? When? Which?" (Winter 1956-7)

**Crisis:** "Question and Answer" (1966)

**Free Lance:** "Without Benefit of Declaration" (1955)

**Harper's Magazine:** "Long View: Negro" (1965)

**Liberator:** "Junior Addict" (1963), "Northern Liberal" (1963)

**The Nation:** "Crowns and Garlands" (1967)

**Negro Digest:** "Mississippi" (1965), "Dinner Guest: Me" (1965)

**Opportunity:** "History" (1934)

**Phylon:** "Little Song on Housing" (1955), "Vari-Colored Song" (1952)

LA POESIE NEGRO-AMERICAINE (1966): "Bible Belt" under the title
"Not for Publication--Defense de Publier"

Credit note to go on copyright page

Certain poems in this collection were previously published in the following books by Langston Hughes:

*Ask Your Mama* (1961): "Cultural Exchange"

*Fields of Wonder* (1947): "Words Like Freedom," "Oppression," "Dream Dust"

*The Langston Hughes Reader* (1958): "Elderly Leaders" under the title "Elderly Politicians"

*Montage of a Dream Deferred* (1951): "Corner Meeting," "Motto," "Children's Rhymes"

*One-Way Ticket* (1949): "Harlem" under the title "Puzzled," "Who But the Lord?," "Third Degree," "October 16: The Raid," "Still Here," "Florida Road Workers," "Freedom" under the title "Democracy," "Warning" under the title "Roland Hayes Beaten," "Daybreak in Alabama"

*Scottsboro Limited* (1932): "Christ in Alabama," "Justice"

*Selected Poems of Langston Hughes* (1959): "Dream Deferred" under the title "Harlem," "American Heartbreak," "Georgia Dusk," "Jim Crow Car" under the title "Lunch in a Jim Crow Car"

*Shakespeare in Harlem* (1942): "Ku Klux," "Merry-Go-Round"

January 28, 1967

Dear Miss Hourigan:

It is quite all right with me to
arrange the Acknowledgments for THE
PANTHER AND THE LASH into two sections,
as you have done (publications and books)
as shown on the two sheets you've sent me.

However, on the publications page
beneath the Liberator credits there should
be added the recently published poem.

"Frederick Douglass"

which appeared in the issue of December,
1966, Vol. 6, No. 12, page 21. I have
asked that the copyright be reassigned to
me via your office.

Please let me see any blurb and
catalogue material for the book. When
will it be published, and how much will
it cost? Will hard cover and both both
come out at the same time? If (or when)
a proof of the jacket design is available,
I'd love to see it, if I may, please.

With cordial regards to you and
Judith Jones,

Vasatant
Boon Vpqn

Sincerely,

Thank you.

DREAM KEEPER.
Six (6) copies of his book of poems THE
piling him at the manual author's disconnt
Wong you please send Mr. Hughes,

Gentlemen:

New York, N. Y. 10055
201 Higson Avenue
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Order Dept.

February 6th 1965

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

February 14, 1967

Dear Langston:

I thought you would be interested to hear
that we have sold Hungarian language rights in NOT
WITHOUT LAUGHTER, to be used in an anthology, to
Lenin Korut. The terms are as follows: split,
50/50; advance of $250 for a printing of 11,000
copies; publication within 18 months of agreement.

JBJ:kh

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

501 Madison Avenue

NEW YORK (22), N.Y.

March 3, 1967

Dear Langston:

I've had no luck trying to get you by phone the last couple of days so I hope this note will reach you. We want to use your *signature* in some kind of display on the jacket, so the Art Department needs a copy of your signature. Could you let me have that? Sent - 3-7-67

Page proofs will be ready in just about ten days now, and I'll be sending them along. I saw a pull of the galleys and the type looks nice and bold.

JBJ:kh

PUBLISHER OF BORZOI BOOKS

Alfred·A·Knopf Incorporated

PUBLISHER OF

BORZOI BOOKS

March 14, 1967

Dear Langston:

Here are the page proofs of "The Panther and the Lash" along with
one duplicate set (which you can keep) and the setting copy which we'd like
to have returned with the corrected proofs. I think I told you on the phone
that the designer wants to paste up a dummy of the book so that we can see
exactly where the poems fall and whether the whole thing makes good sense.
She will be doing that this week while you are working on correcting proofs
and I think it might be a good idea if we plan to get together early next
week so that you could look at her dummy then. Would you give me a call
next Monday? or Thereabouts?

Langston Hughes, Esq.
Wellington Hotel
55th Street and 7th Avenue
Room 41
New York, New York

JBJ:me

P.S. The two pictures you requested are enclosed.

March 25, 1967

Order Department
Alfred A. Knopf
501 Madison Avenue
New York, N. Y.

Gentlemen:

Kindly send, billing to me at my above
home address, at the usual author's
discount, the following book order
addressed to:

Mr. Nathan I. Huggins
26 Evans' Way
Boston, Mass. 02115

these books of mine---

6 - THE DREAM KEEPER

4 - ASK YOUR MAMA

2 - SELECTED POEMS OF LANGSTON HUGHES

Thank you,

Langston Hughes