Lot 369

(2) Marjorie Rawlings TLSs incl. April 1952: "My new book will probably be published in the fall"

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(2) Marjorie Rawlings TLSs incl. April 1952: "My new book will probably be published in the fall"

Estimate: $600 - $700

Starting Bid: $200

(0 Bids)

June 17, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
Wilton, CT, US

Description:

Marjorie Rawlings
[Hawthorne, FL]; St. Augustine, FL, ca. April 21, 1952; December 3, 1952
(2) Marjorie Rawlings TLSs incl. April 1952: "My new book will probably be published in the fall"
TLSs

A pair of 1p typed letters signed by American writer Marjorie Rawlings (1896-1953), author of the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Yearling" (1938), one signed as "Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings" and one signed as "Marjorie Rawlings." April 21, 1952; December 3, 1952. [Hawthorne, Florida]; St. Augustine, Florida. Both pieces of correspondence were typed on watermarked stationery with "Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings / Cross Creek / Hawthorn [sic], Florida" letterhead. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds, else near fine. 6" x 6.875." Both letters are accompanied by their original transmittal envelopes with printed return addresses matching the stationery. The return address of the envelope postmarked December 4, 1952 is inscribed in Rawlings's hand as "St Augustine." With cancelled postage, minor wear and weathering, and letter-opened at top. 6.25" x 3.625".

Marjorie Rawlings wrote this correspondence to Janet Covert, a student nurse employed at All Souls' Hospital, a Catholic hospital in Morristown, New Jersey. Not much information could be found out about Rawlings's correspondent Janet Covert except that she had recently transitioned from being a home care aide to caring for terminal patients at All Souls'; this was what prompted Rawlings's admiring comments about Janet's new career path. The circumstances in which the two women knew each other are unclear, but clearly by 1952 they were long-distance friends/pen pals.

The lot is comprised of:

1. A 1p typed letter signed by Rawlings as "Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings" near the bottom. April 21, 1952. [Hawthorne, Florida]. In part: "Just a note to say how proud I am of you for the splendid adjustment you have made to life and for the valuable work you are doing. My new book will probably be published in the fall…"

The book, Rawlings's last novel "The Sojourner," was actually published by Charles Scribner's Sons a little later than predicted, on January 1, 1953. It recounted the story of a simple, honorable man named Asahel Linden. Unlike her Florida novels, "The Sojourner" was set in the North.

2. A 1p typed letter signed by Rawlings as "Marjorie Rawlings" at the bottom. December 3, 1952. St. Augustine, Florida. In part: "Of course I have not forgotten you. I think the creative adjustment you have made to life is perfectly splendid… I shan't always be able to answer you but if you like to sort of spill things out to me now and then, I shall always read your letters with sympathy and interest…"

Rawlings's answering of correspondence was said to have been unpredictable, which could account for why very few of her letters have come to market. Sadly, it wasn't due to a lack of diligence that Rawlings would shortly stop communicating: she would be dead at age 57 in just over one year, in December 1953.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6" x 6.875"
  • Medium: TLSs

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