[Rarebooks] FS: Fine Letters by Henry Beston, author of THE OUTERMOST HOUSE

[Charles Agvent]

 From our latest Internet Catalogue: TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERARY 
MANUSCRIPTS, LETTERS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS, a total of 90 items, many quite 
scarce.  Our Boston Book Fair Catalogue will be posted next week and 
includes fine Signed Presidential and Literary items, Early Printed 
Books, Illustrated Books and Fine Bindings, and our usual selection of 
the unusual.

   BESTON,  Henry.  TWO AUTOGRAPHED LETTERS SIGNED (ALSs).  The  less
interesting  letter  is  a  brief  and  chatty  two-page  letter  with
envelope  to an English professor at the University of Maine dated  12
June  1958 and SIGNED as "Henry" from Chimney Farm in Maine. The  more
interesting  four-page letter, dated 10 December 1948 and also  SIGNED
as  "Henry,"  is to John Richards, head of the English  Department  at
St.  Paul's  School  in Concord and grandson of Julia Ward  Howe,  and
concerns  Richards's reaction to Beston's recently published  NORTHERN
FARM.  A CHRONICLE OF MAINE. Beston begins, "What a beautiful  letter,
even  such a letter as makes a writer feel with all grateful reverence
that  he has done something with the gift the Divine Mystery gave  him
for  his own. One must indeed fling down and spin on the world's table
the   gold  or  silver  penny!"   Regarding  reviewers'  comments   on
"philosophical    teaching,"   Beston  states,   "When   man   becomes
overcivilized,  he  ceases to be man, and when he loses his  religious
awareness,  he becomes as I said in a later paper, a 'cosmic  outlaw,'
really  a dread figure, like some dark figure out of the  apocalypse."
Fine, with excellent content.                                  $350.00

-- 

All books subject to prior sale.  Cash with order; institutions may be 
billed.  Postage additional:  $9.00 for the first book, $5.00 each 
thereafter.  Overseas postage billed at approximate cost. Pennsylvania 
residents must add 6% sales tax.  Mastercard, Visa, American Express and 
Discover accepted.  Books may be returned within 10 days of receipt for 
any reason provided they are in the same condition as sent and prior 
notice is given. Please insure returns for their full value.  We carry a 
diverse stock with major specialties including Modern and 19th Century 
Literary First Editions, Autographed Books, and Limited Editions Club 
books.  We are celebrating our 20th year of business and are proud to be 
members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and 
the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) as well as 
the Manuscript Society and the Universal Autograph Collectors Club 
(UACC).  Please feel free to contact us with any wants or offerings. 
Thank you.

CHARLES AGVENT
291 Linden Road
Mertztown, PA  19539-8750
610-682-4750
agvent at erols.com
Visit our home page:  http://www.erols.com/agvent