Dear Don:
It looks like Ray Freiman is all signed, sealed and delivered for the manufacturing job at Random House. He had been working for Haddon and Mel Friedman has given him as glowing a recommendation as I have ever heard in my life. He was first suggested to us by Harry Abrams, who says he is the answer to all our prayers. Bob will undoubtedly be writing you further details about this. I will keep you posted on how the thing works out.
No soap on the Sheean book for the BOMC. They selected, at yesterday’s meeting, some book on the American Revolution published by an obscure little firm that needs the dough. I think their name is Little Brown. They also selected some Russian book published by Scribner’s. They have now got more reserves than the U.S. Treasury.
I have been devoting the week to entertaining stray Random House authors and at the moment am so fed up that I’d be willing to swap jobs temporarily with any fairly second-rate pants presser. Sunday we were with Budd Schulberg. He is an unhappy fellow and his marriage seems wrecked beyond repair.… Monday night we took Red Lewis and Marcella to Jessel’s show, and then picked up Jessel and repaired to the Stork Club. Jessel’s certainly getting a kick out of the book he is writing for us. He took a half page ad in last week’s Variety to advertise it. We’ve always been looking for an author who would advertise his own books, but now that we’ve found him, I am not exactly sure I know what to do with him.
Tuesday night we went to dinner at Quent’s with Moss Hart, George Kaufman, and Mark Hanna. Mark’s got a new gal named Mrs. Emmett who is an absolute knockout. Quent may be off any moment for Russia, China and India. The boys are crazy about DRESS REHEARSAL and, between ourselves, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up by outselling the Sheean opus. Now that the BOMC has turned down the Sheean, we might as well face the fact that we are probably going to take a first-class shellacking on it. What the hell; Morgenthau should worry.
Kaufman told us about meeting a man who is going around town with a saw cutting all the wooden toilet seats in half. He explained that he expected some half-assed relatives in town.
Business continues to be excellent. SUEZ goes sailing along (another 1000 from the News yesterday) and the Lin Yutang is really catching on all over the country. The only new book that has been signed up since you left is a long novel called RETREAT FROM ROSTOV by an unknown writer. I don’t know whether anyone has written to you about this as yet. I haven’t read the script myself, but Saxe and a couple of the salesmen are ecstatic about it.
I hope you will have to come East again with the Manual.
My deep love,
As ever,
Bennett
Dear Klopfer:
Word has reached me from an unusually unreliable source (Jezebel, of course) that January 23rd is your natal day. This is just a line to tell you that I think of you every time Jezebel reminds me, and to assure you that I would much rather have you sitting at your desk across from me than the schlemiel who is at present desecrating your throne.
Seriously, Don, here’s hoping that this is the last birthday you spend away from all of us at Random House.
My love,
Bennett
January 22, 1943
Dear Don:
I am terribly sorry to hear that the Manual seems to be footch. (Speaking of which, did you know that Jezebel once made a bowl of footch? Needless to say, it stank.) Does all this mean that the infinite amount of work that went into the Manual has been wasted, or is there still a Chinaman’s chance that the project may be revived?
By this time you have no doubt studied the November report. In my opinion it is almost incredible. If this were only 1911, before income taxes went into effect, I’d point out to you that you would now be a rich young man, Captain Klopfer. As it is, I wouldn’t give you credit for a damaged copy of the Public Papers of Woodrow Wilson.
I am sure Bob has told you about the 10% cut in paper. This isn’t very serious, but the Council feels that this is only a starter, and that the pinch will really hit us in three or four months. Well, cancer shmancer, as long as Jezebel still has her fanny.
Write soon.
Love and kisses,
Bennett
January 29, 1943
Dear Klopf:
Under my careful guidance you are turning into something of a humorist. There were roars of laughter throughout the establishment when we heard of your new occupation. It will add to your pleasure to know that you spoiled my lunch hour. I have been trying in vain to figure out some way I can use your story in Trade Winds, but this time I am afraid I will have to give up. To get even with you, I am enclosing a picture of the Immortal Sergeant. Add this to any part of the inventory you see fit.
We are still dithering around with the Tokyo manuscript. All kinds of pressure is being brought to bear in Washington, not only from Collier’s and ourselves, but from the O.W.I., which seems to be solidly on our side. Between ourselves, the whole O.W.I. seems to have about as much to say in Washington as the aforementioned Oppenbopper once did at Viking. Some day Elmer Davis is going to throw that job in some fuehrer’s face!
Business continues to be fantastic. Yesterday’s total included over 1600 GUADALCANAL, over 700 CHINA, and over 500 SUEZ. The specter that hangs over our heads is paper rationing. Malcolm Johnson swears that there will be a 40% cut before the year is over. Even discounting that by 50%, you can see that we’ll be in a hell of a jam. I spent yesterday up in Pleasantville at the Reader’s Digest plant, and maybe you think they are not worried. Their circulation jumped a cool three million last year to the unbelievable total of 9,200,000. They don’t know what the hell to do now.
Speaking of post exchanges, Paul Sampliner is now a Captain and his job will be travelling around from one exchange to another checking on stock and all that sort of thing. I wouldn’t wish a job like that on John Macrae Jr!
Have you ever thought of going to Africa instead of Peyrouten? If not, for Christ sake stop diddling around there in California and come back to Random House. We need you like all get out.
Love to you and Pat, Bennett
P.S. We are taking Herbert Wise and Nell Farnol to the opening of the Kingsley play tonight. It should be quite an evening, what with one thing and another!
February 1, 1943
Dear Bennett:
I just got back from spending Sunday up at Edgar Selwyn’s, and found out to my surprise that Metro had the manuscript of Thirty Seconds over Tokyo and had made synopses for all of their producers, as is their wont. Since I know you had some copies struck off for the BOMC and then decided it would be stupid to circulate it widely, and I think that is a very wise decision, I’d still like a copy to show to the C.O. out here. It would be stamped Confidential and will be treated as an Army confidential document. As such, we cannot possibly get into trouble because, after all, that’s exactly how all of the intelligence reports of a similar nature are classified.
I only hope that we are not getting the run-around on this manuscript. I take it that King Features must have sent it out to Metro and probably to all the other studios. Now that his NIBS is back in Washington, maybe you will be able to take some action on this book. All of the details are gradually coming out. It doesn’t make sense for them not to allow it to be published.
Pat got here last Wednesday and is returning to New York on Friday. She looks and acts fine, but I think it makes sense for her to go back and get a final clean-up before she comes out here permanently.
The November figures are really fantastic. I am very curious to see the December ones. What was our volume in January, and how is Guadalcanal Diary selling? Any chance of getting a set of proofs on the Red Lewis book?
We continue to wade around in a sea of mud but manage to keep busy. The war news certainly looks good, but I still think that our bet is a cinch for me. I miss all of you big business executives like the very devil. Give my love to the office.
As always,
Donald
February 18, 1943
Dear Don:
I have been hoping that you would call me one of these nights so I could explain the TOKYO business to you in detail.
Meanwhile, let me explain that I have given my word of honor to Col. Fitzgerald in General Searles’ office in Washington that not a copy of the manuscript will leave the Random House safe. They were sore as hell when they heard that we had let the judges of the Book of the Month Club read this script, and this was the only way I could make my peace with them. I am sure I don’t have to explain to you that there was a darn good reason why I didn’t send a copy of the manuscript out to you.
GUADALCANAL is almost up to 40,000 and Quent Reynolds’ book looks like another runaway.
And if I don’t get away soon I will probably bite somebody’s head off (probably Jezebel’s).
Please call us as soon as you are able to.
As ever,
Bennett
May 11, 1943
Dear Don:
I got the first word of your transfer to Idaho on Monday morning in one of Jezebel’s characteristically unintelligible communiques. I immediately called New York in the hope of talking to you before you left, and found that you were already on your way. I am sorry I missed you but, judging by your letters to me and Bob, you are just about set for what you’ve been dreaming about, and if you don’t think I envy you from the bottom of my heart, you’re nuts.
Thrup and I got just what we wanted in Florida. We were located in a little dump about two blocks north of that monstrous old Hollywood Beach Hotel, now populated by about 10,000 sailors. We spent practically the entire day lying on the beach and along toward the end of our stay, I played a little ninth rate tennis with the local minister, who was just about good enough to keep me moving around the court, and who tst tsted every time I yelled “God damn.” I really feel fine now and I am darn glad I went.
There is nothing new to report around the office except the trifling matter of an order for juvenile flats from Woolworth’s that totals about $300,000. We are going into a huddle with Duplaix tomorrow about where in heck the books are going to come from. Then we’ll frame the order and hang it alongside that Macy Modern Library document in the can.
Galleys have already been sent to you on the Tokyo book. Despite the fact that there has been so much about the raid in Life and all the newspapers, I still think that this book may blow the roof off and make a new top for Random House. With all the best sellers we have had this year we still haven’t hit that magic $100,000 mark, which we simply must get to if Jezebel is to wear the clothes that she thinks she is entitled to.
Red Lewis was at the house last night on the eve of his departure for Minnesota. Harry [Scherman of BOMC] and Bernadine came over too. They scarcely knew Red, but it was a case of love at first sight when one of Red’s impersonations made Harry actually cry with laughter. Lewis was ready to marry him on the spot. We couldn’t get them out of the house. Tonight we are having Peg Byrnes for dinner. (George is off in Texas somewhere.) That’s about the extent of our social life for the week. Saturday we are going to Alicia’s, where we’ll probably get into another fight [with Captain Patterson] about the God damn Daily News.
My love to Pat. Please write all details of your new assignment. I needn’t tell you how deeply interested I am in knowing exactly what you are up to.
My love,
Bennett
May 14, 1943
CAPTAIN DONALD KLOPFER
382nd BOMBARDMENT GROUP
POCATELLO, IDAHO
BOOK CLUB JUST CHOSE TOKYO AS PART OF DUAL
SELECTION FOR AUGUST. LOVE.
BENNETT
May 17, 1943
Dear Don:
Thanks for your note about your reason for not phoning me. I wasn’t exactly hurt, since I realized that you were probably running around like a chicken without a head. Put it rather that I was disappointed that I didn’t speak to you before you left for Idaho—and then forget it.
You can imagine how delighted all of us were to have Tokyo picked by the Book Club. It goes out as a dual with something called THE ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, which doesn’t sound too hot to me but, on the other hand, WINTER’S TALES goes out with COMBINED OPERATIONS, so the luck sort of evens up. I must reluctantly admit that Colonel Haas did one hell of a job in retrieving Tokyo after it was practically turned down for good at the last meeting. Coming on top of his efforts in behalf of WINTER’S TALES, it seems to me that the exploit called for official recognition and, with your permission, I am putting a gold star on his report card next month. Wire if you have any objections to this.
Your telegram announcing that it snowed yesterday is startling. How much flying are you actually doing yourself? And is it as much fun as you anticipated? Give with the details, Klopfer!
We had a wonderful weekend down at Alicia’s with only one fight over the Patterson family. George Abbott was there, and so was George Backer, the latter just back from the Refugee Conference in Bermuda. I gathered from his guarded remarks that it was mostly talk down there, and that nothing very constructive was done for the poor old Yids. The highlight of the day came when Mrs. Bennett A. Cerf hung up a score of 189 at the bowling alley. She had six strikes—four of them in a row—and was so excited she couldn’t talk for an hour. Her name will go up on the wall as the lady champion of Falais. Harry is being given command of a field of his own at Trenton and moves down there about June 1st.
That’s about all at the moment. I am enclosing herewith Collier’s ad that ran on the first installment of Tokyo.
My love to you and Pat.
As ever,
Bennett
May 22, 1943
Dear Bennett—
Thanks for your note. I’m sure that Bob did a real job with the BOMC on the Tokyo book and I’m sure we’ll sell a helluva lot of them. By the way, I see the Jessel book is out! How about sending me a copy?
As far as flying is concerned I can fly as much as I please but I refuse to fly with anything less than a pilot instructor. These crazy kids don’t know what the hell it’s all about and when they start to take up 18 tons and 4000 h.p. it aint safe! That’s a lot of airplane to crash up and I have very little desire to bail out! As soon as my work becomes better regimented I intend to fly a few missions, but I promise you I’ll be in the lead ship with an experienced pilot. We’ve lost three ships since I’ve been here and it’s not the fault of the B24! I’m waiting for the big boss to come thru’ any day now and find out what the score really is. I’ll probably have to go down to Orlando to a month of school before I’m assigned to the outfit with which I’ll go overseas. I must admit that I am so sick of training outfits that I shudder at the thought of more months of it—but the whole thing makes sense. I guess the trouble is that Combat Intelligence officers don’t get killed quickly enough!
This letter should get to you on your birthday. Congratulations and best wishes on your 45th. I wish I could be with you to celebrate—but we never seem to get together on your birthday. Be good. My love to Thrup and the gang.
As always
Donald
Note: During World War II there was a serious shortage of paper.
May 28, 1943
Dear Don:
This is just to tell you that we fixed up an agreement yesterday designed to net us additional paper for between 400,000 and 500,000 flats [juvenile books]. It was worked with a guy named J.A. Richards, president of J.A. Richards, Inc., publishers, Minneapolis. We have made a contract with him whereby he will be the publisher of said flats, Whitman will be the manufacturing agents, and we will be distributors. There is 110 tons of paper involved and the fee we are paying Richards for “supervision” is $13,200.00, or at the rate of 8¢ for every pound of paper used.
The next step will be a contract between Whitman and ourselves, the basis of which will be that Whitman will credit us as books are produced with 3¢ for each pound of paper used until one-half the $13,200.00 has been reached. Some of these books will presumably have to be manufactured outside Whitman’s regular string of plants and such books would cost more than they normally would. We in turn will agree to split that extra cost with Whitman. If, of course, it would seem that certain books will cost more than either of us could afford, then we just won’t make those. It is a complicated deal all around but, according to our two lawyers, will stand the complete scrutiny of the WPB, and I have just tried to give you the highlights.
Smith and Durrell are apparently on the rocks, and we are looking into the possibility of taking them over. They have assets including a written-down inventory of about $23,000.00, and liabilities, mostly accounts payable, of about the same. They want $28,000.00 for the business, they to assume the liabilities. The potential advantages, from our point of view, are, in the first place, that they have lost $24,000.00 during the last two years and, while they only subscribed to capital stock to the extent of $11,000.00, they have put in, in the form of loans, some $55,000.00. There is something in all this which can almost surely be applied to our own tax benefit. Podoll and Lasser are thrashing it out now. Furthermore, they are still entitled to process about 35 tons of paper in 1943, which makes a sweet sound in my ears. Well, we’ll see. Needless to say, Hal is not to be thrown in. On the contrary. That also goes for Durrell.
There are a few more possibilities in the offing, but these are the hot ones.
I enclose a full-page ad from the SRL on WINTER’S TALES. It is the basic ad of our campaign and has run in the Times, and will in the Trib. The book hasn’t really gotten away heavily yet, but I think it will.
With all the best to you,
Yours,
Bennett
20 EAST 57 ST NYK=
AM ON TRIP PRETTY FAR FROM HOME AND POCATELLO BACK TOMORROW BET LEW HAS NEVER SOLD THIS TOWN LOVE=
DONALD.
June 15, 1943
Dear Don:
All of us were surprised to get your wire from Gulfport Field, Miss. Why in hell didn’t you steer that old crate up to La-Guardia and drop in to dinner on your way back?
I hope that a copy of THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO was waiting for you by the time you got back to Pocatello. It looks a little bit nebish at first glance, but once the public gets used to the smaller sized book, I think they’ll take it without a murmur. Considine is delighted with it. We all met at a cocktail party that Harry Maule gave for Jimmy Sheean on Friday, and then saw Dick Tregaskis off on a clipper for Ireland. He expects to be in on the invasion, and maybe we’ll get another book out of him just as successful as Guadalcanal. Both Tregaskis and Considine are wonderful guys, and our whole relationship with both of them has been an unalloyed pleasure.
Business continues on a very even keel. We are all just hanging around holding our breaths for Tokyo to get away from the barrier. Your old pal Adolph Kroch was just in oozing friendship from every pore. He left us an order for 3000 Modern Library books.
Our social life is practically non-existent. We were down at the Schermans for the weekend, and are scheduled to go to George and Beatrice’s [Kaufman] this next one, although I am going to get out of it if I can. These weekends this year are a God damn nuisance. The trains are hot and crowded for one thing, and the fact that you can’t drive anywhere once you get to a place is another. My own idea of heaven is to lie around in my bathing trunks in our own back yard and get under the spray when it is hot. The unfortunate thing is that people just don’t seem to understand this point of view, and get very hurt when we turn down their undoubtedly well-meant invitations. Beatrice, for instance, is going to be a problem. She acted a little bit miffy when I suggested that I’d be a hell of a lot happier having dinner with them one evening in town.
Bob has been very wonderful during the last week and has won the undying devotion of everybody at Random House. That’s about all I have to tell you except to repeat that I wish this God damn war was over, and that you were back here at Random House.
My love,
Bennett
Dear Bennett:
I couldn’t resist sending you a telegram from Gulfport Miss. as it seemed so silly for me to be there. I decided to go on a planning mission for an overwater flight so Saturday morning at seven o’clock seven officers and two enlisted men set off for Gulfport in a B24E, as good a plane as there is but as uncomfortable as possible. There are so many guns and turrets and bombing devices that you bump your head every time you move. We flew at 20000’ with oxygen smack over the Rockies past Denver and then came down to about 9000’ and rode right in to Gulfport, arriving there at three in the afternoon with 700 gallons of gas left in the tanks. It’s just short of 1600 miles, but we had no bombs so we could have gone on forever. Needless to say I was travelling with three good pilots so I wasn’t taking any chances. Stayed in Gulfport Sunday, made all of our arrangements to run flights down there and then over the Gulf and flew back Monday. I flew the plane for a half hour and the boys in the back were so sick from my weaving around that they begged for mercy and we were 14 miles off course! It’s like driving a damned Mack truck. Had lots of bad weather coming back, no visibility and snow storms thru’ the mountains but it cleared miraculously as we hit Pocatello so we were able to come in. It really was a lot of fun and I learnt an enormous amount about the plane. You can’t realize what four 1200 h.p. engines mean when they start turning over. The transports that we’re used to just haven’t half the power—but they have 1000 times the comfort. Now I’m thru’ with flying for a while. I got a concentrated dose of it!
News beyond that, there is none. I’m managing to keep busy and not yet too bored but I wish to hell I could get out of here. Give my love to Bob and Pauline, Saxe, Lew & the gang. I wish I were with you.
When are you going away this summer? You’re a sucker if you don’t while business is good and you’re able to.
Love to Thrup and Chris! Be good—
Love,
Donald
June 22, 1943
Dear Don:
Last night we sent you four dummies that may mark the beginning of a profitable and long-lived venture for us. The idea is an Illustrated Modern Library. Harry Abrams will be the art director of the project. In fact, the whole idea is his in the first place. I think he was pounding away at it even before he went into the Army, if I am not mistaken. Somebody is going to step into this field, and we might as well stake out a claim before it is too late. I am particularly wary on the subject of George Macy. His Heritage books are being marked at lower and lower prices every year. We certainly don’t want any of his slimy hot breath on our necks!
The present plan is to bring out four or five of these Illustrated Modern Library editions for Christmas. We’ll take the paper from our regular Modern Library stock and print token editions just so that we can be first in the field. Each book will be boxed. Some of them will be illustrated in color and some in black and white. The price will be either $1.25 or $1.45. The art work for each book will average us about $1000.00. After this expense is written off, the books will actually only cost us between 8¢ and 10¢ a copy more than the regular Modern Library. I am very anxious to hear your reaction to the idea. I think the dummies we’ve sent you are simply magnificent. They bowled over everybody who has seen them.
There is a lot of to-do about what titles we should select to start the series, but Confucius, Brothers Karamazov and Pickwick Papers will certainly be three of them. The other two will be selected from Don Quixote, Emerson, Longfellow, Candide, and Whitman. I am very anxious to have your opinion of all this.
Harry will be in on some sort of a royalty arrangement, possibly 3¢ a copy. He thinks he is going to make $20,000.00 a year out of it before many years have gone by, and I hope to hell he is right.
It is hotter than blazes around here today. Bob Haas went off to Vermont with Merle and the Schermans yesterday, so Jezebel and I have the Inner Sanctum entirely to ourselves today, and you can imagine what is going on. It’s Jezebel’s fourteenth wedding anniversary tomorrow. That guy Friedman is certainly a bear for punishment. (Jezebel says it is too hot to even protest against all these statements. That’ll give you a rough idea of the weather.)
Cecil Brown is about to embark on a complete tour of the country and his next book will be a report on America. It might be big, and then again it might not. We can afford to lose a few thousand shekels on him, if necessary. Leane Zugsmith and Carl Randau have written a knockout mystery story which we’ll probably sign up in the course of the next few days. We’ve tied up the INS man who is going to the Aleutians for a complete story of the war in that sector. LIFE WITH FATHER is ours for the Modern Library. It will be published in February 1944. That’s all the news worth telling on a day like this.
How about calling up some night to say hello?
Love,
Bennett
June 26, 1943
Dear Bennett—
Your letter about the illustrated editions and the dummies arrived here this morning. I think they are really beautiful and I think the idea is fine. Harry and I had talked about the idea many times and I certainly think it’s well worth doing some experimental work with them. Two words of advice on them. Nine point type is too small to be of enduring value in these books. Our printing is not careful enough to gamble setting even the larger books (longer works) in anything smaller than 9½ Fairfield and Fairfield is one helluva clear type. And look out for that inner margin of only ½ inch. These books are small and quite tightly bound and we don’t want to make them hard to read. After all they are not really deluxe collectors items but books that will be used and we have to be careful of the reading quality as well as the looks. I’m most enthusiastic about these dummies and if we can keep our costs within reason at present inflated prices, we can use really good paper after the war and turn out some gems.
While we are making money and paying such high taxes have you and Bob thought of going into the college text field and possibly getting some men interested in that. I know it’s lousy now but this might be the time to make a deal with someone. Just a dream but not a new one.
Did you ever buy Smith & Durrell and did the Whitman deal go thru’ for the Woolworth juveniles?
I received the 2 copies of Tokyo. I think the book itself is fine. I like its looks but I think the jacket is lousy. It’s cheap and garish and not up to R.H. standards. So we should sell 250,000 copies. We’ve never had a real success with our best jackets. That’s enough “bitching” for to-day but I know you want my honest opinion!
Have the final figures come thru’ yet. I’d like to know what they are before write down, after write down, and the taxes, God bless ’em. I’m broke as a beaver and want to know that my R.H. interest is increasing by leaps and bounds!
Had the CO down for dinner last night, an old man of 27 from Guadalcanal, a Lt. Col. and a fine sensitive youngster. He’s new at the field and I like him plenty. There’s been no excitement around here. Two out of our four squadrons have gone off to combat as replacements so things are really pretty quiet, as the new news hasn’t come in yet.
I still have no idea how long I’ll be here—when I’ll go to Orlando and start the final trek out of the country. It will happen when I least expect it of that I’m sure.
It’s lovely and cool here so I guess I should not complain. But I still prefer 20 East to Pocatello. And I don’t trust you alone with my Pauline!
My love to all—
Donald
Will return the dummies under sep. cover!
Dear Don:
There is a cool breeze blowing today and everybody is suddenly full of pep again. It marks the end of two weeks of the most insufferable hot weather that I think New York has ever known.
Saturday afternoon Harry Abrams, Lew Miller and Ray Freiman came up to my house. The four of us put on bathing trunks and sat around the back yard talking about the Illustrated Modern Library for about two hours. Every few minutes we punctured the conversation long enough to turn the hose on each other. It was about 96 in the shade out there! I am enclosing herewith a list of fifty titles that we selected for possible inclusion in the series when, as and if. I will be interested in hearing your comments on same. Note that all but one of them (The Bible) are already in the Modern Library. The Bible project is to me the most exciting thing connected with the whole affair to date. LeRoy Baldridge is going to do decorations and some illustrations for the job. We are having trial pages set now, and Harry Abrams is sure that we can get the whole thing in about 1060 pages, Modern Library size. For the illustrated editions, we’ll use a second color tint block as background. Maybe you will remember the experimentation that was done with this device for that BOMC–Random House Shakespeare that never came to anything. That is the sort of thing we’ll use on The Bible. For our regular Modern Library, of course, we won’t have the second color, but Baldridge is planning the work so that it will look perfect in black and white. This will make volume No. 4 for the Modern Library some time next year. Now all we need is a dictionary and our dream of having Shakespeare, The Bible and the dictionary in the Modern Library will have come true. To me this is about as important as anything that has been done by this firm since we started. And the beauty of it is that these terribly expensive plates are costing us so very little because of the tax situation.
Ah yes, the tax situation! After writing off everything we could possibly dream of in connection with both Random House and the Modern Library advances, and also deducting approximately $25,000.00 for the new pension fund, we still had a net profit of something like $412,000.00. Mannie, Abe and I then got to work on the good old inventory and managed to get the net figure down to $285,000.00, which is what I am afraid we are going to have to report. $25,000.00 of the inventory cut came off the Modern Library. We got that figure by reducing our present inventory to the same figure that we used last year. The rest of the cut came out of the Random House inventory. A large part of it, of course, is on our present stock of Duplaix books.
The Smith-Durrell deal fell through because Horace advised us that we’d be treading on very thin ice if we tried using their paper or apply their losses to our own tax problem. The literary properties weren’t worth the paper that this letter is written on.… The Duplaix deal, however, is definitely set, and Georges was more optimistic yesterday about production than he has been in a long time. We may not get all the juveniles we want from him this Fall, but we are certainly going to get many thousand more than we counted on. We could sell ten times the number that we are getting.… We are also getting 100,000 pounds of paper extra from A.B. Barnes & Co. Hal Dunbar wangled this deal for us. This paper will take care of the entire run on the Illustrated Modern Library, and then some.… Early reports on TOKYO are nothing short of ecstatic. In this connection, I am enclosing letters from Knopf and Schuster. I think you will be amused at the difference between the really sincere man and a professional—and to me, obvious—soft soaper!
Jezebel says she now has to go to the can, so I will close with lotions of love.
Walter Winchell Cerf
P.S. Ed Falk has fallen for a Cuban dancer of 27 and will probably marry her. Sartorius is also in love. His gal is an Ensign in the Waves, and so far is holding out.
Incidentally, it may be a matter of mild interest to you to know that GUADALCANAL nudged gracefully over the 100,000 mark yesterday. First time in our history. And SUEZ is over 90,000. My present guess is that TOKYO will be over 200,000 before the end of the year.
July 4, 1943
Dear Bennett—
Boy—was it a pleasure to get your long and newsy letter.… It came on a particularly dreary day. July 4th and nothing to celebrate except being on the job as usual. My boss leaves for Mountain Home to-morrow on assignment I wouldn’t wish on Hitler—and I will become the Group S2 [intelligence officer] as of to-morrow. This rates a majority and eventually I’ll get it because they’ll send me out of the country as a Group S2 not a Squadron. I got a big kick out of your enclosure from Lynn. I’m giving some of the same lectures over here and I, too, don’t know a damned thing about the subjects. I don’t envy Lynn his job—and I hope I don’t get sent to England. They won’t allow Intelligence officers to fly in the 8th Air Force. All the others insist on your flying some missions!
Congratulations on Guadalcanal going over 100,000. Tokyo will blanket it in two months I hope. The list of titles that you suggest for the illustrated books is swell, but some of our plates are pretty bad. If you use the ML plates have them checked pretty carefully. The Renoir, for instance, is a duplicate set of Burt plates and shouldn’t be used for anything anymore. Also about using the Kents for Candide?… 37—174—199 are all pretty small and quite battered but the titles are grand. Quite a series of books you publish Mr. Cerf! I’m just as pleased about the Bible idea as you are. It’s grand to do it and the present set up makes it damned near perfect.
How about a small illustrated book of the documents of democracy and our own history? The Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights—something of Monroe Doctrine—Lincoln material, Emancipation Proclamation—Gettysburg Address—Wilson’s inaugural and war message—F.D.R.’s first inaugural—Atlantic Charter etc. There’s so much talk of what the hell this country stands for that an attractive 150-page book, possibly illustrated, gathered by some historian who knows the documents and would keep it short and simple might have a reasonable sale. Sort of the St. John’s idea applied to American history. Going to the source rather than the interpretation. Nevin’s or Commager would do a job! So throw the idea in the waste basket!…
The R.H. list doesn’t look too strong for this fall but we’ll be counting on Tokyo, I’m sure—if the 1944 list is good there’s nothing to worry about but taxes. I hope to Christ Walter Clark’s book is good. He’s a good property.
A happy July 4th to you. I take it that Chris and Phyllis are both blooming. Kiss Pauline for me, chastely, you bastard! My love to Bob, Saxe and the gang—
As ever,
Donald
July 9, 1943
Dear Major-to-Be:
As I wired you yesterday, I was mighty happy to hear that you had gotten the job that you’ve been angling for. Personally, I prefer your getting a job that would keep you anchored close to the ground right here in the United States, but obviously you’ve got your fool heart set on something else and, knowing what a stubborn bastard you are, I realize that nothing can be done about it. Go ahead and get your ass shot full of ack-ack; poor old Cerf will carry on in his usual faithful fashion at 20 East 57th Street. (Of course, you realize that “carry on” has several connotations!)
Monday is the official publication date for TOKYO. Of course we’re all holding our breaths to see if the public shares the unrestrained enthusiasm of all the booksellers, critics and ourselves. Frankly, I don’t see how the book can miss. Even that old sourpuss Harold Williams called up to say, “Boy, what you could do with that book if Klopfer were on the job!” I will keep you closely posted on significant day-to-day sales in the first fortnight.
In the meantime, another manuscript has arrived that kept me bouncing up and down on the edge of my chair just the way GUADALCANAL and TOKYO did. I begged King Features to find me something on the Aleutian campaign, and damned if those bastards didn’t come across again. Some youngster named Howard Handelman has done 250 pages of the most wonderful war stuff imaginable. It hasn’t been cleared by any of the censors yet and a lot of it, I am sure, is going to have to be taken out. Do you think it would be safe for me to mail it out to you to Idaho for a quick look-see? I have to have it back pronto since we have no copy, and I don’t want to send it unless you are absolutely sure that it will be all right. Let me know about this. We cannot do anything with the book, of course, until the Kiska show is completed. Handelman is in San Francisco at the moment, but is leaving for the front next week. He has assurances that he will be there in time for anything spectacular. Even if we never get another word of the manuscript, what we have is good for a 50,000 minimum, I am sure. Where are we going to get the paper? How the hell do I know?
You may consider the Illustrated Modern Library officially launched. Horace is drawing up a contract with Harry Abrams which means that my eight line memo is now being elaborated into a 42-page document. We are paying 3¢ a copy royalty on the first 15,000 of any title and 5¢ a copy thereafter. Five titles are projected for this Fall and another ten for next year and Abrams, who moves faster than anybody I’ve ever seen, has got the fifteen most important artists in America all lined up already for the project. Included are Thomas Benton, Stewart Edward Curry, Edward Wilson, George Grosz, and several other top notchers whom a dope like you never heard of. (Me either. Besides, I can’t remember them at the moment.) At any rate, I will send you a complete outline in a few days’ time, as soon as we get it all put down on paper. The important thing, of course, is The Bible, and that’s what everybody is concentrating on at the moment. If the other four titles don’t get out this Fall, it will be a matter of little importance to us. The Bible, however, is going to be a wow. Under present market conditions, we could sell 100,000 of them, if we had them.
The big social news of the moment is that Phyllis’ mother is arriving for the weekend tomorrow. Zowie! And to add further joy to my life, I have just heard that that slimy, ass-kissing son-of-a-bitch Silberberg has been made a Lieutenant Colonel. I can’t state my full views of this situation since Jezebel has not yet reached that point in her education. Pfooey!
There is probably some other news around that would interest you, but enough is enough. Why don’t you call up some evening?
Love to you and Pat.
As ever,
Bennett
July 11, 1943
Dear Bennett—
Thanks so much for your telegram with the good news of Tokyo reviews. 250,000 by Christmas is our goal and I really think we have a good chance of reaching it. I take it the advance was around 45 to 50,000! Send me something on the Aleutian book when you have a chance. I hope you’re not kidding about its excellence.
I am no longer the Group S2. Two days after I took over a major from Command and Staff School came in here assigned to Intelligence. The CO practically threw him out on his ass but he came from higher authority so he had to be made the S2. I’m running the Dept. and am responsible for it, but I’m no longer the boss. So I suspect I’ll be shipped out within a reasonable time! I really don’t give a damn as what I want is my own combat group, and I know I’ll get it eventually.
Life continues to run along at a smooth and pleasant pace. We’re living comfortably and the weather is gorgeous, not working too hard, and my only complaint is a feeling of restlessness and futility.
Give my love to Bob, Thrup and the office in general. Am holding my thumb for Tokyo!
Love,
Donald
1943 JUL 12 PM 6 20
BENNETT A CERF
TRANSFERRED TO FOUR FORTY FIFTH BOMBARDMENT GROUP SIOUX CITY IOWA LEAVING TOMORROW. GOOD BREAK LETTER FOLLOWS ADDRESS MAIL ARMY AIR BASE ABOVE ADDRESS LOVE=
DONALD.
CAPTAIN DONALD S. KLOPFER
445th BOMBARDMENT GROUP
SIOUX CITY, IOWA
WELCOME AND GOOD LUCK EAGERLY AWAIT DETAILS LAWSON A RUNAWAY
BENNETT
July 17, 1943
Dear Cerfie—
Many thanks for your wire of welcome which I picked up as I reported in at the Base this morning. How far has Tokyo gone? The word runaway in your telegram made me feel mighty good.
We had a fine trip from Pocatello here. Spent the first night in Jackson and then went thru’ Yellowstone, “Old Faithful” performing on schedule and effectively—then the Shoshone National Park in Wyoming. Spent the night in a motel at Sheridan, Wyoming, and into South Dakota visiting the Rushmore Memorial and spending the night in Chamberlin, S.D. on the Missouri River. Then across corn and wheat and into Sioux City last night. A good trip but it’s hotter than hell in this hole now.
I reported out at the Base this morning. The 445th is an Operational Training Unit in the middle of first phase training. So I should be here for about three months and then go over with this outfit. I’m the boss of the Intelligence Section, have a good CO and Operation’s Officer, so from now on it’s up to me! Things are pretty rugged here now, but I think they can be straightened out pretty soon. This setup is not as clean as Pocatello was—really nearer field conditions. That’s really all I know about it so far—will write more when I know more.
Pat and Tony are still with me. She’ll look for an apartment to-morrow. In the meantime, we’re comfortable here.
My love to Bob, Saxe, Lew, Pauline and the gang at large. I’d still rather be at 20 East than here!
Love,
Donald
July 20, 1943
Dear Don:
I just received your welcome letter telling me of your safe arrival in Sioux City. I don’t like your happy chortle over the prospect of getting overseas so soon, but if that’s what you want, what the hell can I do to stop you?
We’re in a state of suspended animation over TOKYO. The advance sale was enormous and the reviews couldn’t have been better; now we’ve got to wait until the advance stock is consumed and the real reorders start pouring in. Yesterday’s total was 1166, but 1000 of this was one order from the Infantry Journal. The stores all report that the book is off to a wow of a start. I am sure we have nothing to worry about, but it’s sort of tantalizing to sit around here waiting for the anticipated rush of reorders. Due to vacations, sicknesses, resignations and whatnot, the sales chart is now a full two weeks behind, so I can’t give you an exact figure on the book to date. It seems to me that it is somewhere around 55,000. That may be off a couple of thousand in either direction.
Meanwhile, the wonder of the ages is GUADALCANAL. The total for that one on Friday was 965 copies, and it is a rare day when the sales don’t reach 200. I think we are up to about 105,000 now. What a gold mine this book has been. The other books are holding up well too, and it is hard to remember that these are the mid-summer doldrums!
I take it that you received a copy of Podoll’s annual report showing the net of about $255,000.00 that I told you about.… Meanwhile, as usual, my dear Klopfer, we don’t seem able to get our paws on a God damn cent of all these mythical riches. Anyhow, we are getting some wonderful plates: Shakespeare, The Bible, Aquinas, and God knows what else. Furthermore, we are gradually going to replace the worn out plates in the Modern Library. I am just finishing a completely new collection of ghost stories to replace that stinking old No. 73, and Aaron Sussman is working on a revision of the de Maupassant volume. Did you ever look into that one? It is really disgraceful. A new LEAVES OF GRASS and the PEPYS DIARIES are also on the calendar.
I am curious to know how you and Pat liked my piece on Gershwin in the Saturday Review. Maybe you missed it in all your jumping around. I am sending you a duplicate copy under separate cover.
I am hot, annoyed with the mass of detail work that has been around, temporarily sick of the publishing business. Phyllis, Christopher, the nurse and I are going down to stay with Alicia for two weeks beginning July 30th, and I will be glad to get away. Harry [Guggenheim], incidentally, is now a full-fledged Commander and his field at Trenton is in operation. All the new Navy planes are brought to his field and it is there that the secret Navy devices are installed. It is a very responsible job and he is having the time of his life doing it.
I suppose you saw that Johnny Swope married Dorothy Maguire of Claudia; that John Anderson and Colonel Little of Little & Ives passed on during the last week; and that Alfie Knopf has bought Pen Publishing (for tax purposes, I will vow). Manges is 45 today and Sartorius will be 50 tomorrow. Time, if I may coin a phrase, passes on.
My deep love to you.
As ever,
Bennett
July 22, 1943
Dear Bennett—
Both Pat and I thought your Gershwin article was swell. With typical Selwyn press agent soul she only sniffed once and said, “Gertie Lawrence became a star in Charlot’s Review?”! But really, both of us liked it. I hadn’t seen it because the SRL usually gets lost between Santa Ana, Harrisburg, Pocatello and here. Anyway we found out to-day that we’re staying here for the month of August. That’s preferable to the plains of Nebraska.
The business figures sound great. I saw the prelim P & L statement and hope you can chisel something off our tax. I’d like a little backlog when we come out of this mess. Don’t get discouraged because Tokyo reorders aren’t in yet. It takes time in the month of July to eat up a 50000 advance. September is when it should start ramping and it ought to lead the best sellers during the fall. It would be perfectly safe to send me that Aleutian manuscript, registered mail, if you can spare it for a week. I’ll keep it in the safe and return it to you by registered mail if you so desire. I’m delighted that we’re making new plates of the ML’s. God knows they need it! I hope you stay down at Alicia’s with the family for a while. Don’t let the business get you down. It’s so much pleasanter than any other business in the world. And that includes any job in the AAF!
The setup here is fine. Lt. Col. Terrill is the CO, a helluva flier and a good fellow. Our Operations officer is a honey and the executive is a stinker, but there are no complaints. We’re slow getting started because there seems to be a bottleneck in first phase training whence we draw our crews.
Incidentally, time marches on! I’m the oldest man in the 445th Bomb troop (H)!
My love to all the office, Phyllis and Chris.—
Love,
Donald
July 28, 1943
Dear Don:
We’ve just gotten the Army and Navy okay on the Aleutian manuscript and are going to shove it right into composition. Don’t you want to wait until we get proofs to send you? If not, I can send you a carbon copy of the manuscript, but it is in a pretty cheesy state. Let me know which you prefer. There is nothing of a startling news nature in the book, and if I were you, I’d wait to read it comfortably. It is just wonderful war reporting. Incidentally, I have high hopes of selling a hunk of it to Readers Digest for a pre-publication feature. Ralph Henderson of the Digest spent Monday night at my house reading the script. He was very deeply impressed. It is just a matter of room with those babies now.
Incidentally, they have started an Arabic edition in addition to the Spanish, Portuguese and Swedish ones. The French one is on tap. Boy, what power that outfit is going to be able to wield all over the world by the time it gets finished. It is a little worrisome to think about!
I am enclosing herewith a one-color proof of the double-page ad we are going to run in Publishers Weekly on the Illustrated Modern Library. Next week I hope to have some real dummies to send you. Harry Abrams and Ray Freiman have collaborated to do a wonderful job on these books, and I really think you are going to be excited with the results.
The corrected proofs of the Fall Random House announcement are going back to Bill Simon. I have finished my Trade Winds column all the way through August and on Friday night I sign off for two weeks. Our address for the first two weeks of August will be c/o Commander Harry Guggenheim, Port Washington, L.I. Jezebel will also be away the first three weeks in August. (That’s what life is like these days. The boss gets two weeks and the hired help gets three.) The title of the Random House office for the next few weeks will be “Sex Takes a Holiday.”
Ted Lawson spent the night with us last night. Hollywood hasn’t spoiled him at all. He will stay in Washington for two weeks and then shove off for his new post in Chile. The book is romping along nicely but is not yet the sensation that we hoped for. These are the dog days, however, and no book is doing anything wonderful at the moment.
Tonight we are going with Jake Wilk of Warner Bros. to see the opening of THIS IS THE ARMY. It ought to be pretty swell. Tomorrow we have a date with old Schloppo. He and Phyllis are putting the finishing touches to a really fine anthology called TALES OF TERROR AND THE SUPERNATURAL.
They have worked like slaves on it and the result is so good that I honestly think we have a good chance of selling it to the Book-of-the-Month Club as a dividend. I am going to take this up with Harry Scherman as soon as I get back from Long Island.
That seems to be about all the news. Take care of yourself and keep me posted on your activities. Judging by the headlines of the last few days my prediction that you will be back at your desk here by January 1, 1945, does not sound too impossible. Anyway, I can have my dreams.
As ever,
Bennett
Aug. 1, 1943
Dear Bennett—
… As of to-morrow everyone is being restricted to the Base. We have one helluva training program to meet and the Colonel very sensibly is impressing it on all officers and men. That means 24 hours off per week and I don’t think it will last too long. Pat’s moving to the Sioux Apt which will be like a girls dormitory. There are so many Army wives living there. I don’t know how long she’ll stick it out under these new conditions.
The war certainly is going along at a great clip these days. I’d hate like hell to be living in Harrisburg now! I’m sure the Italians will quit any minute now. They’re in a hopeless spot.
I certainly am jealous of you lazying around down at Alicia’s for a couple of weeks. I’ll get six days before I go over—don’t know when I’ll take them, imagine some time in Sept.
I hope you’re right about Jan. 1, 1945, but I don’t believe it for a minute! Give my love to Thrup and Chris—and remember me to the Guys—
Love,
Donald
August 9, 1943
Dear Don:
I came in for just the day to take care of an accumulation of letters and junk of one sort or another. We have had a wonderful week at Alicia’s and I am going back for some of the same on a late train this afternoon. The weather has been superb, and good old George Abbott brings around a different beautiful girl for tennis every afternoon. He also had Frank Sinatra out last Thursday, which caused all the women in the vicinity to swoon with delight. Personally I preferred Joan Caulfield who is the star of his KISS AND TELL company, and who is really a knockout. Harry came back from Trenton for the weekend, and we had a fine time despite the presence of Doctor Al Barach who is fuller of crap than ever. Freddy, incidentally, sends you her love, and so do the Guggenheims.
Chris took country life right in his stride, although the Sound has proved a little too big for him, to date. When I lift him over the water, he pulls in his legs just like an airplane taking in its wheels after it hits the air. He is beginning to talk a blue streak, but most of the time I haven’t got the faintest idea of what he’s saying. Phyllis says I am a neglectful parent.
I find that business is sailing along at a terrific clip. TOKYO is at last beginning to show signs of real life. It’s way up on all the best seller lists in the Times compilation this morning. As you say, no war book has been able to compete with the front page headlines in the past couple of weeks.
By way of diversion, I am writing the editorials for Alicia’s newspaper while I am down there. It’s wonderful fun to be able to shoot your mouth off without having to sign your name to your spoutings. For tomorrow morning’s paper I prove conclusively that Germany can’t last another six months. I am sure this will cheer you up immeasurably.
Oppenbopper writes that he’s coming to town for a week and will honor us by staying with us during that time. We will be glad to see him—but I wish it were you instead. I hope that everything is working out just the way you want it. Please send me all the details, if you can.
Love,
Bennett
P.S. I had a long letter from Bobby Heller this morning. The s.o.b. is in Sicily. And oh yes, Irving Fineman is coming to the office tomorrow morning. That’s why I am beating it back to Port Washington this afternoon.
Aug. 18, 1943
Dear Bennett,
I suppose by this time you’ve practically forgotten that you were off on a vacation for a couple of weeks—but, what the hell, Random House is more fun than a vacation anyway!
I’ve been granted my leave and I expect to be in N.Y. by the 8th of Sept. returning here the 14th. A short time but that’s all they’ll give us these days. Needless to say I’m most anxious to see you and Bob and the gang again—to say nothing of Lois and my Ma!
The training program here is clicking at a great rate. We’re working on a 24 hour schedule and really putting in a helluva lot of flying hours. My Intelligence Dep’t is so busy briefing and interrogating that the boys are running in circles. I seem to thrive in it and since I’m the oldest man in the group the youngsters have to really step along to keep up.
Pat’s having a lousy time—comes out every evening to a bad dinner out here and then goes home around ten thirty—not such a pleasant life. But she insists upon sticking around, so more power to her.
There isn’t a damned bit of news around here except local gossip.
Has 30 Seconds started to really roll yet and what are the figures? Anything exciting for the fall? My best to Chris and Thrup.
Love,
Donald
August 20, 1943
Dear Don:
I just this moment received your letter, and I am delighted that you are going to be here from the 8th to the 14th. God knows it’s a short enough time, but it’s better than nothing. Is there any chance of you and Pat staying with us those days? I needn’t tell you that we would love to have you, and that if you came you would be under no obligation whatever to spend any more time with us than you wanted to. Please think about it anyhow. Frankly, if I were in your place, I think I would want the biggest suite at the Waldorf for those six days to wallow in Sybaritic luxury—but you were never as much a creature of the flesh as I am, and maybe 132 East 62nd Street will be good enough for you. Do let me know.
Second, how about saving Thursday evening, September 9th, for Phyllis and me, whether or not you stay with us. I know you will be beset with engagements, and I would love to get in a claim before your various relatives and whatnots start tearing you apart. If you say the word, I will get tickets for one of the new shows, though God knows nothing new that’s worth a God damn has come to town in months.
The news on TOKYO is not particularly good. It’s selling, yes, but nothing like what we thought it would, and I am more convinced than ever that the bloom is off the rose on the war babies. I should say that the total to date is somewhere around 56,000 or 57,000. With a break, we will hit about 75,000 before the year is over, in my opinion, and that will just about clean us out of the edition, since we have given 22,000 of our 100,000 to the Book-of-the-Month Club. Six months ago I still think that this book would have sold a quarter of a million copies at least. It certainly is a tough break for Mr. Morgenthau.
Between ourselves, I regard the Fall list as minor league or New York Giants calibre. The Aleutian book, which I hope you have read by this time, is a pip, but after our experience with TOKYO we are only printing an edition of 15,000, and I am in hopes we will run the sale up to 25,000, but further than that I don’t think we will be able to go. WHERE’S SAMMY? looks like a reasonable 8,000 to 10,000 shot, and that goes for Lewis Browne’s novel, too. Harry Maule’s BOOK OF WAR LETTERS is a question mark. The real dark horse on the list is ROSTOV. I just sold condensation rights to Liberty for $1,000.00 which is a good send-off for the book anyhow. I think I told you that Readers’ Digest has bought the Aleutian book. Our share of this sale will be a minimum of $1,000.00 and may amount to considerably more. Incidentally, Readers’ Digest has definitely decided to make a regular department of the Trade Winds column. The present plan is to run a double page feature of excerpts from the column every other month, and to alternate this with the same length extract from the New Yorker’s Talk of the Town. Needless to say, I am pretty tickled. They have also bought the Gershwin piece from me, so I will be rolling in wealth until the next tax payment comes along.
The big news of the week was handed to me by Georges Duplaix yesterday afternoon. He came in to tell us that he was resigning from Western to become graphic arts editor of Simon & Schuster. Graphic arts my left blank, says I. If I may be permitted to hazard a guess (try and stop me), those bastards are going to crack the chain store market within the next two years. Octopi, that’s what they are, Klopfer, octopi. I am meeting Mr. Benbow at 4:30 this afternoon to talk over the situation with him and see who’s going to take Duplaix’s place. As long as they keep Lucille Ogle, I think we will manage, but there’s no gainsaying the fact that the loss of Duplaix is a kick in what we Oxford boys used to call the arse.
Speaking of octopi, the finished dummies on the illustrated Modern Library are absolutely terrific, and I only wish I could see that poop George Macy’s puss when he gets his first look at them. Take my tip and sell a couple of hundred shares of Heritage Press short at the market.
We had a really spectacular time down at Alicia’s. Christopher gained almost two pounds while we were there. The last night of our visit was highlighted by the presence of [her father] Captain Patterson and Ruth Vischer. I had promised Alicia that I would be Joe Charm as long as her pappy was about, and not start any controversial arguments. I was so wonderful that the nearest we came to a clash was a brief discussion on the relative merits of Christy Mathewson and Three-Fingered Brown.
Bob Haas has gone to camp. I hope it will do him some good. He’s lost about fifteen pounds since Bob Junior died, and looks like hell.
The only other news I can give you from the office is that Jezebel is away until Monday, which leaves me absolutely nobody to potch. On the other hand, I am having lunch Monday with Anne Baxter so I won’t complain.
My love to you, and I hope you will be able to stay with us. Don’t forget the central location: Mama Jacobson on one side and Mama Goldsmith on the other. Yippee!
As ever,
Bennett
Aug. 23, 1943
Dear Bennett—
Thanks for your letter and your invitation to stay at the house. We’re going to stay at the Beekman as all of Pat’s clothes etc. are there and the Goldsmiths are still down in the country. Thursday night would be fine for us. If there’s no show the four of us can dine and sit around and chew the fat. I’m going to try to spend Wednesday night with Bob and Merle and I feel sure that they’ll want to see me as I haven’t spoken to Bob since Bob Jr’s death. I do hope this camp session does him some good. He must look awful if he’s lost fifteen pounds.
There is one thing that you could do for me. Since Goldsmith’s is not really open I’m stuck without a place to have those people in to say good-bye that I think I should see, for Pat’s sake as well as my own. If you could have the enclosed list of people in to your house after dinner Monday night—the 13th—it would save me a helluva lot of trouble. It would be the most ghastly party as such that I could imagine but my good Jewish conscience says that I should at least have a drink with them. And it would save tearful good-byes from my Mother etc. I’d be delighted to pay for it and you could have a caterer in to save wear and tear on the servants. I hate to ask this of you but there’s no one else that I can ask. If you have some other plans made let me know and I’ll ask Mother to do it—but I don’t know how large her place is or whether it’s even settled yet. But, honestly, Bennett, my feelings won’t be hurt if you don’t want to start anything with that bunch of clucks!
Planes have been grounded for two days for inspection so things have been dull around here. It looks as tho we should go overseas around the middle of Oct. but you can never tell.
Congrats on the Readers Digest Deal—you’re a famous and wealthy guy now! Me, I’m broke and chomping at the bit to get this training period over with!
My love to Thrup, Chris—and kiss Jezebel for me.
Love,
Donald
August 25, 1943
Dear Donald:
Of course we’ll have the party for you on Monday night, September 13th. Will you please rush me the addresses of the Feiners, the Kingsleys, Fanny Goldsmith, the Hundleys, Newmans, Hilsons, Harrises, and Edward Pullmans. I suppose I could find most of them in the telephone book, but some of them may still be away for the summer and Pat will know their present addresses at the drop of a hat. I am particularly concerned about where we’ll find Fanny Goldsmith. She called up the other night to say that she was on her way to Pittsburgh to join Bert who, as I am sure you know, is a Captain being trained for AMGOT* (and did you know that AMGOT is the Turkish word for horse manure?).
Also, would you like to have anybody like the Cecil Browns at the party, and would you like me to ask Saxe and Lew? I won’t do anything about this until I hear from you, and Jez will not make a carbon of this letter so Saxe and Lew won’t know anything about it if you think they wouldn’t quite fit into this little grouping.
Don’t forget that we have a foursome date for Thursday night. I won’t get tickets until the last minute because, unless something really good comes along, I think it will be much more fun to linger over the dinner table and have a quiet evening together. I will write to the other people on the list immediately inviting them for about 9:30 or 10. Don’t worry about the details. It will be my great pleasure to attend to them.
Where do you get that stuff about “being broke”? You are making more money every day than you ever dreamed you would have in a lifetime. Of course, there is a slight catch in that you can’t lay your hands on a cent of it, but the thought should at least be gratifying. There was another Navy order last week for about 12,000 Modernlibes, followed by another from the Army today for the same quantity. The Army order also included 500 Gideon, 500 Tokyo, 500 Wisdom of China, and about a dozen other items, several of which have been out of print for about a year. The whole business is becoming sort of ludicrous.
F. Hugh Herbert was in yesterday. He is the author of KISS AND TELL and, as I am sure we told you, we are going to publish his Corliss Archer stories in book form next year. He is just doing a special scenario job for one of the big studios and is being paid $2000.00 a week for it. Since he is now in the 96% bracket, he is keeping out of this 2000 bucks exactly $80.00 every week. This is the guy who was making $150.00 in all just one year ago. What a business!
I just had a drink with Anne Baxter. Since Jezebel has come back from her vacation she has taken to wearing some kind of iron underwear, so I thought it high time that I explored some new territory. (Jezebel is looking annoyed.)
It is still very hot and if I hadn’t had two frozen daiquiris within the past hour, I probably wouldn’t be in such good spirits. It will be great seeing you. The office is on the verge of hysteria. Please let me know exactly when you will arrive and how. If possible, I will meet you with the wartime equivalent of a brass band.
Love,
Bennett
Sept. 17, 1943
Dear Bennett—
I had a most uneventful trip back but a five hour layover in Omaha made me get in at 2-15 in the morning. I saw the CO at eight o’clock and at 10 I was on my way to Gulf Port Miss. in a B24. Remained there overnight and was back here last night. Three days in the air is too much for a man of my tastes. I don’t like flying that much.
We’ve received our mission orders for Oct. 1, but the lot is still fighting for an extension until at least the 15th. I’m to go over with the advance party, the CO, S3, Communications Officer and myself. That means two crack pilots and a nice new ship so that’s agreeable to me, but when we’ll leave, I don’t know. If we don’t get an extension we should go to-day—but that’s set! The Col. has a habit of getting what he’s after so I think he’ll succeed.
Again thanks for your party—Due to Phyllis’ and your kindness and graciousness it was much better than I anticipated. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. And don’t ever worry about anything coming between us. Nothing can and nothing will and that goes for wives, children or mistresses! I was delighted to find you well and contented and going ahead with your writing. It’s good stuff and please don’t get lazy with it again.
My very best to the office gang. I was sorry to leave them all. I’d like to pitch in and work, but I guess I have a full time job on my hands now!
All love,
Donald
Sept. 24/43
Dear Bennett—
… I’ve been out at the Satellite field all week—up at five every morning—that combined with Gulf Port last week has gotten me pretty tired out. There’s an air of expectancy around here now—we are so definitely on the last lap that I’m sure our orders will be changed at the last minute. I expect to be leaving some time in the first week of October with the advance party. I should have some time to get adjusted wherever we’re going before the mob comes in.
News, other than work, is absolutely nonexistent—you might get a phone call from me any day now that I’m on my way to the 21st Wing which is our staging area.
My love to Bob, Phyllis and the whole gang—
Love,
Donald
September 27, 1943
Dear Klopf:
I am delighted to know that we may at least get a chance to talk to you on the phone before you shove off. Make the call if you possibly can!
Don’t be too bearish on that new list. I told you it didn’t sound like much on paper, but there is gold in those hills. A couple of them are going to come through in a big way, I am sure. Furthermore, Quent Reynolds just blew in with three-quarters of a new manuscript, which is what we boys call gelt in the bank. And Elliot wrote us the title of his new Homer Evans story. He is calling it MURDER HE SAYS. I think it’s a pip. Furthermore, I just sold Twentieth Century-Fox a thousand copies of the BOMC JANE EYRE at a net cash profit to Random House of 506 bucks. You and Pat can have a champagne supper at least on your share of that downright gift.
Thrup and I spent the weekend with the Schermans, where two chairs collapsed under me, Harry ripped his best pair of pants on a protruding nail in the living room, and Bernadine discovered on Sunday morning that there weren’t any eggs in the house. Major Bill Walling was also in attendance. He is leaving tomorrow for Orlando, and expects to be overseas inside of two weeks. I never saw anything go so fast. He is in the Intelligence branch of the Air Corps and is working on some secret scheme that he himself devised which will take him clean around the world, he figures, in the next three months.
Business continues wonderful. Everything is smooth as silk except that God damn girdle of Jezebel’s. I expect to lick this situation before Christmas.
My love,
Bennett
October 18, 1943
Dear Donald:
I have just received your note of October 14th. You know without my telling you everything I wish for you and how terribly happy I will be to see you back at your old desk again. But I thought I’d write you this note anyhow.
Write as often as you can. All good luck—and my deepest love.
As ever,
Bennett
APO 634-2 POSTMASTER N.Y.C.
OCT. 26, 1943
Dear Bennett—
I’ve been travelling around the countryside the past few days, seeing various and sundry bases and getting a birds eye view of what my job is to be in the near future. It’s a good prospect and I think I’ll have a lot of fun and excitement out of it.
I haven’t yet seen anyone that I know over here, but I hope to get down to London one of these days and see some of the publishing poops altho there are not very many that it would be fun to see.
There’s nothing to do on the Base so I expect to catch up on lots of reading that I’ve missed so far in my life. I’ll be educated if I stay over here long enough. I certainly miss you like the devil, but to-night your bet about my return looks wrong by about a year instead of two years. My love to Thrup and, of course, yourself.
Donald
October 27, 1943
Dear Donald:
Pat called up to tell us that you were safe and happy and well. That news spread around the office faster than a report that the Book-of-the-Month Club had taken another of our books which, incidentally, they haven’t.
Nothing very startling has happened since you shoved off … Chris is well again after a nasty siege of trench mouth and the whole Sales Department is down at KMV [Warehouse] helping to get out freight shipments (so now we are only two weeks behind), and yesterday’s orders for SEE WHAT I MEAN totalled exactly 5770 copies. Isn’t it ridiculous? We could sell 100,000 of this book between now and Christmas—if we could get them in the first place, and if we could ship them in the second. Actually, we may get the total up to about 35,000, which ain’t hay.
I hope you are going to be able to tell us something of what you are up to on the other side. Will you get to London for any weekends? If so, I take it you will see Lynn Farnol, Beddington, Plummer and all the rest. In case you’ve forgotten, the two publishers worth seeing are Jamie Hamilton and Harold Raymond at Chatto & Windus. Give them all my love, please, if you do run into them, and write soon.
I miss you something terrible.
As ever,
Bennett
Nov. 5, 1943
Dear Bennett,
Writing to you from the vast loneliness of the outskirts of Merrie Englande is like thinking of another world. Strange as it may seem my primary interest these days is that we had one helluva lot of bombers over Germany yesterday. To-day, and to-morrow! You lose your sense of proportion around a place like this. I’ve been around at other bases which are now operating and have gotten my kick out of it occasionally. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get down to London if this pace keeps up and I hope to God it keeps up because then we’ll all be home much sooner. If we can really paste those boys while the Russians are doing the real job it won’t last forever! I’m well and happy here—reasonably comfortable in this cold climate—and hungry for news of yourself and of Random House.
Give my very best love to Bob and your Thrup and kiss Pauline for me—but in a gentlemanly way, you bastard, not like that!
Love,
Donald
Nov. 7, 1943
Dear Cerfie—
Thanks for your letter of the 27th. It was grand to hear from you—even the news of See What I Mean was good. I take it from your letter that we actually cannot manufacture the books. The paper supply has really run out and we’re finally faced with the horrible thought of missing a best seller because we couldn’t manufacture. That’s war, my boy—maybe it will still be going big in 1944!
I almost froze my well known balls off last night. It was cold as all get out. The wind was blowing right thru’ the damned Nissen Hut. The blankets seemed insufficient and the damned ack-ack kept me awake. But to-day, since I was ordered to go to church with 4 other officers to represent the AAF on Armistice Day which the churches celebrate to-day!—I was warmed by the hot air of a High Episcopalian minister.
To write of what I am doing is to write of very little. I’m still going around to bases to see what the score is in Intelligence and I’m trying to set up my department against what seems like impossible supply odds. Give me some good WPA workers rather than the labor they have around here. When I really settle down to doing a real job around here I’ll feel much better. But I’m sure we won’t be here forever. The Russians are winning the war for us!
Let me know what’s happening. It’s pretty lonesome around here. My best to Bob. Glad Chris has recovered.
Tell the sales force that if they’re working at KMV it’s the first honest work they’ve done in a long time.
Best love,
Donald
November 17, 1943
Dear Klops:
As Pat will no doubt write you, she went with us last night to see a prevue of Ginger Rogers in LADY IN THE DARK, and passed on the cheering news that the sun was actually shining in Britain and that you seemed to be thoroughly acclimated. Irita Van Doren, Belle Rosenbaum, Merle Haas and Bob and Herbert went to the prevue with us. The whole picture is in technicolor and is very swell, I think. It will make millions. We are selling the reprint rights of the play to World Books, so we’ll get a little bit of the gravy anyhow. Stimulated by the prevue, we then moved on to the PRINCESS O’ROURKE at the Strand, and deposited your bride at the hotel at 2 A.M. She was so exhausted by all these goings-on that she agreed with me on two (2) arguments that came up in the latter part of the evening. Both of us were so astonished that we practically fell out of the taxicab. I must say that she looked very handsome last night.
The September P&L statement came in yesterday and is slightly unbelievable. The net figures for that month just about equal the total amount of your original investment in the Modern Library. For the first five months of the year we have written off the entire Shakespeare project and the entire first five volumes of the Illustrated Modernlibe. The net profit still shows slightly over 300 grand. Mr. Morgenthau must be very pleased with us. That “awful” Fall list that we were moaning about now shows SEE WHAT I MEAN over 30,000, EYELASHES over 45,000, ROSTOV over 13,000, and BRIDGE TO VICTORY over 12,000. The last seems to be building fast. WHERE’S SAMMY got a big puff from Winchell this morning. The advance is about 6000 and the movie sale is brewing with Fox. We get a cut of that. Incidentally, GUADALCANAL DIARY is a big hit in book form. Cartmell has already sold 150,000 copies of the dollar edition, with another 50,000 on press. As you can see, all these figures are so fantastic that they just don’t mean anything any more. Despite all the prosperity, the publishers had their annual meeting yesterday and everybody cried a great deal more than usual. I was so damned bored that I walked out in the middle of Malcolm Johnson’s speech thereby probably disgracing Random House forever and ruining your chances of being elected to the Publishers Lunch Club.
I am crazy to hear as many details as you are allowed to tell us of your activities in England. Write as often as you can and know that we are all missing you like hell and talking about you at a minimum of twenty times a day.
As ever,
Bennett
Nov. 20, 1943
Dear Bennett—
Thanks for your note with the news of Georgie’s assignment to India. I must say that I’m rather jealous of him myself—that’s much nearer what I wanted to do than the Eighth Air Force—but beggars can’t be choosers. My CO arrived here this week and I am now firmly ensconced in his quarters—he, the Operations Officer and I are occupying three bedrooms, a living room and bath—with the usual inadequate heat but much better accommodations than I dared hope for on this side of the Atlantic. I went to school for three days last week and had dinner in London with Lynn Farnol now a Lt. Col. with the 8th Fighter Command Hq. He seems reasonably happy with his job—very happy with his promotion which completely wipes out the business of the phoney arrows. We dined together and sat around the Savoy Bar until 10-30 when we both went home. Saw Harold Raymond at Chatto—the next morning—no good books from them—he complains of a big bank balance and no books—spoke to Jamie [Hamilton, publisher] who was at the Ministry of Information but won’t see him till I get down again. Met George Jones of Harpers, remember? who is a Lt. Col. at 8th Bomber Command—I guess I’m just a schlemiel but for some strange reason I don’t envy those fellows at Hq. I like working right here in the Group with the crews themselves. I guess maybe I’m not ambitious, but I get more satisfaction out of helping some dumb flier than I would out of planning things in a higher echelon. So I guess this is where I’ll stay!
I do hope that you’re not too serious about envying us over here—things are just as piddling here as in the publishing business of that you may be sure—and John Macoy Jr. would be a whopping success in the Army! So don’t think other people’s pastures are greener—they aint! You do a good job with Random House and you’ll contribute more to the good of the world than Oppenbopper, Klopfer and Mountbatten put together! Amen.
Let me hear what’s happening at home. My best love to Bob and Thrup and, of course, yourself!
Love,
Donald
December 1, 1943
Dear Donald:
In the happy event that this note reaches you before Christmas please be assured that everybody in the office from top to bottom will be thinking of you and toasting you in the egg nog which we sincerely trust good old Miller will provide for the occasion. I am sure you know this without my telling you.
I received a note this morning from Lynn Farnol saying that he had seen you. I observe that he is now a Lt. Colonel, which sounds like very good going to me. All of us are hoping we’ll get a long letter from you soon telling us exactly what is cooking in your department—or at least as much as you can safely say. Business continues wonderful, although there is nothing particularly new to tell you that’s happened since the last time I wrote. Clare Jaynes’ new book has been bought by Good Housekeeping for 7500 bucks. It will keep the wolf away from the starving little girls’ door for a while.
Moss Hart’s WINGED VICTORY is a terrific smash hit and I think we’ll clean up on the book version. We’ve already sent you a copy and hope that it will get through to you. We’ve snagged Wolcott Gibbs away from Dodd Mead. I don’t suppose he will ever be a great best seller, but he certainly is one of the slickest writers in the country and, besides, I know that you would want the husband of Mrs. Gibbs to be on the Random House list.
Personally, no special news at all. Thrup and I played bridge for the first time in six months the other night with the Bauers and got right into mid-season form by having a violent fight over the very first hand. For the rest, we are working hard and seeing the same old people night after night. God damn it, I’d like to get out of this rut. Hurry up and win the war and come back home where you belong.
My deep love,
Bennett
Dear Don:
Your letter dated November 20th arrived yesterday morning, and the one dated November 7th arrived today. If this keeps up, along about January 10th we ought to get a notice with a little pink ribbon on top announcing your birth—a black day, I may add, for civilization in general and Manhattan virginity in particular.
I am very glad that you were able to see some of the London publishing gentry and hope that it proved a pleasant interlude. Wouldn’t it be nice you could uncover a great best seller and win the war simultaneously? If Jamie Hamilton has anything important up his sleeve, I count on you to get your lily white hands upon it.
The hectic pace of the last few months seems to have let up a little bit for the nonce. And a good thing too, because the nerves of all of us have been on the ragged edge. We solved our paper problems on both SEE WHAT I MEAN and YOU’RE SITTING ON MY EYELASHES. In fact, we may have solved them on the Lewis Browne book a little too well because we’ve got about 8000 copies in stock now and the demand has fallen off. I am going to try to goose Winchell into giving the book another plug on the air next week. WHERE’S SAMMY and BRIDGE TO VICTORY have done fine. SAMMY sold out its first printing of 8000 and we are well into a second run of 2000. We printed 15,000 BRIDGE and will be sold out on that edition by the end of next week.
I am sure somebody has written you already about the fact that last week’s orders included over 60,000 Modern Library for the Navy and over 13,000 for the Army. The Modern Library is zooming along on all six. As far as new authors are concerned, we’ve pried Allen Chase, author of FALANGE, away from Putnam’s, Wolcott Gibbs from Dodd Mead, and Frances Crane, whose detective stories sell about as well as Dorothy Disney’s, away from Lippincott. That will make up for the loss of Gene Fowler to Viking and old stinkpot Hawes to Reynal & Hitchcock. An eye for an eye and a tochus for a tochus, as Jezebel would say.
The theatre season has suddenly come alive with the arrival of some smash hits, notably Moss Hart’s WINGED VICTORY (already published by Random House) and John Van Druten’s THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE (about to be published by Random House). There are only three people in the cast of the latter play—Margaret Sullavan, Audrey Christie and Elliott Nugent, but the play is so wonderful that I didn’t even mind sitting right next to your blankety blank mother-in-law. Right behind us was Noel Coward, arrived in town that very afternoon. Another smash hit is Carmen Jones, making two in a row for Oscar Hammerstein.
There is not much else to tell you except that we received a reasonably nauseating letter from Oppenbopper from India yesterday (he really seems to be having a wonderful time; practically no work to do as yet) and that Warren Marks dropped dead last week. Emily Hahn is back from Japan smoking great big black cigars for the photographers and stinking up the joint in general. Simon & Schuster are going nuts because Al Leventhal, Jack Goodman and Tom Bevans got their draft notices within the space of three days. Most of S & S’s big books, incidentally, were delayed so badly in manufacture that they are coming out in a bunch about December 15th. I’m bleeding for them.
Write as often as you can. We love to hear from you. After everybody has read your letters, Jezebel takes them home to put under her pillow. A Happy New Year to you and I still think you will be back at that old desk of yours about a year from today. Nothing in the whole world would make me happier.
As ever,
Bennett
December 23, 1943.
CAPTAIN DONALD S. KLOPFER
WOULD GIVE YEARS PROFITS WELL HALF OF THEM
ANYWAY TO HAVE YOU WITH US TODAY LOVE
BENNETT
December 31, 1943
Dear Klopf:
This last letter to be dictated by the great Cerf to his inefficient and squirmy secretary is dedicated to the hope that you will have an exciting and happy New Year, which will end at the desk where you God damn belong and are God damn well needed.
The close of the year finds us in almost unbelievable financial shape, with a present cash balance of over 190 you know what in the bank, and 345 more in tax warrants. It is hard to remember that three years ago we were on our knees to those flint-hearted so and sos across the street for dough to tide us over the manufacturing season! Our total sales for the year will be close to the two and a half million mark and the net profit for the last six months, before taxes, not far from 400. Another million and I promised Jez a $2.00 raise, although what with all the dough she is making on the side picking up sailors on Broadway, money now means very little to her and I have to use other inducements. Why any woman should want more than two sable coats is something I can’t understand.…
I take it from the newspapers that you are in the very thick of things and having the time of your fool young life, although I realize that it is impossible for you to tell us any of the details. Write as often and as much as you can, however, because every word that you say echoes and re-echoes down the golden canyons of 57th and 62nd Streets. My deep and lasting love to you.
As ever,
Bennett
* American Military Government of Occupied Territory.