Ernest Hemingway's "Best Book" Letter and Harry Potter First Edition to Auction
Ernest Hemingway typed letter, signed, referencing his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls
A typed and signed Ernest Hemingway letter discussing his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls including his description, "...when you are writing the best book you ever wrote..." will go under the hammer at Nate D. Sanders tomorrow.
Hemingway addressed the undated letter written in late 1939 or early 1940 to his typist, Jane Armstrong. At this point, he was deep in the writing of For Whom the Bell Tolls. He mentions 'Marty' his nickname for Martha Gellhorn, who relocated to Cuba to be with Hemingway in early 1939 after the two fell in love while covering the Spanish Civil War. He also references "haveing [sic] a goddamned wife try to put you out of business", a jab at Pauline Pfeiffer whom Hemingway would divorce that November, and Jane's daughter Phyllis who had taken over typing duties from her mother in the late 1930s.
The letter captures Hemingway hard at work. He describes writing "22 hours straight recently without leaving the desk", and "working since six a.m...I have been working so long and getting beat so much around the head and neck that am sort of punchy." He seeks Jane's opinion of the chapters she has typed, telling her, "if you like it makes me feel good. When I read the chapters you just typed I thought it was wonderful...".
The letter carries a large, bold "Ernest" signed in graphite.
The same auction also includes a first edition, first printing hardback of J.K. Rowling's debut novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. This particular copy is one of only 500 hardback editions from the initial printing produced specifically for library distribution, with the author credited as "Joanne Rowling" rather than J.K., and no space between illustrator Thomas Taylor's name and the copyright date ("Taylor1997"), plus the misspelling of "Philospher's" on the rear board.
