Auctions | March 28, 2016

Extraordinary Harper Lee Letters to her Friends to be Auctioned

LOS ANGELES, March 28, 2016 - Twenty-nine Harper Lee signed letters will be auctioned individually by Nate D. Sanders on March 30, 3016. Lee corresponded with her friends Doris and Bill Leapard and admirer Don Salter. Interested bidders may participate in the auction online.

Lee thanked her friend Doris Leapard for providing her with civil rights icon Vivian Malone’s autograph in a 1999 letter. Malone was one of the first African-Americans to attend the University of Alabama. Lee wrote in part, “I shall treasure [the autograph] always. Looking back, it's incredible what people had to endure just for their basic rights. Today's young haven't a clue what their parents went through; they seem bored to hear about it...Nelle.''

The Leapards were co-founders of the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa. Harper Lee wrote the back-cover blurb for Doris Leapard’s 1999 memoir. Lee regularly corresponded with the Leapards  about politics and life. Lee expressed her discontent with a visitor to Leapard writing, “…the worst punishment God can devise for this sinner is to make her spirit reside eternally at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City…”   

Also featured in the auction are Lee’s letters to her admirer Don Salter in the 1990’s. Salter, a Mobile, Alabama resident wrote to Lee after reading a “Kill a Mockingbird” for the first time. They remained friends for four decades.

Bidding for each letter begins at $750. Additional information on the ring can be found at http://natedsanders.com/catalog.aspx?searchby=3&searchvalue=harper%20lee.

About Nate D. Sanders Auctions

An industry leader in documents and autographs, Nate D. Sanders Auctions has conducted auctions in Los Angeles since 1990 and now holds major auctions on a monthly basis. Owner Nate Sanders is recognized for his knowledge of sports, historical and Hollywood memorabilia. To learn more visit natedsanders.com.