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Authors: John Steinbeck

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Yours,
John
 
 
As recently as the trip to Asia, he had written to Elizabeth Otis:
To Elizabeth Otis
Jakarta
March 18, 1967
 
I look forward to Sag Harbor—after seeing you, of course. And, do you know, journalism, even my version of it, gives me the crazy desire to go out to my little house on the point, to sharpen fifty pencils, and put out a yellow pad. Early in the morning to hear what the birds are saying and to pass the time of day with Angel and then to hitch up my chair to my writing board and to set down the words—“Once upon a time....”
Long after the organized search for correspondence for this book had ended, Elaine Steinbeck happened upon this unfinished letter to Elizabeth Otis under the blotter on her husband's work table in Joyous Garde, the little house on the point at Sag Harbor. It was almost certainly his last letter.
He died in the New York apartment at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 20.
Appendix Acceptance Speech Index
Appendix
Unless otherwise specified, these letters were written by John Steinbeck. The recipient's name, the point of origin of the letter, its date, and its provenance are presented in that order.
The letters to Carlton A. Sheffield, Webster F. Street, Carl Wilhelmson, Harry F. Guggenheim, and the Wagner family, which are listed throughout as in The Stanford University Libraries, were given to the editors directly by the recipients or their heirs who still owned them at the time of the preparation of this book.
vii
In sixty years...
LOUIS PAUL. Sag Harbor. November 7, 1962. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
vii
I write as usual
... RICHARD RODGERS and OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II. New York. November 22, 1955. Rodgers and Hammerstein, Inc.
vii
It is a form ...
MRS. WAVERLY ANDERSON. New York. May 6,1950. Herself.
vii
I write instead
... JACK RUDLOE. New York. May 16, 1963. Himself.
viii
I sharpen all
... JACK WAGNER. New York. January 16, 1947. The Stanford University Libraries.
viii
Trying to write ...
JACK WAGNER. New York. January 16,1947. The Stanford University Libraries.
x There is
a difference...
CARLTON A. SHEFFIELD. New York. November 2, 1953. The Stanford University Libraries.
x
If you would
... LOUIS PAUL. Sag Harbor. November 7, 1962. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
x ...
the personal things...
ELIZABETH OTIS. Sag Harbor. July 14, 1965. Herself.
xiii A. GROVE DAY. San Francisco. December 1929. Himself.
 
1923-1932
I CARL WILHELMSON. Palo Alto, California. April 7, 1924. The Stanford University Libraries.
3
I had a job ...
MAVIS MCINTOSH. Pacific Grove. May 8, 1931. Mclntosh and Otis.
3 WEBSTER F. STREET. Lake Tahoe. Winter 1926. The Stanford University Libraries.
5
We were poor
... ELAINE STEINBECK. Pacific Grove. July 1949. Herself.
5
We have been
... MARION SHEFFIELD ADAMS. Pacific Grove. July 9, 1923. The Stanford University Libraries.
5
I cannot step out...
FLORENCE TAMINELLI. Stanford University. January 7, 1923. Steinbeck Library Salinas.
5
I am poor ...
FLORENCE TAMINELLI. Stanford University. Postmarked January 12, 1923. Steinbeck Library Salinas.
5
Now I will work ...
MRS. R. A. SHEFFIELD. Pacific Grove. August 28, 1923. The Stanford University Libraries.
5
When I was in
... MELINDA HAGY MELIUS. Sag Harbor. July 22, 1956. Lawrence R. Hagy.
6
Always on the night...
CARLTON A. SHEFFIELD to ELAINE STEINBECK. Los Altos Hills, California. April 2, 1973. Elaine Steinbeck.
6 CARL WILHELMSON. Manteca, California. Autumn 1923. The Stanford University Libraries.
6 CARL WILHELMSON. Palo Alto, California. April 7, 1924. The Stanford University Libraries.
7 CARL WILHELMSON. Palo Alto, California. Spring 1924. The Stanford University Libraries.
8 ROBERT CATHCART. Lake Tahoe. April 1928. Himself.
8 EDITH WAGNER. Long Beach, California. 1924. The Stanford University Libraries.
9
I guess I hate...
LOUIS PAUL Mexico. 1935. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
9
Worked on N. Y. American...
ELIZABETH OTIS. Los Gatos. March 19, 1937. Herself.
9
I worked for ...
GRAHAM WATSON. Sag Harbor. July 2, 1956. Himself.
10 CARLTON A. SHEFFIELD to ELAINE STEINBECK. Los Altos Hills, California. October 1974. Elaine Steinbeck.
10 CARLTON A. SHEFFIELD. Lake Tahoe. February 25, 1928. The Stanford University Libraries.
12 RUTH CARPENTER SHEFFIELD. New York. June 1926. The Stanford University Libraries.
15 A. GROVE DAY. San Francisco. November 1929. Himself.
16 AMASA MILLER. San Francisco. November 1929. Himself.
17 A. GROVE DAY. San Francisco. December 5, 1929. Himself.
19 A. GROVE DAY. San Francisco. December 1929. Himself.
20
Remember the days
... MERLE ARMITAGE. New York. December 31, 1946. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
20 AMASA MILLER. Eagle Rock. Early 1930. Himself.
21 CARL WILHELMSON. Eagle Rock. Early 1930. The Stanford University Libraries.
23 AMASA MILLER. Eagle Rock. 1930. Himself.
23 AMASA MILLER. Eagle Rock. May 28, 1930. Himself.
25 AMASA MILLER. Eagle Rock. 1930. Himself.
26 AMASA MILLER. Eagle Rock. August 6, 1930. Himself.
27 CARLTON A. SHEFFIELD to ELAINE STEINBECK. Los Altos Hills, California. 1973. Elaine Steinbeck.
27 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. Summer 1930. Himself.
28
She grows visibly...
CARL WILHELMSON. Pacific Grove. October 1930. The Stanford University Libraries.
29 CARL WILHELMSON. Pacific Grove. Late 1930. The Stanford University Libraries.
30 CARL WILHELMSON. Pacific Grove. Late 1930. The Stanford University Libraries.
32 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. December 1930. Himself.
33 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. January 1931. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
34 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. 1931. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
35 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. February 27, 1931. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
37 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. Spring 1931. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
37 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. June 1931. Himself.
39 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. 1931. Himself.
40 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. May 1931. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
42 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Pacific Grove. May 8, 1931. McIntosh and Otis.
44 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. 1931. Himself.
45 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Pacific Grove. August 18, 1931. McIntosh and Otis.
46 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. 1931. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
47 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. 1931. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
47 ELAINE STEINBECK. Sag Harbor. September 5, 1963. Herself.
48 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. 1931. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
49 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. 1931. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
51 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. December 1931. Himself.
52 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Pacific Grove. January 25, 1932. McIntosh and Otis.
53 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. February 16, 1932. Himself.
54 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. February 27,1932. Himself.
55 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. March 1932. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
 
1832-1836
57 ROLAND DICKEY. New York. December 7, 1956. Steinbeck File.
59 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. March
1932.
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
60 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. March 14, 1932. Himself.
61 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. March 1932. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
62 AMASA MILLER. Pacific Grove. Spring 1936. Himself.
62 ROBERT O. BALLOU. Pacific Grove. June
10, 1932.
Elizabeth Otis.
64
A year ago
... CARLTON A. SHEFFIELD. Pacific Grove. 1932. The Stanford University Libraries.
64 CARLTON A. SHEFFIELD. Pacific Grove. 1932. The Stanford University Libraries.
65 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. September 27,1932. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
66 ROBERT O. BALLOU. Montrose, California. January 3, 1933. Ball State University Library, Muncie, Indiana.
67 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Montrose, California. January 1933. McIntosh and Otis.
68 ROBERT O. BALLOU. Montrose, California. February II, 1933. McIntosh and Otis.
70 GEORGE ALBEE. Salinas. 1933. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
71 ROBERT O. BALLOU. Salinas. June I, 1933. Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin.
73 GEORGE ALBEE. Salinas. 1933. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
74 CARLTON A. SHEFFIELD. Pacific Grove. June 21, 1933. The Stanford University Libraries.
78 CARLTON A. SHEFFIELD. Salinas. June 30, 1933. The Stanford University Libraries.
79 GEORGE ALBEE. Salinas. 1933. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
82 RICHARD ASTRO. John
Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts: The Shaping of a Novelist.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1973.
82 GEORGE ALBEE. Salinas. June 1933. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
83 GEORGE ALBEE. Salinas. 1933. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
84 GEORGE ALBEE. Salinas. 1933. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
86 CARL WILHELMSON. Salinas. 1933. The Stanford University Libraries.
87 CARL WILHELMSON. Salinas. August 9, 1933. The Stanford University Libraries.
88 ROBERT O. BALLOU. Salinas. September II, 1933. Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin.
88 ROBERT O. BALLOU. Salinas. November 20, 1933. Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin.
89 EDITH WAGNER. Pacific Grove. Postmarked November 23, 1933. The Stanford University Libraries.
90 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. February 25, 1934. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
92 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. 1934. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
94 EDITH WAGNER. Pacific Grove. Postmarked February 2, 1934. The Stanford University Libraries.
95 EDITH WAGNER. Pacific Grove. June 4, 1934. The Stanford University Libraries.
96 EDITH WAGNER. Pacific Grove. June 13, 1934. The Stanford University Libraries.
96 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Pacific Grove. 1934. McIntosh and Otis.
97
When I first ...
CHASE HORTON. New York. November 19, 1956. Himself.
98 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. January 15, 1935. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
101 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. 1935. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
103 ANN HADDEN. Pacific Grove. 1935. The Stanford University Libraries.
104 ANN HADDEN to the ADMINISTRATION OF THE PHELAN AWARD. Point of origin and date unknown. Courtesy of Professor Robert De-Mott, Department of English Language and Literature, Ohio University.
105 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Pacific Grove. February 4, 1935. McIntosh and Otis.
106 WILBUR NEEDHAM. Pacific Grove. Early 1935. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
107 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Pacific Grove. February 1935. McIntosh and Otis.
107 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Pacific Grove. April 1935. McIntosh and Otis.
109 ELIZABETH OTIS. Pacific Grove. May 13, 1935. Herself.
109 ELIZABETH OTIS. Pacific Grove. May 9, 1935. Herself.
110 ELIZABETH BAILEY. Pacific Grove. May 1935. Steinbeck Library Salinas.
III ELIZABETH OTIS. Pacific Grove. June 13, 1935. Herself.
112 GEORGE ALBEE. Pacific Grove. 1935. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
113 LOUIS PAUL. Pacific Grove. Late summer 1935. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
113 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Pacific Grove. July 30, 1935. McIntosh and Otis.
115 LOUIS PAUL. Pacific Grove. September 1935. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
116 MAVIS MCINTOSH. Mexico. Late September 1935. Mclntosh and Otis.
116 ELIZABETH OTIS. Mexico. November 3, 1935. Herself.
117 GEORGE ALBEE. Mexico. 1935. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
118 JOSEPH HENRY JACKSON. Pacific Grove. 1935. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
120 LOUIS PAUL. Pacific Grove. February 1936. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
121 LOUIS PAUL. Pacific Grove. March 1936. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
122 HELEN NEVILLE, “Aristocracy without Money,”
The Nation,
June 19, 1935.
122 JOSEPH HENRY JACKSON, “A Bookman's Note Book,” San Francisco
Chronicle,
June 22, 1935.
122 MARY MCCARTHY, “Minority Report,”
The Nation,
March II, 1936.
123
Now for the dramatic...
ELIZABETH OTIS. Pacific Grove. March 1936. Herself.
123 JOHN O‘HARA to JOHN STEINBECK. Princeton, New Jersey. November 29, 1962. Mrs. John O'Hara.
123
O'Hara has not...
ELIZABETH OTIS. Los Gatos. 1936. Herself.
123 LOUIS PAUL. Pacific Grove. 1936. Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, University of Virginia.
124 ELIZABETH OTIS. Pacific Grove. May 27,1936. Herself.

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