[Maureen Dowd, ALS]; Rosemary Benet; Stephen Vincent Benet; Charles Child [illus.]

A Book of Americans [ALS from Maureen Dowd to William Safire laid in]

New York: Rinehart & Company, 1933. Very Good / Very Good. Item #5167

New York: Rinehart and Company, Inc., 1933. Early printing. Signed handwritten letter on New York Times stationary from the author to William Safire laid in.

Octavo; 114 pages. Illustrations throughout by Charles Child. Illustrated dust jacket with original $3.00 price intact; book in blue cloth-covered boards with red and black stamped lettering and illustration. Jacket toned along edges and spine, with a few small tears along edges and some shallow chips to spine ends. Boards are rubbed along bottom edges, with some bumping to spine ends and corners. Binding is sound.

Fifty-six verses about famous Americans, including Cotton Mather, James Buchanan, and Nancy Hanks. In the included letter, Dowd apologizes for missing Safire's retirement party, recounting her mishaps at the airport along the way. She mentions having a present for him and grabbing dinner. At top of the note, Safire has written "Maureen Dowd to Bill Safire After Missing His Retirement Party."

Given Safire's penchant for pairing letters and ephemera with associated books of significance, we believe this would be the book mentioned as a present, but this has not been conclusively confirmed.

Price: $100.00