Rare ALS, two pages, 5.25 x 8.5 (and 7.25), Delta Upsilon House (Syracuse, NY), March 7th (circa 1891). Handwritten letter from Stephen Crane to Miss Yates, to whom he proposes join him on a double date, in full: “I hope you will pardon this superlative amount of assurance I seem to possess, in thus venturing with pen and ink; but finding myself unable to call in season before Wednesday next, I trusted that you would not feel offended at 'these few lines.' If you will give me the pleasure of attending with me the rendition of the 'Stabat Mater' at the musical festival next Wednesday evening in company with Miss Taylor and Mr. Goodwin I will be grateful. Hoping that I may have the honor.” Both pages are individually affixed to slightly larger cardstock mounts. In very good condition, with irregular toning and staining. Given that he died at the very young age of 29, Crane remains extremely rare across all signed formats, with this being our first example penned on his fraternity letterhead.
After one semester at Lafayette College, Stephen Crane transferred to Syracuse University in 1890, where he enrolled as a non-degree candidate in the College of Liberal Arts. He attended just one class (English Literature) during the middle trimester and remained in residence at the Delta Upsilon fraternity house while taking no courses in the third. Crane concentrated primarily on his writing, experimenting with tone and style. Shortly after publishing a piece of short fiction, 'Great Bugs of Onondaga,' simultaneously in the Syracuse Daily Standard and the New York Tribune in 1891, he declared college a 'waste of time' and left for good to work as a reporter and writer.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$50.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
