Sold For $250
*Includes Buyers Premium
TLS signed “Louis,” one page inside a 7 x 10 card advertising Louis L'Amour's Old West, September 27, 1979. Letter to a reporter, offering interesting commentary on the transformation of reading culture over time. In part: "A belated acknowledgement of your very good story in the Times. Leaving aside my own interest in the story, it was damned well done from a writing standpoint. I was very glad you took the time to come out and see what happens at that level. Few people realize to what an extent the truck-driver governs their reading habits, and without any intention on his part. We see the books on the stands everywhere with very little comprehension as to how they got there.
Nothing remains static, and certainly book distribution has not, nor will it. There was a time, of course, when a writer was supposed to be above all that. Reading the life stories of Dickens, Shakespeare, etc. is is apparent that they all had an eye on the income from their work. In other words, most of them were professionals in the best meaning of the term.
Authorship is no longer as it was. In the days of Thackeray and Trollope, for example, one had a captured audience. A great many people with leisure, few entertainments, and virtually nothing indoors but reading. A book in those days could be leisurely, could take much time to develop and could move slowly because virtually everything did. There was no radio, no TV, visitors were occasional and aside from gardening or riding horse-back, country entertainment was hard to come by, and that was where many lived. (Also, a fact not generally appreciated, many of the authors of yesteryear were paid by the page). Now one has to compete with all the varied forms of entertainment as well as with easy transportation. The man in the bookstore used to be a bookish, well-read man, very knowing about authors, etc. Unhappily, that is no longer true.
The truck-driver, handling thousands of books, no longer has time to read them all, even to glance through them, although most of them try. They are very aware of what is moving, and what is likely to move. Income to a writer spells time, time to create, time to learn, security from worry. Its greatest benefit to me is that I can buy books. (Back down the years I lived on a sandwich a day for 3 weeks so I could buy 3 books!)" In fine condition.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
(inquire for price)
*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.
