Nov 20, 2014 - Sale 2367

Sale 2367 - Lot 293

Price Realized: $ 1,750
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750
"I COULD BE CONSIDERED TO BE OF A RELIGIOUS NATURE" WILLIAMS, WILLIAM CARLOS. Typed Letter Signed, "W.C.W.," to Gladys Thomson, answering her questions about his own views on the subjects of intelligence, religion, travel, and art, and explaining that the typos are a consequence of a stroke. Notes to Thomson in the hand of his wife, Florence Herman Williams, are written in the upper, left and lower margins recto, including the following: "Dr. W. has recently had a severe stroke--but he insists on carrying on a correspondence, so, read between the lines where you can. Good luck. F.H.W." 1 page, 4to; remnants of prior mounting at two points at upper edge verso. (MRS) [Rutherford, NJ], 7 July 1961
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"I'm a man seventy ei[ght] years old, I alwa[y]s knew I was going to live to be old therefor[e] it was necessary to prepare myself [f]or age by keeping the faculties I had in abundance tuned to the keenest edge I was capab[le] of achieving--and that [w]as to live modestly without permitting myself no indul[g]en[c]es. . . .
". . . I suppose I could be cons[i]dered to be of a reli[g]ious nature. I was brought up a Unita[r]ian and have never seen any reason to aban[d]on the faith--although I have not been a very constant ch[u]rch goer.
"I have travelled as widely as my means have permitted . . . . I'm not what can be called a lettered man.
"Writing has been my constant companion. And my wife has been my constant through all the years we have lived together . . . .
"My pecul[iar] th[e]o[r]y of the art . . . of writing is to speak the American Idiom whenever the opportunit[y] presents itself which being a physician occ[u]rs very frequentl[y].
"I am conscious all during this that I have reall[y] told you nothing. 7 or 8 years a[g]o I had a stroke affecting my right side, I ty[e]e with the left."
with--Florence Herman Williams. Brief Autograph Letter Signed, "F.H.W.," to Thomson: "Again may I ask that you send me a copy of what W.C.W. sent--He is not able any more to communicate." 1/2 page, 8vo, WCW's personal stationery. Rutherford, 8 July 1961.