Sale 2471 - Printed & Manuscript African Americana, March 29, 2018

248 c   (LITERATURE.) Hughes, Langston. One-Way Ticket * Shakespeare in Harlem. 136, [1]; [13], 124, [1] pages. 2 volumes. 8vo, publisher’s two-toned cloth; dust jackets with some significant tears and chips including loss of letters, but still intact; first title with endpapers toned. NewYork:Alfred A. Knopf, 1949 and 1942 [600/900] first editions , both titles signed and inscribed by hughes . First title reads:“For Arpad, Jr., with all good wishes from an old schoolmate of your parents, Langston Hughes” and dated “Milwaukee, February 7, 1945.” Second title: “Inscribed especially for Laura Irvin, with the sincere regards of Langston Hughes” and dated “Fisk, February 15, 1951.” 249 c   (LITERATURE.) Hughes, Langston. Letter to the wife ofYale’s librarian, who had recently employed Hughes for a small project. Autograph Letter Signed to Mary Knollenberg (here “Nollenberg”) of New Haven, CT. 2 pages on one sheet, 11 x 8 1 / 2 inches; mailing folds; with original postmarked envelope in the hand of Hughes. New York, 4 July 1942 [400/600] In May 1942, Hughes spent a few days at Yale University, transcribing the lyrics from their recently acquired collection of blues recordings for $10 per day, and staying at the home of Yale’s head librarian Bernard Knollenberg (see Rampersad, Life of Langston Hughes, pages I:44-45). Here he writes a friendly letter to Knollenberg’s wife. “I enjoyed the few days spent with you and your husband. I found New Haven and your flowering trees delightful, really the only breath of ‘natural’ springtime I’ve had this year. You remember I made a phone call to New York one evening? The toll was an even dollar. I forgot to leave it. . . . It’s enclosed. Forgive me. Kindly remember me to the Piersons, the Donaldsons, and the Marshall Stearns.” Jazz critic Marshall Stearns was a Yale graduate student at this time. 249 248