Crowe, Thomas Rain; Laughlin, James

Original Correspondence between Thomas Rain Crowe & James Laughlin

Cullowhee, N.C.; New York, NY; Norfolk, CT: Thomas Rain Crowe; James Laughlin, 1992; 1994. One Original Signed Letter; Two Retained Copies. Stapled Sheets; Folded Letter in Envelope. An intriguing & valuable collection of correspondence between Thomas Rain Crowe (b. 1949), the acclaimed American poet who was at the center of the Baby Beat Generation/ Second San Francisco Renaissance during the 1970s; & James Laughlin (1914-1997), the great founding publisher of the legendary New Directions imprint: (1) Retained copy of letter typed, signed & with marginalia by Crowe at Cullowhee, North Carolina to Laughlin at ND's New York City office dated July 10, 1992, four sheets stapled near upper left corners, printed on rectos only. In this lengthy letter, Crowe provides Laughlin with, effectively, a capsule history of the BBG/SSFR & its continuations-collaborations with the original members of the Beat Generation/ San Francisco Renaissance- pointing out that many of these mentors were published by Laughlin's New Directions. Crowe ultimately solicits Laughlin to become his apprentice at ND. (2) An original typed letter initialed from Laughlin to Crowe dated May 13, 1994 on ND (Connecticut office) letterhead stationary, folded in original ND mailing envelope postmarked May 19, 1994 with hand-written (presumably by Laughlin) addressee & address, also including Laughlin's business card inside folded letter- one sheet typed & written on recto only. In this letter, Laughlin expresses interest in theretofore-unpublished writings by Ivan & Claire Goll which Crowe was translating & wished to have published by ND, with instructions to send the material to one of Laughlin's ND associates, & including the hand-written address of ND's NYC office. Cursively initialed "JL" above his typed name. The typing appears to possibly be an old-time dot-matrix printout. (3) Retained copy of one-page letter from Crowe to Laughlin dated June 23, 1994 in which Crowe expresses his disappointment at the manuscript referred to in (2) above having been rejected by Laughlin's associate in light of Laughlin's seeming initial interest, again per (2) above; along with copy of Laughlin's typed & initialed response to this letter dated June 26, 1994 on ND letterhead stationary where Laughlin explains to Crowe that he deferred acceptance or rejection to his young associates, as the aging Laughlin had "...delegated a good deal of responsibility to the young people in the New Directions office." Two single sheets stapled near upper left corners, printed on rectos only, Laughlin's response letter frontmost. These relics are from the Thomas Rain Crowe archive, which Third Mind Books acquired, catalogued & offered as a single item (see our item No. 1010). The individual pieces (or as in this case small related bundle) of the TRC archive are being separately curated & presented throughout this year of 2025. Collectively, the TRC archive represents the entire legacy of the BBG/SSFR & its collaborations/ mentorships with key figures of the original Beat Generation/ San Francisco Renaissance (as Crowe describes to Laughlin in (1) above). See also Starting From San Francisco (item No. 3071), published by TMB, wherein Crowe provides an anecdotal history of this important literary phenomenon, its members & mentors. Laughlin is referred to at length on pages 195-197 of SFSF in the context of this correspondence, one page of which is reproduced (pg. 196). An extremely rare, most-collectible bundle of copied & original correspondence between two esteemed figures across the generations, with exceptional association & provenance. All of these items are in relatively fine-to-very-fine condition with only single mild creases across widths of (1) & (3) sheets where once-folded; slight rust residue from removed paper clip & one tiny chip at upper margin/edge of first sheet of (1); very slight wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at all edges & corners; (2) much-folded with attendant creases; envelope for (2) opened at upper edge with attendant irregularities. Fine-Very Fine. [Item #7377]

Price: $100.00