ALEX HALEY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 12/27/1984 - HFSID 255432

ALEX HALEY
Alex Haley sends an autograph letter saying that his next book will be about his hometown, Henning, Tennessee.
Autograph Letter Signed: "Alex Haley", 1p, 5x8. No place, but probably Panama, 1984 December 27. To Rick Godby, Cumberland, Maryland. In full: "My next book will be Henning (my little W. Tenn. hometown), published next Sept. An excerpt will be in next April's Reader's Digest. Thanks for asking!". Light vertical fold touches the "A" in Alex. Fine condition. Accompanied by original envelope addressed by Haley. Ten Panamanian stamps and 20-cent U.S. stamp affixed. Three of the Panamanian stamps have been cancelled (postmark illegible). Lightly creased, 2 folds. Lightly soiled at blank areas. Henning: Portrait of an American Town was published in 1990. Already known as the author of a definitive biography of Malcolm X, which was based on interviews done with the Black leader in "Playboy" magazine, Alex Haley (1921-1992) created a sensation -- and single-handedly launched a new interest in genealogy with his book, Roots. The saga, which traced his African roots, was first excerpted in "Reader's Digest" before publication in book form in 1976. The story, which was televised as a successful miniseries in 1977, resulted in a number of awards for Haley, including the National Book Award, a special Pulitzer Prize and the NAACP's Spingarn Medal as well as several honorary doctor of letters degrees for his research, which spanned 12 years. Two items.