ALEX HALEY - AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED 06/22/1961 - HFSID 269163

ALEX HALEY
Alex Haley sends an autograph note.
Autograph Note Signed: "Alex" on verso of 5½x3½ picture postcard. Chicago, Illinois, 1961 June 22. Addressed by Haley to: "Barbara McClure, 311 E. 55th St., New York, 22, N.Y." In full: "Roses are red/Violets are blue/Sugar is sweet/'n so are YOU!/Which conveys some idea how original I am today. Here awhile on stories of Dick Gregory and Oscar Brown, Jr. Back next week." Depicts a "United Airlines/DC-8 Jet Mainliner" on front; captioned on verso. This letter likely refers to biographical sketches for "Reader's Digest", as Haley did not launch "Playboy" magazine's "interview" series until 1962 (with an article on Miles Davis). Haley, who would continue to make contributions to "Playboy" until 1992, wrote a definitive biography of Malcolm X that was based on interviews with the Black leader in "Playboy". 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. Slightly soiled at 1 word of writing, postal markings on front. Fine condition.