ERSKINE CALDWELL - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED CHECK 03/31/1933 - HFSID 285442

ERSKINE CALDWELL
He filled out and signed this $2.00 check to the New York Times Book Review in 1933. Accused that year of disseminating pornography with his God's Little Acre, Caldwell had good reason to keep abreast of what literary critics were saying about his book.
Check signed: "Erskine Caldwell", 6¼x2¾. Augusta, Maine, 1933 March 31. Check #3, drawn on the Atlantic Trust Company for $2.00, payable to the New York Times Book Review. Entirely filled out by Caldwell. The writer of 25 novels, 150 short stories and 12 non-fiction books, Erskine Caldwell (1903-1987) is best known for his depictions of poverty stricken blacks and whites in the South. His 1932 novel Tobacco Road (1932) became a long-running Broadway play and God's Little Acre (1933) sold over 14 million copies; both were made into feature films. In all, the prolific author sold some 80 million copies of his works in 43 languages! In 1933, Caldwell had good reason to be concerned with book reviews. God's Little Acre, published that year, was as controversial for its sexual content as for its social themes. Caldwell was sued by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, and he counter-sued. Many authors and literary critics lined up to support Caldwell, who was exonerated in a jury trial. The case remains a First Amendment landmark. Smeared at "T" in two. Cancelation holes and ink note on face. Ink stamps on verso. Otherwise fine condition.