PETER BEAGLE - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 06/16/1981 - HFSID 16160

PETER BEAGLE
Award-winning author of The Last Unicorn gives rare insight into his childhood in this signed letter.
Typed letter signed: "Peter S. Beagle" in black ink. 1 page, 5¾x9. Beagle has drawn a smiling face inside of the "P" in his signature. Watsonville, California, June 16, 1981. To "Dear Bob Hemminger", in full: "I come from a family of artists, in which I am the only one who cannot draw. As far as I can remember, I began to write as a child because I couldn't put down what I saw and imagined the way everyone else in my family did. However, when I was 16 or so, I happened to see an aging third string catcher named Clyde McCullough sign an autograph for a friend of mine. He sketched little faces inside both big C's., which I though was very cool and showed character. And I needed character then--or felt I did--more than I ever have since. I began signing my own name in that same way, and have kept it up for twenty -five years. It's the only doodle I do (sounds like an old vaudeville song), and it's even been included in a collection called SELF-PORTRAIT, published by Random House a few years ago. I offer it below in the hope that it will entertain your students. Best regards," and postscript, "O, the expression changes, depending on my mood...". Peter Beagle (b. 1939) wrote the 1968 award winning novel The Last Unicorn. Achieving such plaudits as "All-Time Best Fantasy Novel" (Locus Magazine, 1987), The Last Unicorn has earned Beagle a life time of recognition as one of America's most iconic fantasy fiction writers. His other numerous works include A Fine and Private Place (1960), The Garden of Earthly Delights (1982), and the immensely popular In the Presence of the Elephants (1995). He's also had a number of screenplays produced, including The Greatest Thing that Almost Happened (1977), The Lord of the Rings (1978) and the "Sarek" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990). In 2011 he earned the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Normal mailing folds. Slightly creased. Light adhesive residue on verso. Otherwise, fine condition.