ROGER BUTTERFIELD - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 02/09/1954 - HFSID 32659

ROGER BUTTERFIELD
1954 signed letter of the American journalist and historian, author of the book The American Past: History of the United States from Concord to Hiroshima, 1775-1945
Typed letter signed: "Roger Butterfield" in black ink, 1 page, 7¼x10¼. Hartwick, New York, February 9, 1954. On his personal letterhead to "Mr. and Mrs. Dechert", in full: "Am back at work in Rochester today (Tuesday) after a rather trying drive through yesterday's snowstorm. The high spot of our Groter weekend was without doubt dinner at your home and a chance to learn something about the library and collection. Frankly, as we were saying driving home Sunday, the Rosenwald library seemed rather formal and cold, and also conventional, after visiting among your books. It was an experience I shan't forget. I very much hope some time that my brother Lyman can have the same opportunity. He is director of the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg, former editor on the Jefferson Papers project at Princeton, and of course deeply interested in many of the same subjects. My own reaction to that beautiful set of Godey's is that there should be a fine illustrated book done on Godey and his magazine, and I will be trying to think of some way to bring this about. Naturally if you should ever be in Central New York I hope you will look us up at Hartwick. Our home is connected by phone with Cooperstown--the number is Hartwick 4303. Cooperstown itself has many choice experiences to offer anyone interested in American history: The Bowere life masks, the Hamilton-Burr correspondence which led up to the duel is all on display there, a fine old country village and museum of early American crafts with many operating, the Jean Lipman collection of American folk art, some fine paintings of Mount and other American genre artists, etc etc. Don't be thrown off track by the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is only one of three museums in town. In the excitement of having a cold and not knowing whether I could make it all I made the ridiculous mistake of thinking my dinner clothes were in Philadelphia at a small apartment I used to have on Locust Street with a friend. When I got there they weren't there! Marg said I'd look silly in rented ones so we walked into your nice party in pretty casual fashion but it all seemed a bit silly to explain at length so we decided to keep quiet about it. Everyone was having such a good time, including us, that it didn't seem to matter...Cordially," Roger Butterfield (1907-1981) was an American journalist and historian, author of the book The American Past: History of the United States from Concord to Hiroshima, 1775-1945. A conclusive history filled with 1,000 drawings, political cartoons, pictures and photographs with Butterfield's witty text, The American Past became a bestseller. He was also editor of National Affairs for Life Magazine. He joined Life in 1937 after spending years as a reporter for The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and The Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger. Normal mailing folds. Fine condition.