WILLIAM E. WILSON - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 12/10/1973 - HFSID 203260

WILLIAM E. WILSON
Author William E. Wilson wrote this letter on his personalized stationery in 1973 to students in Clute, Texas on how he became interested in President Abraham Lincoln. He was the author of the 1949 book Abe Lincoln in Pigeon Creek.
Autograph letter signed "William E. Wilson". Black and red ink notations on verso in unknown hand. 1 page, 7x10¾, on Wilson's personalized stationery. Dec. 10, 1973. In full: "To Students in the Public Schools of Clute, Texas: I am pleased to learn from your Principal that you are interested in reading about Abraham Lincoln. I first became interested in him when I was a very small boy because I was born on his birthday, February 12. Then I learned that he grew up only a few miles from where I lived in southern Indiana. I have written a book and many stories and articles about him. My best wishes to all of you for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Sincerely,". Wilson wrote Abe Lincoln of Pigeon Creek in 1949. Wilson (1906-1988) wrote novels, non-fiction books and children's books, many of them set in his home state of Indiana. His four novels - Crescent City (1947), The Strangers (1952), The Raiders (1955) and Everyman Is My Father (1973) - feature Crescent City, the stand in for his home town of Evansville, Indiana. A cum laude graduate from Harvard University, he served in the U. S. Navy as a lieutenant commander and was a Fulbright Scholar and an assistant editor at the Baltimore Sun before joining the teaching staff at Indiana University (1950-1972), where became a professor of fiction writing and literature. His honors include a 1946 Guggenheim Fellowship. Lightly toned and creased. Folded in half horizontally and twice vertically and unfolded. Otherwise in fine condition.