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James Thurber Typed Letter Signed....
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Sold on Nov 8, 2025 for:
$129.00
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Description
James Thurber Typed Letter Signed. One page, 8 1/2 x 11 inches, West Cornwall, Connecticut; June 24, 1949. Thurber writes to Barbara Bruce, the daughter of his ophthalmologist, Dr. Gordon Bruce, who treated him when his eyesight began to fail in the late 1930s. Thurber wishes Barbara an easy recovery after an accident, and asks her to show her father the preface he wrote to Mary Petty's This Petty Pace, published in 1945. Signed, "James Thurber" in bold pencil. With original transmittal cover.The letter reads, in part: "I went up to see your famous father, the best eye surgeon in the world, and the only admiral in any navy who could take something out of a sailor's eye, and he told me about your accident...You might show your father the preface to the Mary Petty book. He says he has read most of the things I've written, but I sometimes doubt it. The day I was at his office it was only eleven o'clock, but he had already seen twelve people, and I don't see how he finds time to read. I sincerely hope you will be up and around very soon. The Bruces are tough people and can survive things as hard as looking after my eyes."
Despite Dr. Bruce's efforts, Thurber lost his vision and was declared legally blind in the early 1940s. Nonetheless, he continued to write and illustrate for the rest of his life, adapting his methods to overcome the limits of his impaired vision.
Condition: Lightly toned with smoothed folds. Offset from signature where letter was folded. Light stain near center on verso. Cover opened at top edge, with scattered staining; remnants from previous mounting on verso.
Auction Info
2025 November 8 Historical Manuscripts including Texana Showcase Auction #30152 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
November, 2025
8th
Saturday
Internet/Mail Bids: 3
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 65
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