Lawrence Block - Ronald Rabbit Is a Dirty Old Man

From the desk of Clayton Finch, President

Mr. Clayton Finch, Pres.

Whitestone Publications, Inc.

67 West 44 thSt.

New York 10036

Dear Mr. Finch:

Please forgive my using your stationery. I was going to employ some of my remaining Ronald Rabbit’s stock, but since the business I have at hand is more that of Whitestone than of the lamented magazine, I felt this would be more appropriate. Also, and I say this not to turn your head, it was my feeling that your own personal letterhead might carry more weight with you.

Just yesterday I was reading through a stack of correspondence written over the past couple of months. Old habits never die, or so they say, and my editorial eye quickly realized that there ought to be a market for this material. My first impulse was to offer it for serialization in the forthcoming Rachel Rabbit’s Magazine for Girls and Boys , but I felt the nature of certain passages might prove objectionable in certain backward areas of the country.

At that point, a girl I know suggested that this file might make an extraordinary book. I thought it over and decided she was absolutely right. Of course we would have to change names and addresses around somewhat, but that should present only a minor problem. With that exception, we could present the material exactly as written and call it a novel.

I thought at once of you. My loyalties have never faded despite our periodic differences, Mr. Finch, and we all know that Whitestone’s paperback division, Hardin Books, needs all the help it can get.

I am thus enclosing copies of all correspondence herewith. You will no doubt be familiar with some of this material — indeed, you are the author of some of it — and for that reason, plus my reluctance to deal with underlings, I thought I would submit directly to you rather than to the Hardin editorial department.

I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

LC/rg

Enc.

From the desk of Clayton Finch, President

Mr. Laurence Clarke

c/o Gumbino

311½ West 20 thStreet

New York 10011

Dear Mr. Clarke:

You win. I give up. Contracts follow.

CF/jrp

Secretary to the President

Whitestone Publications, Inc.

67 West 44 thSt.

New York 10036

Dear jrp:

You don’t know me, jrp, but there’s something about the way you type a letter that intrigues me. I was wondering if you would possibly be interested...