Fitzgerald, F. Scott

Autograph letter signed ("Scott"), 2 pages (11 x 8 1/2 in; 278 x 215 mm), "Ellersie," Edgemoor, Delaware, n.d. [probably Fall 1927], to Gilbert Seldes; in brown ink with a few revisions on two sheets of his beige imprinted stationery, a slight paper-clip rust stain at top margin of first page.

Printed in Letters, ed. A. Turnbull, pp. 491-92.

Autograph letter signed ("Scott"), 2 pages (11 x 8 1/2 in; 278 x 215 mm), "Ellersie," Edgemoor, Delaware, n.d. [probably Fall 1927], to Gilbert Seldes; in brown ink with a few revisions on two sheets of his beige imprinted stationery, a slight paper-clip rust stain at top margin of first page.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"We are sober again and almost the nicest people I ever met."  Essential Fitzgerald: "... As I sit here in my spacious twenty-room mansion, hearing the howling of the winds outside and the groans of my toiling servants below, I think of how wonderful it is to be born a German princelet. The letter I wrote is in our very owniest dialect, Iranian-Ruthanian, or allowing for the Cyrillic alphabet, Chinese Basque, although some philologists and restaurateurs admit nothing of the sort. Tell Amanda that we have not taken up Behaviorism but are going to govern our child's life [Scottie was now age six] by the cipher concealed in the Sears, Roebuck catalogue which proves that Julian [sic] Rosenwald wrote the works of Edgar Guest. I don't blame either of you for being disgusted with out public brawl the other day — but the manhole is on again; we are sober and almost the nicest people I ever met.

"How about the Dial reprints for $30.00! Have you forgotten — we are yearning for them and if you send them I can sell two other sets. We'd love to have you for Christmas or New Year's or both. We are on the wagon till then and our differences of opinion, which had been going on for a miserable fortnight for two weeks before we came to New York and led to all the unpleasantness, is settled and forgotten ..."

During this time the Fitzgerald made regular trips to New York, staying at the Plaza. Of these visits Zelda once remarked: "'We come up for a weekend, then wake up and it's Thursday'" (M. J. Bruccoli, Some Epic Sort of Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1993, p. 306).  "At Perkins's urging Fitzgerald went on the wagon in October [1927] — or said he did. Like most alcoholics, Fitzgerald had his own interpretations of what being on the wagon meant at various times; sometimes it meant restricting himself to beer and wine" (ibid., p. 307).