Hemingway, Ernest

2 pages on Sheridan Inn letterhead (9 3/8 x 6 in.; 238 x 152 mm), Sheridan, Wyoming, 18 August 1928; two horizontal folds.

The Letters of Ernest Hemingway, Spanier et al, 2:427–28

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
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.

"Have done nothing but work — Book either wonderful or the same old shite." Hemingway, at work in Sheridan, Wyoming, nears the end of A Farewell to Arms. Writing to his friend, Paris reporter Guy Hickok, Hemingway says, "I'm on page 600 and only about 2 days from the end — The bloody end — Have been here one month or more — good beer from the brewry — good wine from a wop — A nice French family (bootlegger) where we sit on the vine shaded porch and drink as at the Double Maggots — Youth will be served." With the novel nearing completion, Hemingway plans a sporting tour of Wyoming: "We're going up in Big Horn mountains to fish — then over to the Park after the season and down in Jackson Hole to shoot ducks and geese — Never travel with less than 3 shotguns now —"

The letter also mentions his infant son Patrick ("sojourning chez son granmere at Piggott") and the recent marriage of Lincoln Steffens and Ella Winter ("See the Steffenses have been wedding each other publicly in Am. Magazine").

An evocative letter neatly encompassing Hemigway's world in the 1920's: serious writing, family and friends, booze and shotguns.