SUTTON, William ABiblio.com
Carl Sandburg Remembered
1979rif. 50318Metuchen NJ: The Scarecrow Press 1979. Hardcover. 8vo. Brown cloth with white lettering. vii 304pp. Illustration. Fine. Tight and bright copy this publisher does not indicate edition in a consistent verifiable manner of this collection of reminiscences about the Illinois poet and Lincoln biographer. Tipped to blankleaf facing title is a unique frontispiece of sorts a good content Typed Letter Signed from Sutton -- 1p 8" X 11" Muncie IN. 3 January 1978. Addressed to Ralph G. Newman 1911-98 founder of Chicago's noted Abraham Lincoln Book Shop. Near fine. Two original folds. On Ball State University letterhead Sutton remarks on Newman's responses to questions about Sandburg; Sutton was likely gathering more background information for this book. In part: Your comments on the authenticity of Lincoln anecdotes are quite interesting. I have accumulated some good notes on the matter of authenticity in collecting Sandburg material. You disappointed me in not commenting on Sandburg and baseball. I hope it does not mean that your mutual interest in the game never showed itself. You have doubtless noticed the Harcourt note on the publication of 'Breathing Tokens' edited by Margaret Sandburg and 'A Great amd Glorious Romance' written about her parents by Helga. Any prospective or retrospective comments you may have would be of interest to me." Boldly signed at the close with handwritten postscript. Affixed behind this is a carbon copy on onion-skin paper of Newman's chatty reply dated the same day he received Sutton's letter. Most interesting of all laid in loose is Sutton's original 9-page double-spaced rectos only typescript captioned "Notes of Interview with Ralph G. Newman in Apartment 5112 175 E. Delaware Pl. Chicago 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday November 12 1977" a far-ranging Sandburg chat in which they discuss Donna Workman "volatile imaginative having a tendency to get carried away. She seemed to be in search of a father image to replace her own lost father" how he met Sandburg and how their friendship developed his assistance with Sandburg's Lincoln research his frequent Sandburg parties acting as Sandburg's agent Sandburg's approach towards giving speeches "magnificent fakery" Sandburg's flirtations with women Sandburg's taking advantage of friends Sandburg's involvement in Nathan Leopold's pardon and more. Sutton inks in some corrections a sentence or two and a question for Newman. On a separate typewritten and handwritten "Note to Ralph Newman" sheet dated 3 January 1978 Sutton notes that in this transcript "I enjoyed the conversation too much and thus was less careful about the notes than I like to be. Thus I hope you will be compassionate over possible errors of omission and commission." He also comments on an attache photocopy of his typescript of Sandburg's "Lincoln's Birthday" text from the February 11 1911 issue of the "Milwaukee Social-Democratic Herald." This Newman interview does NOT appear in "Carl Sandburg Remembered" but was possibly intended for a subsequent volume that never came to pass. A fascinating original transcript in any case recording much original commentary from this long-time Sandburg associate. Sutton 1915- was long-time English professor at Ball State University; in addition to "Carl Sandburg Remembered he authored a book on Robert Frost and two on Sherwood Anderson. The Scarecrow Press hardcover
