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Exceptional group of four letters sent by Ernest Hemingway to close friend Guy Hickok; including an exceptional nine page autograph letter signed by him "Ernest" with two original drawings including one of his new home in Key West

HEMINGWAY, ERNEST.

Ernest Hemingway Autograph and Typed Signed Letter Collection.

: 1931-1935.

Exceptional group of four letters sent by Ernest Hemingway to close friend Guy Hickok, comprising an exceptional nine page autograph letter signed including two original drawings, a partial autograph letter signed, an unsigned autograph letter, and one-page typed letter signed.

The first, and longest, autograph letter, signed “Ernest,” nine pages on five sheets, May 7, [1931], written aboard the S.S. Volendam of the Holland-America Line on the ship’s letterhead. In part: “Dear Gros: – Well Mr. Hickok – here is a rare thing – a letter from your old Pal asking no favours, not exposing you to expenditure, and returning the photo of your old man. I need no photo to identify him now – I suppose pretty soon you will be so fond of your old man we won’t even be able to kid about him. But listen – speaking of rubber checks – if you are so you could use some cash I can let you have it up to whatever you say. You would seem a better placement… as far as chance goes to get it back than any US banks the way things look. I cannot tell you what a privilege it would be to loan dough to some guy you could figure on getting it back from – Also listen Gros – When my kidney was being weird had to give up drinking for about 6 weeks but now can drink and have drunk for ever since a year ago last February. I may have made a certain amt. of dough which has all been given away, loaned or spent but I am a son of a bitch if I have become respectable and no later than last winter was forced to sleep all night on the front porch, not being a good size for Pauline to carry up stairs and on going to church the next morning was supposed to be healed – just because I had bumped into the holy water fount, that I saw the car was standing with the top down and the 3/4 empty bottle very visible (it had been invisible in the dark) in front of the church with the French nameplate to identify it! Don’t want to claim to be a drunk like you but have not become respectable. The reason I didn’t write you about the book is because it is hard enough to write it without writing about it. But listen if you will come down to Madrid you can read it typed in hrs as far as it is to date  besides which we could see who can drink and who not and see the bullfights. The dope is this – am on this boat to arrive… then will go to Madrid and work like a bastard on this book until finished. Have 280 some pages done most to be written over and 1/3 or more to be added, I think you’ll like the damn book – no matter where you read it must read it to tell me where in your opinion the greatest deposits of shit lie. Can arrange to return them – If you came down while I was still working you could work at the same time and get off many a powerful piece and we could cruise around in the afternoon and evenings – Anyway I will be there from 16th and 17th of May on -”

He goes on to discuss his travel plans and the repayment of a loan, before discussing an arm injury suffered in Montana: “I couldn’t write then because my arm was still paralyzed. Have only been able to write since 3 weeks. It will be absolutely all right if keep after it. Anyway can shoot, fish and write with it now, but can’t sock anybody.” Here, he sketches a diagram of his arm’s range of motion and continues, “The chances are Pauline won’t get to Madrid until 10 June – I’ll be working hard but can only work 3 or 4 hours a day – and will be a lonesome son of a bitch the rest of the time – why don’t you come down any time the last of May or last of June? You can be there for the elections – anyway write some good pieces – Anyway write me – Steffs book was pretty damned good on the things he knows about – Part of it swell – Some drivel but not as much as I expected from the author of books – but were or weren’t you Peters father – I see he has a cleft chin! Steff is a swell old bird – I’m glad he did such a good book – he must have worked like hell- Give my love to Mary – This isn’t a favor about coming to Madrid – It never occurred to me to suggest until I was writing the letter when I thought how sweet it would be to see you – It would be damned good to have us both working – So long guy – I hope everything is fine with you – This is written 3 days and from Havana – 7 days to Vigo – will mail it there – you’ll get it in a week maybe. I’d planned to come to Paris first then realized  when got to Madrid at once would miss all the bullfight season then this book came along and took it in a hurry (May and June) We’d just bought the house and Pauline wanted to do some looking after it and then miss this 16 days to France route – It is a hell of a fine old house [Hemingway has provided a sketch of his new home in Key West, pointing out his favorite features, including a “flat roof, see all over town and sea” and “covered passageway”] “House square – White Stone – in rear… Well so along again kid and so again love to Mary – Yours always Ernest I hope see you pretty soon – If you can’t come now you could come later in the summer maybe-”

The second, a partial autograph letter in pencil, unsigned, one page both sides, June 18, [1935], in full: “Thursday June 18 Dear Gros: Listen stupid when you get in a money jam why in hell don’t you let me know? I never had any letter from you, on the other hand, I had plenty of jack sure last April. Made 5600 in market all surely gone now but have sold a story to Cosmo for 5000 and in this same mail they say will get in the month July. So am dating these checks today and the other July 1st. cash it on that date as I have money coming in on that date additionally to cover it regardless of whether have Cosmo’s check or not. God damn it I was always suspicious of that syndicate job. I can let you take another 500 if you need it on the last of Sept. Gingrich of Esquire is coming here July 3-6 to fish and I will talk to him about your stuff. I’m glad Mary wrote me you guys were broke but for Christ sake why wait so long? You are the soundest place I know to stash any dough. Tell Mary for Christ sake not to write and thank me or will be liable to another attach of amoebic dysentery. We are here for next 3 weeks. Then K. W. Then driving out west. Pauline, Jimmy and kids all fine.”

The third, a partial autograph signed letter in pencil, signed “Ernest” and “E. Hemingway [within his address],” one page, no date, in full: “(3) E. Hemingway address here is c/o Captain George D. Kreidt, 1437 S.W. 5th Street, Miami, he brings mail on pilot boat once a week. Just got Mary’s letter last night. Don’t be afraid to cash this check as have 438 in bank by latest statement. Also 1000 coming in on July 1. Also Cosmo’s check due… Think of you having to come all the way to Connecticut to get broke with me broke so often in Paris. Let me know your plans. Kreidt brings the mail on Tuesday Leaves here Monday night. This week was delayed 2 days by 1/2 ass hurricane. Pauline and Jimmy send their love to you and Mary. Best always wish we were going to Pamplona next month – Ernest.”

The fourth, a typed letter signed in pencil, “Hemingstein,” one page, no date, in part: Dear Gross; It was swell to hear from you and thanks the hell of a lot for sending me the 100 bucks. I appreciate it like hell and know how damned hard it is to get money together in chunks as big as that. It came in damned handy because have been writing on this novel since last March First and during that time make no dough. Had seventy four bucks in my bank account when got your hundred. Listen you know if things are still tough you don’t ever have to re-pay that nor ever think of it or worry about it. Because one of the few things we can ever help our friends with is dough. On other hand if you get o.k. and ever want to pay anything on it you don’t have to wait until you get a hundred together or anything like that. You can send me twenty five bucks or ten bucks or five bucks when you have surplus because for the last year twenty bucks ten bucks and five bucks have been very practical amounts to me. If this book should be a success we will cancel the whole damn things and I will give you a hansome [sic] handknitted receipt suitable for frameing [sic]. So you didn’t like Florida? Well I’ve moved pretty well out of it myself. Cuba is swell though. I always liked it a hell of a lot better than Florida but unlike you guys I still like Paris the best of all. I guess I aint patriotic. Best always to you and love to Mary. I’m glad you’ve got Bobby going. And Andree? I’ll bet you’re a hell of a lecturer. We ought to lecture together. “Hemingstein/ address Hotel Ambos Mundos Havana – Cuba/”

Also includes three letters in another hand (apparently dictated by Hemingway). In overall very good to fine condition, with small tears to the bottom of the typed letter

Young Ernest Hemingway first met the recipient of these letters, Guy Hickok (addressed here as “Gros”) in the early 1920s when they were both acting as foreign correspondents for North American newspapers in Paris. Hemingway, working for the Toronto Star, began what would become an enduring friendship with the good-natured Hickok, a native of Mecca, Ohio who was on assignment for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “Hickok was Paris bureau chief for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1918 to 1933. In 1935, he left the paper and held a number of writing and editorial jobs until his death in 1951 (“Guy Hickok Dead”). The two journalists covered the Lausanne Peace Conference in December 1922. During a stint as editor of Ford Madox Ford’s (1873-1939) Transatlantic Review, Hemingway published Hickok’s “Herriot in the States,” an account of French Prime Minister Édouard Herriot’s (1872-1957) tour of the United States (the article was reprinted by Hickok’s paper on September 7, 1924). In March of 1927, the two men made a brief tour of northern Italy in order to gather material for Hickok to “write ‘silly stuff about Fascism there'” (Pagnattarro 38), which Hemingway also did in “Che Ti Dice La Patria?” [collected in Men Without Women, 1927]. The latter piece, which first appeared as the nonfiction article “Italy-1927″ in the May 18, 1927, issue of the New Republic and was reprinted with its new title as a story in Men Without Women in October 1927, recounts Hickok’s solicitation by a waitress, the two men’s being extorted by a policemen, and the effect of fascism on the attitudes and behavior of the Italian people” (Trogdon, Robert W.  “I am constructing a legend”: Ernest Hemingway in Guy Hickok’s Brooklyn Daily Eagle Articles. Resources for American Literary Study; College Park Vol. 37, (2014): 181-207).

Hemingway was crafting To Have and Have Not at the time of the correspondence, which he worked on sporadically between 1935 and 1937, and revised as he traveled back and forth from Spain during the Spanish Civil War. It was published by Scribner’s on October 15th 1937 to a first edition print-run of approximately 10,000 copies. Cosmopolitan published a section of the novel as “One Trip Across” in 1934 (which Hemingway refers to here as well); Esquire published a section as “The Tradesman’s Return” in 1936.

An incredibly unique congenial, unrestrained, and mildly profane correspondence which lends tremendous insight into Hemingway‘s life and work.

Price: $55,000.00     Item Number: 146950