Late Harvest

New York: The Macmillan Company, 1940. Hardcover. 8vo. Blue cloth with gilt lettering, pictorial dust jacket. 442pp. Near fine/very good. Jacket a bit edgeworn. Bright 'n' tight first edition of White's second novel, a thick historical fiction about (to cite front jacket flap) "Alice Collingridge, daughter of a prominent Catholic family in Berkshire" and the "clash of forces in the strongly nationalistic England of 1580...." Tipped to front flyleaf is a 5½" X 4¼" envelope addressed in White's hand, inside of which is a good content Autograph Letter Signed from her, 3pp (lettersheet), 5¼" X 8", Peoria, IL, 18 April 1936. Addressed to Fr. Karl G. Schroeder. Near fine. Boldly and handsomely penned in black ink, White remarks, "I am amazed at your having finished the novel in as busy a week as Holy Week" -- referring to her 1936 first novel, "The King's Good Servant." She then comments on "your request for advice on graduate work -- I shall, of course, be glad to answer any questions I can; but that ability may not carry your problem very far towards solution" and describes in detail her daily teaching schedule at Bradley University and when she might be able to meet with him. Boldly signed in full. Her advice appears to have been well taken, for Fr. Schroeder (1910-99) went on to teach English (especially Chaucer and Shakespeare) at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, from 1938 to 1994!