SINCLAIR LEWIS – TLS, With Penned Address Envelope

This letter, handwritten by Sinclair Lewis on 7 x 10 inch letterhead stationery of the Elton Hotel in Waterbury, Connecticut (which name Sinclair crossed out and replaced with So. Pomfret, Vt.), addressed to Mr. Milton E. Cornman of Cleveland, was written on June 20, 1936. The text of the letter is short, but characteristic of Lewis' approach to life. The text reads:

Dear Mr. Cornman: No, you guessed right. I wouldn't have liked any helpful criticism. By my age, one is irrevocably sunk in sin. Sincerely yours, /s/ Sinclair Lewis.

Accompanying the letter is the 7.5 x 3 ¾ inch hand addressed envelope in which the letter was mailed, postmarked on June 20, 1936 in Waterbury, Connecticut.

The letter is in fine condition; the envelope in very good condition.

The illustrations accompanying this description show the handwritten letter and the front face of the handwritten envelope.

Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first author from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was awarded "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters." Lewis wrote six popular novels: Main Street (1920), Babbitt (1922), Arrowsmith (1925), Elmer Gantry (1927), Dodsworth (1929), and It Can't Happen Here (1935).