Across the Spectrum:The Interdisciplinary Life and Letters of John G. Neihardt (‘Flaming Rainbow’)

Here is a new fan. Thought you would like to read his letter. He knows your book.

These professors who teach literature sometimes amuse me. They do not suspect that they are teaching, in the main, only the noisy prejudices of a New York crowd of publicity sharks. When they discover my stuff and get excited, I grin from my toes up.

This chap has written a very fine introduction for my two lyrics in his anthology for high schools. He got it from you, by gosh! Well, so the light spreads.

Now if only you can be out for Macmillans! Good Lord! wouldn't you have fun helping literary gentlemen to discover something besides the noisy thing! It is really a good joke on literary America, the way these poems are slipping into the consciousness of folks by the back door! The surest way, too. For what comes in at the literary front door, comes with a fierce and brief splurge these days. Almost nothing of what is acclaimed has any chance to survive twenty five years - which, as Holt once remarked, "seems to be the average length of literary immortality"!

Please return Payne's letter.