Imprisoned for murder at the age of 18, Robert Stroud (1890–1963) spent more than fifty-four years in jail (forty-seven in isolation), where he became a self-educated authority on birds and bird diseases and author of an important reference, Stroud’s Digest of the Diseases of Birds, published in 1942. A self-taught legal scholar as well, Stroud wrote an exhaustive history of the federal legal system. ALS signed “Love, Bob, Robert Stroud, #594,” one page on a lightly lined 8 x 10.25 sheet of prison stationery, January 15, 1955. Stroud writes to his sister Mamie in Illinois on a variety of personal and political matters. In part: “For three solid weeks the wind held constantly in the north, which is very unusual here. Usually a north wind does not hold over two days. Marc did not have any word about the book, but should be having some soon…. I am still busy with that glossary I mentioned in my last letter. Copying 100 pages of fine print is a big job, but the book belongs to the State Library, and it may be a long time before I can get hold of another such list of old French words. I am finding the work very instructive, and am learning a lot about English that I did not know before.” In fine condition. R&R COA.
