Lawyer-turned-writer (1889–1970) best known as the creator of fictional defense attorney Perry Mason. TLS, two pages, 7.25 x 10.5, personal letterhead, April 9, 1938. Letter to William Chapman at the International Press Bureau. In part: “I have several books which might be available for syndication, depending somewhat upon the proposition…From a business standpoint, I am not certain but what syndication of ‘The Case of the Substitute Face’ might possibly stand in the way of a magazine serialization of the next Mason story. However, if the proposition is right, I am willing to take a chance. In case none of the Perry Mason stories is available, you might be interested in ‘Murder Up My Sleeve,’ which was published as a one-shot novel in Cosmopolitan last fall. In my opinion, this book really has something for syndication material. It is somewhat more sophisticated than the Mason books, the characters have more legitimate sex appeal, and there is, in addition, some authentic Chinese background of environment and philosophy which is quite timely right at present.” In very good condition, with uniform toning over both pages of text and signature from previous display, rusty staple hole to top left, pencil notation to top of first page, and some light wrinkling. With the success of his Perry Mason books, Gardner gradually reduced his contributions to pulp magazines, eventually withdrawing from the medium entirely, except for non-fiction articles. RRAuction COA.
