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November 3, 1938


Mr. Gilbert Patten
c/o Barse & Co.
Grosset & Dunlap
1140 Broadway
New York City

Dear Mr. Patten:

I find that we do not have in our Maine 
Author Collection in the Maine State Library 
any of your works, and am writing to see if 
we cannot fill the void.  Our Maine Author 
Collection is for exhibit purposes only, com-
prising about a thousand inscribed presentation 
volumes, written by Maine sons and daughters.  
Biographical and critical information is 
collected also, and all correspondence is 
carefully filed.  Preservation of such items, 
and the representations of Maine's contribution 
to literature will offer an invaluable source 
of data for future historians and students.

One of the great values of the collection, 
which occupies a special room in the library, 
is the fact that they are for the most part 
inscribed by the authors.  I am hopeful that 
you will be willing to inscribe and send to us 
as gift volumes some of your books.  The 
library will be glad to purchase others to com-
plete the collection.  We are proud of our 
Maine Author Collection, and we wish to include 
all the books of all Maine born authors.

As a resident of Penobscot County, and 
for twenty-five years editor of the Bangor 
Commercial, I have often written articles 
relative to your birth in Corinna.  I also 
very pleasantly remember our slight acquaintance 
when I was editor of the Rockland Daily Star, 
and was playing baseball down in Knox County.

I trust you will be able to accede to our 
request as expressed above, and also hope that 
you will long continue to supply wholesome 
sport stories for the boys of the nation.

Very truly yours

State Librarian
OLH.m                 

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