December 8, 1972Derek Piersall
Publisher
Fontana/CollinsDear Derek,
There may be some problem with the Ninth. R.A. doesn't want to do it-- says he's burnt out on the whole thing. Perhaps you'd better make some contingency plan?
I'll keep trying, of course; he's probably just got a case of nerves. Not surprising, considering the kind of thing he writes. Will keep you informed.
All best,
Kirby McCauley
December 23, 1972
Dear Kirby,
Naturally we'd like to see Robert come in with us again on the Ninth, but if he's dead against it, we'll do what we must. Do try to get him back on track if possible, we have a rather tight schedule in the upcoming months. By the way, Merry Christmas!-- Derek
>From the desk of Robert Aickman
February 9, 1973
Kirby, thank you for your kind letter. I hope the negotiations with Scribners in America are going well. Am very interested to see how I may be received among the Yanks-- if anyone can 'pull that off,' you can, ha ha, little joke there.
Your entreaties in regard to my resumation of the Fontana Series for yet another volume (My God, has it really been *eight* books? and they still want a *ninth*?) have not fallen entirely upon deaf ears, though they are certainly ringing from your effort. You may recall I had observed earlier that there were probably only thirty or forty first-class ghost stories in the whole of western literature, and I have already presented double that number. And of course, I'd intended to use each author only *once*. . .
>From the desk of Robert Aickman
February 17, 1973
Dear Kirby,
What an industrious fellow you are ! Just received the lengthy list of names of significant ghost story authors not in the Fontanas ! I am frankly amazed at the number I haven't used yet. Did I really neglect to feature A. M. Burrage in all this time? If he were to rise from his grave and come to chastise me personally, I should not be at all surprised.
I am quite shamefaced. Resuming my reading, and will contact you soon with a proposed list of contents.
Warmest regards,
Bob
March 1, 1973
Dear Mr. McCauley,
Thanks very much for your time last week. We are reviewing Mr. Ackerman's work toward possible inclusion in our releases for 1975.
I have to tell you, some of our editors think that his style may be a bit vague for our readership. I've heard protests that the stories don't 'go anywhere'; a couple of guys even said that after repeated readings they still have no idea exactly what happened, if anything. Can you perhaps speak to him about this, maybe get him to tighten up his plotting some?
Sincerely yours,
Ned Blakely
Senior Editor
Charles Scribners Sons, New York
>From the desk of Robert Aickman
March 9, 1973
Dear Kirby,
Enclosed is the contents list for the Ninth Fontana. Still working on the Introduction. Do you think I should open with the quote from Savonarola, or go right into the elaboration of Freudian evidence for repressed sexuality in the modern ghost?
Yours in unease,
Bob
April 5, 1973
Dear Mr. McCauley,
Derek asked me to write you about Mr. Aickman's contents list for Fontana 9, which you sent under separate cover. Unfortunately we're having another bloody mail strike and he hasn't received it. Could we trouble you to send it again? Our most heartfelt apologies for your inconvenience.
Best regards,
Fredrick Smythe
Assistant Editor
Fontana/CollinsP.S. You know, one of you Colonials really should come up with some sort of package/letter service to circumvent this possibility in the future. You blokes have always been rather good at that sort of thing !
May 1, 1973
Dear Mr. McCauley,
I think we've got a plan that might work here for Mr. Ackerman-- have you ever heard of 'book club' editions? We are thinking of making COLD HANDS OF MINE one of their featured selections over here. It's kind of a cheesy tactic I know, but you'd be surprised how effective it is-- it often makes an unknown author an easier pill to swallow, not that your boy's a pill or anything-- !
The way it works is, book club editions get sent out automatically to members when they fail to check the correct box on their monthly order form (which happens a LOT, by the way). Hardly anyone ever goes to the trouble of sending them back. They also cost next to nothing to produce. It wouldn't matter then whether or not anyone actually *read* the book-- Mr. Ackerman would become a household name over here without even lifting a cold finger. What do you think?
Best regards,
Ned
>From the desk of Robert Aickman
May 22, 1973
Kirby, do you really think that I should be part of this "book club" affair? It sounds awfully jejune. What's next-- those "Readers' Digest Condensed" things? I don't think I would care for condensation. I leave out enough as it is.
Please find enclosed a second copy of the contents list for the ninth volume. I'd run it over to Collins myself, only I've been somewhat reluctant to leave the flat-- there's a man down there on the corner who spends all day just standing there motionless and staring up at my window. It's put me off a bit.
Do tell them to be more careful with this one, won't you?
Apprehensively,
Bob
July 23, 1973
Dear Mr. McCauley,
Let me introduce myself. I'm Mr. Piersall's new assistant editor. We've had something of a shakeup here at Collins, and Mr. Smythe has departed to another firm.
He seems to have left with your client's assignment of the Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories, Volume Nine. At any rate, we're unable to locate it anywhere. Would you be so kind as to resubmit this soonest? We're due to go to press with it next month.
Sincerely yours,
Brian Conover
Assistant Editor
Fontana/Collins
August 2, 1973
Dear Mr. McCauley,
Well, the Powers That Be have smiled upon us ! I've got your man set for release in 1975 !
All of us at Scribner's are very excited, and we're sure he's going to be a big, big success. My heartfelt congratulations to you both !
Say, I finally took a look at the proofs of one of those stories of his, just to see what the fuss was all about-- the one about the weird broad in the circus who liked to be stuck with swords? Heh heh. Pretty racy, you old rascal ! America is going to eat this boy up ! He's obviously been reading his Freud !
Ned
September 1, 1973
Kirby, I'm awfully sorry. We could not wait any longer on #9, so we had to go with R. Chetwynd-Hayes.
I know it's not your fault. Please communicate our regrets to Robert-- I guess it just wasn't meant to be this time out. All of us at Fontana/Collins are going to miss him.
Hoping our next project goes more smoothly.
Derek
>From the desk of Robert Aickman
September 8, 1973
Pardon me for writing, sir; I'm Mr. Aickman's landlady. I came into his room here to tidy up and found a stamped unsealed envelope on his desk addressed to you. I've seen many such letters go out to you in the past. You are obviously a friend of his.
He seems to have gone off for a few days somewhere; at least no one has seen him since Friday last, when Mrs. Crider the pastry cook saw him walking up the Harrow Road in the company of another gentleman. They were headed in the direction of Kensal Green Cemetery.
I took the liberty of mailing this on to you-- it's a list of some sort. Perhaps it's important. He doubtless forgot to send it himself.
Respectfully yours,
Eliza Mulgrew
P.S. Not that anything like this should happen, but if Mr. Aickman should by chance not return soon, could you see your way to send something toward his rent? It's two months overdue. Thank you kindly.
Daphne Du Maurier 'Don't Look Now' E. M. Forster 'The Point Of It' Fiona Macleod 'The Sin Eater' Prosper Merimee 'Lokis' Violet Hunt 'The Prayer' Richard Garnett 'The Bell of St. Euschemon' Clemence Dane 'Spinsters' Rest' Conrad Aiken 'Mr. Arcularis' Rhoda Broughton 'The Man With The Nose' Robert Aickman 'The Real Road To The Church' A. M. B u rr a ge 'O ne Wh o S a w' (this last written in a different hand, in thin, spidery letters; shaky, as if the writer were afflicted with palsy...)
Author's Note: Most of these aren't hard to find. Here's a little help.
Hunt's 'The Prayer' is in Dorothy Sayers' SECOND OMNIBUS OF CRIME; Dane's 'Spinsters' Rest' is in Cynthia Asquith's first GHOST BOOK; Broughton's 'The Man With The Nose' is in the Bleiler-edited A TREASURY OF VICTORIAN GHOST STORIES; Aiken's 'Mr. Arcularis' is in Philip Van Doren Stern's THE MOONLIGHT TRAVELER, also in Dashiell Hammett's anthology CREEPS BY NIGHT.
Forster's COLLECTED TALES is also common, as is Merimee's; Du Maurier is not rare, though Garnett might be a little difficult, and Macleod as well. Aickman is, of course, a book club. And Burrage, well... he turns up from time to time.
One last caprice might ought to be noted. The thirteen numerical dates of the correspondence form a cipher spelling out the mystery, which requires looking in the Eighth Fontana for the key.
rbadac