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Correspondence from Karl Germer to Philip Kaplan
West Point, Calif. Box 258
March 16, 1958.
Dear Philip:
You are right: I am remiss. I should have answered your letter of early January but there seemed nothing immediate, and your journey to Europe in May-June seemed so far off that I kept the letter in the unanswered Folder to be answered when the time of your departure was nearer and I might have something definite to say.
Even at the moment I have nothing that I can think of that demands attention. I trust you will be able to see Gerald Yorke. He has a connection with the Publishers of Rider & Co., London, for whom he is a reader, but I believe he is much more in that company. I am not asking too many questions. I expect to write you before your leave, I may want you to take something along.
Here is an interesting thing that developed recently. The best is that I enclose a clipping from the Detroit News of Sunday, Jan. 26, 1958, which you can keep. The background is this: "Crowley, when coming to New York in 1914 had shipped over from London a stock of his books, said to have been worth about $20,000. Frater Achad (C. Stansfeld Jones) [Charles Stansfeld Jones] was put in charge of it when A.C. returned to Europe in 1919. A separate item of special value were two trunks of "rariora", specially bound books, manuscripts, etc. which A.C. valued very highly. He had, when he visited Detroit, put them in storage, with the Leonard Warehouse Corp. Later these also were placed in charge of Achad. Around 1924/25 Crowley broke with Achad (began to distrust him—he sold much of A.C.'s stock without accounting for the sales). He first appointed Max Schneider to take over (Achad first refused, later complied), but when enquiries were made with the Leonard Warehouse in Detroit the two trunks seemed to have disappeared. I came to N.Y. in July 1925, went to Chicago to see Schneider, then went to Detroit, but could not trace the trunk. Achad never handed over the storage checks for us to go seriously into the matter.
It now seems that Achad somehow took over one of the trunks, the smaller one, and the other is the subject of the enclosed clipping. My attention to this was called by a man in Detroit, former pupil of Achad's. I wrote to the Warehouse—no answer. I wrote to Mr. Lund [Robert Lund] in Detroit, he answered that there were about 125 books (some 15 manuscripts among them) which he says he has handed to a dealer for sale. He first promised to send me a list, but so far did not do this. Mr. Kowal [Dr. John P. Kowal] (Achad's student) went to see the various Warehouses in Detroit, and then saw Mr. Lund. No results from the Warehouses. Mr. Lund, now knowing that I am interested in the purchase of the books, promised Mr. Kowal, that I would get a list first, to get a first choice. I am not waiting for this. My last letter to Lund is of March 14. He is not too cooperative.
He wants to keep for his personal library about 15 books, and I want to try to get from him a list of these with descriptions. This is a long story. I wonder what you make of it. I don't think you have any business in Detroit? Otherwise I might have asked you to take a hand. The books in question must be of especial importance and quality (deluxe binding, vellum, possibly some pornographic—White Stains, Bagh-i-Muattar, Snowdrops from a Curate's Garden). I still hope to have some chance to get Lund to act to help me.
If you do not leave before say May 1, we have six more weeks, in which much may happen to want me to ask for you help.
Meanwhile, with kindest regards,
Sincerely
Karl Germer
P.S. I have no direct influence on Mr. Kowal and I don't think he is too clever at negotiating. He wrote me last week that he spent 6 hours running from warehouse to warehouse and just got the "run-around".—As to Lund, he wrote that he wants to have no more to do with him.
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