TYPED LETTER SIGNED (TLS)

New York, 18 September 1964. Letter. Faint creases from mailing. Fine. Fine letter to Jon Carroll of 189 Broadway in Dobbs Ferry on 7" x 10-1/4" THE NEW YORKER stationery. In full: "There are all kinds of stories. Sometimes a writer, when he creates a character, draws on people he knows. Sometimes it is pure invention. Usually, if a real person serves as the basis for a fictional character, the writer alters him somewhat, to suit his scheme and so that the likeness is not too strong." SIGNED "EB White." Though there is not definitive proof that the recipient is Jonathan Carroll, author of THE LAND OF LAUGHS and other books, the fact is that Carroll was born in Dobbs Ferry in 1949 and was interested in writing when in high school. The address "189 Broadway" was also used by him in his fantasy THE MARRIAGE OF STICKS.