1968
by [King, Martin Luther, Jr.]
1968. Very Good. An archive of fourteen documents of various sizes, mostly pertaining to the publication of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Stride Toward Fredom which was published September 17, 1958, several documents regarding the State of Alabama's audit of King, and one document pertaining to "Strength to Love". Very Good overall. One document (Remittance Advice, December 23, 1953) with a 1"x3 area of loss from the publisher's letterhead.
Stride Toward Freedom is King's historic account of the 1955-1956 Montgomery bus boycott. The book describes the conditions of African Americans living in Alabama during the era, and chronicles the events and participants' planning and thoughts about the boycott and its aftermath. The boycott sparked Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white rider, and catapulted King to the prominent leadership position of the civil rights movement.
Shortly after the end of the boycott, King hired two literary agents, Marie F. Rodell and Joan Daves of the first Marie Rodell and Joan Daves, Inc. Rodell and Daves would soon sign a contract with Harper & Brothers for King to write his memoir or the Montgomery Bus Boycott, with a working title of A Moment in History. The book would be published under the title Stride Toward Freedom.
The archive contains:-A carbon copy of the 'Remittance Advice' from Harper Brothers to Rodell and Daves in the amount of $2,000 payable on signing. This was an advance against all monies accruing under the terms of the contract signed October, 17, 1957 forA Moment in History; this is dated December 23, 1957.
-A typed letter signed by Eugene Exman of Harper & Harper and Brothers to Marie Rodell dated May 21, 1958 regarding the first carbon of the "edited" first chapter.
-A typed letter signed by Frank Elliot of Harper & Brothers to Joan Daves dated May 21, 1958 in regarding the selection and clearance of photographs to be used in Stride Toward Freedom. Elliot concludes the letter by stating that Daves should be receiving galley proofs of the book next Monday. Elliot was an editor for the Religious Books Department at Harper & Brothers.
-A Photostat copy of a contract dated May 22, 1958 from Frank Elliot at Harper & Brothers to Jay Leviton for the rights to use one of Leviton's photographs in the publication of Stride Toward Freedom. Leviton was paid $50 for use of his image.
-A typed letter, unsigned, dated June 9, 1958 from Frank Elliot to Joan Daves reguarding the final revision of the last chapter and when page proofs could be expected. The letter includes several manuscript notes in an unknown hand.
-A small handwritten note from Rodell and Daves used to write text for a congratulatory text to King on the publication of the book, care of the Statler Hotel. "Congratulations on your publication day & yours marathon radio & TV performances We'll have to see you tomorrow or Friday Joan & Marie" followed by "Sent 9/17/58 3:10 pm". Three days following this, King was stabbed with a letter opener at a book signing; it was then from his hospital bed he confirmed his belief in the "redemptive power of nonviolence."
-A typed unsigned letter dated June 19, 1959 from the Editorial Dept. at Samuel French to Marie Rodell rejecting the dramatization rights for Stride Toward Freedom as they feared there would not be much of a market for it among the amateur producing groups.
-A two-page-typed contract dated August 14, 1965 for the Japanese rights to Stride Toward Freedom. with Kinseido, Ltd. Signed by the publisher only, likely Joan Daves' retained copy. Staple no longer holding at top corner.
-A carbon copy of a typed unsigned letter sent to Martin Luther King dated April 13, 1960 from Dolores Gentile of Marie Rodell and Joan Daves, Inc. This was the cover letter for a carbon copy of the Marie Rodell and Joan Daves, Inc.'s report of King's 1958 earnings for Stride Toward Freedom to the State of Alabama.
-A photostat on State of Alabama letterhead dated January 4, 1960 with signatures from Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta S. King addressed to "All Banks and Banking Institutions" giving them authority to allow Lloyd D. Hale, Agent, State Department of Revenue, Income Tax Division to inspect all the King's records in their possession.
-A typed letter signed by Lloyd D. Hale on State of Alabama letterhead dated April 12, 1960 addressed to Marie S. Rodell and Joan Dandes Inc. requesting King's literary agency's records of the date and net amount received by King for the years 1956, 1957, and 1958. The letter references the authorization from the Kings noted above as an attachment.
-A typed unsigned letter dated April 19, 1960 from Joan Daves to Lloyd D. Hale outlining a report of payments made to King. The general consensus was that the State's audit was largely a sham in an effort to legally prosecute MLK and defeat the civil rights movement.
-A typed letter signed by E. N. Brandt of The Saturday Evening Post dated December 22, 1960 written to Marie Rodell stating that Martin Luther King declined to write a piece entitled "Is It Moral To Break An Unjust Law?" King used this theme extemsively in his Letter From a Birmingham Jail in 1963.
-A retained contract for Strength to Love for British publisher Hodder and Stoughton Limited, dated August 1th, 1968, signed by the publisher. (Inventory #: 140945217)
Stride Toward Freedom is King's historic account of the 1955-1956 Montgomery bus boycott. The book describes the conditions of African Americans living in Alabama during the era, and chronicles the events and participants' planning and thoughts about the boycott and its aftermath. The boycott sparked Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white rider, and catapulted King to the prominent leadership position of the civil rights movement.
Shortly after the end of the boycott, King hired two literary agents, Marie F. Rodell and Joan Daves of the first Marie Rodell and Joan Daves, Inc. Rodell and Daves would soon sign a contract with Harper & Brothers for King to write his memoir or the Montgomery Bus Boycott, with a working title of A Moment in History. The book would be published under the title Stride Toward Freedom.
The archive contains:-A carbon copy of the 'Remittance Advice' from Harper Brothers to Rodell and Daves in the amount of $2,000 payable on signing. This was an advance against all monies accruing under the terms of the contract signed October, 17, 1957 forA Moment in History; this is dated December 23, 1957.
-A typed letter signed by Eugene Exman of Harper & Harper and Brothers to Marie Rodell dated May 21, 1958 regarding the first carbon of the "edited" first chapter.
-A typed letter signed by Frank Elliot of Harper & Brothers to Joan Daves dated May 21, 1958 in regarding the selection and clearance of photographs to be used in Stride Toward Freedom. Elliot concludes the letter by stating that Daves should be receiving galley proofs of the book next Monday. Elliot was an editor for the Religious Books Department at Harper & Brothers.
-A Photostat copy of a contract dated May 22, 1958 from Frank Elliot at Harper & Brothers to Jay Leviton for the rights to use one of Leviton's photographs in the publication of Stride Toward Freedom. Leviton was paid $50 for use of his image.
-A typed letter, unsigned, dated June 9, 1958 from Frank Elliot to Joan Daves reguarding the final revision of the last chapter and when page proofs could be expected. The letter includes several manuscript notes in an unknown hand.
-A small handwritten note from Rodell and Daves used to write text for a congratulatory text to King on the publication of the book, care of the Statler Hotel. "Congratulations on your publication day & yours marathon radio & TV performances We'll have to see you tomorrow or Friday Joan & Marie" followed by "Sent 9/17/58 3:10 pm". Three days following this, King was stabbed with a letter opener at a book signing; it was then from his hospital bed he confirmed his belief in the "redemptive power of nonviolence."
-A typed unsigned letter dated June 19, 1959 from the Editorial Dept. at Samuel French to Marie Rodell rejecting the dramatization rights for Stride Toward Freedom as they feared there would not be much of a market for it among the amateur producing groups.
-A two-page-typed contract dated August 14, 1965 for the Japanese rights to Stride Toward Freedom. with Kinseido, Ltd. Signed by the publisher only, likely Joan Daves' retained copy. Staple no longer holding at top corner.
-A carbon copy of a typed unsigned letter sent to Martin Luther King dated April 13, 1960 from Dolores Gentile of Marie Rodell and Joan Daves, Inc. This was the cover letter for a carbon copy of the Marie Rodell and Joan Daves, Inc.'s report of King's 1958 earnings for Stride Toward Freedom to the State of Alabama.
-A photostat on State of Alabama letterhead dated January 4, 1960 with signatures from Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta S. King addressed to "All Banks and Banking Institutions" giving them authority to allow Lloyd D. Hale, Agent, State Department of Revenue, Income Tax Division to inspect all the King's records in their possession.
-A typed letter signed by Lloyd D. Hale on State of Alabama letterhead dated April 12, 1960 addressed to Marie S. Rodell and Joan Dandes Inc. requesting King's literary agency's records of the date and net amount received by King for the years 1956, 1957, and 1958. The letter references the authorization from the Kings noted above as an attachment.
-A typed unsigned letter dated April 19, 1960 from Joan Daves to Lloyd D. Hale outlining a report of payments made to King. The general consensus was that the State's audit was largely a sham in an effort to legally prosecute MLK and defeat the civil rights movement.
-A typed letter signed by E. N. Brandt of The Saturday Evening Post dated December 22, 1960 written to Marie Rodell stating that Martin Luther King declined to write a piece entitled "Is It Moral To Break An Unjust Law?" King used this theme extemsively in his Letter From a Birmingham Jail in 1963.
-A retained contract for Strength to Love for British publisher Hodder and Stoughton Limited, dated August 1th, 1968, signed by the publisher. (Inventory #: 140945217)