14 East 94th St.
New York City
April 16,1951
To All at 84, Charing Cross Road:
Thank you for the beautiful book. I’ve
never owned a book before with pages edged
all round in gold. Would you believe it
arrived on my birthday?
I wish you hadn’t been so
over-courteous about putting the
inscription on a card instead of on the
flyleaf. It’s the bookseller coming out in
you all, you were afraid you’d decrease
its value. You would have increased it for
the present owner. (And possibly for the
future owner. I love inscriptions on
flyleaves and notes in margins, I like the
comradely sense of turning pages someone
else turned, and reading passages some one
long gone has called my attention to.)
And why didn’t you sign your names? I
expect Frank wouldn’t let you, he probably
doesn’t want me writing love letters to
anybody but him.
I send you greetings for America—
faithless friend that she is, pouring
millions into rebuilding Japan and Germany
while letting England starve. Some day,
God willing, I’ll get over there and
apologize personally for my country’s sins
(and by the time i come home my country
will certainly have to apologizefor mine).
Thank you again for the beautiful book,
I shall try very hard not to get gin and
ashes all over it, it’s really much too
fine for the likes of me.
Yours,
Helene Hanff
注释：
He probably doesn’t want me writing love letters to anybody but him.
