2007-00-00
It is common knowledge that Mr Mencken considered his first published work, a collection of his poetry, to be so bad that he bought all the copies he could and destroyed them.
Common knowledge is wrong.
Mr Mencken repudiates this story as shown in the two following letters.
The first is dated December 2, 1940:
Gentlemen:
This is not a complaint, but a piece of information.
I note that your catalog of American first editions, item
375, says that I have been in the habit of buying up and
destroying copies of my first book, “Ventures Into Verse”.
This is an old story, but completely false. I haven’t the
slightest objection to the circulation of the book. The
only copies I have ever bought were bought to give to
friends. Who started the original tale, I don't know.
Please bear in mind hereafter that it is false.
The second is dated December 4, 1940:
Dear Mr. Randall:
Why Starrett should be spreading so infamous
a libel I can’t make out. I’ll tackle him on the subject
the next time I encounter him. Meanwhile, my best thanks
for your note. “Ventures Into Verse” was brought out in
an edition of less than a hundred copies, and so it is
somewhat scarce. In the palmy days of American firsts
it sold up in the hundreds of dollars. In those days
people naturally beset me for copies, and inasmuch as I
had none I kept an eye on the bargain market. Several
times I picked up the book for personal friends at less
that the market rate. Virtually all the copies in
public libraries were stolen at that time.
(Source: These letters are part of the Robert A. Wilson Collection of H. L. Mencken, the Sheridan Libraries of The Johns Hopkins University.)