Manuscripts
Letters between John Steinbeck, his wife Elaine, and John Fearnley, a director and casting director working for the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization at the time. Correspondence discusses the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Pipe Dream, which was based on Steinbeck's novel Sweet Thursday (1954); ideas for a new production; and Steinbeck's enjoyment of living in England while writing his last novel. A 1967 letter from Elaine Steinbeck describes the couple's life in Vietnam while John Steinbeck was working as a war correspondent there. Many letters incorporate nicknames the three devised on a trip during the Pipe Dream run: Inside Straight (John Steinbeck), Queen Radio (Elaine Steinbeck), and Small Change (John Fearnley). Some letters also include a Pigasus stamp, a flying pig motif Steinbeck used throughout his life as a symbol of himself. There is also one letter to Elaine Steinbeck from Richard Lewine, former managing director of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, advising her about John Fearnley's eulogy; and a fragment likely written by John Fearnley.
mssFearnley
