Delta Duck Station 
Delt a, anit oba 
July 31,1944 
Dear A.L.: 
To begin at the beginning: I went down to Minneapolis last 
week to try out for the Navy. I will not know for some six weeks 
whether or not I'll make it. While there I spent a day at the 
museum where it was my good fortune to meet Jaques, who is doing 
the background for the new moose group.     e showed me the proofs 
for the black end whites in their forthcoming book "Snowshoe Country".

They beat all his other black and white illustrations by miles and 
there are quite a few more of them than in the other books -- most 
of the designs are winter forest landscapes with, of course, 
everything from wolves to woodpeckers. Talking with him I learned 
a good deal; and the only good feeling I had when I came back to 
look at those of yours I have on hand was b his confidence that 
he had troubles in the beginning to get what he wanted too. I 
admire his strong black and whites,-- the lighting he gets by 
working with a tool on scratchboard. To work the same way and 
play on the compositions of dark and light on soratchboard gives 
ones drawigs the appearance of too much Jaques influence.   I used 
the paper on several drawings in my book and these have drawn 
several comments. So I feel impelled to stick to the old method; but 
with new ideas I have been working all week, without a great deal 
of success, on your cuts, and was on one when you* letters from 
the publishers came. With this indication of a possible short delay 
I am leaving them for a week or so and perhaps, after having digested 
what I learned in Minneapolis I can get some of the freshness in 
them I want. 
I can understand how you feel about the publisher's reaction, 
and it was thoughtful of you to let me see the letters. 
The one from Macmillan Co. seems to be a flat rejection 
simply because they are afraid to take the gambel on essays.  I 
am afraid that what you have is so new that they have no way of 
appraising its interest. Apparently they have a good"forgettery"

for didn't they publish several editions of Eltons work. I suppose 
that '$utdoor" literature that has become popular ehough to make it

worthwkile from the publishers standpoint has been so light that they 
are afraid to tae anything that would make the reader think. 
You speak in your letter o them of underwriting the possible 
loss. You probably know what your Game Survey cost to publisfi, and 
the University of Minnesota Press wanted $2500 to back the Oanvasback 
book.(MI old files are packed away in on" my earlier anticipation 
of leaving but I will look it up). 
In an earlier letter you spoke of putting it out yourself. 
There are two sides to that above and beyond the cost. I can see 
why, for instance, no 9ne but he himself would be willing to 
publish a volume of MoAtee's pmmma poems. Everyone thinks, when 
you do it yourself that you can't get anybody else to do it for you 
which at the very lbeginning takes something away from the volume. dn 
the other hand  Jaqu3s told me that Harold Gatty published his 
Raft Book on his own, and that of course has a wMde distribution.