Lucius Beebe-David Morgan correspondence project
Between 1961 and 1966, prolific railroad book author Lucius Beebe and Trains editor David P. Morgan exchanged a flurry of letters, telegrams, and postcards, up to the week before Beebe’s death on February 4, 1966.
The contents of this volume of correspondence regarded many things, including the art of book publishing and commentary on various articles and book review in Trains magazine. It also provides something of Lucius Beebe’s personal impression of the modern railroad scene and his impish character and romantic view of railroading often comes through loud and clear.
The vast bulk revolved around a variety of book projects that Beebe was working on with his main publisher, Howell-North in California as well as projects that the Kalmbach Books department had in the works in which Beebe had an interest or a hand.
Although their friendship started many years earlier, our surviving records only contain a concentration of letters from this time period. For your enjoyment, we’ve curated a small collection of them here, along with many of the corresponding stories or tidbits from Trains magazine to provide context where appropriate.
November 10 and 24, 1961 letters from Beebe and Morgan’s response on November 30
Morgan traveled a lot, and often would respond to several of Beebe’s letters in the same volume. At this time, Beebe was working on four books at once, and the letters cover some of that, including a book on the 20th Century Limited, published by Howell-North in 1962. Of special note are Beebe’s rant about New York Central president Alfred Perlman and the decision to charge money for the railroad’s publicity photos and his claim that Perlman had it in for the 20th Century. Note Morgan’s disarming reply regarding the subject. Covers for “When Beauty Road the Rails,” “Mr. Pullman,” and “20th Century” are included here.
Transcript of the letters:
Beebe to Morgan:
“804 Vista Drive
Hillsborough
California
November 10, 1961
Dear David,
I should’ve written you before in the matter of your courteous suggestions for an alternate to “When Beauty, etc.” but I called your shop about something else a while back and you were getting married as of that red hot moment and I thought it could wait.
I think now we’ll stick by our original if for no other reason than the publisher seems to have integrated it to his way of thinking and memos in its name exist the length and width of Madison Avenue. Chaos looms at the thoughts of a change, so we will reluctantly discard the Edna Millay line and leave it to you if you want to write a book to fit a tittle, which has happened.
Do you happen to have handy for a loan to me the T&NO shot by A.E. Brown on Pages 35 35 May [illegible] addressed the photograph in the matter and, although always previously prompt to rally to such requests, I haven’t been able to raise him. Do you think the Grim Reaper has claimed A.E. Brown?
Cheers and orange blossoms,
Lucius
Lucius Beebe”
Beebe to Morgan Nov. 24, 1961:
“David,
This is for your private ear and laughs, but I think it funny in our business. I am doing Howell North for next fall a monograph book job to be called “Twentieth Century” with a suitable subtitle not yet determined. It will be the first book job devoted to a name train and should prove interesting for all of us. Probably a fairly slim jobs, $6.50, Fogg for color, etc.
Well, I addressed myself to publicity at 466 Lexington for subsidiary art and assistance, and publicity had a letter all drawn up and addressed to the effect that they were charmed that art would be available to me at the regular rate at which the New York Central Railroad now, on the order of Mr. Perlman, sold publicity pictures. You’ve heard everything now, the Central wants to make money on its own promotion.
At that moment John Barriger happened through the shop and saw the letter addressed to me on Ann Kuss’ desk and read it and gave the order that if any charge were to be made for glosses of the Century and this peculiar thing held, they could be charged to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie account, but that it might not be prudent to send Mr. Beebe a bill.
It appears that the mere mention of The Century can send our friend Perlman quite literally into a psychotic rage with dilated blood vessels and quivering voice. Somebody wanted to give him as a gift a fine painting of the train and his subordinates were put to it to prevent this as an overt act that might, quite factually, induce apoplexy.
[Page 2]
Al regards the passenger business as a personal affront and The Century as its apotheosis and has apparently taken such a beating for this downgrading of the train and the resulting sneezes and jeers of his contemporaries that it has become A THING with him. The dreadful licking he has taken in all directions since he took over the job has its mental focus in this train and that, it is explained to me, is why he won’t revive it as a first class run. The President of the New York Central hates the best thing in the New York Central record with an absolutely psychopathic hatred. Next to the words Twentieth Century, he hates the name Vanderbilt. I leave you to your own explanation of these peculiar things.
Lucius”
Morgan to Beebe:
“November 30, 1961
Mr. Lucius Beebe
804 Vista Drive
Hillsborough, California
Good grief, Lucius,
I don’t have room on even my recently expanded book-shelf for all the titles you or someone else has told me you plan to byline in 1962. Let’s see now, the list includes “When Beauty Rode the Rail” as well as a book apiece on Rio Grande and Southern Pacific, and the Twentieth Century Limited. Is that the line-up? I envy you the anticipated royalty check, but not the work involved.
Doubleday has yet to furnish a review copy of “Mr. Pullman” so my only knowledge of it was derived from paging through a copy on sale a tote Fred Harvey stand in Union Station (aside from the advance galleys) while I was between trains in Chicago recently.
I’ll have our secretary look up that shot by A.E. Brown and it it’s locatable, I’ll include its with this letter.
I really can’t bring myself to believe that Al Perlman bites the edge of the carpet at the mention of Nos. 25 and 26. After all, the train was recently refurbished and, among other things, sports a stewardess, an observation car, and certain other amenities which no chief executive who really hated the Limited that much would permit. Again, Perlman must have seen fit to okay Central’s reasonably recently contract with Budd for conversion of 10 or so roomette cars into Slumbercoaches. I do know that Budd isn’t doing the job for free.
Cordially,
Editor
David P. Morgan/mp”
I have a copy of Beebe’s 20th Century book. My mother was working in the traffic department of a company. When they shipped freight, it was the traffic department that routed the cars.
NYC gave them the copy of the book I now have. NYC’s own Freight Sales Dept.