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pencilled in top margin Blum, Irving D.

Irving D. Blum 915 Sherman Avenue Evanston, Illinois October 22, 1956 Dear Conroy,

   Thank you for your note and for Midland Humor, which I am going to delve into afterwhile instead of correcting a dismal set of themes.
   It is, of course, encouraging to learn that a reviewer of our taste and experience enjoyed my treatment of Ridout's [sic] book.   Isn't it strange that a history has to be written about the novels that we were reading only yesterday?   During a part of the period that Rideout covered, I sat at the feet of V. F. Calverton, born George Goetze, who was a left wing sage in my home town.  Rideout mentions him eight or nine times.
   Times have certainly changed and I don't think for the better.   We all eat better, but the food hasn't the old savor.
   I hope that the duplicates of my review that you have sent around help sell some books for Rideout.   I don't know him, but my spies on the Northwestern campus say that he is a good guy.
   I don't know whether our Partridge inspired tape has hit the air waves yet.  I think not, or Al would have let us know.   I made a television appearance for him, talking on the business man in the American novel.  I took the opportunity to deplore the