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letterhead File:Print of head of a hat-wearing man JOSEPH THE PROVIDER BOOKS BOUGHT & SOLD Ralph B. Sipper 903 State Street Santa Barbara, Calif. 93101 (805) 962-6862

3/24/77 Dear Jack,

   Nice to hear from you again.  The Mitchell book is worth 25-30 smackers if you can find someone interested in him.  This dumb business I'm in is trendy, to say the least, and sometimes authors are valued in inverse proportion to their importance.
   It is too bad about Ashley.  I spoke to him on the phone a couple of weeks ago and I could tell he wasn't feeling very chipper.  Let's hope he comes around soon.
   Things are busy in our world - Sunday I'm off to New York where we're exhibiting at the Antiquarian Book Fair, I'm travelling [sic] with wife, five year old daughter, mother-in-law and 300 books, so if a posse comes after me, I'll have to overturn the wagon and pick 'em off one by one.  
   Talk to you soon, I hope.

Stay well, Ralph