Dear Donald, Dear Bennett: The Wartime Correspondence of Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer

Rating:
Summary: My, How the Publishing Business Has Changed!
Review: Before browsing through Dear Donald, Dear Bennett, the reader should immediately peruse a copy of At Random, Bennett Cerf's memoirs, so he has a chance of understanding what he is reading in this book. I can't believe Random House would treat the personal letters of their founders in such a shabby fashion. Virtually no footnotes, no annotation, no index---nothing. They might as well be putting out the memoirs of Anna Nicole Smith, rather than the keepers of one of the great literary storehouses of the twentieth century. Before spending any money assembling this volume for publication (if indeed they spent any at all!), the editors should have acquired a copy of The Noel Coward Diaries and followed it religiously as a guide. In that volume, Graham Payn and Sheridan Morely obviously spent months poring over every inch of copy, meticulously footnoting each and every name and archane reference so that upon completion, the reader would easily be able to tell the difference between Bob Menzies and Bobby Andrews, the Duke of Kent from the Duke of Windsor, and easily tell whether Sir Noel was writing about Elizabeth Taylor the film star, Elizabeth Taylor the English novelist, or Elizabeth Taylor the non-celebrity dear friend to Coward's inner circle. Here, the editors (who are unnamed and rightly so) merely say that Saxe Commins was a senior editor at Random House and Robert Haas a partner without furthur definition. (More time is spent discussing the typeface of this volume than virtually anything else.) Most readers of these letters would be interested in the details such annotation would provide. Yes, the letters do paint a wonderful picture of the day-to-day operations of the company, the trials and tribulations of America at war, and the deep affection between the two men. It's a shame the present-day editors at Random House did not see fit to put together a better tribute of their founding fathers.

Rating:
Summary: For hardcore Cerf fans.
Review: I waited for a few months for this book to come out, and was truly not disappointed. Of course, I believe that you must be a hardcore Bennett Cerf fan to enjoy it. If you are not a Cerf fan, the book is still an interesting capsule of the World War II era. My obsession with Mr. Cerf began with "What's My Line", I have since obtained most of his books. I recommend reading "At Random", Bennett's recollections of working at Random House Publishing. When you know the story behind these two gentleman, you will appreciate this book more. Mr. Cerf ran in several circles, and it shows in the book. It would be an interesting contrast to have this go against a modern day publishing house letter exchange. Reading this gives the feel of the day. It seemed that the business world, even though still busy, was much more laid back. The letters these two friends mailed back and forth really show the value of personal written communication, a waning part of relationships.

Rating:
Summary: For hardcore Cerf fans.
Review: I waited for a few months for this book to come out, and was truly not disappointed. Of course, I believe that you must be a hardcore Bennett Cerf fan to enjoy it. If you are not a Cerf fan, the book is still an interesting capsule of the World War II era. My obsession with Mr. Cerf began with "What's My Line", I have since obtained most of his books. I recommend reading "At Random", Bennett's recollections of working at Random House Publishing. When you know the story behind these two gentleman, you will appreciate this book more. Mr. Cerf ran in several circles, and it shows in the book. It would be an interesting contrast to have this go against a modern day publishing house letter exchange. Reading this gives the feel of the day. It seemed that the business world, even though still busy, was much more laid back. The letters these two friends mailed back and forth really show the value of personal written communication, a waning part of relationships.