Once upon a time, in 1955 when people actually wrote letters, used proper grammar, were humorous without being obscene or bawdy, and mailed them, one famous American author sent a letter to the legendary Marilyn Monroe.

John Steinbeck’s typed letter is dated April 28, 1955. In it, Steinbeck tells Monroe about Jon Atkinson, the son of his wife’s sister in Austin, Texas.

At the time the letter was written, Atkinson was a 17-year old high school student at Stephen F. Austin High School. Given that Steinbeck describes Atkinson as having “his foot in the door of puberty,” the teenager was fortunate the internet didn’t exist yet.

Steinbeck, a Pulitzer Prize winner, had published his book “East of Eden” in 1953. The book was a great success and quickly became a bestseller. Steinbeck was already a well-known writer at that time and had many famous friends, including some Hollywood stars.

One day Steinbeck learned that Monroe, who was already one of the most famous actresses in the world, was a big fan of his book “East of Eden.”

She had read the book and was so enthusiastic about it. It is even believed that Marilyn asked for a signed “East of Eden” book.

Steinbeck was apparently surprised and flattered by Marilyn’s interest in his book. He decided to send her a personal copy, which he would sign for her. His letter was one of many that Monroe saved throughout her life.

When she died in 1962, it became part of Monroe’s personal archive, which she left with the bulk of her estate to her acting coach, Lee Strasberg.

Strasberg’s second wife, Anna, subsequently inherited the letter and auctioned it off in 2016 for a winning bid of $3,520.

So, the letter was validated as true, and the signature not looking like his makes perfect sense to just about any secretary of the 1950s. It was common for anyone who employed a secretary to dictate the words from them. 

The secretary would sign  the letter with the dictator’s signature and include their own initials on the paper. 

In this particular case, Steinbeck’s secretary signed her initials, “mf” in the lower left with an addendum to the letter being (“js:mf”). 

The quality of the writing and the depth of the humor in the letter all point very much to Steinbeck. Also, the nephew was indeed Steinbeck’s, and the ask was for the autographed photo to be routed through Steinbeck.

Jon Atkinson, 81, as of this writing is living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with his wife, Joan. The couple were married on June 19, 1964. He’s a retired minister. 

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IN GOD WE TRUST

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