EXPLORE BY YEAR
1930s
1934
— 1930s —
1934
Oct. 17, 1934
Major C. S. Jarvis
Governor of Sinai
El-Arish, Sinai.
Dear Sir:
During July 1934, Mr. J. H. Iliffe of the Department of Antiquities of Palestine and I made a trip from Jerusalem to Aqabah, crossing through parts of Sinai with your permission. We noted several things of archaeological importance, which I feel you will be interested in. Under separate cover I am sending you Bulletin 55 of the American Schools of Oriental Research, which, among other things, contains a very brief report of the above mentioned trip, pp. 18-21. You will note that I too consider Ain Qudeir to be the site of Kadesh Barnea, in agreement with the suggestion made in your book “Yesterday and Today in Sinai”, which I have just read with great interest and profit. I find that the fortress at Ain Queirat belongs to about the tenth century B.C. It is an important archaeological monument, and I hope that is will be properly excavated someday. If I can raise the necessary money, I shall apply for permission to do so myself. Meanwhile, I should like to urge upon you, if you will pardon the presumption, the necessity of preventing further vandalism on the site. The sides and top of the small fortress are covered with chips of stone left there by modern stone meson, who are utilizing the walls of the structure as a convenient quarry.
As one nears Ain Qudeirat coming from Qoseimeh, there is an excellent view of the small fortress. Unfortunately, my photographs did not turn out as well as they might have. I am anxious to secure additional photographs, which I can use in a forthcoming publication. I wonder if it would be possible for you to send me some of the fortress, and of the spring above it, and the two small reservoirs? I should be greatly obliged.
— 1940s —
1945
October 2, 1945
Dr. Nelson Glueck
The Hebrew Union College
Cincinnati, Ohio
My dear Dr. Glueck:
We have already had two interesting conferences with Westminster with reference to your book and it may interest you to know that three sets of galley proofs are in the hands of three of our readers to that we can make a quick decision.
We worked out the price with Westminster, except that the matter of the payment of royalty to you is no longer in their hands but has to be settled between us.
As you know, we operate on a membership basis, the members paying $5.00 or $10.00 a year, for which the member receive either three or six books. This leave us $1.66 per book, which must cover all the manufacturing costs, the royalties, and the cost of doing business. Costs over the past years have shown that it costs us approximately 66 2/3 cents per book, which includes the carton to mail the book, the postage, the work in the shipping room, the making of labels, the clerical work at the office, the supervision, etc. Consequently, we are limited in what we can do with authors, and our authors have been most cooperative in accepting lower royalties on books distributed to members, because they know that in the long run their royalty checks amount to much more because of the Society’s greater distribution.
Our standard rate is to pay a 10% royalty on the price which we receive from members, $1.66 2/3, which means that the best royalty we can offer to pay you would be 16 2/3 cents on each book which members receive as part of their membership quota.
Members also buy extra copies of our books, on which they receive 20% discount on the established retail selling price. In the case of your book, the retail selling price would be the price determined by Westminster. On these books, we could pay you the same royalty you are receiving from Westminster, a graduated royalty of 10, 12 ½, and 15%, depending on the quantity distributed.
We have another source of distribution, namely, in large quantities to the agency organization, Hadassah, and to the Hillel Foundations. We have worked out arrangements with authors whereby when we sell large quantities of books in bulk to these agencies, the author also take a smaller royalty, which makes it possible for us to quote an attractive price to the above mentioned organizations. On Maurice Samuel’s HARVEST IN THE DESERT, he received 15 cents a book for all of the books sold to Hillel and the Z.O.A., and, incidentally, they bought thousand of them.
I would like you to think this matter through as this will have to be determined before we make our final decision.
I am planning to be in Cincinnati for the conference in two weeks and we can straighten out any matters at that time, although I would like to hear from you as soon as you have considered this matter.
With cordial greetings, I am
Sincerely yours,
MAURICE JACOBS
Executive Vice-President
—
October 9, 1945
Dr. Nelson Glueck
162 Glenmary Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
My dear Dr. Glueck:
Thank you for your letter of the 6th.
The chances are that we will want a minimum of 10,000 books for our first edition, and the style will be exactly the same as that of the Westminster edition.
I am looking forward to the pleasure of seeing you next week. Not knowing what program has been arranged at the college, I am rather hesitant to make any appointments until I get to Cincinnati.
With cordial greetings, I am
Sincerely yours,
MAURICE JACOBS
—
October 26, 1945
Dr. Nelson Glueck
162 Glenmary Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dear Dr. Glueck:
Your book is going to be presented at our meeting on November 4th.
There are several problems which I should like to put to you regarding it. In the first place, the word “Christ” occurs there several times in a way which some of our members may find rather unacceptable. I hear, however, that you have made some corrections in the galleys and that such references may have been eliminated.
What worries me even more is the statement you made on several occasions in which Jesus and Paul are put on the same plane as the Hebrew prophets. That is really a serious matter as far as the Society is concerned, very much more serious than the term “Christ,” which might be attributed to common usage. Is there anything that you have done or could do about that? I am certain that the matter will come up for decision at the meeting and I should like to know what answer to give.
I shall appreciate an immediate answer because of the shortness of time.
Cordially yours,
SOLOMON GRAYZEL
—
Cincinnati, Ohio
October 28, 1945
Dr. Solomon Grayzel,
Editor,
The Jewish Publication Society,
225 south Fifteenth Street,
Philadelphia 2, Pa.
Dear Dr. Grayzel:
In the actual text of THE RIVER JORDAN, the word “Christ” is used only twice, and then in the sense of “in the time of Christ”.
All other references to Christ occur in the midst of complete passages quoted from the New Testament, from Eusebius, or from George Adam Smith’s Historical Geography of the Holy Land where he compares the acts of the Crusaders unfavorably in relation to the spirit of peace of Christ. I can see no possible objections.
In several of the photo captions, the word “Christ” is used. These photos were borrowed from my Dec. 1944 article in the National Geographic, where the photo captions were written by one of the editors. One of the captions on p. 728 of that issue contains the phrase: “Christ, the Man of Galilee, preached in near-by Capernaum.” The other phot. on p. 731 has under it the following caption: “Christ knew the site, but not this synagogue ruin nor its vintage scene. This edifice at Chorazin was built several centuries after the time of Jesus. It stand a few miles inland from the Sea of Calilee.” Is it not looking rather far afield to find this phrasing unpalatable?
The following are the passages in which Jesus and Paul are called prophets or are said to be in the prophetic tradition:
1) Galley 3, p. 11, 9th line from bottom:
“Jesus was of the spiritual stock of Jeremiah…”
2) Galley 4, p. 12, line 1:
“Jesus was also of the same prophetic background as Amos…”
3) Galley 25, p. 90, lines 1-3, and the preceding Galley 24, p. 89,
“But take no offense, Rashid, if we insist that Mohammed is only one of these who felt His (Allah’s) presence more closely than most ordinary mortals. No harm meant, Rashid, but was not Jesus a Prophet, and do you Mohammedans yourselves not speak of Nebi Musa, the Prophet Moses?”
4) Galley 39, p. 147, beg. of last paragraph:
“In the same prophetic tradition (as that of Hillel) Jesus continued to teach and interpret the Torch.”
5) Galley 30, p. 107, second paragraph, lines 5 and 6:
“In later centuries, another Prophet, named Paul, was to turn ot the eastern desert to renew his strength (as Elijah had).”
I most respectfully submit that there is nothing contrary to the spirit of Judaism in the above-mentioned usages, and I am not prepared to alter the passages in question.
With cordial greetings,
Nelson Glueck
—
Dr. Nelson Glueck
162 Glenmary Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
November 26, 1945
Dear Dr. Glueck:
Mr. Jacobs showed me your letter to him and I was glad to hear that the Mosad Bialik is going to translate to publish “The River Jordan.” You may rest assured that I will make all I can of that fact. You must understand, however, that that does not solve our problem. In translation they will undoubtedly make changes in those very phrases to which I am afraid some objection will be raised. I have, however, decided to “gird myself with strength” and not mind brickbats that my be thrown. I hope there will not be many.
Seriously, however, I shall use the fact of the Hebrew translation in my “canned” review, as I will use some other things to which you will not; I am sure, take exception. The fact it may be a good idea to send you a rough draft of this review before we mail it out.
The changes which you made all to the good.
With cordial greetings and best wishes, I remain
Sincerely yours,
SOLOMON GRAYZEL
—
Dr. Nelson Glueck
162 Glenmary Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
December 18, 1945
My dear Dr. Glueck:
I want to reduce to writing as soon as possible our understanding on your royalties. The basis of the agreement will be my letter of October 2nd to you.
On what quantities are your royalties with Westminster arranged for the 10%, 12 ½% and 15%?
As soon as I have this information, we can complete this job.
With every good wish to you, I am
Sincerely yours,
MAURICE JACOBS
—
Dr. Nelson Glueck
162 Glenmary Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
December 21, 1945
Dear Dr. Glueck:
The time has come to write up the announcement of the forthcoming publication of your book, THE RIVER JORDAN. We generally publish such announcements at the beginning of the year and send them out in the form of the enclosed leaflet to all our members so as to enable them to choose their books for the coming year.
I have written this up in rough draft. You are at liberty to suggest whatever changes you desire, especially if these changes will add to the attractiveness of the advertisement.
I hope that you have been well and that we shall have occasion to meet again very soon.
Cordially yours,
SOLOMON GRAYZEL
1946
Dr. Nelson Glueck
162 Glenmary Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
January 14, 1946
Dear Nelson:
Thank you for initialing the two extra copies of the letters.
We have made a notation on our records that no royalties are to be sent to you without your instructions.
Cordially yours,
MAURICE JACOBS
—
Mrs. Eleanor K. Vogel
Secretary to Dr. Nelson Glueck
162 Glenmary Avenue
Cincinnati 20, Ohio
May 3, 1946
My dear Mrs. Vogel:
I am attaching carbon copies of the list of books which we sent with the compliments of Dr. Glueck.
There are seven more copies available for free distribution by Dr. Glueck.
An extra copy of this letter is also attached, should you want to forward it to Dr. Glueck.
Cordially yours,
MAURICE JACOBS
—
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
in the City of New York
Dear N. Glueck,
My wife has just heard the notice that you are to be at Temple Immanuel this Sunday morning. Does this mean that you might be able to come along here for fun in the afternoon and later in the evening?
I am preaching down at Rutgers University in New Brunswick on Sunday morning, and we have to go down there tomorrow’s office lunch. We were with the Chaplain after the Service on Sunday, but except he catch the 1:47 train from there, which [?] in to Penn Station at 2:45, and we ought to be come by four.
My wife has many questions to ask – whether that Annual Professor’s Residence at the School has its own bed linen; or whether she will have to take her own. How necessary is it to have heavy winter clothing? Must we [?] evening dress for State occasion, etc. etc. etc. all sorts of being a woman would think about, so I hope we can see you sometime before you leave.
With kindest regard, and New Year Greetings.
1947
EPISCOPAL THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL
Cambridge, Massachusetts
6 St. John’s Road
February 18, 1947
Professor Nelson Glueck
Hebrew Union College,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
My dear Professor Glueck:
As you undoubtedly know, the American Schools have given me the wonderful opportunity to spend next year in Jerusalem as annual professor. I am now in the process of making plans of all kinds and only hope that I may be able to make some contribution to the work of the School in return for the great contribution that it will make to me.
From the time that the matter was first presented to me, I have planned to take my family along with me. Not only do I wish to be with my wife and children, but my wife knows a great deal about Old Testament, archaeology, and the Hebrew language, and both she and I would profit by her presence. But it is best to know all the facts when one is making plans, and I would appreciate it greatly if you could give me any information and advice. I realize that, even if conditions quiet down somewhat by next summer, one cannot move about with complete freedom — my wife was in Palestine in 1925 and knows something about the country. Nevertheless, if all of us do go, we should like to see as much as possible.
I realize that you must be very busy since your return to this country, and any help that you can give me will be all the more appreciated.
With many thanks, I am
Faithfully yours,
SHERMAN E. JOHNSON
—
February 24, 194
Dr. Sherman E. Johnson
Episcopal Theological School
Cambridge, Mass.
Dear Dr. Johnson:
I was glad to get your letter of February 18th. My heartiest congratulations to you upon the appointment to become the next Annual Professor at our School in Jerusalem. I can assure that you and your wife and children have one of the greatest treats in store for you that people with your interests and mine could possibly have. The School, and Jerusalem, and Palestine in general, are places and experiences which must become and remain a source of lasting joy to all who can visit or achieve them.
I want to say to you and your wife that you should not be distributed by the political difficulties in Palestine. I have lived there for many years including three of them with my family when riots and bloodshed were a part of the daily life of Jerusalem and I can assure you that with ordinary circumspection, common sense, and good taste you will always be able to get along without undue danger and to derive great benefit and happiness from your stay there. Despite the difficulties during this academic year in Jerusalem from October 1 to January 15 we of the School travelled more than 4000 miles in our new station wagon from Den to Beersheba and from Askelon to Amman.
Since returning I have spent the day with Dr. Burrows and we discussed your appointment and the coming out to Jerusalem of your family.
Now I don’t know just where to begin in offering you information and advice beyond the expression of my general attitude which I have outlined above. May I suggest that if you haven’t already inquired into many matters such as passports and costs received answers in regard to them from Dr. Burrows that you list all questions such as you think I can be helpful in answering in the form of a questionnaire and send it to me. I shall answer as soon as it arrives and in full detail.
I should probably be coming to New York some time within the next month and you might even want to make arrangements to meet me there. I thought I do not consider that important.
With cordial greetings and with the assurance that you are in for one of the most wonderful years.
Sincerely yours,
—
6 St. John’s Road
Cambridge 38, Mass.,
March 13, 1947
Professor Nelson Glueck
162 Glenmary Avenue,
Cincinnati, Ohio
My dear Dr. Glueck:
Thank you very much for your fine letter of February 24, which answered our principal question. We have tentatively booked passage on the Veendam, sailing for Rotterdam in July, and our present plan is to go overland across Europe. I am taking you at your word and with this note enclose the kind of questionnaire that you suggested. It is surely splendid of you to be willing to take the trouble to answer this.
You may already have gone to New York, but if you have not, I would welcome the opportunity to meet you there and talk with you in person.
Some of my queries concern members of my family. It might be helpful to you to know something about their interests. My wife, Jean, was a student of Graham and J. M. P. Smith at the Oriental Institute and practically completed her residence work for the Ph. D. in Old Testament. She handles Hebrew well and at one time studied Assyrian but has no other Semitic languages. She has kept up with the progress of archaeology and lately has been much interested in the publications of Prof. S. N. Kramer, though she does not have Sumerian; hence the inquiry about Istanbul.
My daughter, Carol, will be 17 this summer. She will have finished school and will be ready for college. Her great ambition is to study agriculture and she has been accepted at Iowa State, but this will have to be postponed for a year if she goes to Palestine. She has never had time to do much with music and would like to study piano–not at an advanced level!–and find out what she can about agricultural development in Palestine. Marcia, the other girl, will be 15 in May, and will have two more years of school. Like her sister, she is a fine student. We need to work out an arrangement whereby she may keep up her studies. Perhaps she should be tutored in German and other subjects. It may be that some subjects can be handled by correspondence with the school in Boston.
With many thanks to you for your kindness, I am
Faithfully yours,
Sherman E. Johnson