Letter from T.S. Eliot, London, to E. McKnight Kauffer, 1947 October 4 : typescript signed.

Relating news of his health, discussing the shipping of Kauffer's books at Swan Court to America, and thanking him for photographs he sent; apologizing for the long interval since his last letter saying "But after I got back, I was smothered with arrears of business, and at the same time had to prepare for going into hospital (four weeks later) for the hernia operation - a somewhat more lengthy business that I had anticipated, as it meant two operations at an interval of a fortnight. I was there for three and a half weeks, and then after three days at home had three weeks of convalescence visiting in the country. During which I missed, to my great regret, the fugitive visit of Sidney Perelman to London. After my return to London, more arrears to make up; and now I have to go into a nursing home for three nights, to have my teeth out. That was bound to happen sooner or later, but an abscess condition in one tooth precipitated it. So in ten days time I shall be learning to chew again; but I gather from my dentist that I shall be better looking with new teeth of the right size. Plastic teeth, of course;" discussing how best to pack and ship books to him that were left at Swan Court; thanking him for sending him the things he left behind and also for the rum and the lemons; adding "Lemons are very precious for helping out with fish, which is a very large item in our diet, when we can get it. Also, Thank you for the excellent snapshots of La Guardia Airport : a happy memory. As for myself, I can only hope that the new teeth will make all the difference. Mr Lynes has sent me a large assortment of photographs, and I must say that they seem to me extraordinarily good - both of me and of both of us together. Except that, as I told him, I look like a really competent film actor taking several roles : chiefly, the Big Executive and the Plain Clothes Sleuth. Well, I hope to see you both in a year's time, if not sooner. With much love to Marion, and such happy and grateful memories of each of the three occasions this year on which I descended on you;" adding, in three separate postscripts, "John is very well, and sends love. I don't see much of him as he is perpetually Dining Out. / I was sorry not to see Mr. Barrett. I asked him to lunch, but he had suddenly to take advantage of a passage back. / I have just received an illustration from Vogue of a new design of Marion's."