This practically unreadable letter says: "Dear Mary — Please make sure all the errands are done before you go on vacation, as I do not want to be bothered with insignificant things. Thank you. J.D. Salinger". If the letter does sell for the asking price of $50,000, that means the one sentence will have been written at $2,083/word. According to the Nevada-based company selling the item, the "rare handwritten letter" was to his maid, and written in 1989, which would have put him at about 70 years old at the time.
The seller also reminds us that Salinger "was extremely guarded about his personal life, so much so that he sought injunctions against authors and autograph dealers attempting to publish his letters." So, it kind of makes the whole thing seem... phony. And it's not like this is a poetic short, like Hemingway's famous six word story ("For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn."). For Chrissake, it doesn't even mention Williamsburg! [via Reuters]
