Over on Looking at Picture Books, Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen are talking about legendary children’s book editor Ursula “Good Books for Bad Children” Nordstrom.

Something I’ve thought and spoken about is this idea of what artifacts will remain from the current age of children’s book publishing and what will those artifacts look like? Will the Jerrold Connors fellow of 2099 dig into future library archives and peruse printouts of emails and scroll through saved screenshots of text messages? Can that type of media hold any provenance?

I like writing letters, I think I write them well. I wrapped up JIM! with an email letter of appreciation to my editor and art director that might be worth archiving. It’s heartfelt and lovely, if I may say so myself. Still, I’m kind of wishing I had typed it up on my old 1949 Royal KMG. A gift to you, future fellow.

Mac and Jon’s post also made me think about the old Letters of Note website (still available via the Wayback Machine). Which, if I remember correctly, is where I first saw the letter from editor Bob Gottlieb to Roald Dahl, calling him out for being a bully and a jerk.

Dear Roald,

This is not in response to the specifics of your last several letters to me and my colleagues, but a general response to everything we’ve heard from you in the past year or two.

In brief, and as unemotionally as I can state it: since the time when you decided that Bob Bernstein, I and the rest of us had dealt badly with you over your contract, you have behaved to us in a way I can honestly say is unmatched in my experience for overbearingness and utter lack of civility. Lately you’ve began addressing others here—who are less well placed to answer you back—with the same degree of abusiveness. For a while I put your behavior down to the physical pain you were in and so managed to excuse it. Now I’ve come to believe that you’re just enjoying a prolonged tantrum and are bullying us.

Your threat to leave Knopf after this current contract is fulfilled leaves us far from intimidated. Harrison, Bernstein and I will be sorry to see you depart, for business reasons, but these are not strong enough to make us put up with your manner to us any longer. I’ve worked hard for you editorially but had already decided to stop doing so; indeed, you’ve managed to make the entire experience of publishing you unappealing for all of us—counterproductive behavior, I would have thought.

To be perfectly clear, let me reverse your threat: unless you start acting civilly to us, there is no possibility of our agreeing to continue to publish you. Nor will I—or any of us—answer any future letter that we consider to be as rude as those we’ve been receiving.

Regretfully,

BG

I wonder if there’s an email out there from She Who Shall Not Be Named’s editor telling her to stop being such a jag and to stop picking on trans people. Doubt it. Courage and integrity, like typewritten letters, seem to be a thing of the past.