34 - [AUTOGRAPH]. LA HIRE, Jean. Signed autograph letter.

[AUTOGRAPH]. LA HIRE, Jean. Signed autograph letter. A beautiful signed autograph letter from Jean de La Hire—the pen name of Adolphe d’Espie (1878–1956)—dated December 30, 1929, and addressed to his “dear director and friend,” mentioning his Catalan origins and his ties to Toulouse, as well as important professional matters to be attended to shortly in Paris. 1 sheet, in-8 format (21 x 27 cm), handwritten in blue ink, Le Breuil, Saint-Paterne (Indre-et-Loire), Monday, December 30, 1929. Fold marks. Autograph signed letter by Jean de La Hire (pseudonym of Adolphe d’Espie), dated December 30, 1929, in beautiful cursive handwriting in blue ink, perfectly legible. In this letter addressed to his “dear Director and friend,” the author first mentions his Catalan roots in Banyuls-sur-Mer (his hometown) and his ancestral ties to Toulouse (“we had capitouls there”), explaining the family tradition of sending Toulouse violets. He then discusses the business he must attend to in Paris: the letter serves as preparation for a crucial trip to Paris on January 5–6, 1930. The author emphasizes the need for discretion and the strategy behind a preliminary meeting (“It would be best if it were not on Rue Drouot”) in order to establish a course of action for other professional meetings. The “dear director and friend” addressed in the letter could refer to Arthème Fayard (or his son Jean Fayard) or even Joseph-Henry Ferenczi, as the letter was written shortly before the publication of the author’s major popular novels in serial form by Fayard (notably *Belzébuth* and *L’Île d’épouvante* in the *Le Livre populaire* collection) as well as several works published by Ferenczi (*Le Vengeur du Pirate*). Adolphe d’Espie (1878–1956), known by the pen name Jean de La Hire, was a French writer, publisher, and politician. A highly prolific novelist in the first half of the 20th century, he was one of the most popular authors of popular literature among the French public at the time, with his works serialized notably in the daily newspaper *Le Matin*. In excellent condition.