Autograph Letter Signed

This legendary, multi-talented editor around whom the "beautiful people" flocked first became well known in Chicago, where he edited the first newspaper that published signed reviews, the "Chicago Daily News"; he worked for William Randolph Hearst, in 1920 becoming editor of "Harper's Bazaar" and in 1949 editor of "Town & Country"; he was related to William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and in 1955 co-authored "Buffalo Bill and the Wild West"; a man of many talents, for a time he ran an advertising agency and was successful and influential in the food processing industry, helping get the U.S. Navy to use processed foods and instrumental in starting up nationwide school lunch programs. ALS, 3pp (separate leaves), Paris, France, 29 May n.y. Addressed to "Sweetheart." Near fine. On letterhead of the "Hotel Plaza-Athenee" in Paris, Sell boldly pens this superb content, life-assessing stream-of consciousness missive in blue ballpoint. Despite printed letterhead at upper left, he adds at upper right "Stormy Paris / Sunny Paris / Quiet Paris / Noisy Paris." He opens with "But Paris!" discussing "my opera tour idea. Ideas travel, like the fella says.... This, for me, is a 'find Sell' tour. The past year (two yrs) has been so full of problems that I just had-a to get away to have a look at my life. Nothing bad, Heavens, it was never 'better.' Everyone and everything has been demonstrating 'give-Henry-a-Boost' week but it all got too much and you, dear Miss Scorpia, know just WHAT I MEAN. So, here I am sleeping and saying 'no thank you' to invitations and walking hours and hours and eating fruit and fish and I bet I will soon find ME (little ole me) and come home for another spell of doing what I can. I feel so lucky that I can do these trips. Makes the difference." And closing with a comment that roughly dates this letter to 1955, the year his book "Buffalo Bill and the Wild West" was published: "did I tell you about Buffalo Bill? Quite a publisher? $7 book. We hope soon to be fighting off movie makers." Signed simply "Love! Henry." An outstanding, fascinating letter perhaps chronicling a mid-life crisis.