October 8, 1977

Good Morning Mr Plant,

Your pleasant letter of September 28 here October 6. My back problem is clearing and I walk very well now, carry a cane just in case I trip. Also, people hold doors open and give other helps to a cane carrier!!

I hope the Japanese materials are of some help on your history of the Pekin Bantam. Do let me know what you learn. This history must go back a long long time, they are a really fixed breed, do not revert as some modern bantams are prone to do if not kept to Standard.

I have a very good number of the American Standards, but you really do not need them all, there is very little difference between some of them, may be just the addition of one new breed. The complete list of them, compiled by Kansas State College (now University), I’ll copy for you on a separate sheet. But the Bantam Standard, by the American Bantam Association, is more complete and more accurate for Bantams. For many years the APA paid little attention to Bantams.

Pehringer, yes, but he offended me deeply by putting my little book on his list at One Dollar. In the first place, it was never sold, just given to friends. I had given him one, and I thought he was offering that for sale. (Another collector told me this). When I wrote P. he said he thought I would let him sell some, and he claimed that the price was a mistake, should have been Ten Dollars. But I am unforgiving.

Fred Jeffrey is also well known to me. Has been since a Christmas card dated 1955. Do you have his A Selection of Old Poultry Books? If you do, you will see he mentions me in the introduction. It is long out of print, but he might be willing to make a Xerox of it for you, for the cost. Xerox has become very cheap here, and the place I go to only charges 5¢ a page. They have a new machine that brings out the black & white pictures much better than formerly, and another machine that makes Xerox in color, very very well, That kind costs more, but not prohibitive.

About my little book, I only had 200 copies made, and gave 25 to the artist. My supply is down to 3, I gave to so many relatives, friends, poultry libraries and breeders of Houdans. It is all about Houdans. As Rex Woods in England wrote me -I never thought to see a book just on Houdans -.

I will write to the artist today and ask if she can spare a few, as she does not have any poultry connections was just using them to show potential employers her work.