GoKawiilJournalist's secondhand copy of Rebecca West book held a 1930s telegram
A writer bought a used Penguin paperback of Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon at a Georgetown library book sale and found a decades-old telegram tucked inside it, signed by West under her real name, Cicily Andrews. The telegram, arranging a lunch, was addressed to Ann Cottrell Free, the first female Washington correspondent for Newsweek and the book's previous owner, who died in 2004.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The discovery links an everyday secondhand purchase to a documented personal connection between two notable 20th-century women writers, offering a small, tangible artifact of literary history. It suggests how physical books can preserve ephemera that outlast their original owners, giving researchers and readers unexpected glimpses into writers' private correspondence and social networks.
- A telegram signed by Rebecca West (Cicily Andrews) was found inside a used copy of her book Black Lamb and Grey Falcon.
- The book's previous owner was Ann Cottrell Free, Newsweek's first female D.C. correspondent, who died in 2004.
- The telegram was an invitation to lunch, discovered near a passage about Sarajevo's Jewish community in the book.
Penguin Classics Black Lamb and Grey Falcon — If this find has you itching to read the whole book, grab a fresh copy of Rebecca West's sprawling Yugoslav travelogue rather than hunting library sales for a battered one. It's the same edition praised in the article for its masterful digressions and historical sweep, perfect for getting lost in on a long afternoon.
See Penguin Classics Black Lamb and Grey Falcon on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: thelampmagazine.com — Matthew Walther, 2026-11-06
Published there as: “My first and last telegram was from Rebecca West”
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