Description: Typed letter from Admiral Richard E. Byrd to Robert Brodie, SIGNED and dated February 1, 1938, with handwritten postscript. Robert Brodie was our uncle. In 1937, when he was around 13 years old, Bob wrote to Admiral Byrd with questions about the South Pole -- perhaps as part of a school assignment. In early 1938, Admiral Byrd responded with a typed letter answering Bob's questions with the same care and respect that he accorded to his adult correspondents. The result was this remarkable letter, which our family saved. After explaining why he could not answer sooner, Byrd wrote: "The thing that interests me the most at the bottom of the world is the fact that there is going on at the South Pole an ice age such as existed at the top of the world 20,000 years ago. As you know, there is no such ice age at the North Pole. That is why it averages about fifty degrees colder at the South Pole and why the land is covered with a great ice cap hundreds of feet thick which has killed all life with the exception of the Emperor Penguin, and the Emperor lives only on the edge of the Continent." He closed by sending "my kindest regards to your Class." And then, after signing, Admiral Byrd apparently felt he had forgotten to add a fact, which he wrote in a handwritten postscript: "There are summer visitors of course to Antarctica." As shown in the photos, the letter is well-preserved, although one can still see the creases where it was originally folded into an envelope. Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (1888 – 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a segment of the Arctic Ocean, and a segment of the Antarctic Plateau. Byrd claimed that his expeditions had been the first to reach both the North Pole and the South Pole by air, although his claim to have reached the North Pole is disputed. He is also known for discovering Mount Sidley, the largest dormant volcano in Antarctica. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our father was a bibliophile who collected rare books, letters, and ephemera for more than 60 years. For now and into the foreseeable future, we will be listing rare paper items from his estate. Take a look at all our items for sale. We combine shipping for 2 or more items upon request. Please LET US KNOW if you’ve purchased multiple items so we can combine.
Price: 289 USD
Location: Slingerlands, New York
End Time: 2024-01-18T19:30:24.000Z
Shipping Cost: 8 USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Signed by: Richard E. Byrd
Signed: Yes
Original/Reproduction: Original
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
