OGDEN NASH (1902-1971). Celebrated American Poet Renowned for his Comic and Light Verse, Longtime Client of Curtis Brown Ltd.; known for playful, satirical, and packed with deliberately mangled rhymes and wordplay, he's often called the country's best-known writer of comic poetry.
Autograph Letter Signed "Ogden," measuring about 12.25 x 8 inches, being well written and easily readable in heavy dark pencil on legal size yellow blue lined paper, Very Fine. Headed only "Thursday" and addressed "Dear Kathleen", it is not dated, as shown. There are some minor edge chips far fron any text and the top right corner is rounded. This letter reads, in full:

"I like the story very much, finding it an attractive blend of feminine cattiness and the human heart, a good job. I think you'd find the task of tackling the magazines a dreary one; in my experience the good agent is worth his ten per cent many times over. Why not try mine? -- Naomi Burton, c/o Curtis Brown Ltd, 347 Madison Ave, New York 17. She's a nice friendly girl and most capable; if you write her a note saying I asked you to send her the story I know you can count on a professional opinion and professional help. I do hope everything works out, and thank you for letting me see it. -- (Signed) “Yours - Ogden".

This personal yet business related letter is signed by OGDEN NASH. This celebrated American Poet best known for his prolific and distinctive comic verse, who was for decades a client of Curtis Brown Ltd, this same literary agency named here, this agency's own historical records listing Nash alongside D.H. Lawrence, A.A. Milne, and W.H. Auden among its most notable represented authors. Naming Naomi Burton at Curtis Brown's 347 Madison Avenue address, the firm's longtime New York office, aligns precisely with Nash's documented professional relationship there. The letter's warm, generous tone, offering practical encouragement and a personal introduction to his own literary agent, fits comfortably with this reputation Nash held among fellow writers as an approachable and supportive figure within New York's literary community. This charming, informal piece of literary correspondence captures his everyday mentorship and professional courtesy which Nash extended to a fellow writer within the mid-twentieth century American publishing world.
Frederic Ogden Nash was an American poet best known for his light verse, playful, satirical, and packed with deliberately mangled rhymes and wordplay. He's often called the country's best-known writer of comic poetry.

Born August 19, 1902, in Rye, New York, to a well-off family (he was a descendant of Francis Nash, the Revolutionary War general the city of Nashville is named after).

Briefly attended Harvard, then worked in advertising and as a writer for a streetcar company before landing an editorial job at Doubleday, where he started publishing verse.



His poem "Spring Comes to Murray Hill" (1930), submitted to The New Yorker, launched his career he soon joined the magazine's editorial staff.

Went on to publish around 20 volumes of poetry over his lifetime, along with lyrics for a Broadway musical (One Touch of Venus, 1943, with Kurt Weill and S.J. Perelman) and children's books.

He's credited with popularizing light verse as a respected American literary form, and his short, quippy poems (many just a couplet or two) are still widely quoted and anthologized, especially in humor and children's poetry contexts. Because his work is still under copyright.