W. H. FREEMAN AND COMPANY a PUBLISHERS

660 MARKET STREET, SAN FRANCISCO 4, CALIFORNIA + TELEPHONE: YUKON 6-5115

August 30, 1956.

Dr. Joshua Lederberes,
Department of Genetics,

The University of Wisconsin,
Madison 6, Wisconsin.

Dear Josh:

Thank you for your comments on Crampton's book. We never will be
able to hold to our standards unless people like you speak frankly to us
(incidentally, I've tried to make it a rwie when any of vou whose opinions
we especially value have patted us on the back to tell vou that we would
make mistakes, but that I could assure you that the mistakes would not
come from any lowering of our standards--they'd just result from human
imperfections).

First, the mistakes in the proofreading resuited from a combination
of circumstances that were only partly our fault. The man who handled
this work is not only less able than our best, but he was also on his way
to a serious illness (he is now in the hospital). In addition, the situation
today in book manufacturing is one of chaotic madness; the depression of
the 30's put out of business a great many book manufacturing plants, none
of which has been replaced, and today the szrowine population in the country
is consuming books at an unprecedented rate, with the ten to fifteen voox
manufacturers remaining having to supply the great demand; any publisher
today is fortunate to get a book manufactured, and the more comvlicated
its content, the more he may expect typozrovhical aberrations such as the
margin on page 252 of Crampton. However, your specific comments will help
Stanley Schaefer to see that the reprint of Crampton's hook is better in
these respects.

As to your criticisms of some of the scientific content-—-that is
another story. With vour comments in hand it will now be apvarent to Harvey
McCaleb and to me that we should have had a criticism of the manuscript
by a biochemist (I suspect that Harvey and I thought thet the critics
we had from several better schools of agriculture would assure the manuserlpt's
soundness in its basic science).

The fact remains that the book is a grest step forward in agricultural
education; to reassure yourself on this point you need only when next going
through the library stacks look at Morrison's FEEDS AND FEEDING, that
imperishable best seller tnat has fed several cenerations of anineal husbandry
students on 1200 pages of facts with no reference to tne basic science that
underlies nutritional needs. Eariy reactions to the Crampton from schools
Dr. Joshua Lederberg -2
August 30, 1956.

of agriculture indicate thet the book may well help improve education in
animal husbandry. Harvey McCaleb and I--with Stanley Schaefer's help--
will see that subsequent editions of the book not only help agricultural
education but also satisfy your critical if sympathetic sense.

As to the GENETICS AND CHEMOTHERAPY, I have just returned from a
vacation, and I am off in a couple of days for a geological convention
in Mexico. Thus I have not read your reprint from the American scientist.
Let me write you of this later on. But meanwhile, I'd like to ask whether
you taink there is anything I could do to stir Dr. Cavalli, or encourage
him and you to push work on the book. I shall be glad for any suggestions.

Please remember me to your wife. I am hoping to have a visit with
you this coming fall, but if I do not then get to Madison, I will come
Spring.

With best regards.
Sincerely,

fact

W.H. Freeman
WHF: sk