Celebrity

John Steinbeck’s plea for an autograph from Marilyn Monroe is one of the best celebrity letters ever written

Oonagh Keating. Updated February 9th, 2024

If you aren’t familiar with the Letters of Note Twitter account, you have a real treat in store.

It’s very much a ‘Does what it says on the tin’ sort of thing, sharing letters that are worth a read either because of who sent them or their subject matter. One such letter is this request for an autograph, sent from the author John Steinbeck to the film star, Marilyn Monroe.

Here’s a closer look.

“I know you are not made of celestial ether, but he doesn’t.”

Amy Poehler Chefs Kiss GIFfrom Amy Poehler GIFs

The letter, which was left to legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg by Marilyn herself as part of a large archive was sold for $3,520 back in 2016, but in many ways it’s simply priceless.

It was recently shared again by Music Publicist Eric Alper and it turns out a lot of people hadn’t seen it before. Even those who had were happy to read it again.

These five reactions say it all.

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Sadly, John Steinbeck’s nephew-in-law – Jon Atkinson – never got the longed-for autograph, but he’s part of a piece of Hollywood history – and that’s probably just as good.

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Source Letters of Note H/T Eric Alper Image Letters of Note, Screengrab