Such Power is Dangerous Letter

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Letter Referring to the Writing of
'Such Power is Dangerous'

Written on Justerini and Brooks headed notepaper, Wheatley discusses the writing of his second novel and his concerns about its quality. He also mentions that he is writing 'Black August'.

July 5th. 1933

Dear Sanderson,

Just a line to thank you for your letter, good wishes and most pleasing testimonial.

I am happy to say that a lot of people seem to enjoy my 'thrillers' but I think it will be a very long time before I tire of hearing them say so, and it was most kind of you to write.

As a matter of fact I am only just becoming reassured about this second book since I was never quite happy about it myself (it was written while the first was still in the hands of my agent and I was not even certain that I should ever get a book published at all - so I knocked it off in seventeen days partly as a test of capacity) Later, when Hutchinson's wanted a quick follow up for the first, they looked at it, and their reader reported so well upon it, that I was induced to let it go without revision or correction, since there was then time for neither. Perhaps it was my guilty conscience and the feeling that I couldn't possibly have put enough work into it - but I was terrified that it would be an awful slump - so it is very pleasant now to hear that people are enjoying it - and the fact that it has gone into its 4th. impression together with all the nice things the reviewers say about it seems to prove the publishers to be right.

However, I am half way through another to come out in January and there's still several months to go - so I hope to produce a rabbit then which will beat either of the others.

Once more my thanks for your kind encouragement and good wishes.

Yours very sincerely,

Dennis Wheatley