A 6-PAGE TYPED LETTER SIGNED TO THE SATURDAY EVENING POST in defense of Astrology by the AMERICAN ASTROLOGER FREDERIC VAN NORSTRAND.

San Francisco, California, March 22, 1966., 1966.. Very good. - A substantial letter typed single space on six 11 inch high by 8-1/2 inch wide sheets of creamy white paper with a few corrections penned in ink by Van Norstrand. In his letter, addressed to Saturday Evening Post editor William A. Emerson, Jr., Van Norstrand objects to an article critical of astrology which was published in the March 26, 1966 issue of the Post: "Will you kindly convey a couple of Bronx cheers to Mr. Richard Armstrong for his pretentious article entitled 'A Look At Tomorrow'...." In defense of astrology and astrologers, Van Norstrand enumerates the various published journals on the subject and refers to historical events, including President Kennedy's assassination: "When Shirley Spence refused to be televised the day before poor Mr. Kennedy's assassination, became frightened and walked out of the David Susskind Show it is certainly obvious to me that she clearly anticipated his approaching assassination...." Van Norstrand is, however, not as charitable in his comments about others that he considers charlatans "As to Carol Righter and Sidney Omar they are mere impressarios out to make money from a gullible and superstitious public, so far as their newspaper and Sign readings are concerned. They write that baloney by the yard and sell it from 35 to 50 cents a copy; that's not Astrology that's bunkology!" He goes on to defend the field by stating that J.P. Morgan hired Evangeline Adams to chart the stock market and that Miss Adams was acquitted of charges of fortune-telling in New York by her revelation that the judge's wife was a kleptomaniac. He does agree with Armstrong's statement quoting another astrologer "When Armstrong says that astrologer Williams says 'there are a hell of a lot of fakers in the field' he did indeed state an obvious truth. However there are just as many fakers among physicians, statisticians, psychoanalysts and architects...." and goes on to trash the popular astrologer Jean Dixon. "Jean Dixon the Washington seer, uses Roman Catholic prayers, Tarot cards and a crystal ball; if she knows anything about Astrology I never heard of it...." Signed in full "Frederic Van Norstrand". The pages are stapled together with a 4-page prospectus & order sheet for Van Norstrand's book "Precepts in Mundane Astrology", which is additionally annotated with 4 lines penned in blue ink by Van Norstrand "Previous to this I wrote a book on 'The Influence of the Moon in the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac'. The edition ran to 5000 copies but is lately out of print." There is some minor wear to the top right corners. Folded for mailing, the letter and prospectus are in very good condition. <p>Born in 1891, Frederic Van Norstrand was the author of "Gabriel; angel of birth, dreams and aspirations. The Influence of the moon in the twelve signs of the zodiac" (NY, 1942), "Precepts in Mundane Astrology" (NY, 1962), "Mars: Through the Signs" (co-authored with Merten J. Mandeville, Tucson 1982), and "Jupiter: Through the Signs" (co-authored with Merten J. Mandeville, Tucson 1983).