News from Cellar Door Books

THE LETTER was a wonderful treat to Tasha Tudor enthusiasts for 21 years. The title is an acronym for Loving Enthusiasts of Tasha Tudor Exchange Reflections. The idea of "exchange" was precisely what Elaine Hollabaugh wanted when she published the first issue in 1981.   Mrs. Hollabaugh had been a Tudor admirer for 30 years starting with a children's literature class where she studied the art and books. She went on to operate her own shop Elaine's Upper Story in Rogers City, Michigan. She had corresponded with Tasha Tudor for some time before she published the first issue of her small newsletter. There were only 19 issues in total, but Tudor collectors/followers/enthusiasts were able to keep current on their favorite author-illustrator as each thin number arrived.

Remember this was in the days before FACEBOOK, blogging and twitterers. Elaine wanted to create a way for a community of Tudor devotees to share stories about their collections and how they were built. Individuals could trade pieces with other collectors. They could keep abreast of new publications via the announcements Elaine published. Elaine created her own Tudor central for swapping tales and books. The issues reflect the wide influence of Tasha Tudor.

There were initially 2 issues a year - for the first three volumes. Then Ms Hollabaugh reverted to an annual publication skipping the 1988 issue. From 1992 through the last issue of 2002, this was a bi-annual publication skipping the odd numbered years of the 1990s. The earlier issues were illustrated with black and white photographs. Color photographs of Tasha, her dolls, dollhouse and home first appeared in the Fall 1991 issue. Regular circulation went to about 500 subscribers.

The first issue of THE LETTER (Summer 1981) recapped some of the history of Ned Hills in attracting Tasha Tudor and her fans to his Mill Hall, Pa., shop The Dutch Inn. Hills was born July 20, 1901, and had died in 1979.   People who visited his shop remember the door to the Tasha Tudor room was decoratively painted by Tasha herself.

Rumer Godden wrote of her friend Tasha Tudor in the Fall 1990 issue.   Fred and Barbara Smalstig wrote of their honeymoon in the Fall 1986 issue. They were married in the early 1950s and found the McCready house in Webster, NH, during their New England honeymoon. When Tasha and Tom invited them to spend the night in the old red house, the Smalstigs went home with a story to last a lifetime. The final issue in 2002 included writings by Tudor's long-time friend and editor Ann Beneduce, Georgia Mackinder, Marjorie Granger and a review of the Morgan Library exhibit Cottontails and Corgis by Jeanette Chandler Knazek.

The detailed contents of this little periodical are listed in Tasha Tudor: The Direction of Her Dreams, pages 458-466. But that listing ended with the Fall 1996 issue. Here are the contents of the last three issues. You can add them to your copy of the Hare and Hare bibliography.

Vol. 14 No.1 Fall 1998
"Invitation to Tea with Tasha Tudor" by Judy Petrilak
"First Impressions" from 65 various collectors
"Raindrops and Roses" by Elaine Hollabaugh
"Tasha Tudor Treasures" - items for sale and swap
"The Making of the Great Corgiville Kidnapping" by John Keller

Vol. 15 No.1 Summer 2000
"Tasha Tudor enters the 21st Century" by Seth Tudor
"The Story of My Wedding" by Tasha Tudor