Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021         Page 337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357 [missing]358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394 of 1029

him. He mailed it. He put it down the chute. Well, we waited for a few days. I had to have stationery printed “The New York Aquarium,” with Schneider's name on it. And then an answer came, which I had very carefully written myself.

Oh you naughty thing.

I brought the letter in to Bob Haas. I said, “You open it. You don't trust me, for reasons that I don't comprehend.” He opened the letter and the letter started “Dear Beans.” Now in college my nickname was “Beans” because the shortening for Bennett is Ben and I loathed Ben. So “Beans” became my nickname. To this day, when anybody calls up and says, “Hello, Beans,” I know it's an old classmate trying to sell me insurance. But this letter started “Dear Beans, How on earth would you, a book publisher, know there is a white salmon in the world? As a matter of fact, there is one lake in Australia where there is white salmon. It's the only place in the whole world and it's very little known, but there is the white salmon down in Australia. By the way, I have just finished a book about fish, and I wonder if you would be interested in it. You may not remember me, but we took several classes together up at Columbia. I'm sorry you didn't recognize me as your old classmate.” and “You can have first whack at this book about fish if you want it.”