John Steinbeck Letter Offering Son Advice on Love Sells for $32,426

A John Steinbeck handwritten letter offering his wise, fatherly advice on matters of the heart sold for $32,426, according to Boston-based RR Auction.

The remarkable two-page draft letter to his 14-year-old son, Thomas, is dated November 10, 1958. In it, Steinbeck's sage advice to his love-torn son, in part: "if you are in love—that's a good thing—that's about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don't let anyone make it small or light to you."

On losing, Steinbeck said, "If it is right, it happens—The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away."

The text of this famous letter has been widely circulated in print, Steinbeck: A Life in Letters, published by Penguin in 1989, and by outlets large and small—these enduring words thus form a bridge between one of America's greatest writers and contemporary pop culture.

It is a marvelous exposition of love—what it feels like, what it means, and what it can be. Steinbeck treats his son's revelation in a serious and straightforward manner—perhaps in response to a denial of "puppy love"—and warmly offers a hand in expressing and understanding these newfound feelings.