Jacques COPEAU. 6 L.A.S. and 4 L.S., New York and Paris 1918-1923, to Clément Rueff; 13pages, mostly in-4 with vignette and Théâtre du Vieux Colombier letterhead, stamped envelopes (qqs. slight defects). Interesting correspondence on his tour of the United States and his activities on his return to Paris. [Clément Rueff, French by birth, was a prominent New York antiques dealer and vice-president of the Alsaciens-Lorrains d'Amérique; from his debut in November 1917, he supported Copeau's New York venture, and the two men became close friends. ] New York, January 4, 1918. Copeau keeps Rueff informed of the situation of his theater in New York; he needs support and above all an audience; he asks Rueff to provide him with lists of people likely to be interested in the programs presented... - May 4. He thanks him for sending him a copy of his letter to the Evening Sun, which he will keep in his archives. He thanks him for his deep attachment to the work of Copeau and his company, and is full of hope for the 2nd season (1918-1919). - May 7. "When Newton was asked how he discovered the laws of universal gravitation, he replied: "By always thinking about it! That's how great things are done. Let's always think about it... and force others to think about it. Le Vieux-Colombier will grow".... - December 25, he thanks him for his Christmas wishes and the chocolates sent for his children. Montmorillon (Vienne) August 13, 1919. While his wife is away visiting her mother in Denmark, Copeau rests with his children at his sister's home in Montmorillon; having learned that Rueff was coming to France, he regrets not being able to see him. - Paris, September 13, 1921. He apologizes for having left his friend without news for so long. Since December 20, 1920, he has performed Shakespeare's Twelfth Night a hundred times over. "Le Vieux Colombier has now fully established itself in Paris, and it must be admitted that the theaters as a whole are so mediocre that we have the upper hand"; but the auditorium is too small, and therefore the takings insufficient... - January 20, 1922, he is in the middle of rehearsals for Le Misanthrope for the tercentenary of Molière's birth. -February 12, 1923, he gives news of his theater. He mentions Jouvet's departure for the Comédie des Champs-Élysées, a departure he had been considering for some time, but which has distressed him. He speaks of Stanislavsky, with whom he had many discussions during his stay in Paris, and whom he recognizes as "the only man of the theater of our time whom I recognize as a true master"... - Brussels April 19, 1926, he will do his utmost to see him in Paris. Enclosed: - a carte de visite a.s. to Rueff (January 31, 1935); - a l.a.s. from his wife Agnès Copeau, New York December 26, 1918, to Clément Rueff, thanking him for his Christmas wishes and the chocolates sent for his children.