Article Discussion: Shining a Light on the Largely Untold Story of the Origins of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Dear Ms. Braun:

Sorry I didn’t see your comment until now (March 10). I hope you check back and read this. Yes, Harry Elbaum, mentioned in the piece as the publisher who took a chance on re-printing the Rudolph poem for the general market, was the head of Maxton Publishers. That much I found in articles in the google news archives. I don’t know how long Maxton continued to publish the poem/book itself. I suspect that Robert May didn’t get a huge royality per sale since he had to go back to work in the late ’50s. I don’t know when Maxton closed and/or sold their publishing rights to another publisher. As for the name “Richey”–it isn’t a name I recognize. I only know one name, off the top of my head, of Robert May’s children, besides Barbara, mentioned in the piece. There is also a daughter, by his second wife, Virginia, who is also named Virginia. I could find more children’s names if I went back in old sources. But Richey is not ringing any bells at all.