King Archives to be sold
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/09/america/web.0609king.php
An institution needs to step up.
On June 30th, Sotheby’s will auction the archives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The trove contains more than 10,000 documents—7,000 of which are in King’s own hand. Some of the most noteworthy: a manuscript of his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, an annotated copy of “Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” and a blue examination book containing an essay on the Bible, written by King while at Morehouse College.
Estimated at $15 million to $30 million, the archive will be offered as a single lot. The hope is that the material can stay together and stay available to the public. Mrs. King had originally negotiated a deal to sell it to the Library of Congress, but at the time, Congress apparently balked at the $20 million asking price. Maybe they’ll reconsider. It would be a crime to have such a significant group of documents dispersed among multiple collectors or absorbed into a private collection. —D.L.
