Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - April - 2006 Issue
Modern and Traditional Poetry and Literature from Alexander Rare Books
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William Carlos Williams published his five-volume set Paterson over twelve years, from 1946-1958. One thousand copies were printed of each of the first four volumes, 3,000 of the fifth. Alexander describes this set as "a centerpiece for a collection of modern American poetry." $2,000.
No city is more associated with the radical cultural changes of the 1960s than San Francisco. Peace and love, psychedelic music, drugs, hippies, and anti-war demonstrations of the era are all entwined with the City by the Bay. It was also a place of revolutionary thought in literature and poetry. Item 10 is volumes 1-4 of The San Francisco Earthquake, published in 1967-1968. The quarterly publication includes works from O'Hara, Burroughs, Ferlinghetti, Ginsberg, and more. It also contains numerous illustrations and advertisements from the time. $100.
Here is an example of a type of poetry that not all of us understand, but those who do undoubtedly appreciate. The book is An Anthology of Concrete Poetry, edited by Emmett Williams, himself a concrete poet, in 1967. To better understand the term, I found an article online from Mary Ellen Solt in 1968, titled "Concrete Poetry: A World View." She says, "so many kinds of experimental poetry are being labeled 'concrete' that it is difficult to say what the word means." Hope this helps. I will trust that those who enjoy this style of poetry know what the word means, and will appreciate this anthology, which is inscribed by Williams. Item 154. $195.
You may contact Alexander Rare Books for their catalogue at 802-476-0838 or via email at alexanderbooks@charter.net.
