99 POEMS: New & Selected | POETRY AS ENCHANTMENT [inscribed] | TYPED LETTER SIGNED [with enclosures] | HAUNTED [Gioia interview and reading on CD] | AUTOGRAPH POSTCARD SIGNED by Gioia, Dana - 2016

Minneapolis, MN: Graywolf Press, 2016. First edition. From the collection of Allen K. Mears. 8vo silver-stamped black boards; 194 pages including index. Small crimp to base of spine otherwise fine in fine dust jacket. Copy of a letter sent by Mears to Gioia (praising his poetry and expressing his wish that he'd publish more) laid in. Together with Gioia's one-page TYPED LETTER SIGNED to Mears in response: dated August 7 [2016], it speaks of wishing to write more, saying "one gets distracted, especially when the rent is due"; "I shall take the Muse's dictation as it comes"; and "In the meantime I enclose this new poem and new essay. I hope you enjoy them." The "new poem" is a photocopy from galley proofs of Gioia's poem "Words, Words, Words" (p.188, The Dark Horse 20th Anniversary Issue, Summer, 2015). The "new essay" is POETRY AS ENCHANTMENT (Bismark: Wise Blood Books, 2016). 8vo stapled yellow paperwraps with flaps; 36 pages. INSCRIBED BY GIOIA opposite the title page, "For Allen Mears --/ with pleasure,/ Dana Gioia." Also with a compact disc labeled "The Hudson Review/ presents/ Writers on Writing/ hosted by Josephine Reed/ aired July 5, 2010/ Dana Gioia, 'Haunted'/ .... Sirius/XM Satellite Radio"; housed in plain paper sleeve with thin polyester film window. Together with a copy of Mears' 8/12/16 response discussing how they may have previously met and Gioia's 8/18/16 AUTOGRAPH POSTCARD SIGNED to Mears in response. An interesting assemblage in altogether fine condition.