The Jolly Beggars: A Cantata by BURNS, Robert - 1963

Hartford: Brown and Gross, 1859. Hardcover. 8vo. Original blind-embossed red cloth, gilt. x, 402pp. Very good. Mild edgewear and bit of rubbing/light soiling to binding; light even age toning throughout. Overall a tight, clean, nice third edition of this verse collection (with front board and spine gilt bright) in which Sigourney takes a Biblical line and uses it as the inspiration for a poem -- one for every day of the year, January 1st through December 31st. This particular copy was likely a prize for a school contest, for an inner flyleaf has been inscribed and signed large and bold in brown ink by the author (though recipient's name has been filled in by another hand): "Presented to / Andrew Sherratt / for excellence in Reading / with the good wishes of his friend, / L.H. Sigourney." Sigourney (1791-1865) -- known as "The Sweet Singer of Hartford," "The Mrs. Hemans of America" and "The Female Milton" -- was an incredibly popular, influential and prolific New England poet starting with her first… Read More

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1924. Hardcover. Small 4to. Grey cloth spine with black calf label and green paper over boards. xv, 487pp. Frontispiece, illustrations. Very good. Mild edgewear. Tight and nice first edition of this scarce and influential volume of Blake criticism, which did for interest in Blake what Raymond Weaver's biography of Herman Melville ("Herman Melville: Man, Mariner and Mystic," 1921) did a few years earlier for interest in that neglected writer. This exceptional copy bears a choice presentation inscription from the author in blue fountain pen on the front flyleaf: "To Mark Turbyfill / who is one of the very few / who should know what I / was trying to get at. / S. Foster Damon." Turbyfill (1896-1990) was a Chicago poet, dancer and artist who often appeared in Margaret Anderson's "The Little Review" and Harriet Monroe's "Poetry" magazine (which devoted the entire May 1926 issue to his poem "A Marriage with… Read More

New York: Adventures in Poetry, 1973. 1st edition. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket (as issued). VG+. 4to, 94pp, stapled wrappers. The rare Anonymous tenth issue of this key New York School poetry journal, includes a range of excellent material by cryptic contributors (William Burroughs [Schottlaender v4.C346] and Glen Baxter are definite). Covers sourced from a vintage Tijuana Bible. Unmarked copy with light cover wear and toning.

Buffalo, NY: Presence Press, 1968. 1st edition. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket (as issued). VG (but two pages blank). 8vo, 52pp (mimeographed), stapled wrappers. This rare literary magazine from 1968 Buffalo leads with 4 untitled poems by Kathy Acker (her earliest published appearance that I have seen). Unmarked copy, two (non-Acker) pages that are misprinted blank in this copy are included in photocopy.

Bensenville, IL: Ole, 1966. 1st edition. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket (as issued). VG+. 8vo, 48pp, stapled wrappers. Rare second issue of Douglas Blazek's great mimeo magazine. Includes a 9-page essay by Bukowski and work by levy, Wantling, et al. A publisher's ditto-printed announcement for works by Bukowski and Wantling is laid in. Unmarked copy, nicely preserved with a little wear.

Hartford: Brown and Gross, 1859. Hardcover. 8vo. Original blind-embossed red cloth, gilt. x, 402pp. Very good. Mild edgewear and bit of rubbing/light soiling to binding; light even age toning throughout. Overall a tight, clean, nice third edition of this verse collection (with front board and spine gilt bright) in which Sigourney takes a Biblical line and uses it as the inspiration for a poem -- one for every day of the year, January 1st through December 31st. This particular copy was likely a prize for a school contest, for an inner flyleaf has been inscribed and signed large and bold in brown ink by the author (though recipient's name has been filled in by another hand): "Presented to / Andrew Sherratt / for excellence in Reading / with the good wishes of his friend, / L.H. Sigourney." Sigourney (1791-1865) -- known as "The Sweet Singer of Hartford," "The Mrs. Hemans of America" and "The Female Milton" -- was an incredibly popular, influential and prolific New England poet starting with her first… Read More

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1924. Hardcover. Small 4to. Grey cloth spine with black calf label and green paper over boards. xv, 487pp. Frontispiece, illustrations. Very good. Mild edgewear. Tight and nice first edition of this scarce and influential volume of Blake criticism, which did for interest in Blake what Raymond Weaver's biography of Herman Melville ("Herman Melville: Man, Mariner and Mystic," 1921) did a few years earlier for interest in that neglected writer. This exceptional copy bears a choice presentation inscription from the author in blue fountain pen on the front flyleaf: "To Mark Turbyfill / who is one of the very few / who should know what I / was trying to get at. / S. Foster Damon." Turbyfill (1896-1990) was a Chicago poet, dancer and artist who often appeared in Margaret Anderson's "The Little Review" and Harriet Monroe's "Poetry" magazine (which devoted the entire May 1926 issue to his poem "A Marriage with… Read More

New York: Adventures in Poetry, 1973. 1st edition. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket (as issued). VG+. 4to, 94pp, stapled wrappers. The rare Anonymous tenth issue of this key New York School poetry journal, includes a range of excellent material by cryptic contributors (William Burroughs [Schottlaender v4.C346] and Glen Baxter are definite). Covers sourced from a vintage Tijuana Bible. Unmarked copy with light cover wear and toning.

Buffalo, NY: Presence Press, 1968. 1st edition. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket (as issued). VG (but two pages blank). 8vo, 52pp (mimeographed), stapled wrappers. This rare literary magazine from 1968 Buffalo leads with 4 untitled poems by Kathy Acker (her earliest published appearance that I have seen). Unmarked copy, two (non-Acker) pages that are misprinted blank in this copy are included in photocopy.

Bensenville, IL: Ole, 1966. 1st edition. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket (as issued). VG+. 8vo, 48pp, stapled wrappers. Rare second issue of Douglas Blazek's great mimeo magazine. Includes a 9-page essay by Bukowski and work by levy, Wantling, et al. A publisher's ditto-printed announcement for works by Bukowski and Wantling is laid in. Unmarked copy, nicely preserved with a little wear.