Search Results: Poetry from Main Street Fine Books & Manuscripts, ABAA

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1957. Paperback. Small 8vo. Stiff tan linen wrappers. vi, 72pp. Very good. Bookplate on front flyleaf and _______________. Early printing, tight and attractive, of this nifty anthology that includes Federico Garcia Lorca, Antonio Machado, Gabriela Mistral and others.

New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1959. Hardcover. 8vo. Quarter teal blue with ivory spine lettering and patterned paper over boards, pictorial dust jacket. 86pp. Near fine/very good. Jacket mildly rubbed and edgeworn, with spine faintly sunned. Handsome first edition of this earlty Ciardi collection, boldly inscribed and signed by him on front flyleaf to an Illinois high school drama teacher: "for Melba Wixom / with good wishes from / Bread Loaf '61 / John Ciardi." Ciardi (1924-86) served as director of the famed Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in Vermont for many years; he was a prolific poet who as editor of the "Saturday Review" influenced many younger poets.

Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1965. Hardcover. 8vo. Quarter burgundy cloth with gilt spine lettering and decorative paper over boards, pictorial price-clipped dust jacket. 140pp. Fine/near fine. Bright, fresh first edition of this modern retelling in verse of the love tale of the 12th century French philosopher, poet, theologian and composer.

New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1896. Hardcover. 12mo. Blue cloth with gilt lettering. vi, 112pp. Top edge gilt. Very good. Faintest bit of edgewear. A tight and quite handsome first edition of this book-length poem that began as the $1,000 winner in a poetry contest sponsored by the "New York Herald," where it appeared on December 15, 1895. Allen (1854-1930) was a Presbyterian clergyman who published two other verse collections. Uncommon in this superb condition. Ex-historical society, the only markings being a small Evanston Historical Society bookplate on front pastedown and their circular blind-embossed imprint on title page. MONAGHAN 1184.

New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1896. Hardcover. 12mo. Blue cloth with gilt lettering. vi, 112pp. Top edge gilt. Near fine. Second edition, most attractive and tight. This book-length poem began as the $1,000 winner in a "New York Herald" poetry contest and was published there on 15 December 1895. Allen (1854-1930) was a Presbyterian clergyman and published two other verse collections, -- one on George Washington, the other on Robert E. Lee. An exceptionally handsome copy of an uncommon title. MONAGHAN 1184 note.

New York: Bunce & Huntington, 1865. Hardcover. Small 4to. Stiff glossy purple front wrapper, rebound with brown morocco spine with gilt lettering and marbled paper over boards. 12pp. Very good. Mild rubbing to spine, else tight and quite attractive -- and the pamphlet itself is near fine. First and only edition of this poem mourning the death of Lincoln -- one of the best known works of this American poet, editor and critic (1825-1903) who made his home the celebrated center of New York literary life with his wife, novelist and poet Elizabeth D.B. Stoddard. A superb copy of a very scarce title. MONAGHAN 752.

Glenview: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1968. Paperback. 8vo. Stiff glack glossy wrappers. 84pp, (2pp). Very good. Outer wrappers (only) a tad edgeworn and rubbed, else tight and internally fine. First edition of the first title in general editor William J. Martz's "Modern Poets Series" -- and tipped to blank leaf facing title page like a frontispiece is a decorative bookplate signed boldly by Eberhart in blue ballpoint, which he dates 1991. From the collection of Bill Pauly (1942-2021), Iowa poet and academic especially well known for his haikus; he neatly pens astute margin comments on about nine pages. Eberhart (1904-2005) was a prolific poet and won both a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and National Book Award for Poetry.

Parkersburg, IA: Loess Hills Books, 1997. Hardcover. Small 4to. Brown cloth with gilt lettering, pictorial dust jacket. 47pp. Fine/very good. Faintest of jacket edgewear only. Handsome, tight first edition of this poet's second verse collection, nicely inscribed (not signed) by Ratzlaff in black ballpoint on title page: He crosses off his printed name and pens below it -- "Bill -- With admiration / for your haiku -- and / the fabulous teacher you / must be to have students / write like they do / UNI / 10/28/00." Recipient "Bill" is Bill Pauly (1942-2021), a poet especially known for haikus and long-time English professor at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.

N.p.: Jerry N. Wallace, 1999. Hardcover. 4to. Brown buckram with gilt spine lettering. 403pp, 79pp. Fine. Superb, tight facsimile reprint of the 1758 Edinburgh edition of the epic poem commonly known as "The Wallace," by the poet known as "Blind Harry" (circa 1440-92), who composed it around 1477 but the title page badly misdates this as 1361. It is a historical fiction that tells the life of 13th century Scottish independence leader William Wallace and, although considered inaccurate in many respects, is the basis for the 1995 Mel Gibson Oscar-winning film "Braveheart" -- and this unique copy bears two fine autograph additions from that film: Tipped to the front flyleaf are matching heavy stock 5" X 3" cards signed boldly by two Scottish cast members. At top is IAN BANNEN (1929-99, portrays Robert the Bruce's father), who signs boldly in black fineline and dates it 23 December 1977 at upper right; below him is BRIAN COX (born 1946, portrays Argyle Wallace), who signs in blue fineline and dates it 16… Read More

Chicago: A.C. McClurg and Company, 1896. Hardcover. Introduction by Edward G. Mason. 8vo. Half blue cloth and grey paper over boards, gilt. xiii, 254pp. Frontispiece portrait. Very good. First edition, limited to 1080 copies -- this copy from the library of Frank O. Lowden (1861-1943), governor of Illinois, and bearing his handsome engraved bookplate on the front pastedown. Sole collection of verse and miscellaneous writings by the noted Illinois jurist.

New York: Mitchell Kennerley, 1914. Hardcover. Small 8vo. Burgundy cloth with gilt lettering. 186pp. Very good. Faintest of binding edgewear, with spine ever-so-slightly sunned. Tight, attractive first edition of this early Lindsay effort, a mix of prose and poetry chronicling a journey "from my home town, Springfield, Illinois, across Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas, up and down Colorado and into New Mexico...." Rather scarce and quite nice.

Franklin Center, PA: The Franklin Library, 1982. Hardcover. Translation by John Dryden. Illustrations by Johann Grüninger. 8vo. Grey leatherette with gilt spine lettering and extensive decorations. 425pp. All edges gilt. Illustrations, grey decorative endpapers. Near fine. Inoffensive abrasion to front pastedown from bookplate removal. Tight and nice copy of what's surely the best known of "Aeneid" translations, English poet/critic/translator John Dryden's justly celebrated translation of 1697. Grüninger's famed woodcuts, first published in 1529, accompany this edition of Italy's national poem about the founding of Rome.

Minneapolis: New Rivers Press, 1994. Paperback. 8vo. Stiff glossy pictorial wrappers. 73pp. Near fine. Bright, tight first edition of this verse gathering by the Iowa poet, boldly inscribed and signed by her in black ballpoint on front flyleaf to a fellow Iowa poet: "For Bill Pauly / Nice meeting you at / the Hearst Celebration / of Poetry. / Sandra Adelmund." Bill Pauly (1942-2021) was an Iowa poet and academic especially well known for his haikus.

[Chicago]: The Modern Poetry Association, 1956. Paperback. Small 4to. Wrappers. Near fine. Three-panel foldout leaflet for this "Poetry" magazine sponsored reading held at Chicago's Shubert Theater. Front wrapper illustration plus facsimile of handwritten fair copy of a portion of the poem "Chicago."

Chicago: P.F. Volland & Company, 1914. Hardcover. Narrow 16mo. Cream cloth with gilt lettering and device. (5pp rectos only, accordion folded). Very good. Light wear and touch of age toning to binding only, else internally fine and tight. Lovely first edition of this charming poem by the famed Chicago poet, journalist and humorist (1871-1927), featuring illuminated initial caps and gilt and color decorative elements on each text page, the overall effect being a pseudo-Gothic look.

N.p.: N.p., n.y.. Paperback. 64mo (2¼" X 3"). Stiff wrappers. (32pp). Numerous illustrations. Fine. First edition, tight and pristine, of this cryptic oddball production self published by the artist (born 1949) known for collage and installation work. The text of Edgar Allen Poe's short poem "Alone" appears phrase by phrase on all versos, with all facing rectos are images of Smith herself and small household objects. (Strangely enough, six lines of the Poe poem are missing, probably through simple omission.) The rear wrapper bears a small full-length portrait of Smith, with her facsimile signature at upper right; below this she signs boldly in black ballpoint, dating it 1997. While a publication period of 1970s has been suggested for this booklet, a more recent time frame, perhaps the 1990s, seems more likely. By the way, Alexis Smith was born Patti Ann Smith and has nothing to do with the Hollywood actress, although she changed her first name to Alexis in tribute to her.

Garden City: Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1934. Hardcover. Small 8vo. Dark blue cloth with gilt spine lettering, pictorial dust jacket. xii, 102pp. Near fine/ very good. Jacket mildly edgeworn, with a few tiny edge chips and spine slightly age toned; toned area to front endpaper from long-ago newsprint contact. Quite tight and nice first edition of the poet's second book, signed by him large and bold in black ink on inner flyleaf, below which he adds "Oxford, 1934" -- after college Engle was a Rhodes Scholar at Merton College, Oxford from 1933 to 1936. The famed Iowa poet/educator/critic/novelist (1908-91) is best known as long-time director of the renowned Iowa Writers' Workshop and as co-founder of the University of Iowa's International Writing Program.

Iowa City: The Prairie Press, 1951. Hardcover. Small 4to. Russet cloth with black spine lettering. 70pp, (4pp). Near fine. Lacks dust jacket. Handsome and tight first edition of this sharp production highlighting new work by such figures as Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Langston Hughes, Karl Shapiro, Richard Wilbur and other luminaries -- plus Richard Eberhart (1904-2005), with a bookplate on front flyleaf from the National Trust for Historic Preservation boldly signed by him in blue ballpoint and dated 1991.

New York: Harper & Row, 1965. Hardcover. 8vo. Red and green cloth with gilt lettering, price-clipped dust jacket. xxxiv, 1274pp. Very good/very good. Faint bit of jacket edgewear; binding spine faintly wrinkled. A tight and lovely later printing of this thick anthology, which ranges from Anne Bradstreet (born 1612) to Wendell Berry (born 1934). Tipped to the front flyleaf is an archival decorative-edged bookplate signed boldly in full in blue fineline by famed Walt Whitman biographer Gay Wilson Allen (1903-95), who in 1981 authored the Pulitzer Prize-nominated "Waldo Emerson: A Biography."

Boston: Fields, Osgood & Co, 1869. Hardcover. 16mo. Green cloth. 100pp, 4pp. Frontispiece, illustrations. Very good. Ownership signature on inner front flyleaf. Handsome first edition, first state. BAL 21874.