Search Results: Poetry from Singularity Rare & Fine

Buffalo: The Hayes Lithographing Co., 1911. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Very Good. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. A strong Very Good. See scans and description. Buffalo: The Hayes Lithographing Co., 1911. First Edition. 'A Golden Month with Whittier' - a poem each day from John Greenleaf Whittier - published and with color lithography by the Hayes Lithographing Co. 12mo, illustrated papered boards, floral pattern endpapers, 12 pp. including the half-title and the frontispiece on its verso. A strong Very Good; modest soul to the white fields of the covers, moderate small-scale edge wear at spine and corners. No other flaws; still firmly bound. See all scans. Very scarce, now. Ships in a new, sturdy, protective box - not a bag. L200

1984. Full-Leather. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Sacramento, 1984. Handwritten Manuscript Journal of B.L. Kennedy poems. Journal is a black leather-clad general-purpose notebook with "Scorpio" device and lettering in gilt on the cover, also metallic lavender imprinting, and is in about VG condition with bumped corners and spine ends and a hinge crack. Unpaginated, but contains 57 pages in ink, in Kennedy's somewhat floral hand. A collection of handwritten poems and notes by Sacramento counterculture poet and live arts events organizer B.L. "Bari" Kennedy, winner of a Sacramento Lifetime Achievement Award. Never one to shy from muckraking or pot-stirring of any sort, the energetic and charismatic Kennedy here penned thirty-three poems, all in January of 1984, including the handwritten form of the humorous and controversial "My Cock Goes To Hollywood", which outraged readers of the Sutterton News when it appeared there later… Read More

Syracuse: SUNY Upstate Medical University, 2016. 1st Edition . Soft cover. Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Near Fine - very See scans and description. Syracuse, NY: SUNY Upstate Medical University, 2016. 'The Healing Muse: A Journal of Literary and Visual Arts.' Fall, 2016. Edited by Deirdre Neilen, PhD. ISBN# 9780978960506. Octavo, illustrated perfect-bound wraps, 167 pp. (xii + 155). Near Fine, without flaw of any kind; would be As New, impeccable but for four lines of one poem which have been highlighted by the original owner. Replete with engaging, in-spirit illustrations in both color and black and white. 123 works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and visuals by a wide variety of artists and scholars. Quiet scarce, especially in this condition. Ships in a sturdy box, of course - not a bag. L16

New York, 1955. First Edition . Soft cover. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. New York, no year, dated October 2nd. Autographed Letter Signed by Scottish/American counterculture poet Helen Adam (1909-1993). 8"x5", 2 pages, written in blue ink. Some folding wear, else Very Good or better. After moving to the U.S., Helen Adam was an important part of the "San Francisco Renaissance" in poetry, roughly a contemporaneous peer of the Beat Movement, but in fact Adam is seen as an immediately pre-Beat counterculture poet. In the letter, she thanks a Ms. Rowe for an article contribution to the New York Quarterly; also hopes her "auction for The New York Quarterly will be a great success". Top provenance. L28

San Pedro, CA: Lummox Press, 2008. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. Fine. 24mo - over 5 - 5¾" tall. Tony Zerbolio. San Pedro, CA: Lummox Press, 2008. Chapbook, LRB # 59, stated First Edition. Chapbook, 24mo, red stapled wraps, cover illustration by Tony Zerbolio, unpaginated + LRB list. Fine condition. Perfect little chapbook of poems by Pris Campbell, author of "Sea Trails: Poems and 1977 Passage Notes". Includes two page mini-bio on Campbell. Very scarce little collectible piece from Lummox's Little Red Book (LRB) series of poetry chapbooks. L-g3

Paris: Emile-Paul, Freres, 1927. First French Translation Edition . Full-Leather. Very Good. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Paris: Emile-Paul, Freres, 1927. First French Translation. Traduction de Maurice Betz; number 242 of 315. Of the 315 numbered copies in this first French translation edition, 200 - numbers 116 to 315 - were on pure wire LaFuma. This is a particularly interesting copy, since all others appear to be in original wraps; this one has been individually and beautifully leather bound for Yvonne Winslow and inscribed to her on the flyleaf by the binder, who did a nice job for her: green/brown Morocco leather is done in an elegant cruciform cover, ruled in black and gilt. Raised spine bands, spine titled in gilt, top edge gilt. Front cover is detached, with with 1/4" abrasion, very mild edgewear. Small edge abrasions to front free endpaper, page edge toning. Worthy of re-attachment of the cover, in which case this would be a Near Fine - and… Read More

San Pedro, CA: Lummox Press, 2008. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. Fine. 24mo - over 5 - 5¾" tall. San Pedro, CA: Lummox Press, 2008. Chapbook, LRB # 56, stated First Edition. Chapbook, 24mo, red stapled wraps, unpaginated + LRB ads. Fine condition. Perfect little chapbook of poems by Terry McCarty, author of "Hollywood Poetry 2001-2013". Includes one page mini-bio on McCarty. Very scarce little collectible piece from Lummox's Little Red Book (LRB) series of poetry chapbooks. L-g3

Sanbornville, NH: Wake-Brook House, 1959. First Edition . Printed Wrappers. Near Fine. 9 x 6. Sanbornville, NH: Wake-Brook House, 1959. First Edition. Presentation copy, signed, inscribed and dated by the author to her friend Evan O'Conor. Tan printed wraps, 9"x6", 53 pp. + colophon. Curling at perimeters of wraps, and some darkening to them, else Near Fine; a handsome copy. See scans. Laura Benet (1884-1979) was the sister of poet Stephen Vincent Benet, and an accomplished poet herself. This copy has been dated by her in Santa Barbara in November of 1961, and signed and warmly inscribed by her to her friend Evan O'Conor, in memory of "many visits". No small amount of sophistication and personal style permeates this volume of short poems, one with a mood that defies description, at least in familiar words. These pieces very potently carry an only slightly Americanized form of the Japanese moods of Sabi, Wabi, Aware, and Yugen - most saliently the last and… Read More

Palo Alto, CA: The Matrix Press, 1980. Limited, Numbered and Signed Edition . Flexible Card Covers. Near Fine. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Fine, as noted. First Edition and Limited Edition, this copy signed with inscription. Palo Alto: The Matrix Press, 1980. One of 500 copies, this one signed by the author, and inscribed to collector George [King] Fox, and dated in the year of publication by Janet Lewis. With laid-in publisher's prospectus and invitation card to celebrate the publication of the book. Square 12mo. Printed on acid-free paper and sewn in wrappers. Light sunning to spine, else Fine. A limited edition of the noted poet's first book, originally published in 1922 by Harriet Monroe in Poetry Magazine, as part of Monroe Wheeler's Manikin series, which also included poetry by William Carlos Williams. See scans. LG12

Columbus, OH: Ohio University Press, 1963. First Edition . Cloth. Near Fine/Near Fine. Octavo. Columbus, OH: Ohio University Press, 1963. First Edition. Association copy, that of poet and writer Lewis Turco, who has signed the ffep and whose seal appears on the title page. Also, a TLS from author Dickey to Turco is tipped in on the dedication page. Octavo, buff cloth boards, photopictorial jacket, 94 pp. A near fine book in a near fine jacket - about as close to fine as they can be in this case, without actually being so. No significant flaws of any kind. A genuinely memorable copy of Dickey's second book of poems, for the collector. This copy was owned by fellow poet, novelist and non-fiction writer Lewis Turco, who has signed and sealed it. Tipped in is a TLS from Dickey (then in Granville, OH) to Turco (in Cleveland), in which a "Golding" is twice mentioned, and a conflict both Turco and Dickey apparently had in trying to hear (i.e., presumably see, in lecture) him… Read More

Millbrae, CA: Poor Souls Press, 2009. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. Fine. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Millbrae, CA: Poor Souls Press, 2009. Signed, limited broadside of B.L. Kennedy's counterculture poem, "Jim Morrison Visits Disneyland". The Broadsider: Volume One, Series 17. This one is number 11 of the signed and numbered edition of 100. Signature done with a silver/blue sharpie. 10 1/2" x 8 1/2", red and black ink on pale blue paper. See scan. Fine; flawless. L-G8

Nuremberg: Hoffman and Campe, 1831. First Edition . Full-Leather. Very Good. 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. Nuremburg: Hoffman and Campe, 1831. First edition. [IN GERMAN] Original wrappers, now also bound in modern calf with veined endpapers. 16mo, 152 pp. Leather binding is Fine, contents are foxed, VG. See scans. The first published foray into idealogical polemics by the German poet and playwright Heinrich Heine. Heine, influenced by his life as a Jew in French-occupied Germany as well as by mentor, philosopher Georg Hegel, was a political liberal, although one who expressed himself with some refinement. Anti-aristocratic, he moved to France in 1831 to show his support for the French Revolution, and soon after published Kalldorf Uberden Adel, itself an attack on aristocracy in general and upon Count Von Moltke in particular. Upon later meeting Von Moltke - one of the most accomplished and respected Germans of the era - Heine offered a published and an in-person… Read More

Munchen [Munich]: Hyperion Verlag, 1911. First Edition Thus . Wrappers. Very Good Plus. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. Munich: Hyperion Verlag, 1911. First Edition Thus. Kudrun. Large epic poem with text entirely in German, in a hefty oversized folio volume in green-blue wraps with gilt lettering and vignette, top edge gilt. Number 664 of 1507 copies printed on Van Gelder paper by Hans von Weber in Munchen (Munich), Germany in 1911. Minor spotting at the cover, slight wear at corners, inside a small square offset, about 2"x2", at the front pastedown. A handsome Very Good or better. An epic German folk poem from the mythology of the middle ages, written in the 13th century, titled alternately Gudrun Lied. The poem is named after the heroine Kudrun or Gudrun, not, however, the same Gudrun of the Icelandic sagas (Gudrun in Volsunga Saga and the Eddas). Possibly the second greatest German epic in the Middle Age, after the Nibelungenlied. It was written in Middle High German… Read More

Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1895. Soft cover. Good. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. Good. See scans and description. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1895. L'Allegro and Other Poems, by John Milton, in the form of Houghton's Riverside Literature Series, Number 72. Edited by Horace E. Scudder. First Thus. 2mo, stapled wraps with illustrated front cover, 96 pp. Good; still stout, but notably age-toned at the covers, and with light general scuffing, but which has resulted in small area of scuff loss toward upper right of rear cover (scan); also, thoroughly pencil-annotated throughout, a least a little on most pages. These annotations can be erased, though that is not necessarily advisable. Firmly bound and complete. Please see all scans. L5-6

New York : Oxford University Press, 1990. Soft cover. Very Good. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. Very Good, as noted. See scans and description. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. 10th printing of this Oxford edition. 12mo, illustrated perfect-bound wraps, xxii + 478 pp. + 4 pp. ads. Very Good, with demure and unobtrusive original owner's signature at title page. No other writing, inside or out. Page edges slightly age-toned, touch-wear at corners and other peripheral places, several very small spots of cover soiling. Firmly bound, tight, bright and unmarked but for the mentioned signature. Not for collecting, perhaps, but definitely for reading - which is what one should do anyway, with this piece of extraordinary poetry, considered by many to be one of the two (along with Ginsberg's 'Howl") greatest American epic poems. See scans. L-11n

San Jose, CA: J.J.Owen, 1876. First Edition . Pebble Cloth. Very Good. 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. San Jose, CA: J.J. Owen,1876. First Edition. Green pebble cloth, spine title and cover harp device in gilt. Lavender endpapers. 16mo; 126 pp. Wear at top right cover corner, and a small amount at spine bottom. Some wear to spine gilt. Apparent small white stain on cover; may be removable. Still tight, bright and complete, and remarkably devoid of foxing. A solid VG. A beautiful little book, rare and delightful. Mary T. Maloney's preface states that these poems are "scattered amusements and impressions of years in Louisiana and California," except for the title piece, which her friend, California printer/publisher J.J. Owen, encouraged her to write because "the longest and the best had not yet been published". She chose an "old-time" character for her front poem - The Legend of Nonnenwerth - because she felt that, a la Sir Walter Scott and… Read More

Chicago: The Book House For Children, 1925. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Very Good. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Katherine Sturges. Chicago: The Book House For Children, 1925. First Edition. Quarto, purple-brown textured cloth boards with gilt imprinting on front cover and spine, color illustration by illustrator Katherine Sturges as pastedown cover decoration, brilliantly illustrated endpapers, 191 pp. +1. ABout Very Good; spine ends worn, corners bumped, ffep excised, a young lass's bookplate is on the front pastedown, front hinge starting but binding generally strong. See scans. Contents are quite bright and unbesmirched by crayons or other shenanigans. Enchanting haiku poems assembled by Olive Beaupre from various Japanese poets, with even more enchanting illustrations by Katherine Sturges. See scans of samples. L-g1

San Francisco: Towne & Bacon, 1867. First Edition . Cloth. About Very Good. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. San Francisco: Towne & Bacon, 1867. First Edition. BAL 7242. 12mo, 108 pp. + 1 page notes. Original russet cloth with gilt stamped mast and sail decoration on front cover bearng, in intaglio, the title. Rubbing at covers, corners /spine ends showing a bit; front pastedown stained from removed bookplate, one signature sprung. Closely approaching but just a bit short of very good. See scans. Harte's second book, a collection of poems including the lengthy title piece. An Albany, NY native who later moved to California and, after writing in San Francisco for The Californian, where he worked with Mark Twain, Charles Warren Stoddard and others, he became first editor of the Overland Monthly. "The Luck of Roaring Camp" , published there, established his fame. But he had loved poetry since childhood - when he had had several poems published by the age of… Read More

Bloomsbury: Nonesuch Press, 1929. First Edition . Marbled Paper Over Boards. Very Good Plus. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Bloomsbury: Nonesuch Press, 1929. First edition, and limited. # 1409 of 1525 copies printed for sale in England and the U.S. Small quarto, marbled paper over cream boards. 30 pp. + limitation. Slight age toning, small-scale wear at corners and spine, else Near Fine. See scans. Interesting contradiction about this limited edition, with the title page proffering Bloomsbury and the Nonesuch Press imprint, while the limitation page at rear credits Walter Lewis, M.A., at the University Press, Cambridge, with the production. A witty love poem with a cute ending by Laver, 1899-1975, who was born in Liverpool, England, and was educated at the Liverpool Institute and New College Oxford. He was Keeper in the Departments of Engraving, Illustration and Design, and of Paintings in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. He wrote widely on art and costume, and… Read More

Pollock Pines, CA: Rattlesnake Press, 2008. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. New. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Pollock Pines, CA: Rattlesnake Press, 2008. First Edition and First Printing. Signed on the cover by Kennedy, then signed, inscribed and dated within to a friend. Quarto, spiral bound wraps, cover painting by Alex Escalante, interior art by Kennedy, 72 pp. New; pristine and flawless. With the words of his inscription to that friend, Kennedy gives us the feeling: "...please, my friend, please enjoy the vision of this, my new collection." Quite a collection it is, with 43 of Kennedy's poems - some organically within art works by him - in that emotion-provoking voice he has. Nine of the poems are dedicated to Luna's Cafe on 16th Street in Sacramento, where BLK and his krewe hang out and so often offer recitals to the general public. Hence the title: Luna's House of Words. L-g2