Creeley, Robert

A Day Book: Tuesday November 19, 1968 / Friday June 11, 1971

New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1972. First Edition & Association Copy. Softcover. Signed & Inscribed by Robert Creeley to Ken & Ann Mikolowski, Founders of Detroit's "Alternative Press." "The first half of "A Day Book" is a prose record of Creeley's day-to-day experience. This section, based on family life, gives the volume its apt title. The second half is a a sequence of poems inspired by travel and called "In London." As M.L. Rosenthal pointed out in his critique, the two parts complement each other: "Almost half the book's approximately 165 pages is made up of prose entries in a journal, the rest consists of poetic entries, often parallel or at least reciprocal to the prose." Creeley tends in his writing to explore his preoccupations at the time, regardless of which particular form the writing takes." ("A Sense of Increment," John Wilson, University of Michigan Press, 1987). In this unique Creeley publication, the noted author gives us some of his most brazenly honest reportage yet, shying away from nothing and utilizing an all-inclusive policy on subject determined by to the poet's stream-of-consciousness exploration. From the library of Ken and Ann Mikolowski, founders of the celebrated Alternative Press. One thing we have noticed while curating the Mikolowski collection is the amount of varied objects & nick-nacks the Mikolowski's used for bookmarks. It seems they simply used whatever was at hand. In this particular book, at the page that contains the poem "A Testament," Ken left a cutout of journalist Christopher Ricks' contemporary review of the book in The New York Times. The cutout has been left in the book for years, presumably since Ken was initially reading it and had it signed in 1973. As such, the paper has intensely yellowed and stained both the page the poem begins on and the facing page, but leaves no trace anywhere else. A remarkable example of a scholar's habits with exceptional association from two monumental figures in mid-century American literature. Contemporary signature wonderfully amiable and telling of the Mikolowskis close friendship with the poet. It reads "For Ken and Anne -- / here's one -- / With love, / Bob / Buffalo -- 4/28/73." Book in fine condition with only horizontal crease running through length of cover near spine-edge; moderate rubbing to front, back covers; minute bumping at all corners of front, back covers; minor nicks, scratches to same; bump-crease to bottom left corner of back cover; aforementioned select yellowing as described above. Fine. [Item #2747]

Price: $75.00 save 20% $60.00