[Item #3655] Postcards on Parade: A Musical Play with: Ephemera. Kenward Elmslie.
Postcards on Parade: A Musical Play with: Ephemera
Postcards on Parade: A Musical Play with: Ephemera
Postcards on Parade: A Musical Play with: Ephemera
Postcards on Parade: A Musical Play with: Ephemera

Postcards on Parade: A Musical Play with: Ephemera

ISBN: 0917453301
Flint, MI: Bamberger Books, 1993. First Trade Edition. Softcover. Inscribed & signed (twice) by Kenward Elmslie to Ken & Ann Mikolowski. "Postcards on Parade explores the glorious traditions of the American musical, gives them a spin, and injects them with surreal pizzaz and linguistic highs in this concept musical for the 1990s. Three gatherings of dealers and collectors of old postcards provide a reality that is constantly confronted and undermined by free-ranging fantasy, as postcard images spring unpredictably into song and dance." (from back cover) Book & lyrics of a musical play by Kenward Elmslie, the noted poet-artist-(& here)playwright associated with the New York School, especially his editorship & contributions to the "Z" magazine series; & with Joe Brainard (1942-1994), the brilliant poet-artist who was Elmslie's personal & creative partner. On blank front endpaper, Elmslie has hand-written & signed: "For/ K + A/ "join that shoebox serenade"/ -mucho/ love on/ Joe's B-Day/ (signed) Kenward/ 3/11/95." "K & A" in balloon lettering are Ken Mikolowski & his late wife Ann, the poet & artist respectively who founded & conducted the legendary Alternative Press, which published many luminaries of the Beat Generation, New York & Black Mountain Schools, etc. The quote is a lyric from one of the musical numbers ("Reprise: Postcards on Parade"); & "Joe's B-Day" is a poignant reference to what would have been Brainard's fifty-third birthday had he not died of AIDS the previous year. Elmslie had also hand-written his full signature below his printed name on title page. The music for this work was composed by & credited to Steven Taylor, & there are two facsimile pages of his hand-notated score. Also included loosely between pages 54-55 is an original playbill for a production of Postcards on Parade which was performed at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI on March 10, 1995 (one day prior to Elmslie's inscription to the Mikolowskis). The playbill notes that this performance was sponsored by Clayton Eshleman, the acclaimed & prolific poet, editor & educator (then at the EMU English Department as noted) who still resides near us in Ypsilanti, along with Ken our good friend & mentor. Trade-format softcover original. As noted in colophon, this is one of 800 copies, 26 of which were lettered, signed & with an original Elmslie postcard collage artwork tipped in. Although this is one of the 774 trade copies, the very meaningful inscription, associations & provenance of this copy & playbill make it a very special one-of-a-kind rarity of its own. A most desirable Elmslie collectible. Book in very fine condition with only a bit of wear & a few tiny bumps at edges & corners of front, back covers & spine; otherwise substantially mint inside & out. Ephemera in substantially mint condition. Very Fine. [Item #3655]

Price: $75.00