Levertov, Denise

Here and Now

San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, 1957. First Edition. Stapled Wrappers. "That crazy bird/ always laughing-/ he sits on the wall they are building,/ the wall/ which will hide the horizon,/ and laughs like mad every time/ we open our mouths to say/ I love you I hate you etc." ("The Bird," first eight lines, pg. 24) A collection of poems by Denise Levertov (1923-1997), the award-winning, acclaimed British-American poet. Here and Now is Levertov's first American-published collection, & is a very early (sixth) number in the iconic Pocket Poets Series of Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Lights Books imprint, only two numbers further from Allen Ginsberg's canonical Howl & Other Poems. This copy is a first edition, first printing, with all points indicated in Cook (No. 6, pgs. 7-8). One of 500 copies letterpress-printed in London for CLB in San Francisco during January 1957 with white paper wraparound label pasted onto green wrappers & seventy-five cent price reference on back cover near upper left corner. The rarest version of this Levertov poetry classic, in relatively near-fine condition as follows: Mild-to-moderate rubbing, browning & spotting to front, back covers & single-stapled spine esp. wraparound label; slight wear & some tiny bumps, creases at thin edges & corners of same; faded but still visible hand-written price reference at blank area near upper right corner of front wraparound label; moderate rubbing, browning & spotting to edges of text block. Interior fine with very light browning to blank margins of page leaves; very light wear & tiny bumps, creases at edges & esp. corners of same; single staple in process of rusting with minimal bleeding; small areas of light spotting at upper & lower middle-edges & corners of middle pages (16 & 17). Near Fine. [Item #4236]

Price: $150.00 save 20% $120.00