Creeley, Robert

Notebook (1972)

New York, NY: Bouwerie Editions, 1972. Limited First Printing. Staplebound in Folder. "These pages of Robert Creeley's Notebook, 6/7/70-6/19/70, are published here in a First Edition of 350 examples, of which 100 examples are reserved for the poet and publisher." Published in 1972 by one "Bouwerie Editions" (a fun phonetic spelling of "Bowery" a la The Bowery in NYC), this is a textbook (pun intended?) example of how absolutely respected and beloved Robert Creeley was as a poet upon his contemporaries and the American poetry scene at large. His reputation and the respect afforded to him did not limit itself to the guerilla inhabitants of the literary underground. Creeley was afforded an almost unprecedented level of respect from academic institutions as his life went on. Known as much for the intense way in which he thought about poetry and poetic composition (the multi-volume correspondence with the titanic Charles Olson comes to mind) as his own poetry, it seems everywhere he went Creeley influenced the writers and artists around him. Despite coming off quite serene and polished in his discourse about poetry and composition, he apparently could throw beer and booze back with the best of 'em, and many poets have written about how fun it was to party with Creeley. This mixture of affability and acumen is what made things like this happen--"Robert, can you send us some poems to publish?" "Well, I'm too busy to type things up at the moment, but do you want to just take one of my journals and print it facsimile/verbatim?" and then the publisher eagerly agrees! The poems in this collection are quintessential Creeley, and the format in which they are produced reflects his enduring influence writ large. Large-format chapbook in folder and stapled wrappers; a limited first printing. From the collection of the late poet-artist Erin Black Matson, who along with her then-husband Clive Matson was a member of the Beat Generation-morphing into the hippie counterculture during the 1960s. The Matsons were protégé-colleagues (in lifestyle as much as literature) of Herbert Huncke, Bonnie Bremser et al. The condition of this item (see below) befits its inclusion in the library of a Bona Fide Beat who appears to have remained true to (never recovered from?) those heady days. In Good condition with pronounced-to-significant slight shelf-wear, rubbing, spotting, smudging throughout; slight, scattered staining, browning to front, back covers; minor-to-pronounced bumps to all corners of same; slight chipping to spine edge and top right-hand corner of front cover (the result of Erin's cats' or other small creatures' nibblings, we surmise); despite the microscopic detail we've provided, the prospective buyer should know that the inside of the item is surprisingly clean/well-preserved (see photos). Good. [Item #4672]

Price: $50.00 save 20% $40.00