Various (Quasha, George (Editor); Blackburn, Paul; Cage, John; di Prima, Diane; Kelly, Robert; Eshleman, Clayton; Giorno, John; Hollo, Anselm; Mac Low, Jackson; Mottram, Eric; Olson, Charles; Padgett, Ron; Quasha, Susan; Rothenberg, Jerome; Waldman, Anne et al.)

Active Anthology

Fremont, MI: The Sumac Press, 1974. First Edition. Softcover. "I see the anthology as an opportunity to get out of the view of poetry as merely the aggregate of private talents. To see the field of poetic acts is to experience its interconnectivity in the present. One almost sees the movement of consciousness in its process of regeneration, which may be another way of saying what (Ezra) Pound called Paideuma, "the gristly roots of ideas that are in action." In other words, by emphasizing the "inclusiveness" of contemporary poetry- more exactly, its "openness"- we regard it as an instance of consciousness stepping beyond individual awareness- beyond private property." (from "Virtual Poetics: A Preface," pg. 9) A rich anthology of contemporary (mostly) American poetry, edited, with contributions & preface (quoted above) by George Quasha (b. 1942), a prolific multi-media artist & poet who remains quite active. Co-edited & with contribution by Susan Quasha (presumably George's wife), this anthology features poetry, along with a few prose works & some illustrations, by a staggering roster of key mid-20th century Beat-&-Beyond figures: Paul Blackburn, John Cage, Diane di Prima, Robert Kelly, Clayton Eshleman, John Giorno, Anselm Hollo, Jackson Mac Low, Eric Mottram, Charles Olson, Ron Padgett, Jerome Rothenberg, Anne Waldman & many, many more- a total of 64 contributors (see our many collectibles of those just listed by typing their names in our search engine). Large-format softcover original, first edition as stated on copyright page, presumably first-&-only printing. A stand-alone production of The Sumac Press, which published an acclaimed series of literary journals, some titled as "Active Antholog(ies)," previous to this (see our item No.s 3125-7, 3460, 3643, 3676, 3718). From the collection of the late Erin Black Matson, the artist-poet who, along with her then-husband the noted poet & educator Clive Matson, was a member of the Beat Generation as it morphed into the hippie counterculture during the 1960s. The Matsons were colleagues & protégés (in lifestyle as well as literature) of Herbert Huncke, Bonnie & Ray Bremser, Diane di Prima et al. A most-important, rare & rewarding anthology with distinguished provenance. The relatively good-to-near-fine condition of this item befits its long ownership & use by Erin, who was indeed a tried-&-true Beat-Bohemian to the end: Moderate-to-significant rubbing, spotting, spot-staining, scratching & mild creasing to front, back covers & spine; mild-to-moderate wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; very short, mostly closed tears at spine-corners, edges with minimal loss of paper; moderate rubbing, spotting to edges of text block. Interior fine with medium-to-significant browning, spotting to blank inner covers & illustrated endpapers; tiny bumps & small, faint creases to (esp. upper) corners of some page leaves; occasionally to lower edges of same. Good- Near Fine. [Item #4898]

Price: $20.00