Potts, Charles

Th Trancemigracion of Menzu

San Francisco, CA: Charles Potts/ Empty Elevator Shaft, 1972. First Edition. Stapled Wrappers. "th new west and th old east/ hav united gunfire at ok corral/ 7000 miles of watr separatd them/ and it came together/ and th land came watr and/ th water land" ("Th Trancemigracion of Menzu," section 1, first lines, unpaginated) The title poem in ten sections by Charles Potts (b. 1943), the prolific & award-winning poet, novelist, editor & publisher who is associated with his Black Mountain School-&-Beyond mentor Edward Dorn. As exemplified by the title & lines quoted above, Potts' poetry from this early period is exemplary of the no-capitals, abbreviated & Joycean pun-filled style that he helped influence & popularize. Chapbook in stapled illustrated over-wraps over plain blue inner wraps, first edition, presumed first (& likely only) printing with no reference to further printings or colophon. From the collection of Erin Black Matson, the late artist-poet who, along with her then-husband the acclaimed 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 much as literature) of Herbert Huncke, Bonnie & Ray Bremser, Diane di Prima et al. It is likely that Erin & Clive had at least a passing acquaintance with Potts, who circulated widely among his contemporaries. A rare & rewarding early Potts collectible with distinguished & appropriate provenance. See also our item No.s 1494, 4884. The relatively near-fine condition of this item befits its long ownership & use by Erin, who was a tried-&-true Beat-Bohemian to the end: Mild-to-moderate rubbing, mild creasing & faint scratching to front, back over-wraps & stapled spine; mild wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & esp. corners of inner wraps. Interior very fine with only tiny bumps at upper corners of some page leaves (side edges of which are mostly untrimmed as issued). Near Fine. [Item #4940]

Price: $30.00 save 20% $24.00